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Voddie Baucham - Esau Sells His Birthright · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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  Speaker 1: I have.
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  Speaker 2: Often had conversations with individuals, either with individual families or
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  Speaker 2: with individuals with just differing opinions, who ask questions about
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  Speaker 2: what we do here and raise objections or cautions about
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  Speaker 2: what we do here. And the objections and cautions that
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  Speaker 2: people raise about what we do here all seem to
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  Speaker 2: center around this idea that if you pay too much
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  Speaker 2: attention to what families are supposed to be and what
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  Speaker 2: they're supposed to do, then somehow you are painfully close.
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  Speaker 1: To making an idol of.
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  Speaker 2: Or that somehow you are painfully close to excluding people
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  Speaker 2: who don't have perfect families or come from perfect families.
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  Speaker 2: And always when I hear those objections, I tell people
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  Speaker 2: that I now know two things about you. Number one,
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  Speaker 2: you have not been to GFBC. And two, you think
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  Speaker 2: way too highly of us. I've run into families who've said, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I heard about your church, but, you know, we.
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  Speaker 1: Haven't come to visit your church.
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  Speaker 2: And I have to just admit that right there in
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  Speaker 2: my heart, because it kind of goes, yes, thank you.
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  Speaker 2: You need to get rid of some of the folks
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  Speaker 2: who are coming to visit. No, really. That's not it. No,
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  Speaker 2: he said, yeah, I thought about your church, but I
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  Speaker 2: haven't come to visit your church. And they'll say something like,
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  Speaker 2: you know, because... Our family, our kids, they're just not there.
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  Speaker 2: Because the rest of y'all, the rest of us, our kids,
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  Speaker 2: they've arrived. And it's almost as though people have come
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  Speaker 2: to think or assume or believe that that what this
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  Speaker 2: is about is ultimately just getting families squared away, getting
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  Speaker 2: families properly organized, getting families polished up on the outside,
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  Speaker 2: and that somehow.
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  Speaker 1: That's what this is all about.
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  Speaker 2: As a result, One of the things you'll read, you know,
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  Speaker 2: Pastor Paul wrote a section in this book on approaches
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  Speaker 2: to family ministry that will be out next month. And
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  Speaker 2: as a result, what you will find is even among
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  Speaker 2: individuals who are considered to be thoughtful and experienced, They
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  Speaker 2: raise some of the same objections. You know that stuff
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  Speaker 2: that you guys are talking about and what families are
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  Speaker 2: called to do and to be? That's great if you have,
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  Speaker 2: and here's what they say, that's great if you have
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  Speaker 2: families who are all highly educated, all very wealthy, and
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  Speaker 2: all from pristine family backgrounds.
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  Speaker 1: Congratulations.
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  Speaker 2: To which... Pastor Paul just gently responded, you've never been
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  Speaker 2: to our church, obviously. Because that's just not the case.
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  Speaker 2: But having said that, if we're not careful, we'll begin
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  Speaker 2: to think that somehow that's what it's all about. Somehow
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  Speaker 2: we'll begin to measure ourselves by... how well squared away
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  Speaker 2: we are on the outside, as if somehow that makes God.
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  Speaker 1: More able to use us.
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  Speaker 2: Or as if somehow that is something within the confines
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  Speaker 2: or context of our own abilities to accomplish. And nothing
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  Speaker 2: could be further from the truth. We are called to
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  Speaker 2: live in accordance with what the Scriptures teach as it
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  Speaker 2: relates to our individual lives and as it relates to
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  Speaker 2: our families. There is no question about that. However, if
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  Speaker 2: we get to the place to where we begin to
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  Speaker 2: believe that there is somehow a formula that will guarantee success,
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  Speaker 2: we have left Bible country and we are on our
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  Speaker 2: way to the land of disappointment. There is no formula.
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  Speaker 2: There is no paint-by-numbers kit. And there are no guarantees.
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  Speaker 2: But here's the good news. Your family being squared away
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  Speaker 2: is also not a prerequisite for God using you. If
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  Speaker 2: it were, there would be no Jacob. There would be
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  Speaker 2: no Isaac. And there would have been no Abraham. If
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  Speaker 2: the prerequisite is... We have to have all of our
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  Speaker 2: I's dotted and our T's crossed in order to be worth.
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  Speaker 1: Anything in the kingdom. There would have been no.
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  Speaker 2: Seth. Because Adam and Eve proved their unworthiness with Cain
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  Speaker 2: and Abel. Amen? So, where do we strike that balance?
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  Speaker 2: Between being people who understand that we are called, that
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  Speaker 2: we are commanded to live in accordance with what the
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  Speaker 2: Scriptures teach as it relates to our families, the way
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  Speaker 2: that we govern ourselves, and the way that we live,
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  Speaker 2: and at the same time recognizing that God is the
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  Speaker 2: one who calls. God is the one who saves. God
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  Speaker 2: is the one who transforms. And we are utterly dependent
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  Speaker 2: upon Him for the results. However, do we strike that balance?
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  Speaker 1: I'm glad you asked. Open your Bibles with me to
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  Speaker 1: Genesis chapter 25.
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  Speaker 2: And we'll see if there's something found here in the
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  Speaker 2: life of Isaac crossing over with the life of Jacob
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  Speaker 2: that will help us answer these questions and strike this balance.
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  Speaker 2: Genesis chapter 25. And I want you to recognize that
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  Speaker 2: in Genesis chapter 25, what we're learning is this.
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  Speaker 1: God uses messed up families.
