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[0:00] For almost two centuries prior to the increased demands in the mid-1800s, whale oil was the lamp and the lighting fuel. Hold with me. I'm not going to history just yet, okay?

[0:10] Whale oil was the lamp and the lighting fuel of the choice of the Americans. The difficulty in procuring whale oil and its rising costs made the search for viable alternatives potentially lucrative.

[0:21] Numerous plants and vegetable oils were tried in America, but most suffered from poor light quality. Others, like olive oil, didn't know this, shined brightly. But that would have required large quantities of imports.

[0:34] Oil strikes in the United States back in the 1800s offered a legitimate competitor to the whale oil industry. For the next several decades, crude oil was refined with the sole intention of producing kerosene.

[0:47] Anybody ever hear of kerosene? Some of you guys, kerosene heaters, my grandma used to have that funky smell, you know what I mean? The refining process was as crude as the oil coming out of the ground. A highly volatile substance was either disposed of or allowed to evaporate in the atmosphere, leaving behind its cousin what we know now as kerosene.

[1:05] Kerosene rapidly became popular with the American public. It's easy to see why. Kerosene burns just as brightly as whale oil and was just as cheap, or was a lot cheaper.

[1:16] Compared with other alternatives, kerosene was less likely to explode. It was safer and cheaper. It was safer and cheaper and was a winning combination. But there was a problem.

[1:26] The refineries struggled to keep pace with the demand. American caught the kerosene fever. And in order to increase the production, refineries had to turn to a process similar to distillation.

[1:37] If you know what that means, ask Kyle after the end of service, okay? Crude oil, crude was heated, this crude was heated, separated, and condensed into separate parts. This was the notable improvement over the previous technique of evaporation.

[1:51] But the more kerosene they produced, the more they ended up with this unwanted substance. The oil industry was faced with a difficult problem in disposing countless barrels of what they thought was a worthless substance.

[2:05] Oil refineries around the world, they began to saturate the grounds around their refineries with a substance from the runoff and a willful negligence.

[2:16] Several oil companies turned to natural solutions, just like dumping these barrels of unwanted substance into the streams and lakes and rivers. This toxic waste would disappear after a while.

[2:27] Oil companies even tried to market this unwanted substance to paint and varnish trades. They considered themselves lucky, get this, if they could receive about a dollar per barrel. Even then, there was hardly enough demand for this substance to make a dent in the endless supply the refineries were producing.

[2:45] It wasn't until John D. Rockefeller recognizing the oil industry waste could be used as fuel for its own refining processes. It was also Rockefeller Standard Oil Company, among the others, which promoted this unwanted substance called gasoline into the market of the fuel of choice.

[3:07] The oil industry managed to turn its easiest produced, hardest to get rid of, most seemingly worthless product into the most highly sought out fuel of the following century.

[3:20] What a story, right? To think about something that seemed so worthless, a product that would cause factories headaches and problems, until they got to the point that they were dumping gallons of gasoline into rivers and streams and lakes.

[3:36] And now that worthless substance causes us many problems and trials whenever we go to that gas station. We have to pay $2.70 for a gallon of gas, doesn't it?

[3:46] Think about that. Think about that. Something so worthless back then is so precious today. Has that ever happened in your life?

[3:58] Have you ever had something that you thought was worthless, but then in the future you realize is really precious? For me, it'd be, or maybe I should say it was, I don't know, it was English class, okay?

[4:09] Okay? Okay? High school English. Man, I dream and I beg God to let me go back and talk to that grade school student who was staring off in the cornfields and making up names for groundhogs and making up names for dogs chasing the groundhogs.

[4:23] Just pay attention to Ms. Lankenfelder, please, so you can learn how to speak. Something that at the time seemed so pointless and so worthless could be something so precious. Today, church, I'd like to talk to you about a topic that I talked to you about seven years ago, and we called it the profane man.

[4:43] In Hebrews chapter 12, verses 15, the scripture says this, Looking diligently, looking diligently, lest any man fail the grace of God, lest a root or any root of bitterness spring up and trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator, or, if you like to underline things in your Bible, I like to underline these two words, Or profane persons, profane persons, as Esau, who for one morsel sold his birthright.

