Esau has only himself to blame. He sold his birthright for a meal. When Isaac recognized God’s hand in Jacob stealing the blessing he trembled, but Esau grew bitter and enraged. Isaac submitted to God, but Esau plotted murder.

Esau could blame only himself, but Jacob could only thank God. If you are in Christ and have any awareness at all, you know the same is true for you.

My minister asked, “If all your friends had better families and better churches than you, why are you a Christian and they are not?” At that point I knew, I didn’t have words for it, but I knew it couldn’t be because I was better. It had to be by God’s powerful grace.

Do you really think it’s you?

Did you have bad parents? Why aren’t you in prison?

Did you have good parents? Why didn’t you get spoiled or rebel?

Did you get converted at a low point of life? Why aren’t you a repeat offender?

Do you really think it is you?

Romans 9:15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

If we continue on in disbelief, and pursue whatever makes us feel good, or choose to go toward anger and bitterness then we reveal that God has allowed us to go down the path of our own choosing.

But if we demonstrate a complete u-turn. If we go from being selfish like Jacob to being radically changed. If we go from doing whatever we can to get away from God, to exerting all our energy to be closer to him, then we know God is at work changing us.

I want this truth of God’s powerful, undeserved, deep, passionate and purposeful love to take a deep root in your heart. You have done nothing to make God love you, there is nothing you can do to shake his love.

Were you worried that you might not make it to the end? God accomplishes…

Have your sins made you wonder what else lies in that heart of yours…

Does Satan ever tell you that you have sinned too much? God accomplishes…

If you have not yet decided to follow Jesus Christ as a believer then I want to talk to you about this doctrine of election. You might think it would discourage you from believing, but the opposite is true. God’s electing love provides for you the will, the motivation and the way for running to him.

1. If coming to Jesus were strictly up to you, then you would never come.

You would always wait until you had cleaned yourself up enough first. You would want to put away your bad habits and bad relationships, and get serious about self-discipline and then come to God. You would want to do something to pay for the bad things you have done, and then when you were worthy you would come to Christ. To put it succinctly – you would never come.

Thankfully, God does not wait for you. He comes to you, and makes you want to come despite all your sin, despite your laziness and bad habits. He shows you that he alone has life, and you will run to him to drink deeply from that fountain.

1. If Jesus just gave an invitation, there would be no hurry.

You would wait until you had enjoyed all the sin you wanted, and then, when you were ready to settle down, you would come. The truth is, he is God, you are not. He does not do your bidding. The reason why you choose to do other things besides come to His is that you can’t. You can’t make yourself. You cannot make yourself believe, you cannot make yourself love, you cannot come to him.

Realizing that might be the very thing that makes you call out to him for help. If your apartment building was on fire, but you had a fire escape plan, there would be no hurry. As long as you think you have an easy escape, you will linger in your apartment getting your valuables. But the second you realize the fire escape is destroyed, you use all your energy calling the firemen to come rescue you. Call out to God now, you cannot save yourself.

1. Finally, Jesus gives us the way. He is a better brother than Esau

Esau sold Jacob his inheritance as firstborn for a bowl of stew. He later hated Jacob for it.

Jesus freely gives us his inheritance, eternal life in the bosom of the father. He gives it so he can love us longer and better. He gives it out of his desire to be with us.

Jacob received his father’s blessings because he stole Esau’s coat, covered his hands, and smelled like Isaac’s favorite son.

Jesus freely gives us his garments of righteousness, he cleanses our hands of all our sin, and we are the aroma of Christ in the nostrils of the father. We do not need to wait until we are good enough, Jesus gives us everything we need to come into the fathers tent and have him pour his blessings upon us.