Introduction: Busyness Is Not the Way!

Good morning, everyone. The topic I will be sharing today is Esau Despised His Birthright. Last week, we talked about God Will Raise Up a Faithful Priest for Himself, which was about an unfaithful priest named Eli, with whom God was displeased, so He wanted to raise up another faithful priest for Himself. Now, the topic I want to talk about is Esau Despised His Birthright, which is about God choosing a man named Jacob, who would obtain the birthright.

The events recorded in the 《Bible》 often appear in pairs. There was Abraham, then Lot; Isaac, then Ishmael; Sarah, then Hagar; Jacob, then Esau. These people recorded in the 《Bible》, one is positive, and the other is negative. We can see the positive through the negative, and we can also see the negative through the positive.

This topic has a lot of information. When I was preparing the manuscript, I was worried that everyone would not grasp the most important thing, which is that Esau despised his birthright and lost the blessings from Heaven. If you don't hear anything else, it doesn't matter, but this point is the most important! Many years ago, I received a person in Singapore whose name was Aisin-Gioro, a member of the Qing Dynasty's royalty.

When I received him, he especially wanted to eat durian, so I took him to eat two hundred Singapore dollars' worth of durian. While eating durian, he left me with a sentence. He said that this sentence was passed down by their family's ancestors: When the ruler is busy and the ministers are idle, the country will perish; when the ruler is idle and the ministers are busy, the country will prosper. This sentence is good! I pondered the truth in this sentence. If a person is busy, it must be a very serious problem. No matter what position you are in, if a person is busy, basically something is not right.

Because I pondered the truth of this sentence, you will find that I always have time to wander around and do many things in the process of building the church. What does this indicate? It shows that I should be doing things right! Usually, some of our brothers and sisters call and say: I have to work overtime. I say: What are you working overtime for? They say that they can't hand in their work, they can't participate in ministry, they can't attend meetings, and they can't serve.

What do you think will happen to this person? Basically, it can be said that this is a person with no future. Some people will say, Teacher, why don't you release faith? It's useless for me to release faith because he has violated a most basic principle. Being busy like Esau, despising the birthright. Brothers and sisters can think about it, is it what I said.

There is a sister among us. Many years ago, I wanted to bring her out of being busy because she was usually very busy. She would tremble when the boss said a word to her. In the end, she was so busy that she didn't have a job. Thank God for giving her a new job in such an environment, but the new job was as busy as every job she had. Why are people busy? Because they can't grasp the important things. They don't know how to study, they don't know how to work, and they can't make plans. It's very troublesome for a person to be like this.

If you think being busy is a good thing, I also want to give you a sentence: When the ruler is busy and the ministers are idle, the country will perish; when the ruler is idle and the ministers are busy, the country will prosper. This sentence was given to me by the descendants of the emperor, and it cost me two hundred dollars to buy. Now I will give it to you for free. If people are so busy that others feel tired just watching, can they not be uncomfortable? If you have close contact with me, you will find that I am never in a state of being overwhelmed by busyness. I often receive calls telling me: I'm busy! Quickly pray for me, my head is dizzy and I'm in a daze!

You will see that people who are often in a daze are busy doing nothing. They are busy on the left, busy on the right, and uncomfortable if they are not busy. Such people must have violated the basic principles of things. I once helped some people do projects. His employees told me after being busy for several months: Last year, I researched this matter for four months. I thought, why did it take four months to research this little thing? Later, I helped him do it and spent a few days planning things like playing. As a result, when it came to the stage of purchasing and signing contracts, they started to procrastinate again, and they had to re-research and re-quote...

I think this is not the right way because they did a lot of meaningless work, which did not add any value. They didn't do what they should have done, and they did a lot of things that they shouldn't have done. How could they not be busy? For example, if you attend my meeting, you will find that I don't waste time. Generally, people who work under me will be surprised, as if I know everything. How do I know? This is the secret of a person who has God's presence.

You rarely see me busy. Some people call and say: Pastor, I see you are busy, so I don't dare to call you. Some people say: Pastor, I'm embarrassed to call you because I'm afraid you're busy. I will say: I'm not busy. You will find that I usually answer my phone. Why? Because I rarely do meaningless work.

For example, my employees report to me. Before reporting, they will prepare fifty PPTs. Before the first PPT is finished, I already know the content of the remaining PPTs. I will ask him specific questions, what he wants to do, and how to solve this problem? So I won't be busy. Being busy! Must be doing something wrong.

