All My Children: Outrun Your Past?

A dark past begins somewhere, unfortunately it often in childhood.

The scars left from childhood wounds are not addressed adequately behind the pulpit and lectern. Far too often we expect the infilling of the Holy Ghost and the waters of baptism to change an individual once and for all. While it does cleanse of all sin, only continuing in the Word of God, prayer, and church unity will hinder the scars of the past from reopening.

Genesis 25:24-28
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, [there were] twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac [was] threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of [his] venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Many people today are struggling to deal with issues that occurred during childhood. Absent fathers, disinterested mothers, self absorbed and hedonistic families...the list is never ending. These grown up are mere children lost in the struggle of favoritism (Daddy and Mommy Issues), sexual, and physical abuse. These things, when done at a very early age, become a foundation of personality and the rest of their character development is built upon this shaky sand. I know this to be true from my own personal experience in dealing with a family divorce.

God uses people to accomplish His will on earth. Why then does the church often leave these "scary" issues to the psychologist couch? Maybe because we believe salvation is complete in Acts 2:38 and not when we cross the threshold of Heaven. Acts 2:38 is not the cure of sin, it is the first and only effective treatment. Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation... the labor in building the house has only begun.

The Bible speaks of "many being defiled by the root of bitterness". Bitterness is backward looking and thinking. We, as pastors, ministers, and lights to the world, must deal with issues of the past, instead of naively believing them to go away gently into the night.

In Jacob's case, the past was a name that was given to him at birth by a disinterested father.

The definition of Jacob's Name: leg puller, heel.

Contrary to popular teaching, Jacob's name does not translate into thief or liar. Instead, every time someone called his name, he was reminded how he was second in line, how he came up short. In short, he was reminded of a failure in childhood. Isaac exacerbated the name by showing favor to the older son Esau, the son in whom he had more in common. (How many fathers today are guilty of the same sin of favoritism? Mistaking an interest in sports or cars or hobbies to be the measure of their sons' character)

Worse yet, Jacob lived up to the name given to him in childhood. He was a leg puller so he might as well live up to the reputation and get what little was coming to him. What a fine environment for the root of selfishness and bitterness to thrive.

Jacob's Selfish Mistakes:
1- Tricked Esau out of his birthright
2-Stole Esau's blessing

The Past- Your Weakest Link

Jacob's Past Returns
1- He was tricked into marriage of Leah instead of Rachel. (Karma?)
2- His home life was not much better than the one he fled in Canaan as he constanly dealt with quarreling and thieving wives and sons

Leah and Rachel had a war over Jacob that extended to their children. Leah begin to name her children according to Rachel's barrenness.
Jacob continued the cycle of favoritism as he sent other sons over the river before Rachel's two children Joseph and Benjamin. This decision would eventually get Joseph thrown into a pit.

Never mistake a chance in surroundings and situation to be the solution to a painful past. The only way to overcome the past is to face it down in the present.

Genesis 32:24-29
Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What [is] thy name? And he said, Jacob And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Jacob asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore [is] it [that] thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

In the end, the past reveals us to be both perpetrators and victims of our own devices. Like Jacob, we are left alone, weak, and fearful.

But God's covenant for Jacob (and for us) is that He will never leave nor forsake. He will be there: past, present, future. It may be time to wrestle against your greatest weakness. Don't expect it to be a quick match. It took years to lead up to all night. The battle may leave a limp. But in Jesus we will emerge victorious.

Bold and Biblical: All My Children

God is in the business of doing the complete opposite of human instinct, logic, and intuition. He uses the foolish things to confound the wise, the weak things of this world to overcome the strong, He delights in death to reign in life.

It delights God to use broken, weak, and incomplete people to bring about His perfect will on earth as it is in Heaven.

God is a covenant maker... While He will not break His word or take away from it He does add special and personal promises to each and everyone of His children based on the relationship He has with them. One such child of God was named Jacob.

Genesis 28:12-15
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.

Jacob was very self-aware. Every story the Bible records about Jacob, from the very moment he was born, is tainted with selfish intentions.

He was a man that had faith in the promises of God to come true, only his faith was less in the power of God to fulfill prophecy, and more was in the power of Jacob to accomplish it. The covenant God made with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac was well and good but Jacob needed something with his name on it, and there was nothing that was going to hinder or get in his way.

