The Devil Has a Crockpot | Student Pastor Zach Hammond

we'll go to the Book of Genesis chapter number 25 tonight what a word we heard this morning from Pastor would you give Pastor a hand for the word that was preached this morning I'm thankful for the voice of God speaking to us so consistently I'm just uh what a wonderful time that we have had today already Genesis chapter number 25 familiar reading and the boys grew and Esau was a cunning Hunter a man of the field and Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents and Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison but Rebecca loved Jacob and Jacob saw pottage and Esau came out from the field and he was faint and he saw said to Jacob feed me I pray thee with the same red pottage for I am faint therefore was his name called Edom everybody say Edom Ed they just throw that in there and Jacob said sell me this day thy Birthright and Esau said behold I am at the point to die in other words what good is a promise I'm about to die and what profit shall this Birthright do to me and Jacob said swear to me this day and he swear unto him and he sold his Birthright unto Jacob then Jacob gave Esau bread and P pottage of lentils and he did eat and drink and Rose up and went his way thus Esau despised his Birthright I want to preach to you for just a few minutes tonight anybody feel like you have a calling on your life raise your hand high do you feel like you have a calling calling on your life calling in your life I want to preach to you about your calling my title and hopes that you will somehow be able to grasp a hold of this and maybe remember it is simply this the devil has a Crockpot the devil has a Crockpot if you would lay your Bibles down lift your hands and let's pray that God would speak to us tonight Lord we love you we thank you so much for your goodness Lord we're not deserving of what we felt in in this room tonight God but as we have lifted up your name God your spirit has drawn near to us once again Lord I pray your presence oh God God as we've sung about it tonight that the spirit lord it's not by our mind or by our power or anything I can do tonight but it's by your spirit oh God Lord that we will God Meander through your word tonight and allow it to be that lamp and that light Lord Lord help us tonight God anoint your word in Jesus name name we pray everybody say amen amen you can be you can be seated tonight there's a couple things that we want to um if you would allow me just to make sure that we understand there's not really anything that we associate with anymore when it comes to birth rights um as much as I believe that I am um the firstborn and that my sister is is not this is not such a thing really anymore so um those of you that's been playing that card it's it's not really that way anymore so that it's it's something very interesting scripturally though that the birthright this double portion of the inheritance was to go to the one with the birthright and a leadership role the firstborn became the chief executive of the family business and the spiritual blessing was acted as a priest of the home they would put this promise of God upon that that firstborn as the birthright the chosen people of God and the and and ultimately we see this move move throughout scripture it's not just here in this story but we see it throughout scripture and it it becomes very prevalent in the the New Testament as we see some types and shadows but he he says give me your Birthright in our text he says give me your Birthright and I'll give you what I've got cooking over here very interesting that uh anybody ever anybody ever had anything out of a crock poot yeah this is a magic little little pot here I don't know how it works really um I'm more of a microwave type of guy but this thing here um is is pretty amazing in the sense that you can just put a bunch of stuff in it and all of a sudden dinner's made you know it's just uh I don't know how but you leave you can go do some stuff you know go whatever it is you need to go do go do it come back and there it is just ready it's like a magic little thing I don't know what all goes in it but there's been times and I have to admit I come home and my wife I'm like hey what are we doing for dinner she's like I've got dinner made I'm like where she's like in the crockpot you know had no clue it's just over there just ready to rock and roll whenever you're ready it's just a magic little thing it's pretty awesome and so that I I want to paint kind of a picture here for you that that this this crockpot that the devil has a Crockpot he is preparing and all of you that raised your hand tonight and I hope that that by the end of this we'll all understand that we all have a call in but those of you that rais your hand tonight he is slow cooking your calling every day every single day he's putting something that will hopefully appease your appetite the good and the bad can change in a moment but your but your life is not some microwave it's not some momentary thing it's a Crockpot it is a process it's the mentality of our world but the agenda of the adversary is to get you to trade the ultimate for the instant so don't be fooled he's been cooking for a while that's right there's not one time that somebody can walk in they say that I just had this one time and I slipped up