Some people open companies, write software for several years, spend a lot of money, and are busy enough, but in the end, there is no return. Among the busy people, the busiest was Emperor Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He couldn't wait to do the work of the county magistrate to the governor, and the result was hanging himself. Today, the old crooked neck tree on Coal Mountain in Jingshan Park is where Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. So being busy is very fatal. What are you busy with when you are so busy that you hang yourself?

Let's take a look at how the word busy is written. One side is a vertical heart radical, and the other side is the word death. If the heart dies, it is death! What is meant by the heart being dead? The heart dominates the mind, and the spirit of man lives in the heart. If a person does not have a lively appearance, the spirit and heart are dead, and it is impossible for him not to die. Therefore, brothers and sisters must come out of this situation. If you are always very busy, you can be sure that you have done something wrong. If you do everything blindly, you will not be able to improve.

Therefore, the sermon I preach will hurt many people. Ask yourself if you are busy or not? Why talk about being busy? Because being a Christian to the point of being very busy and dizzy, and then despising the birthright and losing the blessings from God. The 《Bible》 records a person named Esau, who was so busy that he was dizzy, and as a result, he lost his birthright, so Esau is worthy of our reference.

Everyone can carefully ponder what the 《Bible》 says: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. (《Isaiah》 30:15) If you can understand this sentence thoroughly, you are blessed. My task is not to find those who are in a daze, but to find those who are not in a daze. It is to find those who do not despise the birthright, do not despise spiritual blessings, and do not despise important things.

People who are often busy and in a daze (being in a daze during meetings, being in a daze while working), after being in a daze, say: Quickly pray for me. After praying, they can't come to Bible study, they can't come to meetings, and they can't come to pray. Wouldn't that become a monarch of a fallen country? If you are a monarch, you will become a monarch of a fallen country, and if you are an ordinary citizen, you will become a fugitive. Death starts from being busy. How is it possible not to be busy without God's blessing? What can people be busy with?

Let our brothers and sisters reflect, what kind of person are you? Are you so busy that you put God aside, put serving aside, put spiritual blessings aside, so busy that you despise the birthright, so busy that you lose the blessings from Heaven? If so, what future do you have? No future! Last night, someone called me again and said that they were very busy! Then you can be busy, be busy to death.

People must often reflect on who you are? Some people will ask a very stupid question when they hear this: What should I do? In fact, you should ask yourself what you should do. Do you want to be Jacob or Esau? If you become Jacob, the windows of Heaven will be opened for you; if you become Esau, even the windows that were originally open will be closed. The important thing is what people value!

Today, learn a lesson from Esau. Perhaps you only occasionally play the role of Esau. Then I hope you can be freed from being busy. If you can learn a lesson from Emperor Chongzhen, from the descendants of the emperor, or from Esau and Jacob, you will definitely be a free and easy person and not be so busy. Therefore, I will tell you about 《Genesis》 again. I get excited when I talk about 《Genesis》 because I like 《Genesis》 very much.

Busyness is not the Way! Observe carefully, those who have a future are all people who live a free and easy life. Those who are busy all day long would be monarchs of a fallen country if they were emperors. Today, I would like to remind everyone: No matter what, do not be a Christian who loses heavenly blessings. It is a very serious problem for a person to be a busy Christian and is likely to become Esau.

Scripture

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (《Genesis》 25:29-34)

Prayer

God, do a miraculous thing among us today, and may the hearts of our brothers and sisters be awakened. Let our brothers and sisters who despise this birthright be awakened. May they be awakened from their busyness and know that they have despised this birthright. God, may you do a miraculous work among us, and may our brothers and sisters turn back to you and learn to be a person like Jacob. Learn to have Jacob's faith and have the blessings that Jacob received from you. May you open the window of blessing for us in Heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Scripture Background

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. These twin brothers were very knowledgeable when they were born. The one who was born first was called the firstborn, that is, the older brother. The one who came out later holding his brother's heel was the younger brother. Esau and Jacob, one is the older brother and the other is the younger brother. When the older brother and the younger brother were in their mother's womb, they always fought and competed. They started fighting before they were even born. How could they not fight when they were born?

