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The enemy wants you to undervalue what heaven has spoken over your life. Esau despised his birthright because he did not understand its worth. The Bible says, Esau cried bitterly, but he was grieving the loss of the blessing more than the sin that caused the loss.
The enemy wants you to undervalue what heaven has spoken over your life. Esau despised his birthright because he did not understand its worth. The Bible says, Esau cried bitterly, but he was grieving the loss of the blessing more than the sin that caused the loss.
Hebrews 12:16-17
“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done”.
Hebrews 12:1–13 gives a picture of the Christian life as a long-distance race. We are surrounded by people who trusted God before us, so we are encouraged to throw off anything that slows us down, especially sin, and keep running with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus.
The passage also reminds us that hardship is not always punishment; sometimes God uses discipline to shape us, strengthen our character, and draw us closer to Him. Just as a loving parent corrects a child, God trains His children so they can grow in righteousness and peace.
There could be failures, discouragements, oppositions, pressure from different sides- but the author says, we need to look up to the Lord who is our forerunner, to overcome every distraction and sin that impedes our spiritual progress.
The further verses call us to pursue peace and holiness in the way we live with others and before God. It also warns us not to let bitterness take root in our hearts, because bitterness can quietly grow and damage both us and the people around us.
Esau is connected here with the danger of valuing temporary physical desires more than spiritual blessings. In Genesis 27 we see, he gave up his birthright for a bowl of food, showing disregard for something sacred and lasting.
Why did the Holy Spirit mention the failure of Esau as a warning in the pages of the New Testament to the Church?
We read in 1 Corinthians 10:11
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come”.
The passage warns believers not to become careless or spiritually indifferent like Esau, exchanging eternal blessings for momentary satisfaction.
Someone cries because the heart is broken by loss. Others shed tears because they finally realise the value of what they have thrown away. In Scripture, one of the most haunting moments is not the cry of a sinner caught in open rebellion, but the cry of a man who came too late. Esau stood before his father weeping, begging for the blessing that had already been given away. His tears were real. His sorrow was deep. But his tears could not reverse the loss he suffered because of his negligence.
Today we look at ‘The Tears of Esau’, a story not merely about one man’s grief, but about the danger of treating sacred things lightly until their value is gone. Esau exchanged the joy of his future for the comfort of today, eternity for appetite, and purpose for fleshly gratification. And when the consequences arrived, he discovered that some opportunities, once given away, cannot simply be reclaimed by emotion alone.
This message is not meant to condemn us, but to awaken us. Because Esau’s story asks every person in this room a searching question: What blessings, callings, or spiritual inheritances are we in danger of neglecting before we realize their value?
Some decisions we make in our life only take a moment- but the regret of it lasts for a lifetime.
One little conversation, one little compromise or one careless choice can cause us to bear the regret of losing a lifetime!
We see a man here named Esau, who traded something eternal for something temporary. He exchanged a birthright for a bowl of stew. A birthright represented inheritance, authority, covenant blessing, and spiritual legacy.
His stomach became more important than his spiritual inheritance.
In Genesis 25 we read about him. He came in exhausted from the field and said to his brother Jacob as he saw him making stew.
“Give me some of that stew!”
And Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright.”
And we read in Genesis 25:32-34, he treated his birthright lightly.
He said, essentially:
“What good is my birthright if I’m hungry right now?”
That is the voice of the flesh! The enemy always offers immediate satisfaction. He won’t tell us the sufferings of the conscequences.
That birthright wasn’t just about inheriting only the physical wealth—it was the covenant of Abraham, the line of promise, the blessings of God. Esau gave it up for a bowl of soup. That’s the first mark of an unsaved man: he doesn’t care about spiritual things.
The enemy wants you to undervalue what heaven has spoken over your life. Esau despised his birthright because he did not understand its worth.
In Genesis 25:34, we read
“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.”
What we see later is Esau coming back to his father to receive blessings. But it was too late! Those blessings were given to someone else.
The Bible says, Esau cried bitterly, but he was grieving the loss of the blessing more than the sin that caused the loss.
There are tears of repentance, and there are tears of regret.
Those tears were not repentance toward God. They were tears of anger and regret at losing out on the blessing. That’s the second mark of an unsaved man: he wants God’s benefits, but not God Himself.
We see a contrast in the Scriptures, when we look at the earthly life of our Lord Jesus!
He was also hungry after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights. (Matthew 4:2-10)
After forty days in the wilderness, our Lord Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread. But unlike Esau, Jesus refused to let physical appetite rule spiritual obedience. Our Lord answered: “Man shall not live by bread alone…”. Where Esau yielded, Jesus overcame. He is our forerunner!
And because Jesus overcame, we can overcome too. That is the promise we have in Christ. The Holy spirit will enable us to follow the footsteps of our Lord Jesus, if we have faith.
We have a Birthright in Christ! A spiritual birthright!
-1 Peter 1:4 (ESV): "...into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you".
This verse reminds us that our God, the Father has begotten us again unto a lively hope and into an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled- which is reserved in heaven for us.
Nothing in this world should distract us from this great election and calling.
-Romans 8:17 (NIV): "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ..."