you're deceived all right you have been scrolling past it thinking about it you may be stopped praying you may be stopped reading but it didn't just happen all right it's been a process of he's just been planting this and putting a little seeds in here and he put a little bit of this here and he planted that thought in your mind when you walked by that person at work and he planted that thought in your mind when that person didn't speak to you and all of a sudden your life's been seasoned with bitterness long before you backslid all right all right he's been cooking something up he's been been preparing something long before that moment took place yeah life is made of moments either you prepared or you didn't that's what it comes down to right Esau should have responded totally different if you just think you you you would have expected are you kidding me you're talking about my Birthright all the things that I just read to you not just spiritually but financially all the blessings that were bestowed upon Esau of what he had in his Birthright and he said I'm just going to give you a little bowl of beans it shouldn't have even been it's a terrible exchange right it's a terrible uh exchange and and really if you get down to it and we we've talked about this before but the exchange of worth and value is very important in the word of God it's very important in the kingdom of God because without the right values you don't understand sacrifice without the right exchange you'll give something of little value for something of Great Value that's what sacrifice is it's the giving of something of value for the something of something of greater value right for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son not because he didn't love his son he valued his son but he valued you more do we see that tonight it's the giving of something it's an exchange so therefore we see this is a terrible trade anybody ever watch Shark Tank huh God bless all of you that are holy what about Mr Wonderful huh this mean dude sits right dead Square in the middle and we'll talk you out it's the best idea he's ever heard but he's going to make you think it's the worst thing in the world why cuz he's sitting over there wanting to write you a check weigh less and take all of your profit because he's good at doing business to ultimately you can tell by the guy's demeaner he don't care nothing about you he's a selfish dude sitting there with his legs crossed got you Bill fall just all packed up he's just he's he's trying to get you to exchange I couldn't help but think what a terrible trade what a terrible exchange and I I I just thought and Pastor I was trying to process this story you know we're we're just we're we're always we always put ourselves in the in the shoes of of of of the certain person in the Sunday School Story But if I'm Esau what if I could have just had a conversation with somebody said hey hey slow down for a second I know you're hungry I know you've been in the field you're starving my kids they coming I'm starving I'm I'm thirst I'm so I'm going to thirst to death and they grab that water and they pour it all over them and it's just like hey you're not going to die you're going to be okay just calm down Esau his logic is terrible say what good is this Birthright if I die you're not going to die but his temporary desires what if you could have just set him down for you know Esau he tells us in the previous scriptures that it means his name means doer it means maker it means a worker he wasn't just this hairy dude that came out first he had some he had a work ethic he was a man of the field and Jacob he means to be behind the deceiver The Sur planter the uh and so we see that Esau trades is call calling for a bowl of SpaghettiOs just put it into perspective just this can of Campbell he just swaps it out cuz I'm starving he gave up his inheritance he gave up everything he had his future for something that would just make him feel good for an evening I don't know about you but I ate a few hours ago and I'm ready to eat right now right it's it's not going to last very long you you're going to get hungry again and so what seemed to be the end of the world didn't last him but just his sin is but for a season for Esau is but for a few hours he traded something that was so momentary he gave it all up but he's hungry again tomorrow anybody ever felt that way huh oh what a terrible feeling of regret when you made that decision all of a sudden you wake up and you're like what in the world did I just do why did I decide to do that why did I lose my co why did I exchange that why did I buy that why did I do this then I'm here to warn you tonight that it's not just physical the pleasure of sin is is is no pun intended but the devil is just seasoning your calling he's just flavoring your future just one day at a time and he's slow cooking something that he wants to exchange for what God's called you to do right some of you sit here tonight and you can already relate if we're being honest he's distracted you he's pulled you here he's pulled you there he's allowed things to come in and he's got you already just kind of smelling what he's cooking you're called you're chosen you're numbered you're love but we all have a desire and we're all going to get where we're going it's the desire for all of