October 30, 2022
Is It Too Late Now To Say Sorry?
- Matt Nickoson
Sermon Notes
Have you ever messed up really bad and didn't know how to fix it?
Genesis 31:3 NIV
"Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.'"
Genesis 32:1-2 NIV
"Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is the camp of God!'"
If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it.
Genesis 32:3-5 NIV
"Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He instructed them: 'This is what you are to say to my Lord Esau: Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my Lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'"
"According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind... it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
1 Peter 5:6 NIV
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."
Genesis 32:6 NIV
"When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, 'We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.'"
Humility is terrifying because it places you at the mercy of the offended party.
Genesis 32:7-8 NIV
"In great fear and distress, Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, 'If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.'"
Genesis 33:1-3 NIV
"Jacob looked up, and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men, so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother."
Genesis 33:4-5 NIV
"But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. 'Who are these with you?' he asked. Jacob answered, 'They are the children God has graciously given your servant.'"
Genesis 33:8 NIV
"Esau asked, 'What's the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?' 'To find favor in your eyes, my Lord,' he said."
Genesis 33:9 NIV
"But Esau said, 'I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.'"
Genesis 33:9-11 NIV
"'No, please!' said Jacob. 'If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me, and I have all I need.' And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it."
There are two critical actions when you have wronged someone else - Repentance and Restitution.
Repentance - the act of turning away from the offensive behavior
Restitution - the act of making right what you made wrong
Luke 19:8 NIV
"But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord! Here and now, I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.'"
Genesis 33:16-17 NIV
"So that day, Esau started on his way back to Seir. Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth."
Repentance and restitution do not always equal restoration, but it builds the bridge for others to walk across.
Romans 12:18, 21 NIV
"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Is there someone you have wronged that God is calling you to go to, repent, and seek restoration?