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  Speaker 2: There should have been a whole bunch of folks shouting
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  Speaker 2: amen right there, okay? Let me try that again. What
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  Speaker 2: we learn in Genesis 25 is God uses messed up families. Amen, okay?
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  Speaker 2: Beginning in verse 19. These are the generations of Isaac,
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  Speaker 2: Abraham's son. Abraham fathered Isaac. He's already got problems. If
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  Speaker 2: we've been tracking along, we realize Isaac already has difficulty
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  Speaker 2: right there because Abraham is the one who fathered him.
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  Speaker 2: And just previously, we've read about Abraham's fathering record. And
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  Speaker 2: it's not at all pretty. So right here, Isaac has issues.
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  Speaker 2: And Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebekah,
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  Speaker 2: the daughter of Bethuel, the Aramean of Paddan Aram, the
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  Speaker 2: sister of Laban, the Aramean, to be his wife. Now
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  Speaker 2: we read about Laban that he's now related to, and
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  Speaker 2: we see a whole other host of problems that Isaac
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  Speaker 2: has in his life that he's not even aware of yet. Amen?
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  Speaker 2: We're going to hear about Laban in just a little
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  Speaker 2: while as it relates to Jacob. And Isaac prayed to
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  Speaker 2: the Lord for his wife because she was barren. And
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  Speaker 2: the Lord granted his prayer. And Rebekah, his wife, conceived.
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  Speaker 2: And everything was fine after that.
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  Speaker 1: No. The children struggled together within her.
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  Speaker 2: And she said, if it is thus, why is this
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  Speaker 2: happening to me? So she went to inquire of the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and the Lord said to her, Two nations are in
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  Speaker 2: your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided.
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  Speaker 2: The one shall be stronger than the other, and the
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  Speaker 2: older shall serve the younger. When her days to give
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  Speaker 2: birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.
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  Speaker 2: The first came out red, all his body like a
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  Speaker 2: hairy cloak. So they called his name Esau. Afterward, his
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  Speaker 2: brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel. So
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  Speaker 2: his name was called Jacob, or heel grabber. Isaac was
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  Speaker 2: 60 years old when she bore them. When the boys
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  Speaker 2: grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of
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  Speaker 2: the field, while Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents.
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  Speaker 2: Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but
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  Speaker 2: Rebekah loved Jacob. Once, when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau
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  Speaker 2: came in from the field. And he was exhausted. And
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  Speaker 2: Esau said to Jacob, let me eat some of that
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  Speaker 2: red stew, for I am exhausted. Therefore his name was
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  Speaker 2: called Edom. This refers to his redness. So his names
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  Speaker 2: are based on redness. number one, the fact that he's hairy,
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  Speaker 2: and the other, the fact.
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  Speaker 1: That he's red.
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  Speaker 2: Amen. Hello, I'm the hairy red guy. Nice to meet you.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob said, sit down brother, you're hungry, I'll feed you.
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  Speaker 2: Not quite. Jacob said, sell me your birthright now. Esau said,
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  Speaker 2: I'm about to die of what uses a birthright to me.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob said, swear to me now. So he swore to
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  Speaker 2: him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave
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  Speaker 2: Esau bread and lentil stew. And he ate and drank
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  Speaker 2: and savored the meal since it had cost him his birthright.
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  Speaker 2: And he hovered over the food, enjoying every tender... No.
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  Speaker 3: He ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus,
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  Speaker 3: Esau despised his birthright. God uses messed up families. In fact,
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  Speaker 3: he has no other choice.
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  Speaker 2: Amen? Because from the first family on, There have been
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  Speaker 2: messed up families and nothing but messed up families. There
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  Speaker 2: are some families that have reached a sort of mythological status,
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  Speaker 2: but those families are just that. They are myth. Every
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  Speaker 2: family is a messed up family. The only question is,
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  Speaker 2: in what area are you messed up? It is a myth.
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  Speaker 2: It is a myth.
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  Speaker 1: That there are somehow families that aren't messed up.
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  Speaker 2: It is a myth that somehow if you just did
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  Speaker 2: two or three things different, then your family would no
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  Speaker 2: longer be messed up. No, your family may be better
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  Speaker 2: off than it is now, but trust me, you will
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  Speaker 2: still have a messed up family. You were born to
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  Speaker 2: a messed up family. You established a messed up family.
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  Speaker 2: You will leave a messed up family when you die,
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  Speaker 2: and your children will establish messed up families just like you. Amen. Hallelujah.
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  Speaker 1: Praise the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: Let's just get that out there so we can all
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  Speaker 2: take a deep breath. There is no curriculum that will
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  Speaker 2: make your family not be messed up. There is no
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  Speaker 2: teacher whom you can follow. That will make your family
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  Speaker 2: not be messed up. There is no system of parenting
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  Speaker 2: that will make your kids not be messed up. There
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  Speaker 2: is no amount of beating, talking, or begging that will
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  Speaker 2: make your children not be messed up. Can I get
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  Speaker 2: an amen somewhere? All of those things are very important.
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  Speaker 2: But hear me on this. To believe that any of
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  Speaker 2: those things have the ability to negate the realities of
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  Speaker 2: the fall is idolatry. To believe that what's wrong with
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  Speaker 2: your children is that you didn't use the right method
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  Speaker 2: or mechanism. is idolatry. Because you just said, all they
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  Speaker 2: needed was me being more effective, not all they need
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  Speaker 2: is Christ and His cross. That's idolatry. Pure and simple.
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  Speaker 1: It's idolatry.
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  Speaker 2: But the good news, of course, is God uses messed
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  Speaker 2: up families.