us that we fall prey in our world to be appreciated to be acknowledged to be liked to make more money young people to have sex before marriage to look at something appro inappropriate on the internet to win to achieve every man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own lust and enticed it's not somebody else's it's not M it's not daddies you can blame it on a generational curse but it's your own lust it you you you just desire and you and you if you're not careful you'll give it all in just a moment forever can be eclipsed by a Moment Forever can be that we read it's so powerful when you put it into context that every time you scroll through that Old Testament reading and you you see they begin to recite that he's the god of Abraham Isaac and it should have said Esau every time in your SC your Bible as you scroll through as they begin to valid valid who God is and validate that he's been faithful through Abraham and he's done this and he's done that he's the God we sing about it we preach about it and all the while even now thousands of years later it should not read but for a bowl of beans you would exchange your name in The Record Book you would exchange your calling you would exchange your promise you would exchange young people young married folks please hear me it's not a good exchange when you're making a deal with the devil God has plans for you he has Mercy for you he has he intends for you to thrive and to flourish not just live in the the the state that you're in he wants your marriage to be wonderful he wants your life to be full of Hope and purpose it's not just to be where you're at he wants you to grow he wants you to make progress he wants you to be who he's called you to be but the the the thing here we we we let our desires derail our destiny because if we don't understand our calling we will not truly value it the comprehension of our calling is what's going to enable you to walk in it you say that again the comprehension of your calling is what's going to enable you and drive you to walk in it some of you allow the devil to whisper in your ear that you're not enough some of you allow the devil to tell you everything but what God's called you and he says every time the devil the the the the god that you that created you that died for you that you know loves you just simply just says nobody cares about you you could never do that you could never fulfill that dream you could never fulfill that calling and before you know it that you're just standing just right there by just ready to taste of what he's been speaking into your life you must value I'm I'm here to to stress to somebody tonight don't trade it for anything if you're you're going if you're willing to trade the calling and the promises of God you don't truly understand what he's done for you please hear me tonight he died for you he thought you were worth saving he thought you were worth giving his only son for don't trade it for some momentary pleasure don't trade it for some momentary High don't trade it it doesn't matter what it don't trade it for for another degree don't trade it for a doesn't matter what it is it's not worth exchanging you're calling call Genesis 25:32 and Esau said behold I am at the point to die and what profit shall this Birthright do to me it's a terrible exchange I can't stress that you enough he had waited too long physically to eat waited too long physically to eat you say well that's that's pretty obvious you there's nothing deep there well if you don't keep yourself full of something you're much more apt to fall into what the devil brings the bottom line is here is he says if you'll hide your word in my heart you won't sin against me so you'll make decisions that you know you shouldn't based upon the feelings and if you're not careful if I'm not careful if we're not careful as the people of God there is an adversary that is seeking to devour us he's seeking to exchange with us one of the worst exchange we'll ever make he is seeking you if you're not careful we will there'll be a day where the devil's more prepared than we are the devil's more prepared because you you you you've not got enough word to combat his cross rockpot you've not got enough you're starving from a lack of preparation you're starving from a lack of discipline you're starving from the lack of worship you're starving from a lack of a prayer life you're starving because you you really don't have fulfillment in the house of God and I come in and I don't get this out of it and I don't get that out of it and all of a sudden you're realizing that I'm I'm I'm just drawing a little bit closer to what he wants to exchange if we want God to bless are I will we have to be willing to say I won't if we want God to bless we have to be willing to prepare it's a sad day to know that the devil has spent more time seeking us than we are seeking God what are you preparing tonight you say well the devil has a Crockpot the devil has something prepared the devil has something he wants to exchange but what are you preparing what does my life look like are you prepared for the moment of Temptation are we prepared for that God opportunity that we think we deserve are we prepared for that door to open have we done what it takes because what you do with your freedom can put you back in captivity what you do