Sermon Nuggets Mon Oct 8
Gen 32
Facing our Past
A number of
years ago the movie, Home Alone, came out at Christmas time depicting a story
of a boy named Kevin who was accidentally left behind when the family took off
for a vacation in Europe. The main plot of the story was how he stood off some
rather intelligent impaired robbers from getting into his home by various
creative and ingenious means of defense.
The subplot of the movie, however, was Kevin facing an older
man who is feared in the neighborhood. He was not particularly friendly. He
lived alone. Some kids questioned their safety since he seemed to be leering at
them. While the boy went into a church to pray and ask God for some advice, he
surprisingly saw this man there as well. They had a brief conversation. Soon
the walls came down. Kevin learned of the pain of the older man who had a son
with whom he had not spoken for several years. So he always spent Christmas
alone. Kevin asked what the fight was over and he couldn’t even remember. “Why
don’t you just call him? And invite him over?” Seemed like a simple solution to
the boy who had greater problems.
Many of you who’ve seen the movie realize that in the end it
is this old man who saves Kevin from danger and these bungling robbers are
arrested. As the boy’s family returns home Christmas morning. Kevin looks
outside his window to see his neighbor, the old man, greet his son and family
for the first time in many years.
There are many families that are broken up where things were
said or done in the past that have never been resolved. I have talked to many
people who want to re-establish a relationship but when the other party refuses
there is little one can do, but pray. Grudges and bitter feelings last for a
long time, until the moment comes when death takes one or the other and it is
too late for reconciliation.
Sometimes the relationship is broken because someone has
offended you. Sometimes it is because you have offended another. Sometimes it
is stubborn refusal to admit wrong, or humbly ask forgiveness. Sometimes it is
pride that over rules, or taking up an offense for someone else and hanging on
to it. But it seems that one or the
other or both fail to take into account God’s power in facing our pasts. We all
have to sooner or later, reasons to carry grudges; and all of us have stories
where others would be justified for holding grudges against us. To put it
bluntly we all need forgiveness and we all need to forgive if we will find
peace.
Perhaps this season is a time to face some of our pasts and
use Jacob as the one who becomes our example. He has made some mistakes and
hurt some family. He has treated them shamefully, and sometimes we have been
shamefully treated. Now what?
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Oct 9
Gen 32: 1-7 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of
God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said,
“This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of
him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He
instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my master Esau: ‘Your
servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained
there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep
and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to
my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’”
6 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.”
7 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. 8 He thought, “If Esau
comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.”
Taking Steps for Reconciliation.
Jacob has been separated from his family for twenty
years. There is no record that his family came to see him (they might have).
But we know that Jacob has not gone back home in this time. In twenty years he
has not so much as talked to his twin brother, Esau.
When Jacob left to go to Haran his
mother Rebekah said she would send word to him to come back when Esau was no
longer angry with him. Jacob never received that word from home. So far as he
knew, Esau was still threatening to kill him.
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If
God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give
me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in
safety, then the LORD will be my God. And this stone, which I have set up as a
pillar, will be God’s house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely
give a tenth to Thee” (Genesis 28:20-22).
This seems like a bargain with God.
In return for God’s presence, protection, and provision, Jacob would let God be
his God. Of all that God gave to him in the form of wealth, Jacob would return
ten percent. It seems Jacob has made God his agent and offered Him the normal
fee. What a far cry from what a man’s response to the living God should be! It
seems that Jacob felt that spiritual blessings were his to grab by making deals
or going about it deceitful ways.
We had talked in the past how it
was God’s will for Jacob to receive the blessing. Wouldn’t it have been
interesting to see how God would have worked it out instead of Jacob wanting to
do it his own way? Now Jacob might try to justify himself, just like so many
people want to justify their misbehavior and reinterpret their actions to look good. He valued this blessing while Esau despised
it. Therefore, he reasons, he did no wrong.