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  Speaker 1: How is this family messed up?
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  Speaker 2: Well, a number of ways. Number one, This family's messed
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  Speaker 2: up because they come from messed up stock. Amen? We
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  Speaker 2: see that in the first part. Back in verse 19.
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  Speaker 2: Where's Isaac's problem come from? These are the generations of Isaac,
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  Speaker 2: Abraham's son. There you go. Right there. And by the way,
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  Speaker 2: we're going to see this later on. Because Isaac is
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  Speaker 2: going to sin in some ways that he learned from
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  Speaker 2: his father. This whole she's not really my wife game
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  Speaker 2: that Abraham played on a number of occasions, his son
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  Speaker 2: Isaac learned how to play that very same game. He did.
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  Speaker 2: So he's messed up. They're messed up. Their family's messed
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  Speaker 2: up because of what they come from. Listen, your family's
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  Speaker 2: messed up because of what you come from. My family's
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  Speaker 2: messed up because of what we come from. We start
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  Speaker 2: off messed up because of what we come from. And
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  Speaker 2: I mean that in at least two ways. Here's the
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  Speaker 2: first way. The first way is that there are things
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  Speaker 2: in our family that we have seen, that we have learned,
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  Speaker 2: that we have developed appetites for, that are sinful, that
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  Speaker 2: are displeasing to God. Every last one of us. All
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  Speaker 2: of us. There are things that were messed up in
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  Speaker 2: our family that are messed up in us. Even some
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  Speaker 2: of those things we fight against tooth and nail because
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  Speaker 2: of what we have seen and what we have had
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  Speaker 2: passed down to us. So that's the first reason that
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  Speaker 2: they come from messed up stock. Or the first way
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  Speaker 2: in which they come from messed up stock. All the
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  Speaker 2: things that were present in Abraham. All the sins that
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  Speaker 2: were present in Abraham. All of those things that Isaac saw,
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  Speaker 2: that he was raised in the midst of, that he
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  Speaker 2: developed appetites for. And you and me, the same way.
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  Speaker 2: There are things that we saw. There are things that
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  Speaker 2: we learned to tolerate. There are things that we developed
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  Speaker 2: appetites for that are sinful. That are sinful. Now, there
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  Speaker 2: is some degree to which, you know, you come to
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  Speaker 2: faith in Christ and all of a sudden your eyes
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  Speaker 2: are opened and you see things in your past, you
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  Speaker 2: see these things in your family that were handed down
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  Speaker 2: to you, and you realize that they were wrong and
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  Speaker 2: they are warped, and by God's grace you begin to
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  Speaker 2: run in the other direction. But you know as well
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  Speaker 2: as I do that there are other things in your
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  Speaker 2: family's history that you lived with for a long time
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  Speaker 2: as a believer before you realized that they were a problem. Amen? Amen?
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  Speaker 2: There were some things that even went beyond that. You
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  Speaker 2: didn't just realize they were a problem, but you made
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  Speaker 2: excuses for them. The unsubmissive wife who blames the color
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  Speaker 2: of her hair or her ethnicity. If you can't say amen,
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  Speaker 2: you ought to say ouch. I know I'm unsubmissive. I
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  Speaker 2: know I shouldn't talk to my husband like that. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, I'm a hot-blooded fill-in-the-blank.
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  Speaker 1: Whatever, you know.
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  Speaker 2: I come from this ethnic background, that ethnic background. I
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  Speaker 2: have these people in my family. And by the way,
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  Speaker 2: here's what's ironic about that. It doesn't matter what ethnic
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  Speaker 2: background you come from. Everybody uses it as an excuse,
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  Speaker 2: whether it's Irish or Italian or Hispanic or black or whatever.
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  Speaker 2: Everybody finds something in their background, ethically, and they go, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: this group of people is known for being loud or
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  Speaker 2: known for being, you know, argumentative or known for being
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  Speaker 2: expressive or known for being whatever. And as a result
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  Speaker 2: of me being one of those people, I have an excuse. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: it's sinful. But this particular sin is to be overlooked
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  Speaker 2: by all because of the family that I happen to
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  Speaker 2: be born to. Help you. And what you learn after
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  Speaker 2: a while is there is no ethnicity that doesn't have
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  Speaker 2: an excuse for some kind of sinful behavior. Amen? So
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  Speaker 2: we all just kind of find one, figure one out,
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  Speaker 2: you know? Some people make up excuses for ethnicities they
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  Speaker 2: don't even belong to, you know. Amen. Well, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's that Scotch-Irish blood in me. I don't know if
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  Speaker 2: you know this or not, but.
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  Speaker 1: You're black.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have none of that Scotch-Irish blood in you,
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  Speaker 2: you know. Or whatever the case may be. We just
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  Speaker 2: make stuff up, you know. Here's the second way that
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  Speaker 2: they come from bad stock. We talked before about this
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  Speaker 2: whole thing of these generational curses. You know, as though
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  Speaker 2: somehow the blood of Jesus is just not powerful enough
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  Speaker 2: to deal with generational sin. And people talk about all
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  Speaker 2: these generational curses or whatever. There is one generational curse
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  Speaker 2: that is real. And that's the curse that we all
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  Speaker 2: inherit from Adam. So, number one, by virtue of being
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  Speaker 2: Abraham's kid, he's got baggage in his background that messes
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  Speaker 2: him up. And number two, by virtue of being a
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  Speaker 2: descendant of his federal head, Adam, he's got baggage in
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  Speaker 2: his background that makes him messed up. And you and
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  Speaker 2: I are the exact same way. The earthly family that
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  Speaker 2: you came from messed you up. But don't get mad
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  Speaker 2: at them because it doesn't matter which earthly family you
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  Speaker 2: came from. You'd have just been messed up in a
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  Speaker 2: different way. Amen? And secondly, being born in Adam as
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  Speaker 2: every man is, you're messed up. So here's the first
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  Speaker 2: problem with this family and all families, the stock that
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  Speaker 2: they come from. How does this manifest itself? Well, it
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  Speaker 2: manifests itself in a number of ways. Here's problem number two.