with what God's done for you determines whether or not God is please you say well that don't make it out to who much is given we we we we've failed if we think that we can let let me ask you this question maybe this will put it into perspective I know it's a little bit different I'm not running up and down screaming or nothing like this but I do think I'm preaching to somebody tonight is it possible to be saved to have let's say it this way to have a saved soul but have a wasted life is it possible to have a saved soul but a wasted life because I don't think we live for God based upon our our sins of of omission I didn't do this well you ought to be proud that I'm just here you ought to be proud that I didn't go no the point is righteousness the point is doing Faith by works it's not just all about what I don't do it's what I we can't always be playing defense because the devil can't necessarily take you to hell but he sure can keep you from living from Heaven think of it process it I know it's the distraction is the beginning of derailment perhaps you've crossed the Red Sea but you're just wondering perhaps he's doing everything he can to keep you out of the promised land you know there there's something and I I I don't want to get too far off on this because I don't have time there's something very interesting to me I found in studying the scripture and it got a little bit deeper into it this afternoon that you know on one side in the wilderness you have the two and a half tribes and then on the other side you have the other nine and a half tribes there's mana on both sides but there's milk and honey on one one's a Promised Land but one's a wondering land yeah one is a place of uh it's just a place where you but you just really I don't know why you'd want to be there you've already been there 40 years and it's like they went over left their family here but they went over and come right back if you want to dwell there you can dwell there but it's very odd but when you go to look and you study the scriptures there's three Pastor there's three Cities of Refuge on both sides that numbers don't add up so you got the same amount of Cities of Refuge for nine and a half tribes as you do two and a half tribes so what's that mean that means you can stay in the wilderness but it requires more Refuge oh wow yeah but if you'll get over here in the land of milk and honey if you'll get in the promises of God and you'll live in what God has for you and not just what God's there's not near you got nine and a half tribes but only three Cities of Refuge I'm here to tell you tonight that God's got more for you it's not God's will that you just get salvation and you just have your thing going with you and God God's got a calling on your life that he wants to do something beyond what you could even fathom that if you would just devote your life to him that if you would consecrate your your heart and your mind to him oh yeah he has something for you yes he you don't have to live on that side you're chosen he says you're Royal you're called You're filled you're powerful you're a world changer but you that's it perhaps you stopped doing what you used to do you've just become a wonderer and eventually you become hungry it's what happened they said you remember the fish in Egypt remember the melons you remember the Cucumbers over in Egypt man Pharaoh the whip was bad but man the eating was good terrible thought process but when you start wondering when you're just walking in circles when you just come in you're just going through the motions when you just I'm just I'm going to skip the prayer room tonight I'm just going to step down from the choir for a little bit I'm just going to stop doing what I've always done and before you know it you're over here and man I don't know if I need to go Sunday night or not well come on I sure man we barely get off time barely get off work in time I I can just watch online on Wednesday night come on now and before you know it you're just smelling the sweet Aroma of what the devil's been cooking he says why why did we even leave Egypt that's how it started what about the fish what what what about the melons and all of a sudden in there now why two verses later why why do we even leave there what do you mean why did you leave there did you not see what God did the lord gave them he he says he says if you that's what you want you'll see God do it he does it over and over again God's going to give you the desires of your heart they wanted a king and judges he gave them a king for 300 years every man did what was right in their own eyes and so what do they say they want some flesh to eat what's he do he gives it to them CU you're going to get where you're going he's G he he's he is a gentleman numbers 11:33 says and while the flesh was yet between their teeth a it was chewed and the Wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people and the Lord smokee the people with a very great plague and he called the name this is amazing here because we're talking about the same people that he performed plagues to get out of the place that they desired to go back to all right now he's plaguing them in a wondering State can you imagine say how'd they get there it wasn't a moment just one step at a time he's slow cooking it's a process everything is it doesn't matter