Ep 128 | Cover to Cover 7 | Pastor Ryan Clark | Feb 15, 2026

Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.

You are listening to a message from St.

John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Years ago when I was a child, my parents took me and my siblings to Disney World, and out of all of the rides, my favorite by far was Space Mountain.

Space Mountain, for those of you that haven't been to Disney World, is a really fast roller coaster that is completely in the dark, and so it makes you feel like you're up in space, but you can't tell where all the twists and the turns and the drops are.

Well, as a kid, I loved it and I wanted to ride on that ride over and over and over again.

Well, a few years ago, we took our children to Disney World and I couldn't wait to take my kids on all the rides, especially, you guessed it, space Mountain.

Now, looking back on it, I don't know why I thought I would still enjoy this ride, but it was very different-- it was horrifying.

Instead of just enjoying the ride like I did when I was a kid, I tensed up.

I thought, I don't know where these turns are.

I don't know where these drops are.

And so I tensed up because I thought I don't wanna hurt my back or some other part of me, and it made it far, far worse.

Instead of just going with it, I tried to control the whole experience, and I ended up having a horrible time.

Now, I guess you could say that as an older adult I was struggling with some control issues.

Maybe you can relate.

In our lessons for today that you have been reading throughout this past week, this family has a whole lot of control issues.

If you've been reading in our Cover to Cover, and I hope that you have, we have hit the story of Jacob and Esau; twins that had some serious control issues.

And as we're going to see, it wasn't just them, it was the whole family around them as well.

We will pick up in Genesis 25 where it says, once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.

He said to Jacob, quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished.

Jacob replied first, sell me your birthright.

So he swore a note to him selling his birthright to Jacob.

What was a birthright? Well, it was very important.

The son of the birthright received a double portion of his father's inheritance, and he also became the head of the family and the spiritual head of the family upon the passing of his father.

Esau should have been given the birthright because he was the first of the twins out of the womb.

But you know, Jacob wanted to control the whole situation and so I'm sure knowing Jacob, this is probably what he did.

You know, my brother's been out there hunting all day.

He's gonna come in absolutely famished.

I'm gonna make his favorite stew and let it waft through the room.

And when he comes in, I'm gonna play hard to get.

And he'll do anything to get some, and then I'll get his birthright from him.

And that's exactly what happened.

Then a little bit later, their father, Isaac, was on his deathbed and he calls his older son, Esau to him and says, listen, go out and kill an animal and, and cook it up for me the way that I like, and then come back in and I want to give you my fatherly blessing that I give to my oldest child.

Well, Rebecca, Isaac's wife, who preferred the younger son Jacob, said to Jacob, I overheard your father say to your brother, Esau, prepare me some tasty food to eat so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.

Now my son, listen carefully and do exactly what I say.

Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats so that I can prepare some tasty food for your father just the way he likes it.

Then take it to your father to eat so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.

So Jacob went out and got them and brought them to his mother and she prepared some tasty food just the way his father liked it.

Then Rebecca took the best clothes of Esau, her older son, which she had in the house and put them on her younger son Jacob.

She also covered his hands with the smooth part and the smooth part of his neck with the goat skins.

You see at this ripe old age that Isaac was on his deathbed, he could no longer see, and so he had to rely on his other senses to figure out who he was speaking to.

And so Rebecca and her son Jacob come up with this whole controlling, manipulative scheme.

He goes in to his father and his father asks, are you really my son Esau? And he lies right to his dying father's face and says, I am.

Well, it wasn't too much longer, and Esau came in and Isaac said to him, your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.

Esau said, isn't he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me.

First, he took my birthright and now he's taken my blessing.

Why did he say that he's rightly named Jacob? Well, there's something in the name isn't there? Jacob means deceiver.

And that is exactly what kind of a person at this point, Jacob was.

In chapter 27, it says, Esau then held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him.

He said to himself, the days of mourning for my father are near, then I will kill my brother Jacob.

What a family, huh? What a family.

He said very soon our father's gonna die, and then he's not the only one who's gonna die.

I'm gonna kill my brother, Jacob.

There's some serious control issues in this family.

Jacob tricked his brother and his father, and what did he gain from it? But he gained from it a brother who wanted to kill him.

Well that didn't turn out exactly like he had pictured it in his head.

