Esau's Bad Bargain: Birthright vs. Pottage Sermon

A Bad Bargain
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A Bad Bargain
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PottageVersus Birthright
A BAD BARGAIN
'And the boys grow: 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.
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed
me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And
Jacob said. Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said. Behold, I am at the point to die: and what
profit shall this birthrightdo tome? And Jacob said. Swear to me this day; and heswareunto him: and
hesold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat
and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.' Genesis xxv :27-34
Isaac's small household represented a great variety of types of character. He himself lacked energy,
and seems in later life to have been very much of a tool in the hands of others. Rebekah had the
stronger nature, was persistent, energetic, and managed her husband to her heart's content. The twin
brothers were strongly opposed in character; and, naturally enough, each parent loved best the child
that was most unlike him or her: Isaac rejoicing in the very wildness of the adventurous, dashing
Esau; and Rebekah finding an outlet for her womanly tenderness in an undue partiality for the quiet
lad that was always at hand to help her and be petted by her.
One's sympathy goes out to Esau. He was 'a man of the field,'—by which is meant, not cultivated
ground, but open country, which we might call prairie. He was a 'backwoodsman,'—liked the wild
hunter's life better than sticking at home looking after sheep. He had the attractive characteristics of
that kind of men, as well as their faults. He was frank, impulsive, generous, incapable of persevering
work or of looking ahead, passionate. His descendants prefer cattle-ranching and gold-prospecting to
keeping shops or sitting with their lungs squeezed against a desk.
Jacob had neither the high spirits nor the animal courage of his brother. He was 'a plain man.' The
word is literally 'perfect,' but cannot be used in its deepest sense; for Jacob was very far indeed from
being that, but seems to have a lower sense, which might perhaps be represented by 'steady-going,' or
'respectable,' in modern phraseology. He went quietly about his ordinary work, in contrast with his
daring brother's escapades and unsettledness.
The two types are intensified by civilisation, and the antagonism between them increased. City life
tends to produce Jacobs, and its Esaus escape from it as soon as they can. But Jacob had the vices as
well as the virtues of his qualities. He was orderly and domestic, but he was tricky, and keenly alive
to his own interest. He was persevering and almost dogged in his tenacity of purpose, but he was not
above taking mean advantages and getting at his ends by miry roads. He had little love for his
brother, in whom he saw an obstacle to his ambition. He had the virtues and vices of the commercial
spirit.
But we judge the two men wrongly if we let ourselves be fascinated, as Isaac was, by Esau, and
forget that the superficial attractions of his character cover a core worthy of disapprobation. They are
crude judges of character who prefer the type of man who spurns the restraints of patient industry and
order; and popular authors, who make their heroes out of such, err in taste no less than in morals.
There is a very unwholesome kind of literature, which is devoted to glorifying the Esaus as fine
follows, with spirit, generosity, and noble carelessness, whereas at bottom they are governed by
animal impulses, and incapable of estimating any good which does not appeal to sense, and that at
once.
The great lesson of this story lies on its surface. It is the folly and sin of buying present gratification
of appetite or sense at the price of giving up far greater future good. The details are picturesquely
told. Esau's eagerness, stimulated by the smell of the mess of lentils, is strikingly expressed in the
Hebrew: 'Let me devour, I pray thee, of that red, that red there.' It is no sin to be hungry, but to let
appetite speak so clamorously indicates feeble self-control. Jacob's coolness is an unpleasant foil to
Esau's impatience, and his cautious bargaining, before he will sell what a brother would have given,
shows a mean soul, without generous love to his own flesh and blood. Esau lets one ravenous desire
hide everything else from him. He wants the pottage which smokes there, and that one poor dish is
for the moment more to him than birthright and any future good. Jacob knows the changeableness of
Esau's character, and is well aware that a hungry man will promise anything, and, when fed, will
break his promise as easily as he made it. So he makes Esau swear; and Esau will do that, or anything
asked. He gets his meal. The story graphically describes the greedy relish with which he ate, the short
duration of his enjoyment, and the dark meaning of the seemingly insignificant event, by that
accumulation of verbs, ' He did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way: so Esau despised his
birthright.'
