The Blessing

One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.  
- Genesis 25:23

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
that the Lord has blessed.

28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.

29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting.

31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”
- Genesis 27:18-34

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
- Genesis 32:26

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21

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Mixer

What do you text your family about the most?

‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In Pastor Ken’s 7/28 entry, In Jesus’ Name, he says that our prayers through Jesus to the Father have the “authority of heaven.” Do you believe God hears your prayers? What is Jesus’ role as the mediator? How does the imagined conversation of Jesus to the Father on our behalf instill more courage and confidence in your prayers? How can your prayers start to meet the responsibility Ken speaks of, and also become your amazing privilege and blessing?
2. In Pastor Harry’s 7/30 entry, Tenacity, he shares a conversation with someone who thinks he’s pushed God away. Can you identify with this man? What is it that you’ve done that you think God has just thrown up His hands with you? What is the truth? And how do you respond to the Anne Lamott quote: Is Jesus the stray cat in your life, or are you?

Sermon Questions

On break for July & August! If your group still plans to meet, we still have church on Sundays to uncover the work God wants to do in us and through us! Here are some Inductive Bible Study tools from LOGOS.com to help you unpack Sunday’s message:

1. What impacted you most about Sunday’s message? Read the Scripture(s) used in the message.
2. Observation: What does the text say (who, what, when, where, how, why)? Also note uses of words like: therefore, after, now, but, if/then, etc. Notice repeating words or themes, lists of words and their order and definitions, etc. Use multiple Bible versions and compare.
3. Interpretation: What does the text mean? Look for what the writer is trying to communicate: cultural/historical context; about the author, about the person/people, about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit; what other Scripture that can interpret this text; what is the clearest meaning (being careful to not read into it what it doesn’t say, or what you want it to say)?
4. Application: What does the text mean to me? “We don’t study the Bible just to gain knowledge. We study to gain knowledge so we know how to live our lives in light of what we’ve learned.” (LOGOS.com) Together with your answer to Question #1, what do you hear God saying to you about you, Him, priorities and decisions, relationships, faith, conflict, spiritual warfare, difficulties, setbacks, and hope? What one action step will you take with this new knowledge?

Go Deeper - with Goodbook

Dr. Mark Strauss and Pastor Ken Ingold

REMINDER: Goodbook is now on summer break and will relaunch in September.

Serve

• Serve Day Weekend is coming up on Aug 5, 6 & 7! That’s right - a weekend of activities for being good neighbors to our community! Sign up on our website or in the Church Center app!
• Back 2 School Supply Drive is now underway. Pick up a tag in the Lobby and bring your things back to church by August 8th! We will be distributing to the local schools.

Pray

Pray this week together with your family in the name of Jesus. With confidence in His authority as mediator as you approach God’s throne of Grace. It’s a beautiful thing for children to see their parents’ relationship with Jesus in action. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends’ parents, too! Be a family where prayer is life-giving in your home!

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