how fastpaced our world gets everything is a process the Great Plague and he called the name of that place K kibroth hadah because they were buried there the people that lusted the people that desired and the people journeyed from there to hazeroth and Abode in hazeroth the graves of lust they it it literally is the grave that they craved it was a desire of their heart it is like you say I ask you tonight what is your desire do you value your calling do you value being used of God of course God can forgive you but he'd much rather be blessing you and using you the devil wants your future to be so wrecked with foolishness that you have to chew on the consequences of what you didn't prepare and I'm I'm telling you somebody needs to hear me tonight God Specializes in Redemption stories in all of us in all the Bible but there is righteousness fruitfulness blessings on the other side of Salvation and I don't want to be guilty of misusing the mercy of God that all I ever come to him for is forgiveness it's about time somebody step out and become more than just a saint that overuses the altar of forgiveness and says God I want to do something in your kingdom I want to get you glory I want to see I want to see somebody's life Chang because I'm fulfilling your calling there's not one person that's too young or too old if you're still breathing God's got something for you to do and it ought to keep you up at night it ought to drive you it ought to be that you you you got to be able to fulfill this calling when you fall get back up but don't fall there again I understand you can't unre what you've already sown but only way you're not going to keep eating what you've sewn is you got to sew something new you got to put something into some new ground some good ground and God will multiply righteousness look at this Zechariah 14- 20 I'm hurrying in the day that there shall be upon the bells of the horses Holiness un the Lord and the pots of the Lord's house shall be like bowls before the altar y every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be Holiness unto the Lord of hosts and all that they sacrifice shall come and take of them and see or cook therein and in the day that the Lord shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts this is interesting if you really get into scripture you got a lot of things happening here bells on the horses was a reminder of where you're going every time there was going to ring it out Holiness unto the Lord Holiness unto the Lord with every stride Holiness unto the Lord so it's telling me what my direction don't ever forget that it's Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord and then he says we're going to throw some pots and some bowls in there says on the pots we're going to put Holiness unto the Lord everything you do and that in other words Every Act everything you do he gives us two analogies and that's enough where you're going and what you're consuming every time I go somewhere it's Holiness unto the Lord I'm going to hear them Bells Are Ringing every time I go to consume something it's Holiness unto the Lord in other words it doesn't matter what you do if it's at a hospital if it's in a lawyer's office if it's on a construction site it's Holiness unto the Lord it doesn't matter if I'm in the church or I'm outside the church if I'm in a college classroom or if I'm in the middle of a bunch of Sinners on a ball field it's Holiness unto the Lord everything I do is Holiness unto the Lord I don't get to take a day off I don't get to conform to the crowd I don't get to determine whether or not people are okay with it it's Holiness unto the Lord where I'm going what I'm consuming what I'm doing how I talk it's Holiness unto the Lord this is interesting Direction desire they go hand in hand it's all holy it's all holy could you say that with me tonight holy it's all holy every bit of it I don't know if you get what I'm saying tonight there's not a secular and a sacred it's all spiritual yeah everything you do spiritual everything you watch spiritual everything you speak spiritual it's all you don't get to live here without the spirit every single little thing that gives life to on planet Earth it's it's almost like he's got this big dial just just all these things if you you just one little dial just just change the let's just change the the tilt of the sun just one nope everybody's gone that's spiritual everything in your life is spiritual you don't get to divide him up you don't get to put him over here and and and compartmentalize him to just Sundays he's not something he's a somebody that's right you don't get to just oh God forbid we be so doctrinally sound in the Oneness of who he is but we serve him in two-thirds of our life oh he's Oneness in the godhead but he's only you can explain that he's the father he's you can explain all these things but yet you only allow him in a certain point you don't dare talk about God at work you don't dare speak of him here you don't dare no it it's that's it's not optional it's all holy that's right the horses the pots the pans what is your life creating what are you preparing what are you cooking up to make sure that you don't ever desire what the world's trying to throw at you what are you preparing in your family that your kids don't ever desire this right here what are you