It always amazes me how people in
conflict see the other as mostly wrong and themselves as mostly right. There
are always reasons to justify behavior. If you are going to face the past, do
so with honesty. If you are going to initiate reconciliation you are going to
have to ask yourself what part you played in the breakup of fellowship. What
could you have done differently? Why did it turn out the way it did? What are
you willing to confess and ask forgiveness for? If you were the offended party
can you forgive the person? Does the person even know that you had been
offended? What can be done to face the problems and talk about them? Matthew 18
tells us to.
It may surprise you that Jacob is the one who
extends the "olive branch" to Esau. He could have ignored the
situation. He could have avoided Esau for the rest of his life. Some people do
that. I suspect this would have been Jacob's preference. But he couldn't do
that. Why? Simply because he came to the point in his life when he realized he
was going to do what God wanted him to do, not what he wanted to do.
Jacob was bold before Laban and
explained his situations to him in the confrontation they had because he had
lived an upright life before Laban. But he was more afraid of his brother remembering
the evil he had done to Esau. As they
days went by on the journey his thoughts of the past were more apparent.
Now what about your situation with
someone that God is putting upon your heart? Who would be the first to take the
step of reconciliation? What would God have you do?
The first
step by Jacob was to contact the person and set up a meeting to visit.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 10
Gen 32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met
him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the
camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
God Encounter
As Jacob is returning to the land
of Canaan, God sent His angels to meet him in a special way. This was intended,
I believe, to underscore the power of God. This is very significant to Jacob at
this point in his life. When Jacob left Canaan to come to Haran he met angels
before going up and down a ladder. God wanted him to know of his presence with
Him. Now as they encamp around him God want him to know his power.
There is no doubt his mind is on the broken relationship he
has had with his brother who wanted to kill him. If Laban had been angry and
intended to do harm to him, how much more was Esau to be expected to be
hostile? What more assuring experience could come to Jacob than to be met by a
host of angels, reminding him of God’s infinite power to protect him. It was
the angelic host of God, who would protect him regardless of what dangers lay
ahead.
Every time someone has an encounter
with God or his angels, they are changed. I think this encounter made Jacob
aware of his need to make things right. His conscience was awakened and the
wrong he did was made clear. It was time to mend the relationship that had been
torn through Jacob's deception. Perhaps he had gained an appreciation of Esau’s
feelings by being the victim himself of one more cunning and deceitful than he.
Jesus told his disciples, if you
are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has
something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go
and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Why should you be the first to
initiate reconciliation? Because we are to be examples of Jesus Christ and he
was the firs to reconcile us to himself. While we were yet sinners he came to
us and offered us the chance of making things right. He took the first step in
your salvation and in mine.
God commands it. After we have been
reconciled to Him, He calls us to be reconciled to each other. Do you recall
the words of the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors . . . for if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your
Father will not forgive your sins." God tells us that we have not
appreciated the debt God has forgiven us if we are not willing to extend
forgiveness to others. Fractured relationships result in miserable lives. It is
impossible to enjoy life fully if you are living at odds with someone else. All
that time nursing grudges, and tending the fires of resentment and bitterness
takes valuable time away from the joy of life. Many people find that their
misery lifts as soon as they do what God has called them to do-to be
reconciled.
There are few acts as loving as
freeing someone from their past. I tried thinking of a great illustration of
this principle and then realized that you and I are a great illustration of
this truth. Has there been anything more freeing in your life than when Christ
forgave you? Followers of Christ are driven by God's Spirit to make right,
relationships that are wrong. Sometimes it involves an apology. Sometimes it
involves an act of restitution. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call. Could
it be that your God encounter is the Holy Spirit reminding you of some person
whose name keeps popping into your head again and again? Is this someone with
whom you have a fractured relationship? If so, I suggest that God is giving you
an assignment. He is calling you to be reconciled with this person.
You can't be doing the wrong thing if you are doing what God
has told you to. Jacob is made aware by his servant that Esau is on
his way with 400 men. He is terrified. Apparently he forgets about the
protection and power given to him by a camp of angels. He tried to show by
taking the initiative with his brother that he was not coming to claim the
inheritance of family goods, because he was doing very well. He wanted to
eliminate any concern that Esau might have had.