Jacob's faith in himself led into very dark situations. It put scars on him that would resurface in the worst of times. Yet God infused Jacob with confidence to lead him down the ultimate path of surrender. The extension of God's covenant is that Jacob would never be able to outrun God. He would be with him every step and misstep along the way.

Dynasty: Covenant Ceremony (Pt. 2)

God is leading us on a journey of faith, just as He led Abram. He has promised to travel with us from the beginning, continuing through every battle scar and every pain.

Make no mistake: this is a journey of perfection.

Such a long journey every child of God must make. From enemies of God(faithless and fearful) into adopted sons and daughters in the family of Jesus.

Those among us who struggling with faith as Abram struggled; realize that it does not disqualify any from the family of God. Instead it justifies all. In your weakness, His strength is made perfect.

Romans 8:15 says we have not received again a spirit of fear but a spirit of adoption whereby we may cry Abba Father.

The Great News! We can do nothing to void God's covenant! Instead let us become the strength of God in faith by coming boldly unto the throne of grace! And we shall find that God will add promises earlier thought impossible. God will add to His covenant and never take it away. Come expecting and believe!

Genesis 15:1-6
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

The Ceremony

Runaway Bride
Each of us struggles with different issues, for some it may be faith as it was with Abram. But a realization must be made through confession that any weakness cannot break God's covenant... Only the willful decision of the bride can break God's covenant, and cancel the wedding ceremony. In short, you are a no show, leave God at the altar of His eternal covenant. We break the covenant by not coming to the throne of grace, not showing up to the wedding ceremony. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. There are no excuses, only doubt.

But for those who will not be deterred from a relationship with God; we must enter into the covenant marriage as the bride of Christ.
Two things will happen as happen in most marriages.
You will receive a new name and a new covenant/vow.

New Name:
Genesis 17:1-7
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

God accepts Abram scars, wounds and all. He accepts him as he is, and includes Hagar and Ismael in the covenant. The promise now includes that Abram changes his name to Abraham the father of many nations and not just one. The journey from Abram to Abraham had many ups and downs but in the end, God's covenant remained as oringal as the day it was given and so much more. This is how God welcomes people into His family, by imparting His name unto them in the waters of baptism.

New Covenant:

Genesis 17:9-10
And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Finally a covenant, like a wedding vow, must be exchanged. It takes two parties to enter into a covenant. A vow to change, a vow to forsake but be performed at the altar of repentance. Before the spirit fills up and we are become new. A relationship that began in faith is made perfect in obedience. An invitation for all people everywhere.

Dynasty: Covenant Ceremony Pt.1

For better or for worse.

In sickness and in health.

In weakness and in strength.

It is divine irony that we think of faith and Abram synonymously, better yet it is an outright testament to the grace and power of God.

Faith was not Abraham's strength... It was his weakness that was disciplined into his strength. We return again to God's mysterious plan of using weak people to promulgate strength. (2 Cor. 12:9). As the family of God continually illustrates; the weakness/thorn in the flesh will be turned around to become our strength in the end.

What Happens in Egypt Doesn't Stay in Egypt

Genesis 16:1-4
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Abram's weakness originated in his reliance upon himself and logic instead of God's mysterious plan. (When ye think ye stand, take heed lest ye fall).
What may people call faith, God calls sin and doubt.
Abram made two damning mistakes:
1- He listened to the voices around him instead of listening to the voice of God.
2- He put his faith into the hands of his own works/actions (he attempted to help God help him)

But the root of doubt began some where else... An overlooked mistake years before. It didn't start with fornication... It started with a lack of faith in Abram's surroundings. God's original covenant was based upon leaving his country and family and going into a land that God would give him... Abram obeyed and dwelled in Canaan. But like so many of us, Abram must have expected it to be a peaceful process from the inception of the call and obedience.

Famine, family and circumstances were not supposes to be part of the promise.
And in an ultimate weakness Abram left the promises of God and went into Egypt.
Self preservation is a powerful factor.

Abram was allowed through grace to return into God's covenant and promises... But it was not without bringing baggage with him. Many people have testimonies of the redeeming ability of Jesus in their lives but they also have outward scars of the missteps along the journey. Sometimes wounds heal and other times they fester.

Hagar was an infection to God's plan.

When we are called out of darkness into the light of Christ we must stay in the light as He is in the light and let the blood of Jesus cleanse us of all sins, scars, and wounds. If not they will be our weakness and point of venerability.