making uh what are you making that's the the the the the Covenant within your house that as for me in my house will serve the Lord It's not ever an option to turn because we've tasted and we've seen that the Lord is good and I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging for I've never been hungry because I've always seen a God that supplies think of it see it with me you you can't you've either got a calling or you've got a compromise you've got a covenant or you've got conflict it's it's I see people's life it's like you're always in some kind of conflict it's always in the valley of decision I preached on it just a few few weeks ago I believe it was brother Ericson it's that how fools die in the Valley of the decision they got one foot in inside of the gate and one foot on the other side of the gate you don't know whether they're coming or going he said I knew it's going out I knew it's coming in he stood at the gate and said choose you this day who is on the Lord's Side you've got a decision to make you've got a choice to make and it's all about the preparation he says over and over again it's it's Holiness it's complete separation it's complete it's it's you're selling out to what God has for you let me encourage you for a moment Exodus 34 if we're talking about preparing something perhaps cooking something if we could say it that way the first of the first fruits of the land Thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God and listen to this Thou shalt not see or cook a kid or a goat in its mother's milk the the the the wording there I know that's a little bit odd but let's put it into our vernacular in other words one generation's mistakes can't cook the next Generations just cuz mama ate of this don't mean you have to just because daddy ate of this don't mean you have to just because this one said they're going to walk out the door don't mean you have to one generation is not know you have a decision to make it's not up to anyone else you have a decision to choose your calling you don't have to be cooked in the mistakes of someone else I read a quote by the Nike co-founder Phil Knight he made the statement I'll tell men and women he said in their mid 20s not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career seek a calling even if you don't know what that means seek it he said if you're following your calling the fatigue will be easier the disappointment will be your fuel and the high will be like nothing you've ever felt in your life what you're doing most people if you really get down to it they just want to do something that makes them feel purpose everything else is a is just a derivative of that like you get down to the roots of it everybody wants to feel that they are fulfilling the call of God it's that simple you say well now I I get so confused and so conflicted with messages like this and we hear them at youth camps and we hear them at youth conventions understand there's never been a greater type or a greater picture painted by Jesus than where he carried the cross he carried the cross through the marketplace so that you and I can understand yes there are people that will be in full-time Ministry but the bottom line is churches are growing all across the globe not because of the one person in full-time Ministry or the two people in full-time Ministry but because people are carrying their cross in their workplace people are carrying their cross no matter where they go and no matter what they're doing in classrooms and in hallways and in here and there they're carrying the cross even online believe it or not it's Holiness unto the Lord all the time and we see the Fulfillment of this calling is something that you cannot you cannot ignore you may think you have but it's something you'll never get rid of it's something you can never turn away from Hebrew Hebrews 12 and verse number 16 I'll show it to you here lest there be any fornicator or profane which means that word profane there means lived outside the temple or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his Birthright for us tonight he sold his calling for you know how that afterward he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears these are some strong words Jacob I've Loved Malachi says Esau I've hated Paul refers to it in Romans n Esau and Jacob both sides because we so often want to be Jacob in this story we're wrestling with angels limping around huh the deceiver with a name change Israel who the Messiah would come through that's who we come in the story naturally but look at this one Esau and Jacob would both struggle from this very moment with their calling it's the struggle even with the heroes of the Bible it's the one thing that we all want to accomplish and we as a church want to facilitate we want to see every person working in that calling of go reach be a discipl maker it's what we promote all the time but we see here that both of them struggle let me show it to you Esau and Jacob both struggle with what God called them to be Jacob it's not just Esau but whatever you cook you have to eat too because Jacob the deceiver he said I am Esau brother Johnstone tells God he's wrestling with an angel who he really is and then God changes him watch this and I hope that you can understand this because it took my my my frail kind of slow mind to figure