Born Blessed

Bound For A Blessing | Part 1 – Born Blessed

In this series, I want us to see the heart of God toward His creation, His chosen people, and how His spiritual blessing impacts the world.

Today, I want to start with a foundation It's God's nature to bless his creations.

Genesis 1:21-22 (ESV)

21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV)

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Look at your neighbor and say, 'I was born blessed.'

You have what is needed for human flourishing. Humanity has the ability to be fruitful, and He gave you purpose. You are to manage, rule, and bring things under control, to take dominion over situations and circumstances. God created you with this ability so wherever there is confusion, you can bring order and calm.

But we all know the story: man sins, eats the fruit, and now we have the effects of a broken world. We had brothers killing each other, broken relationships. The bible says man's heart was continually evil, so the Lord sent a worldwide flood.

A Holy God has to deal with sin, and the wages of sin are death. But look at the heart of God again. When there was a reset on the earth, and now when it is just Noah and his sons on the earth, God gathered Noah and his sons.

Genesis 9:1 (ESV)

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

• You may have changed, but God never retracted his intention to bless. His heart and nature is to bless you. Thank-you God that when humankind fails, Gods love is everlasting.

• I used to be upset or confused, I would look at award shows and hear people talk about how I am blessed and how God protected them and spared their life, and will say God how they get blessed when their lifestyle doesn't match the word.

• Theologians call this common grace.

Story of Car Accident

It rains on the just and the unjust, because is God good and plenteous in mercy.

(Picture of Car)

1. Life of Bad Decisions and Situations (The Life of Esau)

Esau sells his birthright

Genesis 25:29-34 (ESV)

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." 32 Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33 Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

• Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 21:17 that a birthright of the firstborn is to get a double-portion of a father's inheritance. With is privilege, they also had the responsibility to provide for the family, and lead the family legacy.

• But Esau wasn't thinking about long-term effects of his decision, he was thinking about a temporary gratification of his appetite. He wanted to satisfy his craving. The bible says he despised his birthright. He had little regard for it, didn't value it, or consider it important. Before you jump on Esau, some of us have jeopardized our family future, our property or resources for temporary satisfaction. Been reckless and made unwise decision. Deals with the wrong people, gambling with mortgage money, A little something-something.

2. Esau Marriages Create Problems

Genesis 26:34-35 (ESV)

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

• Has anyone made a marriage or relationship decision that was against what your parents wanted for you? Stay away from pookie, shay shay ain't no good for you. (Please don't marry Basemath, and you did it anyway.) She dont follow God, He dont believe like you do.

• Esau making another bad decision. And this time it caused his parents grief and made their life bitter. The choices you make will affect others.

3. Esau's Mother and Brother Stole His Blessing From His Father.

• Isaac intended on blessing his son Esau, so He told him to make his favorite meal, but Rebekah overheard the plan, so Rebekah and Jacob created a plan to trick Isaac, and get the blessing to Jacob.

• Do you see this? the father and one son has a plan, and the mother and the other son had a plan. God often has to work in the middle of mess.

• Jacob was made to dress like his brother, they put hairy clothes on him so he feels like his brother, and smell like his brother. And Jacob tricked his father who was going blind. And Isaac gave him the blessing. And set him up with the family blessing, and passed on the covenantal blessing God made to his father Abraham.

Genesis 27:34-38 (ESV)

34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" 35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing." 36 Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

• He lost out on the covenantal blessing. We don't say Abraham, Isaac and Esau we say Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

• There are real consequences to decisions.

Hebrews 12:16-17 (ESV)

16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

A broken heart can often turn to a hard heart! That sadness turns to anger and Esau said as soon as my father dies I am going to kill my brother.

Genesis 27:41 (ESV)

41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

• Bible says, "Esau comforted himself by planning to kill Jacob"

• Jacob flees for his life to go live with his Mothers family.

• What do you do when it all falls apart.

Esau Was Blessed Anyway - Esau Life of Blessing

• God worked on his heart. No one is too far gone!

• Some time had passed and Jacob is married and has a family decides to return home. Then we see in Gen 33 the meeting again of Jacob and Esau.

Genesis 33:1-4 (ESV)

1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 2 And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

• Blessing of reconciliation

• Look at his picture of reconciliation. Between the brothers.

• Esau had let go of his bitterness and chose to forgive.

• Don't let bitterness and unforgiveness, cause trouble keep you separated from your family. To many of us are carrying past hurts and pains.

Hebrews 12:14-15 (ESV)

14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.

• You can't receive what God has for you while holding on to what someone did to you. You've got to forgive to move forward.

• Illustration: My daughter is learning how to drive: So please pray for me! Unforgiveness is like trying to drive a car while staring in the rearview mirror—you'll crash every time. Forgiveness frees you to live.

• Esau was blessed.

• Jacob sent some gifts to try to win over Esau. And show that he was not the same guy who was always trying to take. So both brothers had grown up. When Esau saw the gifts Jacob tried to give him.

• Esau said I am good.

Genesis 33:8-9 (ESV)

8 Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company that I met?" Jacob answered, "To find favor in the sight of my lord." 9 But Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself."

• (But he really was good, It wasn't that he didn't want to accept anything from Jacob, God had blessed him)

Genesis 36:6-8 (ESV)

6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. 8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)

• Esau had grown up and realized that the firstborn gets a double portion, but If I work the portion that I got I can be blessed too. If I work the land that daddy gave me. When I realized, I was born blessed. Not because of my earthly daddy but by my heavenly father. • I don't need your blessing, because to am bound for a blessing. God has a blessing nature.

Blessing of Legacy

• Esau became the leader of the nation of Edom. (Gen 36)

Genesis 36:43 (ESV)

43 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

• The plan of God was for Jacob to be the leader of Israel, • But God caused Esau also became the father of a nation of Edom. Gen 36 records his legacy with his descendants that became Chiefs and kings.

• See what you got to remember when God changed is name from Abram to Abraham in Genesis 17:5 said Abraham would be he father of many nations.

• So God is fulfilling his word in many different ways, so just because things don't happen the way you planned just know that God is watching over his word to perform it (Jer 1:12).

• When you walk in forgiveness, work with what God has given you, and remember that God desires to bless you, you will experience the blessing of the Lord.

Discussion Questions

1. The message begins by declaring "It's God's nature to bless His creations." How does understanding that God's default posture toward you is blessing change your perspective on your circumstances?
2. God blessed humanity with the mandate to "be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and have dominion." How does this original blessing still apply to believers today, even after the fall?
3. The notes mention "common grace"—God blessing both believers and unbelievers. How should this truth affect how we view others who don't follow God but seem to prosper?
4. Esau "despised his birthright" by trading it for a bowl of stew. What modern equivalents do we see where people trade long-term blessing for temporary satisfaction?
5. Esau's marriage choices "made life bitter" for his parents. How do our choices—especially relationship choices—affect those around us? What's our responsibility in this?
6. The notes state, "God often has to work in the middle of mess." How have you seen God work redemptively in messy family situations or personal failures?
7. Esau wept bitterly when he realized what he had lost, but eventually experienced God's blessing anyway. What does this teach us about God's mercy even when we've made terrible decisions?
8. The teaching emphasizes that "a broken heart can often turn to a hard heart." How can we guard against allowing hurt to harden into bitterness and unforgiveness?
9. The illustration says, "Unforgiveness is like trying to drive a car while staring in the rearview mirror—you'll crash every time." What practical steps can we take to release unforgiveness and move forward?
10. Despite losing his birthright and blessing, Esau still became prosperous and the father of a nation. How does this story encourage you if you feel like you've missed your opportunity or made irreversible mistakes?

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