Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• This morning we are looking at Esau - A man without hope
• Hope is a wonderful word
• All our hope will be realised when we are in heaven (if you are in Christ)
• There will be no more need to hope and we will know joy unspeakable
• We hope in this life - examples
• We do not want to always think life will be full of troubles
• The Christian looks to the final resting place - when we will be in heaven
• No more suffering, temptation or sin
• To live without hope is very sad
• The unbeliever is separated from God and without hope in this world
• We see this in an unbeliever on their death bed
• No hope, only the fear of judgment to come
• Today, looking at a sad case - a man who lived without hope
• He never repented of his sin nor forgave his brother or mother
• He lived in his carnal and fleshly lusts

Evidences and reasons for “hopelessness”

• Our hearts go out to those who are hopeless
• Examples of Thailand, Somalia, Russia, Ukraine
• Abuse can make people hopeless
• Esau initially had no reason to be hopeless
• He had a good father
• He had a covenant birthright - in the sense he was the eldest
• He had great freedom
• He had many advantages in life
• He becomes a very hopeless man
• Issac thinks he will die
• He wishes to bless Esau ...
• ... but realised he had been deceived by Jacob
• Therefore, Issac trembled - v33
• Esau cried out in bitter despair - v34
• An "exceedingly great and bitter cry"
• He suddenly realised he had lost all the blessings of God - with nothing left
• He pleads with Issac
• Is there no reserved blessing (v36), nothing else to give (v38)
• His bitter cry leads to a bitter heart
• It leads to anger and the desire/plot to kill his own brother
• Imagine this!
• There is no self-reflection, no repentance, no thought to sin
• He feels entitled - that the blessing would automatically be his
• Though God had already determined before his birth that Jacob would serve Esau
• Hopelessness sets in
• It can be through troubling and traumatic circumstances
• Sometimes, it can be brought on by our own sinful actions and our neglect of God
• Esau despised his birthright - he sold it to Jacob
• He lived without God for so many years
• His heart was becoming harder and harder
• He was a wicked and profane person - Heb 12
• He had no peace
• We need to value eternal things
• The blessings were part of the birthright
• Esau did not search his own heart but became angry and bitter
• When he lost the blessings, he could not control anything
• He was angry over what he had lost
• Application:
• Do we live carelessly without any thought of God - examples
• Hopelessness can set in - examples
• Why? - because you have made yourself and not God the centre of your life
• You have lived for self

Human Depravity

• We see in Esau the depravity of the human heart
• Examples of depravity
• Without restraining grace - we are each capable of great wickedness
• Esau's parents never thought he would become a murdered in his heart - wanting to kill Jacob
• We do not have a bias towards God but sin
• Esau's bitterness was rooted in jealousy and envy
• He feels bitterness, jealousy and envy towards Jacob - v36
• Yes there was a sense of injustice as Jacob had taken the birthright
• He went on to hate Esau -v41
• He had no love for his mother - it seems he hated Rebekah as much as Jacob
• He need to be careful if bitterness comes into our hearts
• It does damage to ourselves and others - Heb 12
• Quote from Steven Diamond and other Psychologists
• The ultimate remedy is forgiveness
• To withhold forgiveness is destructive
• We can only forgive when we have seen the forgiveness Jesus Christ has bestowed upon us
• God tells us we must forgive others otherwise He will not forgive us
• Jesus asked for forgiveness for the those who were crucifying Him
• Once we see the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, we cannot but forgive others
• This brings such freedom
• Esau could not forgive

Our only hope is Jesus

• Esau is a warning to us
• Matt 12:43-45
• Morality helps no one
• There is hope in Jesus Christ
• Jacob was to find this hope
• Although he was a deceiver and supplanter
• We will see this next week
• He was prepared to deceive but he never despised the blessings and promises of God
• The promises of God given to us
• The promised land - the fulfillment is in heaven
• The protection of God - we find this fulfilled in Jesus Christ
• Abraham, Issac and Jacob went to heaven through the blood of Jesus Christ
• Jesus was a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world
• Jesus takes out our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh
• People need to be born again
• We need a new heart to love and follow Him
• Jesus forgives our sin - past, present and future
• Yes there will be a struggle against sin but Christ blesses us
• Jacob found this hope but Esau never knew it
• Do not be the person who knocks on the door but God says "I never knew you"
• Do not live without God
• Believe in Jesus today
• He will forgive and save
• Come to Him