this out he didn't become a Ser planter until he chose to not be called The Sur planter it's a paradox he did not become the deceiver until he answered the question with something other than Jacob he would have been more opposite of his name by when his father said who are you to say Jacob but even in trying to deviate from his name he fulfills his name think of it I know so by saying I am Esau he fulfills the fact that he's a deceiver it's a struggle it wasn't until he answered the question right and there's no coincidence see it in scripture with me that the angel of God says what is your name what is your name let's try this again what is your name and he says Jacob I'm a deceiver yeah I deceive my brother and he wants to kill me he's struggling he's not just wrestling with an angel he's struggling mentally with his calling he's struggling with who he was name he's struggling with can I fulfill this and all the while God had a plan for him God wanted to do things through him he wanted to do things through anyone and everyone that whosoever will but Jacob is struggling I'm here to tell you inight you have to be willing to say I'm Jacob before you can be called Israel that's right you have to be willing to come to an altar and say I'm a sinner before you can see salvation you have to be willing to be honest before God can do something through your life so he he he struggles it's this constant back and forth and so look at Genesis 27 again with me and Esau verse number 38 said unto his father hast thou but one blessing my father bless me this is after it's all even all me also oh my father and Esau lifted up his voice and wept and Isaac his father answered and said unto him Behold thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth and of the Dew of the Heaven from above and by the sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy brother and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the Dominion read this that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck huh and Esau hated Jacob because the blessing wherewith his father blessed him and Esau said in his heart the days of mourning for my father are at hand and then I will slay my brother powerful statement again still struggling still in a bad place Esau let's let's look a little bit deeper into this statement Isaac makes a prophecy here and this makes more sense that in the beginning of our text if you go back to it it tells us and it lets us in on a little bit of secret here but it's not there by coincidence he says of Edom we emphasized it in our opening text see this with me so who are Jacob's descendants Israel I know this is a little bit of a Bible lesson tonight we're going to get there I hope Jesus the Jewish people Israelites who are Esau's descendants the he's from Edom we see this here the the would live under the Dominion of Israel we see this however in the days of the Roman Empire they were called the uh and I want to make sure I I pronounced this right adians they had a little bit of a name shift dumans and Adomian king became the ruler over guess who Israel a child of Esau now rules over a child of Jacob anybody guess what his name was Herod Herod is a child of Esau from Edom so we we see that Isaac wasn't just making some statement we see that his his name King Herod this ancient battle this struggle continues but the Messiah was born a child of Jacob thus he had a true true Birthright a Dominion greater of lordship that we see this this this power that that we see that God in flesh now but just as Esau plotted to kill Jacob Herod would now plot to kill the Messiah and it continued use all over a bowl of beans say it's not that big of a deal it's just one night it's just one decision it's just one service it's just one text when you make that decision you better know the devil's been preparing for that moment and the consequences of your one decision I know we can preach the fire out of it that one decision to this altar thankfully in the New Testament can reverse this but we have to know that there's consequences we have to know that it's pleasing to God when we choose the right thing that there are great things on the other side and I I the lesson for tonight and the the whole picture of it is that you've got to answer the call you've got to receive the blessing and you can never look back the enemy is trying so hard with each and every one of you tonight and I feel strongly I know I naturally begin to speak to the students and it's crucial that you make make some decisions but there's some there's some middle-aged folks here tonight that you're carrying some baggage and you feel like that you're never going to get beyond the decisions that you made and some things that you have become but I'm here to tell you tonight that there's a messiah that's been born there's a messiah that's come and through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that you can now be made a royal priesthood and a chosen nation and you don't have to live knowing that that that if I had just not done this one thing no it can be gone but we've got to understand our calling our calling if you stand to your feet tonight our calling is the one thing everybody say one thing one the calling is the one thing that will keep you from partaking it'll keep you from Desiring the things of this