Genesis Ch27v1-45 - Blessing in the Mess

Thank you.

Well, if we could turn in our Bibles, please, to Genesis chapter 27.

Genesis 27 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 27, which is right at the beginning of the Bible.

Genesis 27 · chapter mention

We've been looking at the life of Abraham, his family,

and we've been looking in particular at his son Isaac and his sons, Isaac and Jacob.

Or Jacob and Esau, rather.

So we've got a long reading today.

It's chapter 27, but it's very hard to just pick little bits out.

It's something we've got to read together.

So I've got a few helpers this morning.

So if they could come up ready to jump in as we need to, that'll be great.

So Genesis chapter 27, starting in verse 1 through to verse 45.

Genesis 27 · chapter mention

So Genesis 27, starting at verse 1.

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see,

he called for his elder son Esau and said to him,

My son, here I am, he answered.

Isaac said, I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death.

Now then get your equipment, your quiver and bow,

and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me.

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like,

and bring it to me to eat,

so that I may give you my blessing before I die.

Now Rebecca was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau.

When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back,

Rebecca said to her son Jacob,

Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau,

Bring me some game and 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 what I tell you.

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.

Jacob said to Rebecca, his mother,

But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin.

What if my father touches me?

I would appear to be tricking him

and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.

His mother said to him,

My son, let the curse fall on me.

Just do what I say, go and get them for me.

So he went 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 her elder son Esau,

which she had in the house,

and put them on her younger son Jacob.

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

Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

He went to his father and said,

My father.

Yes, my son, he answered.

Who is it?

Jacob said to his father,

I am Esau, your firstborn.

I have done as you told me.

Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.

Isaac asked his son,

How did you find it so quickly, my son?

The Lord your God gave me success, he replied.

Then Isaac said to Jacob,

Come near so I can touch you, my son,

to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.

Jacob went close to his father Isaac,

who touched him and said,

The voice is the voice of Jacob,

but the hands are the hands of Esau.

He did not recognize him,

for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau,

so he proceeded to bless him.

Are you really my son Esau?

he asked.

I am, he replied.

Then he said,

My son, bring me some of your game to eat

so that I may give you my blessing.

Jacob brought it to him and he ate,

and he brought some wine and he drank.

Then his father Isaac said to him,

Come here, my son, and kiss me.

So he went to him and kissed him.

When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes,

he blessed him and said,

Ah, the smell of my son

is like the smell of a field

that the Lord has blessed.

May God give you heaven's dew

and earth's richness,

an abundance of grain and new wine.

May nations serve you

and peoples bow down to you.

Be Lord over your brothers

and may the sons of your mother

bow down to you.

May those who curse you be cursed

and those who bless you be blessed.

After Isaac finished blessing him

and Jacob had scarcely left

his father's presence,

his brother Esau came in from hunting.

He too prepared some tasty food

and brought it to his father.

Then he said to him,

My father, please sit up

and eat some of my game

so that you may give me your blessing.

His father Isaac asked him,

Who are you?

I am your son, he answered,

your firstborn, Esau.

Isaac trembled violently and said,

Who was it then that hunted game

and brought it to me?

I ate it just before you came

and I blessed him

and indeed he will be blessed.

When Esau heard his father's words,

he burst out with a loud and bitter cry

and said to his father,

Bless me, me too, my father.

But he said,

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.

He took my birthright

and now he has taken my blessing.

Then he asked,

Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?

Isaac answered Esau,

I have made him lord over you

and have made all his relatives his servants

and I have sustained him with grain and new wine.

So what can I possibly do for you, my son?

Esau said to his father,

Do you have only one blessing, my father?

Bless me too, my father.

Then Esau wept aloud.

His father Isaac answered him,

Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness,

away from the dew of heaven above.

You will live by the sword

and you will serve your brother.

But when you grow restless,

you will throw his yoke from off your neck.

Esau 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.

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 at once to my brother Laban in Haran.

Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides.

When your brother is no longer angry with you

and forgets what you did to him,

I'll send word for you to come back from there.

Why should I lose both of you in one day?

Thank you, Chris and Kirsty.

Keep your Bibles open there at chapter 27.