Their mother was called Rebekah. Rebekah was Isaac's wife. Who is Isaac? Isaac is Abraham's son. Isaac was a very powerful man. He was willing to offer himself completely as a burnt offering to God. Later, Isaac married Rebekah, and Rebekah was also an extraordinary woman. She heard that Isaac was the son of Abraham, heard that Abraham had made a covenant with God, and heard that Isaac was going to inherit the covenant that Abraham had made with God. So when she was in Abraham's hometown, she really wanted to marry Isaac.

They had never been in love, did not know each other, and did not know each other's appearance, but Rebekah wanted to marry Isaac. As a result, Abraham's servant went to Rebekah's house and brought Rebekah to Isaac's side. The couple tossed and turned for twenty years and finally conceived twins. These twins started fighting in their mother's womb, and then Rebekah prayed to God. God said to Rebekah:

“Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” (《Genesis》 25:23).

After they were born, the older one was called Esau, and the younger one was called Jacob. Esau loved hunting. In those days, there were no guns. He took a bamboo pole and hunted every day. Jacob was more of a homebody. He liked to stay at home and cook something to eat in the tent.

One day, Esau went out hunting and came back panting. Think about it, how could he not be tired? He ran after wild boars all day long. How could two legs run faster than four legs? As a result, Esau came back almost fainting. He was about to go into shock. The feeling of wanting to eat something was very strong. He happened to see the soup and bread that Jacob had cooked there.

In fact, they were not young at this time. Jacob dreamed of getting the birthright all day long. Then Jacob said to Esau, sell me your birthright, and I will give you this soup and bread. As a result, Esau said, what is the benefit of this birthright to me? Esau didn't know what the birthright was for. He thought that anything that couldn't be eaten was not important.

In fact, what can be eaten is at most a meal, but what cannot be eaten is important. Because our God is not the God of our bellies, our God is the God who opens the windows of Heaven and pours out blessings. There is a big difference between a person who has God's blessing and presence and one who does not have God's presence. If a person thinks that the birthright is something that cannot be eaten and is not important at all, that person is a foolish person.

As a result, Esau sold the birthright to Jacob and swore on the spot, I swear by Heaven, by earth, and by the God of eternal life to give this birthright to Jacob, and then he ate a bowl of red bean soup and left. This incident triggered many things in the spiritual realm. The whole thing developed in the direction of the older serving the younger and the younger becoming the older.

Later, Isaac suddenly went blind. Why did he go blind? Isn't Isaac the one chosen by God? But if Isaac didn't go blind, how could he bless Jacob? One day, Isaac said to Esau, go out and get some game and cook it for me to eat, so that I can bless you and let you obtain this birthright. Isaac made up such a play out of nowhere, and as a result, Rebekah heard it. Rebekah told Jacob, quickly take some food to Isaac and let him give you the blessing of the firstborn.

As a result, it really happened. Jacob and his brother were different in height, voice, skin, and personality, but Isaac really regarded Jacob as Esau. After blessing Jacob, Esau came back with the game. Isaac was very strange and asked Esau who had come just now. It turned out that Jacob had come just now. Then he said to Esau helplessly:

Son! I have not reserved a blessing for you. Esau said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” (See 《Genesis》 27:36) Then he cried loudly. The whole event was directed by God. Esau thought that after swearing and giving the birthright to Jacob, he could still get the blessing of the firstborn. His contempt for the blessing of the firstborn was the greatest offense to God. Today, we must know that despising our status as children of God is a great offense to God.

In the end, Isaac gave Esau a blessing, which was more of a curse than a blessing. Esau relied on the sword to make a living and must serve his brother Jacob because he was chasing wild boars and was dizzy. Those of us who are often confused should listen carefully to what I say. Being often confused means that there is something wrong with Esau in your body. If you do everything very tired and hard, then you have to ask yourself, is the logical system of Esau installed in my head.

Esau wanted to kill Jacob after losing his birthright, so Jacob fled to his uncle's house. Jacob had a dream on the way of his escape. Heaven opened and the angels of God went up and down on the ladder. Jehovah God stood on the ladder and declared a blessing to Jacob, I will be with you. God was going to be with Jacob, and Jacob became a man of God. And God will never abandon Jacob until he has accomplished what he has promised to Jacob.