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  Speaker 2: Mom and dad are not on the same page. Mom
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  Speaker 2: and dad are not on the same page. That's a problem.
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  Speaker 2: There is no unity with mom and dad. Look with
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  Speaker 2: me if you will. Look at verse 27. When the
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  Speaker 2: boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man
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  Speaker 2: of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man dwelling
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  Speaker 2: in tents. Isaac loved Esau, and that next phrase is
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  Speaker 2: absolutely telling. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game.
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  Speaker 2: We'll get to that momentarily. But Rebecca loved Jacob. So
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  Speaker 2: here's mom and dad. One's heart is pointed toward this child.
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  Speaker 2: The other's heart is pointed toward that child. We have
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  Speaker 2: a problem. Number one, they come from baggage. Secondly, mom
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  Speaker 2: and dad are not on the same page. This is
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  Speaker 2: a messed up family. When mom and dad are not
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  Speaker 2: on the same page, when mom and dad are not
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  Speaker 2: moving in the same direction, when mom and dad do
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  Speaker 2: not have the same marching orders, there is a problem
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  Speaker 2: within the context of that family. It doesn't work that way.
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  Speaker 2: There's nothing but conflict and hardship and heartache when it
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  Speaker 2: doesn't work. And we will see this later on in
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  Speaker 2: this very same family. We will see a replay of
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  Speaker 2: this scene of the birthright and the conflict between the
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  Speaker 2: two brothers and the conflict between mom and dad manifesting
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  Speaker 2: itself again as it relates to the birthright. But this
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  Speaker 2: family has a problem because mom and dad are on
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  Speaker 2: different pages. Mom and dad are not walking in unity. Newsflash,
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  Speaker 2: your family has the same problem. How do I know that?
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  Speaker 2: Because you are not two identical entities. You are two
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  Speaker 2: separate sinful entities. And because you two separate sinful entities
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  Speaker 2: got married, I don't care how well the two of
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  Speaker 2: you have learned how to get along with one another,
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  Speaker 2: you are not always on the same page. Whether you
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  Speaker 2: admit it or not, you're not. By the way, that's
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  Speaker 2: why God commands submission from a wife. Do you ever
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  Speaker 2: wonder about that? That's why he commands husbands to live
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  Speaker 2: with their wives in an understanding manner. Why do you
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  Speaker 2: have to command that? If all we need is love
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  Speaker 2: and to follow our hearts, and if we're just overwhelmed
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  Speaker 2: by love, and we gaze longingly into one another's eyes,
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  Speaker 2: and we feel so deeply and so pleased. That and
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  Speaker 2: a few bucks will get you a cup of coffee.
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  Speaker 2: But that's not real. That's the movies. That's TV. That's
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  Speaker 2: not real. That's not where we live. It's not real.
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  Speaker 2: My favorite quote on this whole thing, it was from
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  Speaker 2: none other than Ruth Graham. Ruth Graham was talking about
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  Speaker 2: her and Billy and their marriage lasted all those years.
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  Speaker 2: They brought up the issue of compatibility and how compatible
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  Speaker 2: the two of them were. And Ruth said basically that
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: they weren't very compatible, but that was okay. Because if
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: the two of them were the same, one of them
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: would be unnecessary. Amen. Two people get married. Two sinful
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: people enter into a covenant with one another. And God
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: commands husbands to live with their wives in understanding manner
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: because it's not our natural bent. We don't do it naturally.
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: We must not only learn to do it, we must
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: be commanded to do it. There should be a whole
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: lot of deep base amens out there right now. We
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: just don't. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as
• 24:55
  Speaker 2: unto the Lord. Not submit yourself to your husband when
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: he's worthy of it. Because he never will be. If
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: he was worthy of it, you wouldn't have to be
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: commanded to submit to him. Women walking around complaining because
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: they don't feel like submitting to their husband. Why would
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: you feel like submitting to your husband? Why would you
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: expect to feel like submitting to your husband? You were
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: commanded to do it. God doesn't go around commanding you
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: to do the stuff that you feel like doing. Notice
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: God never commands you to love yourself. Never. But he says,
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: love your neighbor as yourself. He doesn't say, love your
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: neighbor and also love yourself. No. God says, I already
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: know you love you. Your sin makes you love you.
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: So take that loving of you that you have, always
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: have had, and always will have. Amen? And turn it
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: towards your neighbor. If you want to see how to
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: treat your neighbor, see how you treat yourself. That you
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: absolutely love. You love yourself. Well, no, actually I have
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: low self-esteem. Liar. The Bible says no man hates his
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: own flesh. You don't have low self-esteem. You know what
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: your problem is? Your problem is that other people don't
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: think as highly about you as you do and that
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: makes you feel bad. So you get two sinful people
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: who get married to one another. Two people with different
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: bents and different desires and they get married to one another.
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: And Isaac and Rebecca are married to one another. One's
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: heart is pointed in this direction, the other's heart is
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: pointed in that direction as it relates to their children.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: They're not like the rest of us who don't have
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: any favorites among our children at any period of time.