[5:17] Heavenly Father, I ask that you would just use your word today. Lord, speak to the hearts of these young people. Lord, help them to realize they have something so precious. And Lord, help them not to be profane in what you have given them.

[5:32] Lord, help this church realize what you have given us. And help us not to be a profane people in what you've given. Lord, I love you so much. Lord, I ask that you would work tonight as only you can, in Jesus' name.

[5:45] Amen. You might ask, what in the world does profane mean? Well, in the scripture, he says, don't be a profane person. And then he gives us a story. So we're going to jump to a story. Let's look at the story that displays the model of a profane man.

[5:59] And that story is the story of Esau. He is the example of a profane person. And before we get there, we've got to get some background. So let me tell you a story. There once was a man, a man who God made a covenant with.

[6:12] His name was Abraham. Now, Abraham wasn't a man that was seeking after God. No, not at all. Rather, it was God that came to Abraham. It was God that found Abraham. And it was God that took Abraham out of an idol-worshiping land.

[6:26] Acts 7, verse 2 says this. And he said, this is Stephen talking. He says, men and brethren, fathers, hearken, the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Sharon.

[6:40] It was said in the book of Joshua that this land was a land where they worshipped idols. Joshua 24, verses 2. And Joshua said to all the people, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, the father of Nacor, and they served other gods.

[6:58] They were idol worshipers. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and I led him throughout all the land of Canaan and multiplied his seed and gave him Isaac. It was at that moment when God came to Abraham that God began to make, or he made this promise, what we know as the Abrahamic covenant with Abraham.

[7:15] Abraham, in Genesis chapter 12, verses 1 through 3, this is what God said. He looked down at Abraham and he said, Abraham, get out of this country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, and to a land that I will show you.

[7:28] Verse 2, he says, and I will make you a great nation. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Get this verse number 3.

[7:39] And I will bless those that bless you, and I will curse him that curseth you. And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. In that passage of scripture, God looks down and he sees a man in a land where they were worshiping idols.

[7:53] And he says, Abraham, I got big plans for you. I'm going to use you. I'm going to use you to make a great nation. I'm going to use you, and I'm going to bless you.

[8:05] And anybody that curses you, I'm going to curse them. And anyone that blesses you, I'm going to bless them. And Abraham, I'm going to use you to bless all the families of the earth. What an incredible, incredible promise, isn't it?

[8:20] God goes back, and time after time, as you read through Genesis, he reiterates the promise. In Genesis chapter 18 through 17, verses 17 through 18, the Lord said, am I going to hide this thing from Abraham, which I'm going to do?

[8:33] Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations shall be blessed in him. Verse 20, Genesis chapter 26, verse 2 through 4, and the Lord appeared unto him and said, don't go, this is talking about Isaac, he said, don't go down to Egypt.

[8:51] Abraham has a son, and that son, as he had that son, that promise followed Isaac. And the Lord appeared to Isaac, and he said, don't go down to Egypt. Don't dwell in the land which I shall tell of thee, soldier in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for unto thee and thy seed will I give all these countries.

[9:08] And I will perform the oath which I swear to Abraham thy father, and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars in heaven. And I will give thy seed all these countries, and in thy seed shall all the nations, or all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

[9:24] God gave this wonderful promise to Abraham, and it followed down to Isaac, and now we get to a story in Genesis chapter 25 and verse 29, where we see Isaac has two sons.

[9:36] He has two sons, he has twin boys. And the thing is that the first kid that came out, his name was Esau. And Esau didn't get to choose which order he was born in.

[9:47] Esau didn't get to choose that, hey, I want to be the second, I want to be the first. No, God chose that, and Esau came out first. And in that day and age, God had a special, well, God, the people had a special thing where they would pass the blessings, pass this birthright onto the firstborn.

[10:02] And in this story, in Genesis chapter 25, verses 29, the Bible says that Esau came from the field. He came out after hunting. He was hungry.

[10:13] The Bible says he was faint. And while he, you guys all know the story, while he came into that camp, he saw his brother out there making some pottage. He was out there being a Martha Stewart, making some nice, I don't know, beans and rice, red beans and rice, because it said lentils, so it's beans.