Speaking of this, I admire Jacob's intelligence and wisdom. However, many pastors think that Jacob cheated Esau, but I have never read the word cheat from beginning to end. Isn't it a willing buyer and a willing seller? Jacob took a bowl of red bean soup in exchange for the birthright. Where did Jacob cheat? As for Isaac's blindness later, that was reasonable, because the birthright had been given to Jacob.

The birthright is amazing, it carries blessings. So God gave Jacob a confirmation. Jacob did well, so he gave him blessings. As a result, Jacob woke up and said, how awesome this place is, it is none other than the house of God, the gate of Heaven. In the past years, I have said that this is the house of God and the gate of Heaven. Everyone must know that our church is the house of God and the gate of Heaven. The gate of Heaven should be opened here, so there are so many magical things here.

Then Jacob went to the house of his uncle Laban. After many years, he became a very wealthy man. When Jacob returned to Canaan with cattle, donkeys, camels, and sheep, Esau brought four hundred soldiers to kill Jacob, but when Jacob and Esau recognized each other, Esau held Jacob and cried bitterly. Those who are familiar with the 《Bible》 know that there is a nation called the Amalekites. The Amalekites were the descendants of Esau, and the Israelites were the descendants of Jacob.

The whole 《Bible》 records these stories. Later, Jesus Christ came out of Jacob. The salvation of Jesus Christ that we believe in came out of the Jews and Israelites. This is the story of Esau and Jacob. After everyone has heard it, if you think that Jacob finally became rich, then you have heard it wrong. You have to hear what kind of person Jacob is. God likes Abraham, Isaac, and God also likes Jacob.

The names of these three generations were later connected with the name of God. Jehovah God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Therefore, we must know that God likes Jacob very much. The 《Bible》 records that Isaac cannot return to his hometown because, according to Isaac's faith, it would be troublesome to return to his hometown. But Jacob was able to return to his hometown, and even if Jacob's son Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, it could not stop God's plan from being accomplished. I encourage everyone to follow Jacob's example.

Some Will Lose, but Those Who Originally Had Nothing Will Gain

The 《Bible》 records an extraordinary event: the firstborn became the secondborn, and the secondborn became the firstborn. The birthright of the firstborn is determined by birth. How did it become the secondborn? You can't go back to your mother's womb and be born again. A bowl of red bean soup turned this thing around. Esau was originally the firstborn, and the blessing was originally Esau's, but Esau chased wild boars, wild dogs, and wild rabbits all day long, and as a result, he was dizzy.

What can you catch by chasing wild boars? At most, you can only catch a wild boar. If Esau lived today, he would definitely chase civet cats all day long, and maybe he would get COVID-19. Esau was busy every day. He came back from competing with wild boars outside and was so dizzy that he sold the birthright for a bowl of red bean soup. In fact, Esau also knew that the birthright was very important. Didn't he ask Isaac for it later? How could such a precious thing be sold cheaply?

Because he regarded treasures as garbage and garbage as treasures. If you don't value the birthright of the firstborn, the birthright of the firstborn will be taken away and given to those who pursue the birthright of the firstborn. This story gives us a very clear revelation that all things can be changed, which is related to our inner desires and pursuits. There is a kind of character in Jacob, that is, he desires to obtain the blessing of the firstborn, so he regrets in his heart that he lost the blessing of the firstborn because he was born a little later.

Why does Jacob value the birthright of the firstborn? In fact, he does not understand what the birthright of the firstborn means. Jacob and Esau were both grandsons of Abraham. Abraham was still alive when they were born. Abraham passed away when Jacob and Esau were about fifteen or sixteen years old. So Jacob and Esau were able to understand what Abraham said.

How God made a covenant with Abraham, Esau heard it as if he had not heard it, in one ear and out the other. Just like some people listen to my sermons, they hear it as if they didn't hear it, and go back to their work. It is already a great grace to come to the gathering. As a result, Jacob was thinking about the birthright of the firstborn every day. That's how people are, some don't appreciate what they have! Those who don't have it think it's important!

Why did Jacob and Esau have different views on the birthright of the firstborn? Because there is an innate idea in them, which is killer. Esau's innate idea is that he doesn't care about spiritual things, thinking that it cannot be eaten; but Jacob does care about it. He heard his grandfather talk about making a covenant with God, and his father talk about making a covenant with God. He was very eager inside, and he was thinking about the things of the firstborn all day long.

