Examples of a Bad Trade

If you are someone who pays attention to pro sports, you know that one of the ways teams try to improve themselves is through a trade. The idea is to give something another team wants to get a player you want. Over the history of sports, there have been some historically bad trades where one team did much better than the other.

1.  Babe Ruth for a Musical

The Terms
Boston Red Sox trade future baseball god Babe Ruth for $100,000 and a $300,000 loan to finance the No, No, Nanette musical. 
Why It’s Awful

Quite simply the worst deal in the history of sports.
Red Sox owner Harry Frazee dealt Ruth to the archival New York Yankees and watched them dominate in the World Series for the next 20 years while his own team won absolutely nothing.
How could anything be worse?

Trades in sports may make the difference in a team’s history and the bottom line, but it is still just a game.

2.  The Cobra Effect

The British colonial government in India was concerned about the number of venomous cobras in Delhi.

•      They offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward.

•      Eventually, however, enterprising persons began to breed cobras for the income.

•      When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free.

•      As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse.

Others trade cars, trade homes, and trade jobs. Sometimes they are good trades, sometimes they are disastrous. There are some trades we make however that are much more significant:

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 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. 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 birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold 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 25:20-34

Three Elements of the Birthright

1.   Double portion of all the Fathers possessions

2.   Spiritual Leader of the Family

3.   Rule with and under the Father

1.  Inheritance of the Believer

Our inheritance is a Birthright

You become a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

As a son, you become a joint heir with Christ

Galatians 3:26

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Galatians 4:4-7

Romans 8:14–17

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Romans 8:14-17

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:7

Our inheritance is reserved

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Our inheritance is valued beyond comprehension

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:11-14

How valuable our inheritance must be

•     our inheritance is therefore related to the double portion element of the birthright

•      The Holy Spirit is just the earnest payment of our inheritance

•      The earnest is just a token of the entire value

2.  Spiritual Leader of the Family

Esau was destitute of hunger for God in his life

Esau suffered from Spiritual Famine brought on by worldliness

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Revelation 3:17

It is impossible to be a  Spiritual Leader without maintaining a close relationship with the Lord

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 1:6-7

Under the old covenant God called priests and prophets as spiritual leaders.

The firstborn acted as priest of the family in the father’s absence or death

Under the new covenant God changed this to the priesthood of all believers

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

1 Peter 2:9

Obligations of the Spiritual Leader

•     Offer Spiritual Sacrifices

 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:5

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

•     Intercede for others

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1 Timothy 2:1

•     Represent God before others

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20

3.  Ruling with and under God

The final element of the birthright is the opportunity to rule with him during the Millennial reign

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

2 Timothy 2:8–13

When Jesus returns, we will be priests and kings interceding for the people left on the earth during the Millennium

We will be reigning as kings over those people in the Millennial kingdom.

Don’t make a bad trade like Esau

you cannot trade your inheritance

your inheritance is reserved in Heaven for you

you can trade the other two thirds of your birthright if you aren’t careful

•     you can trade your rightful place as a spiritual leader in the life of yourself and those that you care about

•      you can trade your rightful place as it pertains to ruling and reigning with Christ.

Esau traded his inheritance for some stew.

Here is the question:  For what would you give up the inheritance that God has promised to you?

To save your life, regain your health or gain riches?

Secure the safety of your children?

Obtain A bigger house?

Enjoy some stolen moments of pleasure?

To get you a better job?

To live a little longer?

To gain acceptance or gain popularity?

Whatever you would (or currently) trade for your godly inheritance or service to Christ is your bowl of stew.

One day an expert stood in front of a group of high-powered over-achievers he said, “Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a large mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.

Then he asked, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was onto him. “Probably not,” one of them answered. “Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Once again, he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One person said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it! “No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

Our life and birthright in Christ are the “big rocks.” If we do not take care to make them first in the ordering of our lives, we will find the lesser things will crowd them out, and we will have sold our eternal birthright for a bowl of stew.

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and has helped you to develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.