1. Understanding Your Spiritual Birthrights Harold Kimrey 9-24-2017

2. TEXT: MSG Heb 12:16-17 Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift (NIV inheritance rights) in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. 17 You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. 

3. EVERYONE HAS MADE MISTAKES AND EVERYONE NEEDS RECOVERY Rom 3:23 All have sinned Isa 53:6 “We all like sheep have wandered away” – (gone astray – left the path). Isa 59:1-2 Your sins have cut you off from God - Your sins separate you from God When you sin you are disconnected from God Ever feel that your prayers aren’t getting past the ceiling? Ever feel that you are out of sync?

4. EVERYONE HAS MADE MISTAKES AND EVERYONE NEEDS RECOVERY Our sins cause all kinds of problems for us: Satan attacks us when we are at our lowest points We get estranged/disconnected from God We get estranged/disconnected from family members We feel lonely or afraid We feel hopeless and defeated We feel guilty or condemned We lose joy We are discontented We are try to fill our lives with something temporary that doesn’t satisfy long-term.

5. Disconnect from God Blurs Your Birthrights (To blur is to become unclear, confused, not easily distinguished, not heard or seen clearly) There are 4 Fundamental Issues that all mankind struggles with: (We are blurred about) 1. My Identity – Who am I? (Identity crisis) 2. My Heredity – Where did I come from? (Who do I belong to?) 3. My Dignity – What is my purpose? (You lose your self-respect/self-esteem) Feel Worthless, Inferior 4. My Destiny – Where am I going? (You have a sense of aimlessness – no direction for your life)

6. All 4of these fundamental Issues are called YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS in the Bible 1. My Identity 2. My Heredity 3. My Dignity 4. My Destiny If you don’t understand your Birthrights then you will always be confused concerning these 4 fundamental issues of life.

7. GOD’S PROMISES AND THE BIRTHRIGHTS Gen 12:1-3 The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

8. The greatest promise(s) ever given to a man would be through Abraham’s family to Isaac and then through Isaac’s firstborn son which would have been Esau. The family lineage of Abraham would trace the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless all nations. But instead of this blessing passing through Isaac’s firstborn son Esau – Esau sold his birthright to Jacob-. The Bible always refers to the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob NOT Abraham, Isaac & Esau – (even though Esau was the firstborn son)!

9. THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU NLT Gen 25:21-28  Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. 22  But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. 23  And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” 

10. THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU NLT Gen 25:21-28 24  And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins! 25  The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. 26  Then the other twin was born with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.  (The name Jacob means SUPPLANTER – one who overthrows or trips up.)

11. THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU 27  As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28  Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 

12. Esau Sells His Birthright Gen 25:29-34  One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30  Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” 31  “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” 32  “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”  (I’ve got to have some of that right now! I can’t wait! I’m down on my knees beggin you please! I’m cryin ! – please keep me from dyin!)

13. Esau Sells His Birthright Gen 25:29-34  33  But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. 34  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.  The Hebrew word for contempt (NIV despised) – is to “look down upon” to consider with “low esteem” or “little importance”. To NOT view with high regard.

14. There are 2 kinds of Birthrights Natural & Supernatural Natural Birthrights: you get from your parents – Supernatural Birthrights: you get from God Birthrights deal with some things you get when you are born and some you get later as your inheritance You are who you are because God created you You have certain characteristics that you got from your parents But God didn’t choose your parents for their parenting skills But God used their DNA to create you to be you – (Psa 139:13 God formed you in your mother’s womb) You got your gender, complexion, nationality, talents, where you would be born…

15. 1. There may be accidental parents but there are NO accidental children 2. God is far more concerned about the person He created you to be than He was about the circumstances of your birth including who your parents were.

16. In England: Prince William will become the next king NOT Prince Harry
In England: Prince William will become the next king NOT Prince Harry. That’s the advantage of a birthright. In the Jewish culture: the firstborn son received special birthrights that none of the rest of the children got! How many firstborn sons do we have here today? What if your parents had decided that we have one quality child and we want to go with quality and not quantity – where would YOU be?

17. Imagine a church that says, “we want QUALITY – NOT QUANTITY”
Imagine a church that says, “we want QUALITY – NOT QUANTITY”! That says that we are satisfied with the people we’ve already got and the rest of the world can go to hell! When you go fishing what are you concerned about? Quality or quantity? Would you rather catch one great big fish or catch a whole lot of fish? (I want both!) God wants a lot of people in His church AND He is working to develop amazing qualities in their lives!