We're going to pray

and ask for God's help.

Father, teach us wonderful things in your word.

Teach us so that our lives are changed and transformed.

Teach us today by your spirit

that it may be for our good,

for our blessing.

We need you.

So please help in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, we've been looking together, haven't we,

at the family of Abraham.

You may say,

well, is there not a better family we could study together?

Well, the reason is

God has a plan to redeem the world,

to undo the curse

and bring blessing,

to bring humanity back into relationship with God.

Now, this big plan of redemption

is all being worked out

through the chosen family of Abraham.

God's big plan,

but it's being enacted

through the family of Abraham.

From this family,

God promised that a son was going to come,

a son who would restore our disordered lives

and renew this broken world.

through this family,

all the nations of the world

were going to be blessed.

So according to God's plan and promise,

the blessing was passed from Abraham

down to his son Isaac.

And now Isaac,

as we've just been reading,

is getting old

and must pass the blessing on to his son.

You see,

the family of Abraham are important.

They're central to God's plan of redemption

for the whole world.

But what happens

when this special chosen family

don't want to play ball?

What happens

when this chosen family,

instead of going with God's plan,

actually start opposing God's plan?

What's going to happen then?

Well,

that's what chapter 27

is all about.

Three things we're going to see

from the text.

Here's the first big one.

God's plan

is always opposed.

God's plan is always opposed.

His plan is to redeem the world,

to bring humanity

back into relationship with God.

But it seems

that humanity

don't want to go along with it.

People

are opposed

to God's plan.

And we see this

in the family

of Isaac and Rebecca

and their two sons,

Jacob and Esau.

We can see

their opposition

to God's plan

in the deadly

D's.

D's.

Here's four deadly D's.

Here's the first one.

Isaac

disobeys

God's word.

He's getting old,

he's nearing death,

and he's getting ready

to pass the blessing

on to his son.

And so in preparation,

at the beginning of 27,

he calls in his eldest son,

Esau,

verse 4,

prepare me

the kind of tasty food I like,

bring it in to me to eat,

that I may give you

my blessing

before I die.

Seems normal enough,

doesn't it?

Except for one

glaring fact.

Before

Jacob and Esau

were ever born,

God had revealed

to Isaac and Rebecca

that the blessing

wasn't going to go

to the eldest son,

Esau,

but it was going

to the youngest son,

Jacob.

That would be like

the crown

bypassing

William

and going to

Harry.

Oh my goodness,

you couldn't do that,

could you?

But this was

God's choice.

God was clear.

The elder

is going to serve

the younger.

But Isaac,

oh no, no, no.

Isaac has his own plans.

He wants it

to go to Esau,

the son that he

loved,

the one who made

special dinners

and, well,

he loved him.

So secretly

and without even

telling his wife,

he plans to give

the blessing

over to Esau.

He knows

what God has said,

but he just

chooses to disobey

what God says.

So there's Isaac

and his disobedience.

And then

we've got

Rebecca

and her distrust

of God's promises.

It seems

that Isaac's secret

wasn't really

a secret at all,

was it?

Look at verse 5.

Because, well,

just outside the bedroom,

Rebecca was listening

as Isaac spoke

to his son Esau.

She too knows

what God had said,

that the blessing

would be passed

to Jacob.

But instead of

dealing with it rightly,

instead of trusting God

with the way

he would do things,

she decides

to take things

into her own hands.

She takes

the place

of God.

To Rebecca,

it just seems,

well,

God is just

incapable

of fulfilling

his promises.

He needs

help.

So Rebecca

plays

God

herself.

Her plan is

to trick her husband

and so she

tells Jacob,

look at verse 9,

go out to the flock

and bring me in

two of your 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.

She knows

the promise.

But she decides

to distrust

the promise.

And then we've got

Jacob.

Well,

Jacob deceives

God's people,

doesn't he?

Rebecca's plan

might be good.

It seems to be

pretty well thought out

but has she

forgotten something?

Verse 11,

Mum!

Well,

what about

Esau?

He's hairy.

I've got

smooth skin.

What if my

father touches me?