Now we may learn, first, how profound an influence small temptations, yielded to, may exert on a
life. Many scoffs have been directed against this story, as if it were unworthy of credence that eating
a dish of lentils should have shaped the life of a man and of his descendants. But is it not always the
case that trifles turn out to be determining points? Hinges are very small, compared with the doors
which move on them. Most lives are moulded by insignificant events. No temptation is small, for no
sin is small; and if the occasion of yielding to sense and the present is insignificant, the yielding is
not so.
But the main lesson is, as already noted, the madness of flinging away greater future good for present
gratifications of sense. One cannot suppose that the spiritual side of ' the birthright' was in the
thoughts of either brother. Esau and Jacob alike regarded it only as giving the headship of the family.
It was merely the right of succession, with certain material accompanying advantages, which Jacob
coveted and Esau parted with. But even in regard to merely worldly objects, the man who lives for
only the present moment is distinctly beneath him who lives for a future good, however material it
may be. Whoever subordinates the present, and is able steadily to set before himself a remote object,
for which he is strong enough to subdue the desire of immediate gratifications of any sort, is, in so
far, better than the man who, like a savage or an animal, lives only for the instant.
The highest form of that nobility is when time is clearly seen to be the ' lackey to eternity,' and life's
aims are determined with supreme reference to the future beyond the grave. But how many of us are
every day doing exactly as Esau did—flinging away a great future for a small present! A man who
lives only for such ends as may be attained on this side of the grave is as 'profane' a person as Esau,
and despises his birthright as truly. He knew that he was hungry, and that lentil porridge was good.
'What good shall the birthright do me?' He failed to make the effort of mind and imagination needed
in order to realise how much of the kind of 'good' that he could appreciate it would do to him. The
smell of the smoking food was moro to him than far greater good which he could only appreciate by
an effort. A sixpence held close to the eye can shut out the sun. Resolute effort is needed to prevent
the small, intrusive present from blotting out the transcendent greatness of the final future. And for
lack of such effort men by the thousand fling themselves away.
To sell a birthright for a bowl of lentils was plain folly. But is it wiser to sell the blessedness and
peace of communion with God here and of heaven hereafter for anything that earth can yield to sense
or to soul? How many shrewd 'men of the highest commercial standing' are making as bad a bargain
as Esau's! The 'pottage' is hot and comforting, but it is soon eaten; and when the bowl is empty, and
the sense of hunger comes back in an hour or two, the transaction does not look quite as
advantageous as it did. Esau had many a minute of rueful meditation on his bad bargain before he in
vain besought his father's blessing. And suspicions of the folly of their choice are apt to haunt men
who prefer the present to the future, even before the future becomes the present, and the folly is
manifest. 'What doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?'
So a character like Esau's, though it has many fine possibilities about it, and attracts liking, is really
of a low type, and may very easily slide into depths of degrading sensualism, and be dead to all
nobleness. Enterprise, love of stirring life, impatience of dull plodding, are natural to young lives.
Unregulated, impulsive characters, who live for the moment, and are very sensitive to all material
delights, have often an air of generosity and joviality which hides their essential baseness; for
it is base to live for flesh, either in more refined or more frankly coarse forms. It is base to be
incapable of seeing an inch beyond the present. It is base to despise any good that cannot minister to
fleeting lusts or fleshly pleasures, and to say of high thought, of ideal aims of any sort, and most of
all to say of religion, 'What goodwill it do me?' To estimate such precious things by the standard of
gross utility is like weighing diamonds in grocers' scales. Tbey will do very well for sugar, but not
for precious stones. The sacred things of life are not those which do what the Esaus recognise as
'good.' They have another purpose, and are valuable for other ends. Let us take heed, then, that we
estimate things according to their true relative worth; that we live, not for to-day, but for eternity; and
that we suppress all greedy cravings. If we do not, we shall be 'profane' persons like Esau, 'who for
one morsel of meat sold his birthright.'