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: This is a messed up family. Thirdly, this is a
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: messed up family because there's sibling rivalry. From the womb.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: From the womb, there's sibling rivalry. She has to go
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: to God and ask God, what's going on on the
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: inside of me? Because this is not right. From the womb,
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: there's rivalry between Jacob and Esau. And that's not good.
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: This is a messed up family. But this is not
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: the first family to have sibling rivalry. In fact, the
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: first family to have sibling rivalry was the first family.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: The first set of brothers ever to walk the face
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: of the earth in the most pristine and perfect condition
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: that the world has ever seen. became the foundation for
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: the first murder that ever occurred as Cain killed his
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: brother Abel the first two people ever to be brothers
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: that we know of and one of them kills the
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: other and you think all you need to do is
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: tweak your parenting a little bit and you won't have
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: sibling rivalry in your house Who do you think you are?
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: I mean, honestly, who do we think we are? It's
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: just a matter of a little tweaking. It's just a
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: matter of being better parents than Adam and Eve were.
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: We could just be better parents than Adam and Eve were.
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: We can just get rid of this whole sibling rivalry
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: thing and our family wouldn't be messed up in this way.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: In the words of that theologian, Dr. Phil, how's that
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: working for you? does this mean that we don't teach
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: our children and train our children as it relates to
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: the way they interact with one another as to the
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: way that it relates to them loving one another and
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: treating one another no it doesn't mean that at all
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: in fact this is the reason we have to do
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: that see we'll get to that in a moment but
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: that's what all of this is pointing to This is
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: the reason that we have to deal with these things.
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: Not only is this family messed up, just sort of
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: corporately and in theory, but this family's messed up individually.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Rebecca has a problem.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: What's her problem? Her problem is she's infertile. That's a problem.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: That's a problem in general. Infertility is a problem in general.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: Families that wrestle with infertility are often torn apart. It
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: is one of the most difficult things for a couple
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: to walk through together. It's infertility. But not only is
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: she infertile, but her infertility is compounded. Why? Well, number one,
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: because she's married to a man who came from a
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: couple that was infertile until they were nearly 100. So
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: he is acutely aware of the problem. Here's number two.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: There's this little issue of a promise that was made
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: to Abraham that is going to flow through Isaac who
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: gets married at 40 and then doesn't have a baby
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: until 60. Rebecca's infertility is a problem. That's a problem.
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: You know what I hadn't thought about until the last
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: couple of weeks? Sarah, she's died, she's gone. But Abraham's
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: alive all the way up to the birth of Jacob.
• 31:10
  Speaker 2: Abraham's infertile. He goes and he sins because he didn't
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: know how to deal with his infertility. God gives him
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: this promise, and all of a sudden, he comes around. Yes,
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: I'm going to send these other sons off, but this
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: one I'm going to give everything, because this is the
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: one through whom the promise is going to come. Now,
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: I want to make sure that my son marries well. Here,
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: I'm going to make these arrangements. Make sure that he
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: marries well. Fine, I've got my son married well. I'm
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: getting old. I'm not going to be here much longer.
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: They're married. Okay, now, Isaac, Rebecca, go. And Abraham has
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: to watch for 20 years. Anybody think you've got a
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: corner on the waiting for grandbabies market? He watches and
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: he waits and he agonizes for 20 years. How do
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: you think that made Rebecca feel? Do you think Abraham
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: had to say a word to her? He's been talking
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: about this promise. We've got the first fruits of the promise.
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: We've got the promised land, even though it's just a
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: little smidgen of the promised land. But it's here. We've
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: got Isaac. God is fulfilling the promise. It's here. This
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: is us. They probably got tired of hearing Abraham talk
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: about the promise, the promise, the promise. And 20 years
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: go by. You waiting on a baby today? Somehow thinking,
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: maybe I just made God mad. Maybe there are two
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: or three things that I should have tweaked in my
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: life and then somehow God would have liked me enough
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: to give me a baby or give me another baby
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: or whatever the case may be. How come I don't
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: have as many babies as so and so has? And again,
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: this is for those people out there that you know of.
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: I'm sure no one in this room has ever struggled
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: with any of this. I'm sure there's no one in
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: this room who's ever beaten themselves up because they cut
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: off the blessing of children. Sure. No one here. Absolutely.
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: We're messed up. And there's no program. There's no tweaking
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: of just a couple of things. We're messed up. Not
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: only is Rebecca messed up, Isaac is messed up.
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: Look at Isaac.
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: Think about this. Isaac is the son of promise. He
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: has this older brother who despises him because the older
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: brother is not the son of promise. The older brother
• 34:34
  Speaker 2: is mad. They sent me and my mother into the
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: desert to die. And yet, this word comes to Rebekah
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: and one would assume is translated to Isaac. Jacob's the
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: one Isaac, not Esau. Isaac's response, I don't care. This
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: one brings me venison. And that's all it takes to
• 35:04
  Speaker 2: be my favorite. I like the red hairy one who
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: brings me gain because my appetite is what rules me.
• 35:16
  Speaker 2: So he's my favorite because of what I like to taste,
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: because of what I like to eat, because of what
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: I like to consume. It is not about the promise.
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: It is about my flesh and my desires. Isaac is
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: a messed up man. He is ruined. In some ways
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: even worse than his father. His father eventually came around.
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: Abraham eventually says, no Isaac, I'm giving it all to you.
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: You are the son of promise. Abraham says that about Isaac.