I would appear

to be tricking him

and would bring

down a curse

on myself

rather than

a blessing.

Don't worry,

Jacob.

I've got a plan

for this one.

You go off

and dress in some

of Esau's old

smelly clothes.

I'm going to take

some of that goat skin.

We're going to put it

on your arms

and on your neck

and he's going to

think you're Esau.

Anyway,

he can hardly see

so he's never

going to know

anyway.

So,

verse 22,

Jacob went

close to his

father Isaac

who touched him

and said,

the voice is

the voice of

Jacob,

but the hands

they're hairy.

They're the hands

of Esau.

He did not

recognize him

for his hands

were hairy

like those

of his brother

Esau,

so he proceeded

to bless him.

Now,

not for the

first time,

Isaac asks,

are you

really

my son

Esau?

I am,

he replied.

Lies

and deceit

just drip

from his mouth.

Jacob

was prepared

to say

whatever

and do

whatever

just to get

that blessing.

He was

a deceiver.

And then

we've got

the other

brother,

Esau.

Well,

he

despises

God's

blessing.

It's quite

the story,

isn't it?

No sooner

has Jacob

brought in

his food

and got

the blessing

and the

dirty deed

done,

than he

goes out

and Esau

arrives

with his

tasty food.

But it's

all too

late,

isn't it?

His shock

of being

done over

by his

younger brother

was clear

for all

to see

and hear.

He

shouts

out with

a loud

and bitter

cry.

He's

distraught.

Now,

Esau

might be

angry,

but let's

not be

fooled

by Esau's

tears.

Remember

back when

these brothers

were younger,

Esau was

hungry,

and he

handed over

his birthright

to Jacob

for just a

bowl of

stew.

The author

actually records

for us and

tells us

what was

going on

inside Esau's

heart at that

time.

It tells

us in

25

verse 34,

Esau

despised

his birthright.

He might

have lots

of regrets,

but deep

down in

his heart,

Esau was

despising

God's

blessing.

What a

mess.

This is

the family

chosen by

God,

a special

family,

to bring

redemption

and blessing

to the

whole world,

but this

family is

riddled

with

disobedience,

distrust,

deception,

and despising.

Rather than

supporting the

plan of God,

they're opposing

the plan of

God.

At least

they're opposing

the way God

wants to do

his work.

And the

consequences are

disastrous.

Isaac ends

up being

distressed,

Esau is

plotting to

kill his

brother,

Jacob runs

away in

fear,

and Rebecca,

if we read

on in the

story,

never ever

gets to

see her

son again.

What a

mess.

But let's

not think we

would do

any better.

The story

of this

family,

well,

it's like

any Irish

family,

isn't it,

really?

in fact,

it's the

story of

humanity.

You see,

we might

all want

redemption.

We may

want this

world to

be sorted,

and we

want things

to change

in our

lives.

We long

for restoration

and renewal,

but you

know what?

God's got

his plan,

but let

him tell

me my

plan.

I want

to do

things my

way.

You see,

this family,

as disastrous

as they

are,

are alive

and well

in each

of our

own hearts.

Because

don't we

too,

well,

you know,

I know

what God's

word says,

but just

sometimes I

just choose

to disobey

what it

says.

And I

know God

has given

us promises

in his

word,

and he's

promised to

be with

me,

and he's

promised to

do this

for me,

and,

well,

you know,

think about

it.

Sometimes he

just doesn't

quite deliver

in the way

I want him

to,

so I'll

just do

things my

way.

Or maybe

we're just

a bit like

Jacob,

and we

think,

well,

maybe I

can just

kind of go

in under

the radar

a little

bit,

and just

give a

little bit

of pretense,

and,

well,

God's not

going to

really know

any difference,

is he?

I can

deceive my

way along.

Or maybe

we're just

thinking,

you know,

I've been

told all

these stories

about God

and Jesus,

and I've

heard it

so often,

and,

well,

I think I

can just

live without

it,

and we

despise

the blessings

that have

been given

to us.

You see,

the reality

is we are

a broken

mess,

due to

our sinful

decisions

and selfish

choices.

And there's

never any

winners when

we go against

God's plan,

when we

decide we

know best

for ourselves.