Bible Studies
in the Christian Library
“BAD BARGAINS"
Heb. 12:16,17
Introduction:
1. Bad bargains are easily made
2. We try to "make the best of a bad bargain."
3. Any bargain with the devil is a bad bargain
4. Better that we never make a bad bargain
5. The Bible contains a record of some bad ones
I. SOME BAD BARGAINS
1. Esau sold his birthright. Gen. 25:29-34; He. 12:16, 17
a). Some of God's children sell their birthrights for a meal of the devil's pottage
2. The sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph into Egypt. Gen. 37:27, 28
a). Some sell their brethren into sin for less than twenty pieces of silver. Israel's
bargain with the Canaanites
a). God said utterly destroy them. Deut. 7:1-4
b). Israel made a "covenant" with them. Judges 1:28; 2:1-3
c). Canaanites corrupted Israel's wisest king. 1 Kings 11:1-4
4. King Saul bargained with the witch of Endor
a). "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Exo. 22:18
b). Saul suffered one to live. 1 Sam. 28:7-21
e). He made a bargain with her. Verse 10
d). Lost his life and kingdom as result. I Chron. 10:13, 14
5. Herod's bargain with Salome. Mk. 6:21-28
a). Cost life of John the Baptist
b). Herod wished he had never made it! Verse 26
e). Sinned willfully for "his oath's sake."
6. Judas bargained with the chief priests. Mat. 26:14-16
a). Betrayed Jesus. A bad bargain! G.W.B
“BEHOLD I THOUGHT 2 Kings 5:11
Introduction: God wants us to think, but He does not expect us to think we know more than Him.
His thoughts are higher than ours. Isa. 55:8, 9
SOME MEN WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE RIGHT
1. Naaman. Thought Elisha would make display. 2 Kings
5. Thought Abana and Pharpar just as good. Thought command too simple
2. Cain. Thought fruit of ground all right. Gen.
4. Thought "one way good as another." Thought no sin in such a little thing
3. Jonah. Thought he could escape responsibility. Jonah
1. Thought he could hide from God. Thought he was safe and went to sleep
4. Peter. Thought three systems would be fine. Matt.
17. Thought Moses should be honored. Thought Jesus would not die
5. Paul. Thought he should persecute church. Ac. 26:9. Thought he was doing right. Thought
God was pleased with him
6. Man. Thinks all ways are scriptural. Prov. 14:12. Thinks sprinkling is baptism. Thinks
instrumental music is scriptural. Thinks Catholic Church is mother church. Thinks God wants
denominationalism. Thinks Heaven is for everybody. Thinks baptism is nonessential. Thinks
we'll have second chance
Sermon Outline by Thomas Winter Butterfield
ONE TINY FLAME – great destruction
WHAT A DIFFERENCE – change is necessary →
THE WORST BARGAIN OF ALL TIME
Posted on February 6, 2011by meetingintheclouds
Bargain
If I asked you to name instances in Scripture where someone had made a bad bargain,
I’m sure you could.
I’m sure ESAU would get a mention. Esau made a bad bargain when he sold his
birthright.
Then what about JUDAS? Surely he made a bad bargain in selling his Lord for 30
pieces of silver!
Ananias and Saphira certainly made a bad bargain when they lied to the Holy Spirit
about the land they had sold.
We would agree that each of these people made a bad bargain, and I’m sure you could
name many others, but there is one which stands out as being the worst
bargain of all time.
Jesus spoke of the worst bargain, which is made by many people today.
Jesus posed the question:
What shall it profit a man
if he GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD
and LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?
(Mark 8:36)
Surely THAT would have to be the WORST bargain of all.
He who provides for this life
but makes no provision for eternity
is wise for a moment but a fool forever!
CAN YOU THINK OF A WORSE BARGAIN?
Jim's Bible Studies
Bible Study material posted here has been gleaned from trusted and
truthful sources. The reader may contact me personally by email at
[email protected]
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Bad Bargain Of Esau
The Bad Bargain Of Esau
Genesis 25:29-34
One of the saddest figures in the Bible is that of Esau.... Firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin
brother of Jacob - Gen 25:21-26. Esau loved by his father Isaac, a skillful hunter - Gen 25:27-28.
Esau was a man who had his good side.... He showed kindness to his brother who had deceived
him – see Gen 33:1-16. He helped bury his father Isaac - Gen 35:29. Yet on two occasions he was
manipulated by his brother Jacob.... The first when Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage Gen 25:29-34 “Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was
exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!"
(Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." Esau said, "I am
about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him
and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank
and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” The second when Jacob stole the
blessing designed for Esau - Gen 27:1-41. In this study, we shall focus our attention on the first
occasion, and lessons we might glean from this unfortunate circumstance in Esau’s life...
Esau sold his birthright. First, let’s look at what his birthright consisted of. The physical advantages
of the birthright contained a double portion of the father’s inheritance - Deu 21:17 “but he shall
acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has,
for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.” The amount would have been
very great, for what he eventually received was also great - Gen 36:6-7 “Then Esau took his wives,
his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all
his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother
Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings
could not support them because of their livestock.” He would have been offered rule and authority
over other members of the family - Gen 27:29 “Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who
curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"’ The spiritual advantages of this particular
birthright would be becoming the patriarch and priest of the house on the death of his father (Barnes,
Clarke). Chief of the chosen family, and heir of the promised blessing (Barnes). Able to invoke
Abraham’s blessing, regarding the promise - Gen 28:4 “May he give the blessing of Abraham to you
and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that
God gave to Abraham!"’; 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your
kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who
bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed."’ -- Such were the issues at stake when Jacob and Esau bartered over the birthright.
Esau chose the sensual over the spiritual, thus making a bad bargain. He gave into the cravings of
his hunger - Gen 25:29-34. He valued the red pottage (stew) more highly than his birthright. For this
reason he was called “a profane person” - He 12:16 “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like
Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.” Esau chose the present over the future. He tossed
away future rewards for present gratification. The pottage may have assuaged his hunger for the
day, but what of the morrow? This too made him a “profane” person. -- For temporary, physical
pleasures Esau sold his birthright; what a bad bargain!
Certainly we would not think of making the same kind of bargain, would we? Perhaps not with an
inheritance we might receive from our parents; but what of our spiritual inheritance...? Are we selling
our birthright? Our birthright as Christians is that we are heirs according to the promise made to
Abraham - Ga 3:29 “And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to
promise.” We are joint-heirs with Christ - Ro 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” We are heirs according
to the hope of eternal life - Ti 3:7 “so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.” We are heirs of the kingdom which He has promised - Ja 2:5
“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith
and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”; 2 Pe 1:11 “For in this way
there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.” In Him, all things are ours - 1 Co 3:21-23 “So let no one boast in men. For all things
are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the
future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.”; Re 21:7 “The one who conquers will
have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” An inheritance incorruptible,
undefiled, unfading, reserved in heaven - 1 Pe 1:4 “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled,
and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” -- What a wonderful birthright, and not just limited to the
hereafter! - Mk 10:28-30 “Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed
you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or
mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Are we making a bad bargain ourselves? How might we sell our birthright? We would do so by
succumbing to the passing pleasures of sin - He 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people
of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater
wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Lusting for things of the world 1 Jn 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.”; Ja 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world
is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God.” Walking after the flesh rather than after the Spirit – (See Ga 5:16-26).
How might we hold on to our birthright? By Pursuing peace and holiness - He 12:14 “Strive for peace
with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Be careful not to fall
short of God’s grace - He 12:15 “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of
bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” Exercise discipline and
godliness - 1 Co 9:24-27 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one
receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.
They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not
box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to
others I myself should be disqualified.”; 1 Ti 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.
Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in
every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Esau made the mistake of depreciating the value of his inheritance by succumbing to the desires of
the flesh. We can make a similar mistake.... By not appreciating the value of our inheritance in
Christ! Giving in to the allure of immediate gratification of the flesh!
If we are not careful, the time will come when it is too late; no matter how many tears we may shed,
it will be too late to change God’s mind (cf. He 12:17). That is why we need to heed such warnings
as that one given by the apostle Paul:
“We then, as workers together with Him, also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped
you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Co 6:1-2)
Are you in danger of selling your birthright as a Christian?
Posted by Jim Newsted at 5:16 PM
Biblical Illustrator
Bad Bargains
Luke 9:25
For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
A Sunday-school teacher, when speaking about the passage, "Buy the truth, and sell it not," said
that the man who buys the truth, at whatever cost, makes a good bargain. He then asked his boys
if any of them remembered an instance in the Scriptures of a bad bargain. These answers were
given —
1. "Esau made a bad bargain when he sold his birthright for a mess of pottage."
