Gracious Lost People
(Genesis 33:1-20)
1. Lots of things in life are relative.
2. Do you know what the snail said as it road on the back of a tortoise? Wheeeee!
3. When we talk about people, we are usually talking in relative terms. In guys eyes, "all of sinned and fall short of the glory of God…There is none righteous, no, not one."
4. But, in human terms, we recognize that one can be relatively one way or another.
"He is a good guy. He is a creep." The good guy probably has his bad moment, and the creep probably has his good moments.
5. We have to take two truths into account: (1) Common grace and (2) the image of God.
Human beings – whether saved or lost, are in the image of God. Lost people are still in the damaged image of God. Saved people still have a sin nature.
6. As a result, it is not unusual to find some wonderful qualities in lost people, and some undesirable qualities in those who know the Lord.
7. Still, when we come to the Lord, there is that hunger that is inexplicable. Why is the Lord important – and fascinating – to some of us? Yet, when you talk to some people about your relationship to God, all you get is silence. No contribution to the discussion, no input from them, just silence.
8. Now I am not talking about people who are silent about everything, the very introverted types. No, I am talking about people who are good conversationalists – but just not comfortable talking about the Lord and His Word. Church, yes; the Lord, no.
9. Some people can be so nice that we wonder if they might not be saved – even though they do not profess Christ, or they profess Christ but are trusting in religious observances. I have known wonderful people professing all sorts of religion – or no religion at all. And I have known some professing Christians that I try to avoid. You have probably had the same experience.
Main Idea: As Christians, we must learn to appreciate and enjoy the image of God in others – even those who do not know Jesus Christ. Sometimes, lost people can be wonderful -- and may be more gracious than some who know the Lord.
I. Esau is GRACIOUS to His Brother (1-20)
A. Esau RECEIVES Jacob (1-7)
1. Jacob BRACES for the worst (1-2)
2. Jacob completely HUMBLES himself (3)
3. Esau EMBRACES his brother (4-5)
B. Esau Seeks to HELP Jacob Settle (8-15)
1. He RECEIVES Jacob’s Gift (8-11)
Proverbs 16:7, " When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him."
David Guzik comments, "…when Jacob gave such generous gifts, it was his way of saying to Esau he was sorry, and when Esau accepted the gifts, it was his way of accepting Jacob and saying he was forgiven. In that culture, you would never accept a gift from an enemy, only from a friend. To accept the gift was to accept the friendship."
2. He Offers to Bring Jacob HOME (9-15)
3. Jacob CAREFULLY Chooses Where He Will Live (16-19)
I think Jacob wanted to gain his bearings and not just go with his brother’s offer.
The virtue of DELAY!
➢ He had come from a bad experience with working with family.
➢ Shepherds who worked too closely together often had strife. Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban; we need to be realistic, not idealistic, about the nature of relationships.
➢ We make big mistakes sometimes if we do not take the time to think things through.
Sometimes you have to meander as you go:
Illustration: The Jesus Lodge. We know how we will start it, but it could meander in many directions.
For some things, trying to preclude every problem or determine a course something may not want to follow is a foolish approach…
• Life is not neat and predictable. Wisdom does not come on our terms. We have to be willing to trust God, flex, think on our feet, and delay making immediate decisions when we can.
4. Once settled, Jacob Builds An ALTAR (20)
It is ironic, but when God blesses us, sometimes we are so busy enjoying the blessing that we no longer take out time for God. God gives technology, money for athletic equipment or whatever you are into; they you end up being absorbed in those things, and God is no longer the top priority.
But Jacob did not get caught up in the wonder of a new town or building a new home. He still made time for God. He builds an altar, a place of sacrifice.
As Christians, our lives are to "living sacrifices." We are to live the altar. And our acts of praise and thanksgivings are considered a sacrifice. But God wants our hearts above sacrifice; the time you spend in the Word and prayer, for example, is a great help toward becoming living sacrifices.
II. How Should We View LOST People?
A. Most Lost People Do Not OPPOSE Us
B. Most Lost People Are Not All That Different From US
1. Want security and SIGNIFICANCE
2. Want to related to OTHERS
3. Have a CONSCIENCE
4. Have a level of COMPASSION
5. Can Be Generous and GRACIOUS
C. But they are ALIENATED from God
1. May not be aware of that ALIENATION
2. May address that alienation by RELIGION
Man has a spiritual void, and religion seems a natural way to fill it. But what we need is a saving relationship with Jesus Christ; we need regeneration, not reformation.
Some in the early church were teaching that keeping the Law of Moses – and the religious practices of the Law, were necessary for salvation. This was religion. God never gave the Law to save people.
Misusing the things God instructs can turn something good into religion. But Paul addressed the issue clearly in Galatians 6:12-15,
"Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation."
3. Are attracted to God, but not the God of the BIBLE
They do not like the way God is and they reject Him because they do not like the way He is. Rather than say, “Lord, Your Word says You are good. I can’t understand how that can be with all that You allow. But I will trust You, even though I do not understand.”
Instead, they think, “I don’t like the way You are, so I am not going to believe in You. Or, if I do, I will put a wall between You and me because I am bitter about the way You are” or “Let me describe You as the way I WANT You to be.”
D. They Are People to Be Loved, Not Generally SHUNNED
1. If they INFLUENCE you negatively, your wellbeing is primary
Illustration: The City of Kokomo, in an effort to economize through efficiency, is requiring us to put all trash containers on the same side of the street. Since mine is the only container on the west side of Webster St., I move mine to the East side. I cannot remember to do this, so I have set up email reminders. Last week, I set the trash out by my neighbors, but did not retrieve my container until the next day. Lo and behold, one of my neighbors dumped some of their trash into my container! I now know my neighbors drink beer -- and I even know the brand: Coors. I don’t want to know this.
But sometimes, when we are vulnerable, that’s how quickly the world can affect us. We have to monitor ourselves. We want to be part of society, yet, if we sense ourselves declining, we have to make our spiritual well-being primary.
2. If they will not ACCEPT you, then what can you do?
3. We need close Christian PEERS to reinforce us
E. We Can ENJOY Lost People, Even if They Never Come to Christ
CONCLUSION
1. Lost people are not the enemy. They are victims of the enemy. We should pray and hope that one day some of our lost friends will come to know Jesus.
2. But lost people are not categorically evil. They are not all that different from us. But what they lack is something they probably do not even know exists.
3. So let us, as Christians, do good to all men -- especially believers -- but all men.
(Galatians 6:10).