Going our

way is only

going to lead

in one

direction,

more destruction,

more disorder,

more mess,

and more

chaos in the

family.

What's God

going to do?

His plan

seems in

tatters.

This is the

chosen family

to bring

redemption to

the whole

world.

They're meant

to be blessing

the nations,

but instead

they're bringing

curses on

themselves.

If God

has a plan

to redeem,

well,

he hasn't

sought it out

very well,

because it's

not going

to plan,

is it?

What's

God

to do?

Well,

God's plan

will always

be opposed,

but second,

God's plan

is going

to be

accomplished.

You see,

despite the

mess of

Isaac and

Rebecca and

their family,

God's plan

actually remains

on track.

Despite all

the opposition

and the

deadly deeds,

God's plan

is going

just as

he says

it would.

Two big

things we

can learn

here as

we read

between the

lines of

what's going

on in

this family.

First,

sin or

rebellion

can't

frustrate

God's

plan.

It can't

frustrate

God's

plan.

In all

the plotting

and all

the scheming,

God's plan

can't be

derailed.

Just as

God had

said at

the very

beginning,

the younger

or the

elder will

serve the

younger and

Jacob will

be blessed.

And that's

what happens.

Look at

verse 27.

So when

Jacob went

to Isaac

and kissed

him,

and Isaac

caught the

smell of

his clothes

and blessed

him and

said,

Ah,

the smell

of my

son.

It's like

the smell

of a

field that

the Lord

has blessed.

Isaac

thought at

that moment

he was

giving the

blessing to

Esau.

But no,

God's

plan wasn't

going to

be frustrated,

it was

going to

Jacob.

And so,

end of

verse 29,

the blessing

came,

may those

who curse

you be

cursed,

and may

those who

bless you

be blessed.

And even

when Esau

pleads for

his father,

when he

finds out

about what's

gone on,

he goes

to his

father and

pleads for

somehow that

he could

get a

blessing,

that somehow

things could

be changed.

What does

Isaac say,

verse 37?

I have

made him

Lord over

you and

have made

all his

relatives his

servants,

and I

have sustained

him with

grain and

new wine,

so what

can I

possibly do

for you,

my son?

You see,

God's plan

can't be

frustrated.

Sinful

humanity

can never

halt or

hinder the

purposes of

God.

Well, not

only doesn't

sin frustrate

God's plan,

something bigger

happens.

Sin only

fulfills

God's plan.

God uses

sinful

behaviours

to accomplish

his plan.

Now, this

doesn't mean to

say that God

takes part

in sin,

or that God

is turning a

blind eye

to sin.

No, God

is pure

and holy.

He cannot

tolerate it.

In fact,

he's going to

hold the

whole world

to account.

However,

God is

sovereign

over sin.

He's

sovereign

over evil,

and he

works all

of it

for his

good

purposes.

You see,

Isaac and

Esau

disobey and

despise God.

Rebecca and

Jacob may

distrust and

seek to

deceive God.

They're all

acting in

selfish ways,

but God

uses their

schemes to

achieve his

very purposes.

The promises

of blessing

are being

passed down

to Jacob,

just as God

had said,

so that the

nations of the

world would

be blessed.

Christ.

Now,

this is

true,

not just

in the

grand

redemption

scale,

but it's

also true

in each

of our

own

individual

lives.

Maybe

you've

been involved

in some

sin,

or you're

just aware

of it,

and you

think,

that's it,

end of

story,

that's put

up a

barrier,

God can

do no

more work

in my

life.

Or maybe

you've

been on

the receiving

end of

somebody's

sin or

behaviour

towards you

that's

changed your

life or

your

circumstances,

and you

think,

the plan,

God's

plan,

it's

ruined.

They've

wrecked it.

Well,

you know

what,

there's

nothing we

can say

or do,

and there's

nothing that

can ever

happen to

us by

anybody

else that

will

frustrate

or derail

God's

purposes

and plans

for your

life.

God is

sovereign

over every

single

detail.

God

doesn't

do

mistakes,

as one

writer put

it.