2. "Judas made a bad bargain when he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver."
3. "He makes a bad bargain, who, to gain the whole world, loses his own soul."
Parallel Verses
KJV: For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away?
WEB: For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own
self?
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A Bad Bargain
Contributed by Dr.w.samuel Legon on Feb 13, 2010
based on 5 ratings
| 2,353 views
Lets make a deal
A BAD BARGAIN Isaiah 52:3For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye
shall be redeemed without money. YE HAVE SOLD YOUR SELF ----------- Bad Deal Esau’s sold his
birthright for a meal. Gen. 25: 32And Esau ...read more
Scripture: Isaiah 52:3
Denomination: Baptist
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Bargain Hunters
Contributed by Wayne Lawson on Mar 5, 2018
based on 4 ratings
| 19,690 views
Sometimes the bargain we are looking for are not always at a garage sale or holiday sale searching
for material things. Sometimes we search for bargains in or spiritual life too.
TITLE: BARGAIN HUNTERS SCRIPTURE: ST. LUKE 14:25-35 We live in a society that loves bargains.
Everybody loves a bargain. It is a great feeling when you pay very little but you get a lot. Bargain
hunters seem to be everywhere you turn. No one wants to pay full price for anything
nowadays. ...read more
Scripture: Luke 14:25-35
Denomination: Baptist
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Bargaining With The Enemy
Contributed by Rick Boyne on Mar 9, 2011
based on 3 ratings
| 2,585 views
There is no reason to bargain with sin, since we are already victors in Jesus Christ.
Bargaining With the Enemy February 27, 2011 Evening Service Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner,
OK Rick Boyne Message Point: There is no reason to bargain with sin, since we are already victors in
Jesus Christ. Focus Passage: I Sam 11:1-15 Supplemental Passage: "The thief comes only to ...read
more
Scripture: 1 Samuel 11:1-15
Denomination: Baptist
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The Bargaining Church
Series
Contributed by Jerry Watts on Aug 23, 2011
| 2,155 views
The Church at Pergamum was a church married to the world and risk losing her influence for the
Kingdom.
The Bargaining Church Revelation 2:12-18 * Everybody loves to get a good deal because we are all
‘bargain’ hunters. Very few people desire to pay retail for anything. Yet at times, what begins to be
a bargain turns out to cost too much. A lady was new in a community and was driving down
the ...read more
Scripture: Jude 2:12-17
Denomination: Baptist
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Simon The Sorceror: Bargaining With God
Series
Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 21, 2002
based on 109 ratings
| 18,146 views
Part 6 of 6 of the series, Who’s That? Stories of little known people of the Bible. We skip ahead in
time for this message into the period of the New Testament. And here in the book of Acts we
discover a man who doesn’t like losing control...
SIMON THE SORCEROR: BARGAINING WITH GOD Acts 8:4-25 Read at beginning of service: Acts
17:22-28 (NIV) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I
see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your
objects ...read more
Scripture: Acts 8:4-25, Acts 17:22-28
Denomination: Pentecostal
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Seven Steps Of Bargaining With God
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Feb 8, 2005
based on 8 ratings
| 1,419 views
This message looks at some of the excuses that Pharaoh used to justify not obeying God. How many
of these do we use?
Seven Steps Of Bargaining With God: - these are the true and only 7 steps, but they are instructive.
1. “Absolutely not.” - Exodus 5:2, 4, 6-9. - don’t even want to think about or talk about God. 2. “I
can make it without God.” - Exodus 7:11, 22, 24. - thinking some of God, ...read more
Scripture: Exodus 5:1-2
Denomination: Baptist
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"There Are No Victories At Bargain Prices"
Contributed by Glenn Newton on Sep 17, 2002
based on 50 ratings
| 2,897 views
A sermon that speaks to our need to make the most of the time we have. A challenge to not let
opportunities to slip by us.