And you know, when it comes to control issues, they never do, but it never comes out the way that we expect it to.

When Rebecca was told what her older son, Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob, and said to him, your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.

Now then my son do what I say, flee it once to my brother Laban in Harran.

Rebecca told Jacob to deceive his father and what did she gain from it? She would never see her son Jacob ever again.

By the time he came back from Harran, it was 20 years later and she was already gone.

That didn't turn out the way that they had expected it either, did it? So Jacob takes off running away from his brother to Harran to the place where his Uncle Laban was.

And so he gets to Harran and he meets Laban's.

Two daughters.

The older one was Leah and the younger one, and the more attractive one was Rachel.

In chapter 29 it says, Jacob was in love with Rachel, his cousin, and said, Laban, I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter, Rachel.

Laban says, okay, that seems like a good deal to me.

After the seven years, Jacob said to Laban, okay, it's time.

Give me my wife.

So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.

But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob.

When morning came, there was Leah.

Now it doesn't tell us how much alcohol was involved here, but there had to be a whole bunch, right? Can you imagine on your wedding night, waking up the next morning looking over there in your bed, and it wasn't the woman that you thought you married, it was her older sister.

So Jacob said to Laban, what is this you've done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me? Laban replied, it is not our custom here to give the younger daughter to marriage before the older one.

Finish this daughter's bridal week, and then we will give you the younger one also in return for another seven years of work.

Oh, that worked out really well for Laban, didn't it? He's thinking, how can I get him to work another seven years for me? I got an idea.

I know how to control this situation.

Well, on this weekend of Valentine's Day, I can't think of any sadder verses in the Bible than the following.

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

She named him Reuben for, she said, it is because the Lord has seen my misery.

Surely my husband will love me.

Now.

She conceived again, and she gave birth to a son she said, because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.

And so she named him Simeon.

How sad that Leah would start naming her children after the fact that she felt completely unloved by her husband.

This is a family thing.

This whole control issue stuff.

Laban tricked Jacob into marrying both of his daughters, and what did he gain from it? One of his daughters for the rest of her life felt completely unloved.

Just never seems to turn out the way that we think it's gonna.

A little bit later it says, Jacob said to Laban, his uncle.

If you'll do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them.

Let me go through your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark colored lamb, and every spotted and speckled goat.

Those will be my wages.

Agreed, said Laban, let it be as, as you have said.

That same day, he removed all the male goats that were streaked and spotted and all the speckled and spotted female goats, all that had white on them and all the dark colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons.

Then he put a three day journey between himself and Jacob.

What did Laban do? Trying to control the situation.

Jacob had said, listen, I'll work for you a, a number of of years.

I'll continue to work for you as long as you give me all this speckled and, and all this spotted sheep and, and goats.

And so Laban basically took away every chance that there would ever be speckled or spotted sheep and goats.

Jacob, however, took fresh cut branches.

He made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches.

Then he placed the peeled branches and all the watering troughs so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink.

When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches and they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted.

Once again, the Bible doesn't tell us how this whole thing works.

Sounds a little crazy to me, but that's what happened.

God was looking over Jacob because he saw what his uncle was trying to do to him.

Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken everything our father owned and he's gained all this wealth from what used to belong to our father.

And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been.

I'll bet not.

Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, and he drove all his livestock ahead of him to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.

And on the third day, Laban was told that Jacob had fled.

One more.

Laban tried to maintain his riches by deceiving Jacob and what did he gain from it? A son-in-law who didn't trust him and took Laban's daughters and left.

It never quite turns out the way that you think it's going to, when you try to control and manipulate the situation.

Trying to control everything never leads to anything good.

In my life.

I can tell you that, that is true.

And maybe as you look back on your life, you can see the same thing.

So here's something to consider today.

What area or areas of your life are you trying hard to control? You know why you're trying hard to control those areas? Because you got fear.

You're scared of what could happen in that area.

And so what oftentimes happens, fear leads to control.

So what fear do you need to turn over to God? And say, God, I don't want to control this situation, because if I do, it's not gonna end well.

You take care of it for me.

And you know what? Even before Jacob and Esau were born, God wanted to assure Rebecca and Isaac and Jacob, he wanted to assure them, you don't need to do anything.