Still: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall scars or deformities? Disease or wounds? Mistakes or faithlessness?

Nay, in all this weakness, our God says I do.

Bold and Biblical: Like Father Like Son

Like Father Like Son
It is not by coincidence in God's backward plan that a fatherless and homeless man Abram would be called to become a dynasty...

The last resort is often the most likely possibility.

First, Abram was old.
Second, Abram's wife Sarai was also old and barren.
Third, Abram had no true heir and therefore his parenting skills were lacking greatly. He had no practice at being a Patriarch... Because He wasn't born that way.

Genesis 12:11-13
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou [art] a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This [is] his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou [art] my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Abram was a man just like us. The false notion that God needs perfect people to prepare His will on earth is a great force for evil in the world. This idea that perfection or goodness is attainable is downright demonically inspired and has 'shut up the kingdom of God' for many people. Just because we say that Abram was faithful doesn't mean that he didn't struggle with faith. In truth, the Bible paints a darker, faithless portrait of Abram, one seldom illustrated in our Sunday School manuals.

Before Abram could become a father of many... he needed to become a husband of one.

If a man's heart desires to be in the family of God, he must learn first how to be a husband (this includes me in a month or so...).
Abram was old but he wasn't blind, he could see that his wife was still good looking. But he couldn't see that his plan for protecting her was dishonest, lacking in the faith of God's protection, and downright selfish to point of self preservation as his ultimate goal.

Abram was more willing to lose his wife than lose his life. He thought he was protecting the promised dynasty but instead was protecting his own hide.

Most unfortunately, this action set a dangerous precedent for Abram's continuing life and marriage. Sometimes mistakes are far more costly to leaders than they are to followers. Husbands must remember this when making decisions on their own. One decision can reflect the way your relationship with your wife will develop.

Genesis 26: 6-7
And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:
And the men of the place asked [him] of his wife; and he said, She [is] my sister: for he feared to say, [She is] my wife; lest, [said he], the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she [was] fair to look upon.

Fathers remember your children watch and mimic your actions and decisions. They may seem too young now but a child remembers the strangest things. A children may speak hatred with their lips, but dependence with their action. Parents are the biggest influence on their lives. Don't be physically or emotionally absent in parenting. If you are cold spiritually don't cry to the church when your children are as well.

Abram made this maddening mistake twice in his life and it should be no surprise that his son Isaac, his legacy, his dynasty followed suit with the same mistakes.

Protect your covenant, not just at church but also at home. Protect the promises of God no matter what situation and back alley following after them may take you.

You will become a dynasty of something, it may one of faith and obedience or one of sin.

Bold and the Biblical: The Covenant

The Bible is all about a covenant not about a group of dispensations.

As Christians in the 21st Century Church we must wake up and realize that God has made an Everlasting Covenant with each one of us.

From the very first moment the mankind (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God, we call this the fall, we weren't good anymore. But instead of swift and utter destruction and judgment, God met man with an everlasting covenant that applies always and forever.

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This covenant, the promise of a coming Messiah that would redeem the human race from their sin, was offered thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, yet under no circumstance can time erode away God's original and eternal covenant with our father Adam. There will be times in our lives when Satan, sin, and life itself snip painfully at our heels, but God has promised, ordained, and spoken, that Christ on Calvary and Christ in us has overcome this world. We are more than conquerors through Christ, who has placed all things including the head of Satan under His feet. It is time for the people of God to wake up from the slumber of doubt and awake to a new world where all things are possible with God.

God is not a liar, He does not, will not break His covenants. This covenant, this promise is for you and for your children.. And to all who are afar off, even as many as He will call.

God is a covenant maker... While He will not break His word or take away from it He does add special and personal promises to each and everyone of His children based on the relationship He has with them. One such child of God was named Abram.

Genesis 12: 1-3
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Abram was called to be first... Most people also would like to be first, the status symbol and the power. Abraham is considered the father of all three major monotheistic religions- Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Most want to be first. Called and covenanted like Abram to become a Dynasty. No one wants to be called last. But here is the perfect and perplexing part of God's plan: He says that the first shall be last and the last shall, be first. Jesus tells a parable of the workers that are called but an hour before the end of the work day- yet all received the same wages as those called in the morning.

Whether God has called you to preach, teach, cook, or clean... We all receive the same reward. It is about waking up our faith and when God makes a covenant to accept.