“There are no victories at bargain prices.” Pastor Glenn Newton 12-26-99 Text: Acts 24:24-27 The
title of my message this morning is a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, “There are no victories at
bargain prices.” This morning this message is for me as much as it is for anyone here, ...read more
Scripture: Acts 24:24-27, Colossians 4:5
Denomination: Nazarene
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It's A Steal, But Not A Bargain
Series
Contributed by Dan Jackson on Jul 22, 2005
based on 65 ratings
| 13,946 views
The 8th commandment forces us to look at our attitude towards possessions and our accountabilty
to God
“IT’S A STEAL, BUT NOT A BARGAIN! “ (Exodus 20:15) We visited the Norman Rockwell Museum in
Philadelphia and nostalgia gripped us as we remembered those great covers on The Saturday
Evening Post. One of my favorites pictured an encounter in a butcher shop. A woman shopper and a
butcher faced ...read more
Scripture: Exodus 20:15
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
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Here's A Real Bargain
Contributed by Paul Decker on Apr 2, 2006
based on 20 ratings
| 19,350 views
We should examine the reality of faith.
HERE’S A REAL BARGAIN Acts 8.9-25 S: Holy Spirit C: True faith Th: A People with Purpose Pr: WE
SHOULD EXAMINE THE REALITY OF FAITH. Type: Inductive, Narrative I. SIMON (9-11) II. SAVIOR
(12-13) III. SALVATION (14-17) IV. SIMONY (18-19) V. SENTENCE (20-24) VI. SUCCESS ...read
more
Scripture: Acts 8:9-25
Denomination: Baptist
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More Than We Bargained For
Series
Contributed by Vic Folkert on Mar 22, 2018
| 1,254 views
What happens when we try to bargain with God? We get more than we bargained for! We get to
build our character, confront our past, and learn how to cope with difficult people.
MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR—Genesis 29:1-30:24 The young man gets into the car, and hits
the steering wheel with his palm. His girlfriend—the light of his life—has dumped him. How could
God let this happen? He has loved her well, and honored God in his courtship. What has it gotten
him? The ...read more
Scripture: Genesis 19:1-30:24
Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed
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Simon: Bargainer Extrordinaire
Series
Contributed by Troy Borst on Jan 23, 2001
based on 65 ratings
| 2,292 views
A sermon adapted from an IVP Bible study by C. Nystrom
Scripture: Acts 8:9-25
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ
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More Than We Bargained For
Contributed by Brandon Morrow on Mar 31, 2014
based on 1 rating
| 4,213 views
This is sermon from Acts 3:1-10 presented to Cornerstone Christian Church on 3/30/14.
Scripture: Acts 3:1-10
Denomination: Christian Church

Bargain Hunting? What Will You Give?
Contributed by Wade M. Hughes, Sr on Dec 9, 2018
| 1,390 views
What will you give? Is this a bargain? What do we think off when we think about 30 pieces of silver?
Think of the selling prices of people in the Bible?
BARGAIN HUNTING? WHAT WILL YOU GIVE ME? HOW MUCH? By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
[email protected] (Two part lesson) Deal? SEEMS WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN…
Recently I was in a store, they had luggage for $99.99 and no one was buying it. A few weeks later
I saw they had the ...read more
Scripture: Genesis 3:6, Luke 15:12, Genesis 25:29-34
Denomination: Assembly Of God

Manipulating God
Contributed by Philip Cunningham Iii on Dec 17, 2007
based on 5 ratings
| 6,146 views
Opening people’s eyes to the true intentions of their heart in terms of why they profess to worship,
encouraging them to surrender completely to God.
Sunday AM – Lynn Haven – 12/09/07 FOCUS: • Manipulating God • Surrendering to God FUNCTION:
• To open people’s eyes to the true intentions of their heart in terms of why they worship God A.
Pleasantries B. This is a sermon that we all should have heard a dozen times already, and I ...read
more
Scripture: Numbers 22:1-24:25
Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bad Promises. Jepthath
Contributed by Peter Sapp on Jan 16, 2013
based on 4 ratings
| 4,316 views
God does not want to bargain with us. He's looking for our faithfulness, not our deals.
Judges 11:4-5, 29-37 Pray Well I certainly picked out another one of those pick me up stories for
you this morning, now didn’t I. “Hey what’d you talk about in church today?” “Oh the usual...a guy
killing his daughter for God.” “Your pastor ...read more
Scripture: Judges 11:4-37
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
"THE BAD BARGAIN OF ESAU"
Genesis 25:29-34
INTRODUCTION
1. One of the saddest figures in the Bible is that of Esau...
a. Firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Jacob - cf.