But He assumes Esau is now coming
to invade him. So Jacob decided to divide his household and possession into two
groups. Thinking If Esau comes and attacks one group the other group might be
able to escape.
Even after God has made us aware
that He is guiding, leading, and will provide, we let our worries take over “just
in case”. Trusting in his promises is not always easy. Recognizing God
encounters helps us make wiser decisions when we obey.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 11
Gen 32:9-12 9 Then Jacob prayed, “O
God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who
said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you
prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and
faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I
crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11 Save
me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come
and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But
you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants
like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”
Now is the time Jacob
thinks of praying. Perhaps Jacob was a man of prayer, but he chose to have this
recorded before his confrontation with his brother. Before the plan was his
own, now he wants heavenly intervention. Pretty common isn’t it, that when we
are in trouble we turn to God and so often continue other plans our own way
when there isn’t problems.
A local pastor was telling of a
woman in his congregation who was a new follower of Jesus. She was trying to
leave a difficult way of life filled with anger and deep wounds. She said “I’m afraid
that all this stuff about Jesus just isn’t for me. I can’t do it. It’s way out
of my league.”
Now there might be temptation to
quit because you cannot face your past. Do Jacob’s choices help here? God meets
us where we are. Maybe you cannot conquer that mountain of fear or resentment,
but are you willing to turn it over to God in prayer? Maybe you aren’t able to
forgive today. You can begin and do what Jacob does. Pray, specifically ask God
to change you and the situation.
The prayer of Jacob recorded. This
was a desperate moment, and Jacob prayed fearing that Esau was to be upon him
momentarily. This was a foxhole prayer. It also showed a new humility and repentance
in Jacob. “I am not worthy …” is now Jacob’s confession. The smug
self-confidence is gone, and so is the bargaining mentality. Jacob has no way
to manipulate God as he has done others. God’s promises are the only basis upon
which he can make his petition, and so he concluded his prayer, “For thou didst
say” vs 12.
Jacob stands on God's Word. God
told him to return to his homeland. 2) God promised to bless him. Jacob stands
on the promise of God because he knows that God keeps his word. The same is
true for you and me as we pray.
Then Jacob asks specifically that
is on his mind. He wants God to
"save him from the hand of his brother. He doesn't mince words; He's clear
and specific. God heard and answered Jacob's prayer.
Prayer will change our sour
attitude. Prayer will soften the heart of another Prayer will bring about
circumstances that pave the way for reconciliation. Prayer can even help heal
memories after the possibility for reconciliation has past. For it is bringing
God's power into our lives and the lives of those around us.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Oct 12
Gen 32:13-21 13 He spent
the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his
brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and
twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty
female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female
donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the
care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead
of me, and keep some space between the herds.”
17 He instructed the one in the lead:
“When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are
you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then
you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to
my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
19 He also instructed the second, the
third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing
to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say,
‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify
him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him,
perhaps he will receive me.” 21 So Jacob’s
gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.
Take the Step of Restitution
The next step Jacob makes in reconciliation is making things
right. If something was stolen return it; if broken replace it; if borrowed,
pay it back; But if feelings are hurt it certainly doesn’t hurt by showing
kindness and intent. A call, a gift, a card, are ways to say I’m sorry and want
to re-establish a relationship.
The next day, Jacob divides his group even further and
prepares an elaborate gift for his brother. Jacob wants Esau to know that he
wants to be reconciled. The one who once stole his brother's birthright is now
trying to make things up to his brother. This is Jacob's way of saying,
"I'm sorry."
There is a pretty good principle here: restitution is the
predecessor to reconciliation. If you have wronged someone you need to make
right that wrong before you can hope to make the relationship right again. God
spoke to Ezekiel and said, 33:14-16 if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will
surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and
right—if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has
stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely
live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered
against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.