18. You get natural Birthrights when you are born – Spiritual birthrights when you are born again The 1st is Physical - the 2nd is Spiritual Your physical birthright is only for this earth Your spiritual birthright is good NOT ONLY on this earth but also throughout eternity!

19. Supernatural Birthrights – You get from God You get supernatural Birthrights when you are born again Joh 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the RIGHT to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but BORN OF GOD. Not everybody in the world becomes a child of God by believing in Jesus God loves everybody in the world but only those who are born again get God’s birthrights!

20. NIV Psa 37: The blameless spend their days under the LORD's care, and their INHERITANCE will endure forever. NJB Psa 37:18 “The lives of the just are in God’s care; their BIRTHRIGHT will endure forever!” NLT 1Pe 1:4  and we have a priceless inheritance—an INHERITANCE that is kept (KJV reserved ) in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 

21. Eph 1:3 Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Eph 1:3 Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Those blessings come from the heavenly world. They belong to us because we belong to Christ. There are over 180 blessings that God has given us as our birthrights because we belong to Christ. It includes everything that God does for us when we believe enough to embrace the cross of Jesus Christ A Birthright of access to God - Heb 4:16 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. You don’t have to go through a priest or any man as a child of God! It is your birthright Care, protection, prayer, providential working, forgiveness, mercy, grace, character development…++

22. SATAN WANTS TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS
SATAN WANTS TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS! He wants you to lose your inheritance AND all your blessings He wants to confuse your IDENTITY. He wants to steal your HERIDITY. He wants to destroy your DIGNITY. He wants to prevent your DESTINY.

23. SATAN IS A THIEF – A ROBBER – A DESTROYER – AN ADVERSARY – A LIAR – A TEMPTOR Joh 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Joh 8:44 Jesus said, Satan is a murderer, a liar and the father of lies. Satan wants to trick you into surrendering your BIRTHRIGHTS!

24. 2 TOOLS THAT SATAN USES TO STEAL YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS #1 Avoiding Pain & #2 Short-term pleasure Satan uses these 2 tools over and over again to: confuse your IDENTITY. steal your HERIDITY. destroy your DIGNITY. prevent your DESTINY.

25. #1 Avoiding Pain - Most of our self-defeating problems come from our desire to avoid pain in our lives We want to AVOID IT We want to MASK IT We want to SELF-MEDICATE IT We want to DENY IT What most don’t want to do is IDENTIFY IT & DO SURGERY ON IT! We want to put a band-aid on it rather than let Jesus cure it! We just want to STOP THE PAIN. We don’t want to pause long enough to ask the question – what’s causing the pain? What is the ROOT-PROBLEM?

26. #2 Short-term pleasure Unwillingness to delay our desire for short-term gratification! 1. We want it NOW – NOT LATER! 2. We want it ALL and we can’t wait – we’ve got to have it NOW! 3. This is why our credit cards get charged up to the max! We don’t want to wait until we have saved enough to pay cash! 4. We spend money we don’t have to get things we don’t need to impress people we don’t even like! 5. Most Americans are spending on average 2% more than they make. (Does this describe you?)

27. Heb 11:25 Moses CHOSE to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. The bible here affirms that sin is pleasurable! (If sins were painful then nobody would do it!) But the pleasure of sin is short-term but the consequences of sin can last for an eternity!

28. IT’S ALWAYS EASIER TO GET IN THAN TO GET OUT
IT’S ALWAYS EASIER TO GET IN THAN TO GET OUT! MSG Pro 20:25  An impulsive vow is a trap; later you'll wish you could get out of it.  Is it easier to get into debt or get out? Is it easier to get into a bad relationship or get out of a bad relationship? Is it easier to get unhealthy that to get healthy? Is it easier to fulfill your schedule that to fill your schedule? Is it easier to start an addiction or to break an addiction?

29. CONCLUSION: Heb 12:16 Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. 17  You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.  Impulsive acts can have long-term even eternal consequences. Is it possible that you have viewed your BIRTHRIGHT with too little esteem or too low regard?

30. Have you been trading Short-term gratification or sinful pleasures of sin for your Eternal Birthrights? At judgment there will be many tears of regrets from those who traded away their birthrights for temporary pleasures and will receive their eternal consequences..

31. UNDERSTAND YOUR BIRTHRIGHTS: GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU HERE UPON THE EARTH WITH MORE BLESSINGS THAT YOU CAN EVEN COUNT AND ULTIMATELY WANTS YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR ETERNAL INHERITANCE. WE HAVE AN AMAZING BIRTHRIGHT HERE UPON THE EARTH AND “A PRICELESS INHERITANCE RESERVED FOR US IN HEAVEN”. Never view your Birthrights as of little importance!