[10:26] So it can't mean that it's nasty bean soup. You know what I'm talking about? I like red beans and rice, so that's what was going on, okay? And Esau says to Jacob, he says this, he says, feed me, I pray you, with that same red pottage, for I faint.

[10:39] See that red pottage, okay? He's got red beans and rice. That's exactly what I said. Therefore, his name was called Edom. And Jacob said, sell me this day, or sell me this day thy birthright.

[10:52] Give me your birthright, Esau. And Esau said, behold, I'm at the point where I'm going to die. What's it going to profit me if I die and I have this birthright?

[11:05] And Jacob said, swear to me this day. And Esau, swear unto Jacob. And he sold his birthright to Jacob.

[11:18] He sold his birthright for a pot of beans, literally. Literally. Then Jacob gave Esau the bread and the pottage of lentils, and he did eat, and he rose up, and he went his way.

[11:33] Thus, get this, Esau despised his birthright. Did you get what just happened in that passage in that scripture right there? Esau sold his God-given right of birth for a bowl of beans, literally.

[11:53] He gave up his right to be the leader, the one that gets the double portion, the spiritual leader of the family. He gave away his inheritance for a bowl of beans.

[12:04] Did you get that? Esau didn't choose when he was born, or God did. Esau didn't set up the system where he was first born and was given the inheritance. Esau was gifted by God, and then he sold it away for the temporal.

[12:17] He sold it away for today. He was seeking satisfaction for the right now, and he didn't think about what was going to be in the future. He counted it worthless.

[12:30] It's not that he hated God. It's not that he hated the gift, but rather he wanted beans more than what God had to offer him. That's profanity.

[12:42] Taking something precious and giving it away for something worthless. You think about that story we talked about. How could people throw barrels of gas in the river?

[12:57] They just didn't know what its worth was. And the writer of Hebrews is writing a warning, and he says, look at Esau. Young kids, look at Esau. He sold away something spiritual for something temporal.

[13:11] He sold away something that God could use to him for pleasure right now. How many times are we caught in that trap? How many times do we forget what God has done for us and what God has given us?

[13:28] How many times do we seek for the world? That's what profanity is. Going after the worldliness for something that God's given us. Look what God's made you.

[13:38] The Bible says in 1 Peter 2, verses 9, he says this, but you are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

[13:55] The apostle Paul stated it this way in 2 Corinthians 5, verses 19. To wit, to understand that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.

[14:06] And he hath committed to us, unto us, the word of reconciliation. Young man, young woman, people here at Vision Baptist Church, do you realize God has given us this word of reconciliation where he says, I became sin who knew no sin that you might be made the righteousness of God.

[14:25] He has given us that opportunity to go and teach all nations and preach that wonderful gospel. That he came, God came, he died, and he rose again for your salvation.

[14:37] Not just for the salvation of today, but salvation of hell coming in the future. Do you realize what God's given you? Do you realize what God's made you? People here at this church, do you realize?

[14:51] Verse 20, he says this. This is what Paul says. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beg you by us. That's my job, going around begging people because God wants people saved.

[15:06] Do you understand that? Do you understand that you could be an ambassador for God? You could be one of those lights shining on the hill. You could be in China. You could be in Morocco. You could be in North Africa.

[15:17] You could be in South Africa or South America, wherever it is. And God could use you reconciling the world to himself. Do you realize what God has given you? The opportunities.

[15:29] The scripture says in Romans chapter 3, or Romans chapter 12, verses 3. This is Paul speaking again. Do you realize what God has given you? For I say through the grace, through the grace given unto me, to every man that's among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but think soberly.

[15:48] According as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, for we have a whole bunch of people in one church, and all members don't have the same office.

[16:01] So we being many are one in the body of Christ, and every one member is one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.

[16:12] We each have a gift. If you are born again, if you've been birthed into the family of God, do you realize, I'm not trying to belittle anybody, but he has no handicapped children.

[16:25] Do you realize that? Do you realize he's given everyone, everyone that you can hear my voice, if you're born again, he's given you a gift, and he's expecting you to use it.