Sorry,

you'll just

have to,

whoops,

just listen

here, I

don't have

it there,

but listen

to this.

God is

not just

sovereign

over your

best deeds,

he is

sovereign over

the darkest,

most selfish,

and most

destructive

acts that

you will

ever commit

or that

others will

ever commit

against you

and he

will use

these to

accomplish

his good

and perfect

will in

your life.

So God

overrules

our rebellion,

he even

uses our

rebellion

to accomplish

his plan.

Isaac and

Rebecca,

Jacob and

Esau,

they may

stand

opposed to

God's

plan,

they may

stand

opposed to

how God

works,

but nothing

and no one

is going to

hinder what

God has said

he is going

to do.

His plan

is going to

be accomplished.

Now that's

good news for

us.

It's good news

for our

church,

because people

are opposed

to God's

plan,

people are

opposed to

the gospel,

but nothing

is ever going

to hinder

what God

has said

he is going

to do

through his

people and

through his

church.

He will

build it

and nothing

will stand

against it.

This is

good news,

because we

also are

in need

of redemption.

So God's

plan is

opposed,

God's

plan will

be

accomplished,

and then

third,

God's

plan

achieves

our

redemption.

You see,

God doesn't

give up on

sinful humanity.

We look at

a family like

this and we

go,

right,

that's it,

write it all

off,

that's the

end of

humanity.

In fact,

God works

in spite of

our sin

and through

our sin

to achieve

what he

wants to

do.

And we

see this

being worked

out in

God's

ultimate

promised

son,

who comes

down through

the family

of Abraham,

from Isaac

to Jacob

and so on,

till we

come to

his ultimate

son,

Jesus

Christ.

The son

who was

unlike

this family,

who obeyed

God's word

and trusted

God's word,

the true

son who

came to

bring blessing

to all

nations.

nations.

Have a

look with

me,

please,

in Acts.

Go to

Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention

2.

Here the

apostle Peter

is preaching

to a

gathering

that includes

what,

guess what,

nations

from all

around the

world.

People from

all kinds of

different countries

have gathered,

it's Pentecost,

they've come

into Jerusalem

and Peter

has an

audience of

all these

different

nationalities.

And his

message is

all about

the redemption

of Jesus

Christ.

Now look

at what he

says about

Jesus'

death.

We're going

to pick it

up in

verse 22.

fellow

Israelites,

listen to

this.

Jesus of

Nazareth

was a

man accredited

by God

to you by

miracles,

wonders and

signs which

God did

among you

through him

as you

yourselves

know.

This man

was handed

over to

you by

God's

deliberate

plan and

foreknowledge

and you

with the

help of

wicked men

put him

to death

by nailing

him to

a cross.

But God

raised him

from the

dead,

freeing him

from the

agony of

death because

it was

impossible for

death to

keep its

hold on

him.

Now can

you see

the rebellion

and the

opposition

and the

sin of the

people here

in these

verses?

Do you

see it

there?

Wicked

men

put him

to death.

That's how

the death

of Jesus

is described.

Wicked

men

put him

to death.

Disobedient,

distrusting,

deceiving,

despising people,

opposed God,

turned against

his son and

they crucified

him.

But this

was God's

plan.

verse 23.

This man

was handed

over to

you by

God's

deliberate

plan and

foreknowledge

and you

with the

help of

wicked men

put him

to death.

You see,

God's

plan can't

be derailed.

It was

God's plan

that his

son would

die,

that Jesus

would come

to redeem

us from

the brokenness

and disorder

of our

lives.

He comes

to families

like you

and I.

He becomes

our sin.

He's treated

as disobedient,

as distrusting,

as deceiving

and despising

on the cross.

He's punished.

The curse

that should

fall on us

falls on him

so that we

might receive

the promises

of blessing.

God

overrules

all the

rebellion

and uses

all the

rebellion

to achieve

our

redemption.

You see,

God is

sovereign

over the

darkest,

most selfish

and most

destructive

acts that

anyone could

ever commit

against God.

He uses

the betrayal

and the

hatred,

the thorns

and the

crowns to

do what

he set

out to

do.

God's

plan

cannot be

frustrated

by our

sin.