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: Isaac doesn't do the right thing except for the fact
• 36:03
  Speaker 2: that he's tricked by his wife and his son. He
• 36:08
  Speaker 2: never comes around. Isaac is a messed up father. And
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: so am I.
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: And so are you.
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: And we don't even have to look hard, do we, man?
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: We don't have to look hard at all. And it's
• 36:32
  Speaker 2: not a matter of tweaking. It's not just, you know,
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: because my father didn't do this, my father didn't do that,
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: I wasn't raised in the right environment. Oh yeah, that's
• 36:45
  Speaker 2: all it would have taken for you to be just fine. No.
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: Your father could have been the first man on the
• 36:56
  Speaker 2: face of the planet, born in complete and utter innocence
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: and perfection, and you still could have killed your brother.
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: Not only is Isaac messed up.
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: Esau, his firstborn, is messed up. Esau is a man
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: like his father. Driven by his appetite. I'm hungry. Give
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: me some of that rich stew. Give me your birthright.
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: His response? It's a birthright to me. I'm hungry.
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: I want that red stew. You want my birthright?
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: It's yours. I want my appetite to be satisfied. That's
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: what I want. I have no long-term vision, Jacob. I'm
• 38:05
  Speaker 2: not living for anything beyond the here and the now.
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: That doesn't matter to me. I'm hungry.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much.
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: Give me that. What do you want? You want my birthright?
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: Whatever.
• 38:16
  Speaker 2: You get a double portion blessing. Fine. You take two
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: to my one. Whatever.
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: I want the stew. Jacob's messed up too. What's his name?
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: Heel grabber. Schemer. Conniver. What's he doing? Heel grabbing. Mom's
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: whispering in his ear. You're the one, son. That's not
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: enough for him. It's not enough for me. God says
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: I'm the one. I've got to take it. I have
• 39:00
  Speaker 2: to manipulate it. I have to make it happen here
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: and now. And I'll take advantage of my brother at
• 39:09
  Speaker 2: his weakest moment in order to do it. Folks, this
• 39:14
  Speaker 2: is a messed up family. But follow me on this.
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: Because here's where we can make the mistake. This is
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: a messed up family. And so, this is just all
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: about Isaac. just tweaking a couple of things in the
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: way that he fathers his family. And if Isaac had
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: just tweaked a couple of things in the way that
• 39:36
  Speaker 2: he fathered his family, then Jacob and Esau would have
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: been better sons. And if Isaac had just tweaked a
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: couple of things in the way that he was a
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: husband to Rebekah, then Rebekah would have been a better
• 39:45
  Speaker 2: wife because Isaac would have... Do you hear me?
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: What are we saying?
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: In essence, we're falling into the same trap that this
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: family fell into. How's this family going to be useful
• 40:10
  Speaker 2: in the hands of God? The answer at every point
• 40:14
  Speaker 2: is the same. God's call. God's promise. God's promise. Isaac,
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: how are you going to be useful in the hands
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: of God? God's saying to Isaac, it's me, son, it's
• 40:31
  Speaker 2: not you. You're the son of promise. Yes, yes, I'm
• 40:35
  Speaker 2: the son of promise, and here we go. No, you don't. No,
• 40:38
  Speaker 2: you don't. Because there will be no next generation unless
• 40:42
  Speaker 2: God speaks forth life in the womb of your wife.
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: You are not the answer, Isaac. God is the answer.
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: And God shows him this at point one. Just like
• 40:53
  Speaker 2: he showed Abraham. Okay God, I got Ishmael, let's go.
• 40:56
  Speaker 2: No sir. Ishmael is the son of your flesh. He
• 40:59
  Speaker 2: is not the son of promise. You did not obey me.
• 41:04
  Speaker 2: You did not trust me. He's not the answer. God
• 41:09
  Speaker 2: did not say, oh, if you had just tweaked three
• 41:12
  Speaker 2: or four principles, then sure. No, it's not tweaking three
• 41:17
  Speaker 2: or four more principles. It's God invading our lives. That's
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: what we are in desperate need of. Oh, if Rebecca
• 41:29
  Speaker 2: had only been a more submissive wife. No. It's true.
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: Rebecca should have been a more submissive wife. But Rebecca's
• 41:38
  Speaker 2: problem was not her outward submission to her husband. Rebecca's
• 41:42
  Speaker 2: problem is the same as all wives' problems. Wives, submit
• 41:46
  Speaker 2: yourself to your own husband as to the Lord. A
• 41:50
  Speaker 2: submission problem toward a husband is merely a symptom of
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: a submission problem to God. She didn't need to just
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: go to a conference and learn two or three more principles.
• 42:03
  Speaker 2: She needed her life invaded by Almighty God. And what
• 42:07
  Speaker 2: we see is fruit of an unregenerate heart. That's the problem. Oh,
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: if they had just beat on Jacob and Esau just
• 42:19
  Speaker 2: a little bit more. If they just whooped them a
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: few hundred more times. Now granted, these boys probably needed
• 42:28
  Speaker 2: a few more whoopings than they got. There's not a
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: weapon in the world that would change who Jacob was
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: on the inside. In fact, it's not until God whips
• 42:47
  Speaker 2: him and breaks his hip that he's no longer Jacob,
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: now he's Israel. Do we battle... Do we battle? Yes,
• 43:00
  Speaker 2: we battle. Absolutely we battle. But here's the problem. If
• 43:04
  Speaker 2: I believe that all my children need is me battling
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: against their sin, that's idolatry. No. What my children desperately
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: need is the gospel. So even when I am battling
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: against their sin, I must make sure that they know
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: that I'm not battling against flesh and blood. Yes, this
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: is a flesh and blood moment. Yes, you and I
• 43:27
  Speaker 2: are dealing with this flesh and blood. Yes, as your father.