world it'll keep you from turning away it'll keep you and I know I know this is is is kind of cliche and it's more like a maybe a church growth but we have to realize that our purpose is greater than any problem our calling is greater than any conflict our calling is greater than anything that you're you're hungering for right now you've got to realize just how powerful the calling of God is on your life every person everybody I wish you just say he's talking to me tonight he's talking to me tonight I've got a calling you need to say that you need to speak that I've got a calling I've got a call calling God wants to do something through me you say I don't know what it is you ought to spend your life figuring out what it is you ought to pray about it you ought to fast about it you ought to seek God that there's something inside of you that until you figure that thing out you're never going to feel fulfilled that's what you and I were created for there's a purpose in you there's a decision to be made and I hope I hope I hope I hope tonight that by the foolishness of preaching that someone tonight will come back to a calling that somebody will step out in the newness of a calling I feel God speaking to somebody right now I I know you've called me God but I'm going to start walking in it I know God you want me to do something but I'm going to put it to action and I believe tonight that there's some of you that need to you need to be very you need to be very specific with God you need to you need to just just talk to God say God I want to do what you want me to do God I want to fulfill God your purpose as you bow your heads in this place tonight if God's speaking to you tonight I wish you'd step out of your seat come kneel down at this altar tonight if you can't kneel I wish you'd throw your hands up if God speaking to you I wish you'd come and you would passionately pursue him cuz you're not going to get a calling just playing patty cake with no it's going to take some it's going to take some passion it's going to take some drive it's going to take you Desiring it more than anything else that you're going to have to prepare you're going to have to do some things your flesh don't want to do you're going to have to be oh I feel the holy ghost moving there's a young lady that God's speaking to you right now there's a father that God is speaking to you right now come on get serious about it right now God God I'm not going to put it off any longer God I'm not going to let anything distract me God I want to fulfill God God your purpose for my life come on it's more than you can even fathom it's more than you can understand God wants to do things through you God wants to use you in a mighty way come on dad don't don't let the devil tell you he's not talking to me God wants to use you in a mighty way God wants to work through you God wants to use you tonight God come on every person in this place I wish you'd accept the calling to be a soul winner I wish you'd accept the calling to be whatever God is driving you to be come on you can hear his voice right now come on you can hear his voice right now he's speaking he's speaking come on silence the voice of the adversary for a moment silence those distractions for a moment and say God speak to me God I don't want to live like this anymore God I don't want to I don't want to live without that I feel his holy ghost come on I know there's a struggle I know it's just the devil's trying his best to distract some of you right now cuz he wouldn't want you to dare walk in what God has for you he's trying his best to convince you you're not enough he's trying to convince you that you've made too many mistakes no no you give your heart to God right now come on he's asking who you are be willing to say I'm a Jacob but I want to be called Israel come on be willing to say God I need you to forgive me God I need you to wash me God I want to be everything you would have me be come on every Age come on every age tonight God's got something he wants to continue to work it he wants to work through you tonight come on that's it some of you are there come on some of you pouring your heart out how wish we could have a 100% participation this is just between you and God I know we're not praying for one another right now but this is between you and God every person every person every person has that calling God I love you Lord I need you tonight Jesus Lord I love you Jesus I bless some of you can be used in you're calling and you're gifting right now I wish you'd find if you need you know somebody that needs prayer you know somebody that's going through something I wish you'd reach your hand maybe go across Across The Altar and lay hands pray you let God use you to encourage somebody right now come on God can begin to do a work through you right now come on pray over somebody that you know maybe there's somebody next to you that's got a prodal there's somebody next to you that's got a sickness there's somebody you knows going through something come on be come on be in that calling right now come on we've not come just to go through the motions I want to be I want to live in the promised land I want to live in the calling of God I want to live in a fruitful place I want to see the purpose of God fulfilled in my life God I want to be used in your kingdom oh God