In fact,

it is

being

fulfilled

through

our

sin.

How are

we to

respond

to such

a good

and gracious

God as

this?

Well,

flick over

the page,

Acts chapter

Acts 2:37

2,

verse

37.

Verse

37,

When the

people heard

this,

they were

cut to

the heart

and they

said to

Peter and

the other

apostles,

brothers,

what shall

we do?

What shall

we do

with all

our mess

and brokenness

and our

life of

sin?

Peter replied,

repent and

be baptized

every one of

you in the

name of

Jesus Christ

for the

forgiveness

of your

sins and

you will

receive the

gift of

the Holy

Spirit.

It's a

command to

repent.

to turn

and as a

visible

demonstration

of your

heart's

response,

be

baptized.

This is

what God

is saying

to us.

So how

are you

going to

respond to

what his

word is

saying?

Well,

maybe you

just think,

well,

I know

what it

says,

but I'm

going to

choose to

disobey

what it

says.

Oh,

I hear

the promise

that there

will be

forgiveness

and the

gift of

the Holy

Spirit,

but you

know what,

I think I

can do

things better

my way.

Or maybe

we think,

you know,

all this

business of

repenting and

following God,

I can just

get in under

the radar and

just do what

needs to be

done and,

well,

people won't

make any

difference and

maybe God

won't see any

difference either

and I'll be

okay.

Or maybe

it's a case of

just hearing the

same message

over and over

and over again

and go,

no,

not for me.

I really

think I can

do it myself.

What's our

response?

Whether this

is the first

time we're

ever confronted

with repentance

or there's

stuff in our

life personally

or within our

families that

we're just

ignoring and

not dealing

with,

what's our

response going

to be?

Well,

go with me

please to

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

12,

because this

family that

we've been

looking at

is a

warning to

us.

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

12.

As we

think about

our response

to God's

gift of

redemption,

his call to

repentance,

to deal

with things

in our life

that need to

be dealt

with or

perhaps we're

ignoring,

let the

weight of

Esau's

response

be heard

to us

today.

Hebrews 12

Hebrews 12:16

verse 16.

See that

no one,

not one of

us is

sexually or

moral or

is godless

like Esau.

well,

we've just

been looking

at him,

haven't we,

who for a

single meal

sold his

inheritance rights

as the

oldest brother.

Afterwards,

as you know,

and we do

know because

we've just

read it,

when he

wanted to

inherit this

blessing,

he was

rejected.

Even

though he

sought the

blessing with

tears,

he could

not change

what he

had done.

You see,

the time

will come

when the

opportunity

to change

will have

passed us

by.

And maybe

you're here

this morning

and you've

never done

business with

God,

you've heard

it,

but you've

never ever

repented.

you've

never dealt

with the

issues.

Or maybe

there's sinful

behaviour and

habits in

your own

life,

stuff in

my life I

need to

pay attention

to,

maybe things

going on in

your own

family that's

never been

worked through.

Don't

despise

the blessing

that God

is giving

you through

forgiveness.

and the

gift of

his spirit

and the

wonderful

offer of

redemption.

Time is

short.

Time

might pass

you by.

Don't be

like Esau.

Turn to

God

in repentance

and deal

with what

needs to be

dealt with.

let's

pray.

Want to

know what

a rebellious

sinner looks

like? Stand in front of the mirror. Father, your word has been a mirror to us today, helping

us to see how we can so easily and subtly disobey, distrust, deceive others, despise

the good gifts that you give us. We humbly come before you and say sorry. Sorry for our sin.

Sorry for our failure. Please work in us what is good and right and help us that we may come

running back to Jesus time and time again. Father, help us to deal with things in our own

life, things within our families, sin between husband and wife, parents and children, that

we would not let these things just drift by, but that we would take time to deal with it

because we know that opposing your ways will only end in further mess, further destruction

and chaos. We need your peace. We need your grace. And we thank you that that blessing is available

to us today. Help us, Lord, we ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. We're going to sing the wondrous mystery that God could work despite our sin and through

our sin to achieve his purposes in our life, our redemption. Let's stand together as we sing

this.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.