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: I am executing and exacting punishment and judgment on the
• 43:35
  Speaker 2: sin that I see. But know that I'm only doing
• 43:38
  Speaker 2: this out of obedience to God and in hopes that
• 43:41
  Speaker 2: God will use this moment to call you to himself.
• 43:45
  Speaker 2: Because what you need is God. What you need is
• 43:49
  Speaker 2: the gospel. What you need is to be born again.
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: That's what you need. Don't you dare begin to believe
• 43:57
  Speaker 2: anything other than that. Don't you dare begin to believe
• 44:01
  Speaker 2: that just by going to this church, somehow your family's
• 44:04
  Speaker 2: going to be transformed. Don't you dare believe that just
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: by picking up one or two of those books in
• 44:09
  Speaker 2: the back, your family's going to be alright. Don't you
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: dare believe that just by buying one of those little
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: rods in the back, everything's going to be fine with
• 44:17
  Speaker 2: your kids. You will have whitewashed sepulchers who know not God,
• 44:22
  Speaker 2: but fool you into thinking that you're somehow a good parent.
• 44:29
  Speaker 2: Don't you dare buy that lie. You stay on your
• 44:33
  Speaker 2: face before God. You keep preaching the gospel to your kids.
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: The only answer for Jacob, the only answer for Esau
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: is the gospel. The only answer is for God to
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: invade the life of these young men. And eventually God does.
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: God invades the life of Jacob. And the problem is
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: that so many of us pray. God, make my words
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: effective for this child. I talk and I talk and
• 45:02
  Speaker 2: I talk. They don't seem to listen. Make my words effective. God,
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: make my discipline effective for this child. When our prayer
• 45:09
  Speaker 2: ought to be, God, break his hip. God, break her hip.
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: Call him to yourself. Call him to yourself. Because if
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: that doesn't happen, the rest is useless. The rest is worthless.
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: The rest is meaningless if that doesn't happen. It's polishing
• 45:37
  Speaker 2: the brass on the Titanic. Unless God built the house,
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: they labor in vain who build it. So, why spank
• 45:54
  Speaker 2: my kids? Because God told me to. And I'm believing
• 46:01
  Speaker 2: that he uses every means. Just like the gospel is
• 46:04
  Speaker 2: a means. Do I believe that only God can save
• 46:07
  Speaker 2: my kid? Yes, I believe that only God can save
• 46:09
  Speaker 2: my kid. But God uses the gospel. So I'm going
• 46:11
  Speaker 2: to preach the gospel to my kid again and again
• 46:13
  Speaker 2: and again and again. I believe God also uses formative
• 46:17
  Speaker 2: and corrective discipline from parents. So I'm going to apply
• 46:21
  Speaker 2: that again and again and again and again. Not just
• 46:23
  Speaker 2: so that I can get outward conformity. But because I'm
• 46:26
  Speaker 2: participating with God just like sharing the gospel. And by
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: the way, sharing the gospel even in those moments that
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: God might be merciful and save that soul. Do I
• 46:37
  Speaker 2: live with my wife in an understanding manner?
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 46:41
  Speaker 2: But not to manipulate her and make her a clone
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: of myself with whom I never disagree. Not to dominate her.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: I do it. Because by God's grace, there's a promise
• 46:56
  Speaker 2: attached to it. What's the promise attached to it? That
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: my prayers won't be hindered. What prayers are those there
• 47:01
  Speaker 2: in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 7? Are those
• 47:04
  Speaker 2: prayers that I'm offering for me and the stuff that
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: I want? No, James says, I don't have what I
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: ask for because I'm asking to spend on myself. No,
• 47:12
  Speaker 2: those prayers are the prayers that we are praying corporately.
• 47:16
  Speaker 2: And my priestly function praying for my family, praying for
• 47:26
  Speaker 2: my wife.
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: That's what he's talking about.
• 47:29
  Speaker 2: It's my wife to submit herself to me as her husband,
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: as unto the Lord. Yes, absolutely. I thought you said
• 47:38
  Speaker 2: it was of no avail. Folks, you do it out
• 47:41
  Speaker 2: of obedience and out of an act of worship to God,
• 47:44
  Speaker 2: trusting that God will use it. And again, in 1
• 47:46
  Speaker 2: Peter chapter 3, any of you wives has a husband
• 47:49
  Speaker 2: who's disobedient to the Word? You just nag him. That'll
• 47:54
  Speaker 2: get the job done. No. No. He'll be won without
• 48:01
  Speaker 2: a word by the behavior of his wife. As she
• 48:05
  Speaker 2: does what? Obeys God and trusts God to use her
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: obedience as a means to an end. Do you see this?
• 48:16
  Speaker 2: It's all a matter of perspective. Here's a question you
• 48:22
  Speaker 2: ask yourself. If there's a problem in my family, does
• 48:33
  Speaker 2: it cause me to realize how desperate we all are
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: for God's transforming work? Or does it merely embarrass me
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: because of my outward reputation? If the misbehavior of my
• 48:53
  Speaker 2: children merely embarrasses me because of my outward reputation, I'm
• 48:58
  Speaker 2: in sin. Because I'm worried about me and not their souls.