[16:35] Do you realize what God's given you? Do you realize what he's done? He's not only given us this ministry of reconciliation, he says, I want you to get involved in the church.

[16:48] I want you to serve. I want you to work. My question today is this. What have you done with what God has given you?

[17:02] What have you done or what are you doing with what God has entrusted you, guys? The consequences for Esau was terrible.

[17:15] His kids never get to hear the stories. His kids don't get to write the Bible. His kids don't have the Messiah coming out of his line. They're actually a thorn in Israel's side.

[17:26] His one mess up where he says, I'll just take the temporal satisfaction over the spiritual stuff, had dire consequences throughout his life and his family's life.

[17:41] The question I ask is, what are you doing with what God's given you? Everything from that point in Esau's life seems like it goes bad. So the question is this.

[17:52] How do we prevent that? I don't want to be profane. I don't want to take something holy. I don't want to take something precious. And I don't want to make it common. I don't want to take gasoline and throw it in the lakes.

[18:05] I don't want to take the gifts God's given me and squander them. I don't want to take that precious gospel that Jesus Christ died for and just keep it to myself. What do I got to do?

[18:17] We'll go back to Hebrews 12, verses 15. This is what he says. He says, looking diligently. We are to look diligently.

[18:28] We are to look diligently to avoid being profane. So in order for us to not be profane, we are to look. And not just any type of looking.

[18:39] We are to look diligently, paying attention. We are to be seeking after something. But at what? What am I supposed to be looking at? What is my eyes supposed to be fixed at?

[18:53] What am I supposed to be intently looking at as a believer? Well, the beginning of the chapter, he gives us what he wants our eyes to be set on, doesn't he?

[19:06] In verse 1, he says, Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed with such a great cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin that so doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

[19:19] Verse 2, underline these three words. Looking unto Jesus. Jesus. Do you want to know how you can avoid being a profane person? Esau's problem wasn't he didn't have a calculator, and it was broken, and he couldn't tally up the pros and cons.

[19:36] God's going to give me this, but I won't have this. That's not his problem. That wasn't his problem. His problem was his eyes wasn't fixed on the promise. They weren't on God.

[19:47] They weren't on Jesus. And so he could say, I'd rather have a pot of beans than what God would want for my life. Isn't that where we fail? Isn't that where we fail as Christians? Our eyes and our affections are off the one that we're supposed to be on.

[20:02] The question tonight is this, is where are your eyes? What are you seeking for? Is it this kingdom or the one to come? Are you like that servant that's waiting, anticipately waiting for the master to come back, and I'm making sure everything's open?

[20:16] Because as soon as he's coming up, I'm opening those doors. I've got everything ready. Because whenever he comes back, he's going to serve me. Or are you that wicked servant that says, I don't have to worry. He's delayed his time.

[20:27] I'm just going to live it up for myself. I'm going to eat, drink, and be merry. Luke chapter 12. What's going on with your life? Where's your eyes set?

[20:39] When Esau died, he died forever. There was no Messiah for Edom or the Edomites. Esau traded the eternal for the temporal. He traded the spiritual for the physical.

[20:52] He traded his life in the world to come for the life that is here. Esau lived his life here and he died. Whatever rewards he received here in his life, that was it.

[21:04] And when God references Esau's life in the New Testament, this is what he says. Don't be like him. Don't be like Esau.

[21:15] Don't take for granted the things that I've given you. So on your piece of paper, you have a back piece of paper. And you have six open spots. And I want to ask you a couple questions.

[21:27] And I'll close with this. I want to ask number one is this. And you can write this question down. Why did God allow you to be born in a Christian home?

[21:43] These are questions that need to be considered and pondered. Why did God allow you, young person, to be in a church right now?

[21:58] Number two. Why did God allow you to be involved in a church that cares so much for world evangelism? Number three.

[22:09] Why did God put you in a place where you could easily hear God's word preached three times a week? Number four.

[22:20] Why are you part of like the 1% of the world? Not only are you a Christian, but you're an American Christian. Number five.

[22:31]  Number five.