At this time, in fact, God never spoke to Jacob, but he had a belief in his heart: I want to obtain the birthright of the firstborn. Jacob did not fully understand what the birthright of the firstborn was, but he learned a little from Abraham and Isaac, and he could not hear God speaking to him. But Jacob has this kind of character: I just believe that one day I can obtain the birthright of the firstborn.

As a result, the opportunity finally came, and a bowl of red bean soup gained the birthright of the firstborn. What God wants is this kind of person like Jacob. Among us, I don't care whether you are the firstborn or not. The important thing is whether you have the faith of Jacob in your heart. Believe that you will become the son of God, and you must be the son of God anyway. Even if God has not chosen, you must believe that God will choose me, because God is always looking for people like Jacob in heaven and earth, so our God is called the God of Jacob.

Don't be like Esau, who lost the blessings he had because he was too busy and dizzy. In fact, you originally had blessings, but many times we get rid of the blessings ourselves, just because we despise the birthright of the firstborn. If you are a person like Esau, no matter how I teach you how to work, no matter how efficient the work is, you will only use it to chase wild boars. No matter how efficient the hunting is, it is useless.

Can two legs outrun wild boars, cheetahs, or wild dogs? Can't run at all! Instead, you run yourself dizzy and tired. How many people worry me that you will lose the birthright of the son of God? How wonderful is the title of the son of God, but do you really value it in your heart? Will you value your children more than you value God, like old Eli? Or, like Esau, do you value wild boars more than you value the birthright of the firstborn?

I encourage everyone to have faith like Jacob. Even if I don't have it, I still want to get it. If I have it, I will hold on tightly. Some may be lost, but those who don't have it will get it. It all depends on whether you despise or value it. I also tell you that no matter how well you do your work, if you lose the heavenly blessings, who can you glorify? I sigh! Watching some people lose the blessings from heaven.

Only One Chance

There is only one chance, this event is recorded in the Bible. Esau sold the birthright of the firstborn once. Can't God give Esau another chance? No, once it's sold, it's gone. People can repent after committing sins, but if we don't value the title of the son of God, what we will eventually get is a curse. It takes more than one day to freeze three feet. Being busy all day, chasing wild boars, busy with work, busy with business, represents your inner logic system.

Like to live by swords, relying on one's own ability, this is called a curse. Busyness represents a worldly concept. This concept is not just selling the birthright of the firstborn because of a bowl of red bean soup, but the busy days accumulate day by day, our hearts are captured by the world, our hearts die, and finally become slaves captured by the world.

Whether people value or don't value it is all a matter of value system. There is only one chance is the inevitable law of things. If you have a worldly logic system in your heart, you will inevitably do this on that day, and you will become Esau, and you will inevitably despise the birthright of the firstborn. This is determined by what is in your heart. Your logic system determines whether you are Jacob or Esau. What Jacob has in his heart is eternal life, and what Esau has in his heart is all about this life.

Recently, I was doing the homework of Ecclesiastes, and the leader of the ministry came to share his gains with me. He said that the first chapter of Ecclesiastes is vanity of vanities, all is vanity, and the spiritual world is real. The second chapter is to grasp the essence of human life. If people grasp the world, it is difficult for you to be happy. To grasp spiritual things is not to live for this life, but to live for eternal life.

The following chapters three, four, and five continue to talk about having hope for eternal life and working hard for eternal life. The Holy Spirit leads us out of the labor of this life and enjoy the joy that God gives us in eternal life. Having spiritual joy is true joy, otherwise you will not be able to rejoice. What people value and what they don't value determines your future. What we value are spiritual things, using spiritual words to explain spiritual things, having spiritual vision, and using spiritual methods, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.

Some people use worldly words to explain worldly things. If you have a worldly vision, you will use worldly methods. Basically, there is not even one chance to do this. Even if you only have one chance, you will sell the birthright of the firstborn.

If what God despises is what you value in this world, and what God values is what you despise, then you will become Esau in this world. Even if the blessing is already on you, you will sell the blessing for one chance, just to exchange it for a bowl of red bean soup. Isn't this a tragedy? Therefore, brothers and sisters, be careful about what you have in your heart.

Only One Blessing, and Only for One Kind of Person

People like Esau are examples of curses in the historical records of the Bible. What is blessing? Esau never understood it until he died. Because the logic system in his heart could not use spiritual eyes to see the word blessing. To him, blessing is having money, being able to catch a wild boar today and a civet cat tomorrow by hunting. This is God being with me, and God blessing me, probably like this.