Gen 25:21-26
b. Loved by his father Isaac, a skillful hunter - Gen 25:27-28
2. Esau was a man who had his good side...
a. He show kindness to his brother who had deceived him - cf. Gen
33:1-16
b. He helped bury his father Isaac - Gen 35:29
3. Yet on two occasions he was manipulated by his brother Jacob...
a. The first when Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage
- Gen 25:29-34
b. The second when Jacob stole the blessing designed for Esau - Gen
27:1-41
[In this study, we shall focus our attention on the first occasion, and
lessons we might glean from this unfortunate circumstance in Esau's
life...]
I. ESAU SOLD HIS BIRTHRIGHT
A. ESAU'S BIRTHRIGHT...
1. The physical advantages of the birthright
a. Contained a double portion of the father's inheritance - Deu
21:17
1) The amount would have been very great
2) For what he eventually received was also great - cf. Gen
36:6-7
b. Offered rule and authority over other members of the family
- cf. Gen 27:29
2. The spiritual advantages of this particular birthright
a. Patriarch and priest of the house on the death of his father
(Barnes, Clarke)
b. Chief of the chosen family, and heir of the promised
blessing (Barnes)
c. Able to invoke the blessing of Abraham, regarding the
threefold promise - cf. Gen 28:4; 12:1-3
-- Such were the issues at stake when Jacob and Esau bartered over
the birthright
B. ESAU'S BAD BARGAIN...
1. Esau chose the sensual over the spiritual
a. He gave into the cravings of his hunger - Gen 25:29-34
b. He valued the red pottage more highly than his birthright
c. For this reason he was called "a profane person" - He 12:16
2. Esau chose the present over the future
a. He tossed away future rewards for present gratification
b. The pottage may have assuaged his hunger for the day, but
what of the morrow?
c. This too made him a "profane" person
-- For temporary, physical pleasures Esau sold his birthright;
what a bad bargain!
[Certainly we would not think of making the same kind of bargain, would
we? Perhaps not with an inheritance we might receive from our parents;
but what of our spiritual inheritance...?]
II. ARE WE SELLING OUR BIRTHRIGHT?
A. OUR BIRTHRIGHT AS CHRISTIANS...
1. We are heirs according to the promise made to Abraham - Ga 3:29
2. We are joint-heirs with Christ - Ro 8:16-17
a. We are heirs according to the hope of eternal life - Tit 3:7
b. We are heirs of the kingdom which He has promised - Jm 2:5;
cf. 2Pe 1:11
3. In Him, all things are ours - 1Co 3:21-23; cf. Re 21:7
4. Our inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, that does not fade
away, reserved in heaven - 1Pe 1:4
-- What a wonderful birthright, and not just limited to things in
the hereafter! - cf. Mk 10:28-30
B. ARE WE MAKING A BAD BARGAIN...?
1. How might we sell our birthright?
a. Succumbing to the passing pleasures of sin - cf. He 11:24-26
b. Lusting for things of the world - cf. 1Jn 2:15; Jm 4:4
c. Walking after the flesh rather than after the Spirit - cf.
Ga 5:16-26
2. How might we hold on to our birthright?
a. Pursue peace and holiness - cf. He 12:14
b. Be careful not to fall short of God's grace - cf. He 12:15
c. Exercise discipline and godliness - cf. 1Co 9:24-27; 1 Ti
4:7-8
CONCLUSION
1. Esau made the mistake of...
a. Depreciating the value of his inheritance
b. Succumbing to the desires of the flesh
2. We can make a similar mistake...
a. Not appreciating the value of our inheritance in Christ!
b. Giving in to the allure of immediate gratification of the flesh!
If we are not careful, the time will come when it is too late; no matter
how many tears we may shed, it will be too late to change God's mind
(cf. He 12:17). That is why we need to heed such warnings as that one
given by the apostle Paul:
"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not
to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: "In an
acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation
I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold,
now is the day of salvation."
- 2Co 6:1-2
Are you in danger of selling your birthright as a Christian?
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