We read the story of Zacchaeus. One of the evidences of his
conversion was when he said, "If I have stolen from anyone I will return
it to them double." (Luke 19:8)
J. Edwin Orr, a former professor of church history at Fuller
Theological Seminar, described the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit during
the Welsh Revivals of the nineteenth century. As people sought the filling of
the Spirit they did all they could to confess wrong doings and to make
restitution. This unexpectedly created severe problems for the shipyards along
the coast of Wales. Over the years workers had pilfered all kinds of things.
Everything from wheelbarrows to hammers had been stolen. However as people
sought to be right with God they started to return what they had taken, with
the result that soon the shipyards of Wales were overwhelmed with returned
property. There were such huge piles of returned tools that several of the
yards had to put up signs that read, =
IF YOU HAVE BEEN LED BY GOD TO RETURN WHAT YOU HAVE STOLEN,
PLEASE KNOW THAT MANAGEMENT FORGIVES YOU AND WISHES YOU TO KEEP WHAT YOU HAVE
TAKEN.
The reception of one large gift would not necessarily be
convincing enough to Esau that Jacob had changed his ways. Instead, Jacob sends
wave upon wave of gifts to Esau, stressing the new nature he has which makes
him want to give rather than to receive and to serve rather than to supplant.
Becoming a believer does not get you "off the
hook" for making restitution. A person who does not want to make the past
right, is not desirous to follow Jesus. Do you need to make some kind of
restitution? It shows that we are serious about our apology. It shows we
recognize the wrong done to another. Restitution is often the foundation on
which the bridge of reconciliation is built.
Bruce Goettsche made some intersting conclusions in his
sermon:
First, Even Though God Calls Us to be one . . .People Get
Upset and sin against each other. It happens. We shouldn't act these
ways but we do. Every one of us has offended someone else. We have all said
things in anger, acted out of frustration, and spoken when we should have been
quiet. Let's admit this at the beginning. It's a lot easier to forgive someone
if you are not under the illusion that you are perfect.The follower of Christ
is not content to shrug off these mistakes. They want to be made right with God
and with each other. They have admitted their foolishness to themselves and are
willing to admit it to others.
Second, It is not easy to seek reconciliation. I
don't think I am alone in feeling that at times I would rather just start over
with a new friend than have to do the work of being reconciled to someone. But
if there is going to be any depth to our relationships and to our character, we
must do the hard work. Love comes not just because we have shared good times .
. . but because we have also worked through hard times.
Third, sometimes you seek reconciliation and are
unsuccessful. Our attempts at reconciliation are usually successful
when both parties are seeking to be aligned in Christ. But not everyone we've
offended is a believer. Sometimes there will be people who will not be
satisfied until they have made us "pay". They don't want a renewed
relationship, they want revenge. In these cases we can only do what God has
called us to do. We can seek reconciliation, we can admit our wrongdoing, we
can seek to make restitution where it is appropriate and if that is not enough
we must go on and entrust that person to God. We will be set free even if the
other remains in bondage.
Fourth, all the right words and actions mean nothing if
it is all superficial. Jacob knows that he did what was wrong in the
past. He makes contact. He prays. He seeks to make things right. But he resists
meeting Esau. Instead of riding out ahead of the group to be the first to meet
Esau, He sends a procession of people to meet Him. He decides who is most
expendable and sends them first!
For reconciliation to begin we must first come humbly to
God. We must first be reconciled to Him. The Bible tells us that our
relationship with God was in terrible shape because of our rebellion and
disregard for what God had told us to do and how to live. We were the guilty
party. We were the ones who had done wrong. And yet it was God who reached out
to us. The one wronged was the one who made the first move. God reached out to
us by sending Christ to proclaim His love and then to demonstrate it by giving
His life to make restitution for our sin. As a result of what God has done for
us . . . we can be friends . . . even children of God. God has reached out His
hand. All we have to do is take it. Have you done this? If not, why not be
reconciled to God today?
Pastor Dale