Even today, our brothers and sisters are no different. But are blessings these things? Blessings are not these things! Esau always thought that blessings were just like this, and could be eaten. So what exactly is blessing?

May God give you the dew of heaven, the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. May peoples serve you and nations 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. (Genesis 27:28-29)

So the blessing that Jacob received was a blessing from heaven. But what about Esau?

Then 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.” (Genesis 27:39-40)

What Esau got was these, all obtained by the sword. Hard work! Very hard and very miserable!

There is only one kind of blessing, that is, what comes from God is called blessing, and what you earn by yourself is not called blessing. Only what comes from heaven is a blessing, and what you get from the earth is not a blessing. What exactly is the blessing of heaven? As children of God, we must know for sure that we have obtained all kinds of spiritual blessings in heaven. So there is only one kind of blessing, and only for one kind of person, that is, people like Jacob.

This kind of person will become a wealthy person even if he leaves home with a stick. The problem of man is not whether he is rich or not, but whether he is blessed or not. People like Jacob went to his uncle's house with a stick, and Esau wanted to kill him, and his father's property was occupied by Esau. Jacob didn't care about these things at all. What he cared about was not the earthly finances, but whether he could obtain the covenant that God made.

What he wanted to obtain was the covenant that God made with Abraham! The covenant that God made with Isaac! He didn't know what the covenant was, but he knew that there was no point in living in this world, and he had to obtain the blessings of heaven anyway. As a result, he was so tired on the way to his uncle's house that he lay down on a stone and fell asleep, and Jehovah God spoke to him in a dream. There was a ladder in the place where he was, leading all the way to heaven, and God stood on the ladder and declared to him:

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:10-15)

We must know that the sky above our heads is extraordinary. If the sky above our heads is open, God will be connected with you, and God will protect you. If the sky above our heads is open, it can lead directly to the throne of God. In the spiritual world, what you say and do is extraordinary. Especially when we fight against the spiritual dark forces, if the sky is open, there will be blessings. If the sky is closed, there will be no blessings.

The ladder is there, and the angels of God go up and down to help us; if there is no ladder there, there will be no angels to help us. We cannot be good like this, because ghosts will be around us. If this place is the temple of God and the gate of heaven, a church where God is present, the sky in this place is open, and the angels of God will go up and down and serve us, completing God's good will in us. These are all heavenly resources.

Maybe the church you are building is Esau's church, a carnal church. Completely using worldly words to explain worldly things, using worldly eyes, and using worldly methods to solve our worldly problems, what you are building is Esau's church, not Jacob's church at all. If you have Jacob's character, the church you build is Jacob's church, and this place is the temple of God and the gate of heaven.

Today, let's see if we have Jacob's character. As the second son, he desires to obtain the birthright of the firstborn; instead of being like Esau, as the firstborn, he despised the birthright of the firstborn and despised the blessings from God. The heaven that was originally open will also be closed for you. If you are Jacob, the heaven that was originally closed will be opened for you, and the angels of God will go up and down. Everyone starts to make a choice and can no longer despise the birthright of the firstborn. If there are still people like Esau among us, I will talk about Esau's confusion.

Esau's Confusion

Esau probably did not know what happened until he died, because he did not have spiritual vision, so it was impossible for him to know what happened. His understanding of blessing and Jacob's understanding of blessing are completely different. He always thought that Jacob had cheated him out of the blessing, but that was not the case at all. He sold the blessing himself and despised the birthright of the firstborn.

Therefore, Esau didn't know what he had done in the end. What he valued was all earthly and immediate. Some people think that having money on earth is blessed, and doing a good job will glorify God. Is this the case? How many of us regard all blessings as earthly, and there is not a trace of Jacob in us?

We can imagine that if Esau was so poor that he didn't have a penny, it would be troublesome. Maybe he would take a knife and run to his uncle Laban's house to kill Jacob. Recently, there was a piece of news that a university teacher killed the secretary of their department because the secretary dismissed him. It was just for a bowl of rice, and as a result, he ate the bowl of rice like this.

Thank God that Esau's existence is only for Jacob. Because of Jacob, God did not let Esau be poor. Esau should still feel that he is doing well. Although Jacob stole the blessing, he has 400 soldiers at home and he is still very rich. But he didn't know that this was because God wanted to be kind to Jacob, and was worried that he would be so poor that he would accidentally take a knife and kill Jacob.