We are God’s children, chosen to inherit the heavenly wealth in Christ. We are co-heirs with Christ. The ‘begotten’ (John 3:16) has become the ‘first born’ (Romans 8:29) for our sake.
John 3:16 is a central Bible verse summarizing the Christian gospel: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Romans 8:29 states: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters".
-Ephesians 1:13–14 describes the Holy Spirit as a "guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.
Colossians 3:24 (ESV): "...knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ".
What do we learn from the text, Hebrews 12:16-17?
1. Don’t Trade Eternity for Appetite
One meal cost Esau his birthright. One glance cost David peace in his house and regret throughout his life. One betrayal for silver cost Judas his destiny. None of them knew they would lose so much. They simply fed an appetite without considering the eternal consequence.
Not every open door is from God. God has prepared things for you that are bigger than temporary pleasure: A person led by self gratification lives from craving to craving. A person led by God lives from conviction to conviction.
Esau gave up eternal blessings for five minutes of soup. People today exchange heavenly blessings for a momentary pleasure or some earthly temporal gains, or for the approval of the world.
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36).
There is a dangerous choice people make every day: exchanging eternal purpose for temporary satisfaction. Appetite is not just about food — it can be desire, pleasure, approval, lust, comfort, money, pride, or impulse.
2. Don’t Confuse Regret with Repentance
Esau cried bitterly, but it was simply emotional. But the tears from true repentance are transformational.
There is worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Not everyone who feels bad has truly changed.
Regret and repentance can look similar on the surface because both involve sorrow, tears, and emotional pain. But they are not the same thing. One feels guilty for consequences; the other is broken over separation from God.
We see people shed tears in praise and worship sessions. Are they repenting of some sins they committed against God’s holiness? Or are they grieving a loss of blessings for their wrong choices?
We see people break out in tears when they listen to God’s Word. Does that sorrow remain afterwards? They will go out to do exactly the same thing over which they cried in the meetings?
A rock which has been wet in rains for hundreds of years still remains a rock.
No rocks in the oceans or under rivers melt because they are covered by water for thousands of years!
Regret is emotional. Repentance is transformational.
Judas regretted betraying Jesus, but Peter repented after denying Him. Both failed. Both wept. But one ran from God while the other ran back to God!.
Many people mistake tears for change. Feeling emotional during a sermon, crying during prayer, or feeling ashamed after sin is not automatically repentance. True repentance produces movement:
-a changed direction,
-a renewed obedience,
-a total surrender.
Repentance is not perfection. It is a decision to stop justifying sin and start submitting to God.
The enemy wants people trapped in cycles:
sin - guilt - apology - repeat.
But God desires transformation:
conviction - surrender - repentance - restoration.
Real repentance does not merely ask God to remove consequences. It asks God to remake the heart.
3. Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Esau found no place of repentance. If you die without true repentance and faith in Christ, you will never get another chance.
There are preachers who preach half the truth. They talk about a compassionate God who indefinitely waits for your return. They ask you to refer to Luke 15 where the Father was waiting for the prodigal son’s return. But the Bible warns that there is a time line for God’s patience. God is not only a loving Father but also a Righteous Judge and Holy God!
God is merciful, but He is also holy. And the beauty of true repentance is this: when we genuinely turn toward Him, He does not push us away. He restores, cleanses, heals, and renews.
No failure is beyond redemption when repentance is real.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” (Isaiah 55:6).
One of the greatest deceptions of life is the belief that there will always be more time. We keep the decisions of change for another time.
We think we have more time…
-More time to pray.
-More time to forgive.
-More time to obey God.
-More time to heal relationships.
-More time to pursue a purpose.
-More time to repent.
But remember, tomorrow may not come- tomorrow is never promised.
Many people delay what matters most because they assume opportunity will always remain available. Yet seasons change, hearts harden, doors close, and life moves faster than expected. What you ignore today may become the regret you carry tomorrow.
The rich fool in Jesus’ parable stored up wealth and planned for many future years, but God said, “Tonight your soul will be required of you.”( Luke 12:20). He prepared for his earthly comfort but not for his eternity.
Some people wait until pain forces them to seek God, when He was calling them long before the crisis came. Others wait to say “I’m sorry” until the relationship is broken beyond repair. Some wait to use their gifts until fear and insecurity have already stolen years from them.
Wisdom responds while the door is open.
A delayed response can become a permanent loss.
The good news is that as long as you still hear His voice, grace is still reaching for you. Today is an opportunity. Today is a gift. Today is the day to move.
May God help us!
By Pastor Renji George
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Peter 1:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Colossians 3:24, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:1-14, Genesis 25:34, Genesis 25:32-34, Genesis 25, Genesis 27:34-35, Genesis 27, Hebrews 12:1, Hebrews 12:1-13, Hebrews 12:16-17, Isaiah 55:6, John 3:16, Luke 12:20, Luke 15, Luke 4:1-8, Mark 8:36, Matthew 4:2-10, Romans 8:17, Romans 8:29
Sermon Topics: Repentance, Jacob, Esau, Birthright, Appetite, Regret, Too Late, Bowl Of Soup, Tears Of Esau, Bowl Of Poridge, Isaac Blessing, Esau Blessing, Jacob Blessing
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