• 49:07
  Speaker 2: If the unity in my marriage to my wife embarrasses
• 49:12
  Speaker 2: me merely because of how it reflects on my outward reputation,
• 49:17
  Speaker 2: instead of breaking my heart because our marriage is a living,
• 49:21
  Speaker 2: breathing example of the relationship between Christ and His church,
• 49:25
  Speaker 2: and we are proclaiming a flawed gospel by not being
• 49:29
  Speaker 2: in one accord? Which bothers you more? Your reputation? What
• 49:35
  Speaker 2: people think about you? Or is this about something more?
• 49:47
  Speaker 2: Is this about something deeper? Do Isaac and Rebekah and
• 49:56
  Speaker 2: Jacob and Esau desperately need all of those things that
• 50:01
  Speaker 2: God says families are to do and to be?
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: Yes, they do.
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: But not one of them would answer their greatest need.
• 50:12
  Speaker 2: Their greatest need is is the intervention of Almighty God.
• 50:18
  Speaker 2: That's your greatest need. Because you're in a messed up family.
• 50:28
  Speaker 2: You're in a messed up family. You come from a
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: messed up family. Sir, you're a messed up father. And
• 50:38
  Speaker 2: if that's news to you, you really messed up. Ma'am,
• 50:43
  Speaker 2: you're a messed up wife and a messed up mother.
• 50:47
  Speaker 2: And you've got messed up kids. Boys, you're messed up sons. Girls,
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: you're messed up daughters. Every last one of you. I
• 50:58
  Speaker 2: don't care how many times people come up to you
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: in a restaurant and brag on how well behaved you
• 51:03
  Speaker 2: are compared to all the other pagans who have no discipline.
• 51:08
  Speaker 2: You're a messed up son. You're a messed up daughter.
• 51:11
  Speaker 2: And you need Jesus. And your mom and your dad,
• 51:19
  Speaker 2: they correct you. They train you. They discipline you again
• 51:24
  Speaker 2: and again and again. Because they're being obedient to God.
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: And prayerfully.
• 51:32
  Speaker 2: Because they understand. That it is a means of grace
• 51:36
  Speaker 2: that God uses in your life. And their desire is
• 51:39
  Speaker 2: for you to be saved. I know we all want
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: to go crawl up under something. But here's the good news.
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: God uses messed up families. And when I look at
• 51:57
  Speaker 2: the end of Genesis chapter 25, here's what I hear.
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, Rhodey.
• 52:04
  Speaker 2: You're messed up. But trust me, I've seen worse. I've
• 52:11
  Speaker 2: used worse. Which is good news in two ways. Because
• 52:15
  Speaker 2: number one, Votie is bad off as you think you are.
• 52:18
  Speaker 2: You still think too much of yourself and you're worse
• 52:20
  Speaker 2: than you think you are. So it's good news to
• 52:23
  Speaker 2: you that I've seen worse than you think. Because you
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: are worse than you think. Number one. Secondly, it's good
• 52:40
  Speaker 2: news to you because that's evidence of my grace, my mercy,
• 52:49
  Speaker 2: my long-suffering, and the plans that I have. If I
• 52:59
  Speaker 2: believe that the only plans that God had for me
• 53:02
  Speaker 2: was to give me outward, obedient children and an outwardly
• 53:06
  Speaker 2: attractive marriage, I'd find something else to do.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: But I'm believing God for souls.
• 53:16
  Speaker 2: I'm believing God for souls in this generation. I'm believing
• 53:20
  Speaker 2: God for souls in the next generation. I'm believing God
• 53:23
  Speaker 2: for souls. I'm believing that God has called me to
• 53:26
  Speaker 2: himself and given me the gospel because he intends to
• 53:30
  Speaker 2: use me to that end. I'm believing that God has
• 53:33
  Speaker 2: sent children into my home because I understand the gospel
• 53:36
  Speaker 2: and he intends to use me to that end. All
• 53:42
  Speaker 2: the little pieces of progress that we see, they're wonderful.
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: They are.
• 53:47
  Speaker 2: They really are. And I thank God for every one
• 53:49
  Speaker 2: of them.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: I do.
• 53:51
  Speaker 2: I thank God for every act of obedience from one
• 53:54
  Speaker 2: of our children. I thank God for every act of
• 53:57
  Speaker 2: submission from my wife. I thank God for every piece
• 54:01
  Speaker 2: of understanding that he gives me as a husband. Because
• 54:03
  Speaker 2: I recognize that all of that is gravy. And it's
• 54:07
  Speaker 2: God smiling on me. And nothing else. God's been good.
• 54:16
  Speaker 2: And He continues to be good. And it is my
• 54:20
  Speaker 2: prayer that I will see Him be good to me,
• 54:24
  Speaker 2: to my children, and to my children's children, and should
• 54:27
  Speaker 2: He tarry, to my children's children's children. And that I
• 54:33
  Speaker 2: would not dare stand up before my great-great-grandchildren and say,
• 54:38
  Speaker 2: your great-great-grandfather Votie, learned a few parenting techniques, tweaked a
• 54:45
  Speaker 2: few things generations ago, and as a direct result of that,
• 54:49
  Speaker 2: you all have, no, you can have that. God saved me.
• 55:00
  Speaker 2: God saved my life. God gifted me with her. God
• 55:08
  Speaker 2: gifted us with children. And by His mercy used us
• 55:13
  Speaker 2: in spite of ourselves so that generations from now there
• 55:19
  Speaker 2: will be people who bear both our name and His.
• 55:24
  Speaker 2: That's the testimony I'm living for. The testimony of the
• 55:30
  Speaker 2: glorious grace of God and the gospel that changes lives
• 55:37
  Speaker 2: from the inside out. Would you bow with me?