Esau still feels that he has blessings and has not been cheated of blessings by Jacob. This is his confusion. Therefore, when he was about to kill Jacob with 400 soldiers, he saw Jacob limping towards him in a down-and-out manner, and he thought in his mind: What blessings did Jacob get? What birthright of the firstborn? It's all nonsense. This makes him very confused.

Our brothers and sisters often use a series of spiritual questions with a worldly value system. Can this not be confusing? Having money, having power, and doing a lot of business, do you think you are very blessed? No! There is no such thing! Esau didn't know that his existence was just to accomplish one thing in the world, that is, to be a foil, to set off spiritual people like Jacob.

Although Esau is the head of a clan in the world, he is just a supporting actor in the world. This is just a play arranged by God. In this play, many people are extras. After running through the scene, they get a boxed lunch in the end, and it's over! What kind of person do you want to be? Do you want to be a person like Jacob, whose name is connected with God, and God is called the God of Jacob; or do you want to be a person like Esau, whether rich or poor, who is just a foil?

Esau despised the birthright of the firstborn, and even though he had 400 soldiers at home, he was nothing in the end. He just ate and then excreted, and as a result, he became fertilizer himself. Where is there any blessing in this? He lived on his own sword all his life, just living is living, and nothing is left after death. But Jacob has heavenly dreams and hopes and is completely different.

Conclusion: Hold on to the Spiritual Blessings of Heaven

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (Ephesians 1:7-10)

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)

Therefore, brothers and sisters can no longer despise the birthright of the firstborn. What does it mean to despise? That is, once you are busy, you become dizzy and tired, and when you wake up, you have become Esau. Now start to turn away from Esau's path and turn to God, and start to walk Jacob's path. The passage of Scripture from Ephesians that I just read, many spiritual blessings are related to the title of the son of God.

If we are the sons of God, we will build the glorious temple of God, this place is the temple of God, and it is the gate of heaven, and the angels of God will go up and down from here. In this place, there will be God's presence, and in this place, God is declaring to us that He will be with us, and wherever we go, He will protect us and lead us into the promised land, and will never leave us until He has fulfilled what He has promised us.

No matter how many promises God has, in Jesus Christ, in His glorious temple, in His Church, they are all faithful! Taking hold of God's promises, what a wonderful thing this is. Hold on to this spiritual blessing and can no longer despise the birthright of the firstborn.

Today I received a testimony. The fish raised by a sister in her home were replaced every two or three months because the fish often died. She has been a Christian for many years. Later, she came to us. She told me that a long time has passed, and the same method of raising them, The fish have not died because she is in a church where God is present. Such things have been said in the Bible long ago:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:1-6)

God blesses you, and even your livestock is blessed. This is an extraordinary thing. My family once raised a puppy. I don't know what it ate, but its face was swollen. It is very ugly for a dog's face to be swollen. Then I held the dog's head and prayed constantly. More than an hour later, the dog's face returned to normal. My God is really too magical. With God's presence, even if the dog is sick, it can be healed. What is my dog? God actually favors it.

There is also a sister whose more than 100 cows in her house were all sick. After listening to my testimony, she laid hands on the cows one by one and prayed, and all the cows were healed. Later, she gave a testimony. After I heard it, I said how wonderful it is to have God's presence. This is called a spiritual blessing from heaven. Are we still qualified to despise this birthright of the firstborn? What we need most in this world today is God. No matter how busy you are, you cannot put God down and despise this birthright of the firstborn.

I will stimulate everyone again, hoping that after listening, everyone will turn to God. Don't tell God that you have done well enough. Maybe what you think you have done well is just like Esau. Even if you don't have the birthright of the firstborn, but you have Jacob's character, God will give it to you because you are Jacob. It doesn't matter whether you are chosen by God or not, what matters is that we choose to be people like Jacob in our hearts:

Originally not the firstborn, but can obtain the birthright of the firstborn; originally not chosen by God, but become a person chosen by God, obtain all kinds of spiritual blessings in heaven, and become a person who builds God's glorious temple. God will be with you! He who blesses you, God will bless him; he who curses you, God will curse him. This matter has been decided in the spiritual world, and God's promise will never fail in you and me, Amen!

May God bless everyone!