I've got a promise for you.

All the way back in Genesis 25, it says, Isaac's wife Rebecca became pregnant.

The Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb and two peoples from within you will be separated.

One people will be stronger than the other and the older will serve the younger.

Even before Jacob came on the scene, God said, this is my promise.

The younger one is gonna serve the older one.

In other words, Rebecca.

You don't need to do anything.

Jacob already is going to be more powerful, but they thought that they had to do it themselves instead of relying on the promises of God.

And then as Jacob is on his way to Haran, after deceiving his brother and his father, he falls asleep and he has this amazing God-dream where he sees these angels coming up and down this ladder from heaven.

And God comes to him and says, I am with you, Jacob, and I will watch over you wherever you go.

Every week we try to have a verse that we have you highlight, and there are highlighters yellow pencils.

If you're gonna highlight a verse from this week's readings, highlight this one, Genesis 28:15, because it's not just a verse for Jacob, it's a verse for you and me too.

Genesis 28:15

I am with you, God says and will watch over you wherever you go.

Once again, Jacob, you don't need to manipulate the situation.

I got your back.

And you know what, you and I have a ton of promises from our God where he is saying to us, I've got your back too.

You don't need to worry about it.

You don't need to try to control and manipulate the situation.

I got this.

From Jeremiah 29 for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, and these are plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

Plans to give you hope in a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.

You know, that's the whole message of the cross of Jesus.

The Bible said sin had separated us from God, and so what did Jesus do through the cross? He brought us back to him so that when we call out to him, our prayers get through so that he can promise this.

When you come to pray to me, I will be there to listen.

To you in Exodus 14 when God's people were before the Red Sea with the armies of Egypt coming behind them, everybody was nervous.

Everybody I'm sure was trying to figure out how can we control this situation? And Moses says this: the Lord will fight for you and all you need to do is just be still.

I love that passage, and I have reminded myself of that passage so many times in my life where I have been tempted to control the situation.

Ryan, you don't have to do that because God is fighting for you.

He's on your side, and the more you try to control it, the worse it's gonna get.

Here's our very important point for today.

You don't need to fight for yourself by climbing over others.

You don't need to be conniving, dishonest, or ruthless to get ahead.

That's what the world does.

But we're Christians, we're children of a God who loves.

God has a good plan and a purpose for your life.

In fact, as his child, you have his uncommon favor and blessing, and he wants you to believe that about your life.

In Genesis 30, it says, So Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

Actually, this is Genesis 32.

Then the man said, let me go for it is daybreak, but Jacob replied, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

Then the man said, your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and humans and have overcome.

So what we're gonna be reading tomorrow, Jacob is on his way back to Esau and to his father's home, and I'm sure he's really nervous.

What is Esau going to do? And once again, God gives him a word to hold on to.

God meets him there and it says that he wrestles with God.

Now, what did that look like? I don't know, but he's wrestling with him and God says to him, let me go.

And he says, no, I'm not gonna let you go until you bless me.

Notice that God doesn't get angry with him.

God actually gives him the blessing.

And one of the things he does for him is God changes his name from Jacob, the deceiver, to Israel, one who wrestles with God.

And when it comes to the things that you and I are scared about, the things that we have anxiety about in our life, what does God want us to do? Number one, he wants us to remember the good promises that he's made to us.

And number two, if we're still really nervous about it, instead of trying to manipulate and connive and, and try to control the situation, wrestle with him.

How do we do that in prayer? In Philippians 4 it says, do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

That's what God would have us to do.

God, I'm really nervous.

I know you've given me promises, but I'm not sure that this is gonna turn out and I have this need to control it, but I know that that's not gonna work out and so I'm handing this over to you.

Please, Lord, I'm not gonna let you go until you bless me.

And watch the Lord fight for you.

You need only to be still.

So if you've got control issues in your life, if you're trying to white knuckle it through life, and try to control the the things that are gonna happen in your and my life, there are gonna be twists, there are gonna be turns, there are gonna be drops in our life.

Remember this message here today.

God wants to fight for you so that you can just enjoy the ride.

God bless you.

Amen.

You've been listening to a sermon from St.

John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota.

If you would like more information about St.

John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www.

stjohnsbuffalo.

org.

Thank you and God bless you.