Title: Grace Greater Than Regret
Place: BLCC
Date: 1/14/18
Text: Matthew 26.31-35; Luke 22.61-62
CT: Grace has the power to redeem regret.
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FAS: Your biggest regret in life? If it's anything like these random New Yorkers, it has one very important word in it. Students from Strayer University set up a chalkboard on the sidewalk near Lieutenant Petrosino Square in New York City for one day. At the top of the board was written, "Write your biggest regret." They provided a supply of colored chalk and set up a video camera to record people writing on the board.
The chalkboard attracted many people walking by and was soon filled to overflowing with written regrets that were poignant and thought-provoking.
• Burning bridges
• Never speaking up
• Not being a good husband
• Should have spent more time with family
• Staying in my comfort zone
• Not saying "I love you"
• Never applying to med school
Not making the most of every day.
• Not being a better friend
As the board filled up with so many different stories, they noticed that almost all of these regrets had one thing in common. Nearly all of them involved the word "not." They were about chances not taken. They were about words not spoken. They were about dreams never pursued.
But then they gave these same people an eraser and wrote "Clean Slate" at the top of the chalkboard. As she erased her regret one young woman had tears in her eyes as she said, "I feel hopeful. It means that there are possibilities."
LS: In and through Christ we do have a clean slate. All of our sins and regrets have been washed away. (2) People you meet every day carry a weight of regrets normally hidden below the surface of their lives. They need to hear that they can find freedom in Christ.
Editor's Note: Watch the video here.
David Finch, Elk Grove, California; source: Jordan Zaslow, "We Asked People To Tell Us Their Biggest Regrets—But What They All Had In Common Was Heartbreaking," Aplus.com (1-25-16)
[Screen 1]
I am in my second sermon on grace. This week I am going to look at how grace is greater than our regrets. I really enjoy going with Mike Power and talking to the people at the homeless get together. I talk to them after I preach. I have learned that a lot of them are carrying a heavy weight of regret. It keeps them up at night. They even know that God has forgiven them but they constantly relive specific moments when they did something they never thought they would do and they are consumed by what it has done to them and the people they love. They say things like, “I know God has forgiven me, but I can’t help thinking how much different my life would be if I could go back and make another choice.” [Screen 2]
That is regret.
I would say that most of us can think of an hour or two—or maybe a decade or two—of our lives that we would give just about anything to have back. We have been called to pay the bill. It is more than we ever thought possible and we never thought about what others would have to pay as well.
When people talk about their regrets they typically begin the sentence with these words: If only I:
-I regret that I never saved any money and I’ll never be able to retire.
-I regret I never told you how I felt.
-I regret that I didn’t fight for us.
-I regret how much time I spent complaining and criticizing.
If we have any thing in common, it’s that we all have some regrets. We all have some things we would like to go back to and do differently.
A few years ago I was working on a big project for school. All of a sudden;
Something happened and all my work and research disappeared. I was in a panic. I called a friend who told me about MacBook and its “Time Machine”. Somehow, I assume through the combination of dark magic and a flux capacitor I was able to go back in time to before I had lost the material I needed. It was like it never happened.
Wouldn’t it be cool if God equipped every human with a “Time Machine” function? Maybe you could go back to before you said something mean to a friend. Maybe you could go back to before you had the affair. Maybe you could go back to before you had that first drink. Or maybe before you agreed to go on the first date. Or right before you walked into the abortion clinic.
You may not be locked up behind bars, but you may still be a prisoner. Most of us are desperate to be free from the guilt and regrets that imprison us.
[Screen 3]
The Bible tells us of when two disciples did something they never thought they would do. It was the night of Jesus’ arrest. They had just had the last supper in the upper room. Judas had left the meal to betray Jesus. He met with the Jewish leaders who wanted to make everything for the final arrangements for Jesus to be handed over to them.
But Judas is not the only one who will betray Jesus on this night. Jesus warned the other disciples, ““This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Matthew 26.31-32
Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. Matthew 26.33-35
Jesus and the disciples head down through the streets of Jerusalem. The sun is setting. They travel on through the eastern temple gate toward the Mount of Olives. They reach an enclosed wooden area called Gethsemane. Jesus tells the disciples to pray and then goes off by himself. Jesus knows the horror he is about to face. In the quiet of the night he prays his utmost to the Father.
Jesus was not a stranger to the Garden of Gethsemane. He came here often to pray and spend time alone with his Father. Judas knows this and he leads a group of some six hundred men into the garden to arrest Jesus. Judas has arranged a signal so that all who were there would know who Jesus was.
So he walks up to Jesus and kisses him. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.
The soldiers move in to arrest Jesus. The disciples are outnumbered sixty to one. They don’t stand a chance. But Peter grabs a butcher’s knife and swings it toward the servant of the high priest. Peter tries to cut off his head but gets only his ear.
Jesus immediately steps in and stops Peter. He picks up the ear and puts it back on the servant’s head.
Once Jesus is arrested all the disciples flee. That is all but two. Peter and John continue to follow Jesus from a safe distance.
At some point the two separate and Peter waits in the courtyard of the high priest to see what will happen to Jesus.
A slave girl recognizes Peter and asks him if he isn’t one of the disciples.
And Peter does what he said he would never do—he denies Jesus.
Then Peter makes his way over to a fire where he warms beside some other people.
Again he is recognized and again he denies Jesus.
A little later Peter is recognized for a third time and for a third time Peter denies Jesus. In fact he even swears on hell that he doesn’t know Jesus.
But a rooster crowing interrupts his denying. At that very moment Jesus is being led through the courtyard. He looks awful. He is beaten, bloodied and swollen.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” Luke 22.61
Peter comes to his senses. He realizes what he has done. The very thing he swore he would never do, he did.
And he went outside and wept bitterly. Luke 22.62.
[Screen 4]
As Jesus continues through a series of illegal trials, Judas is also filled with remorse. He is eat up with regret and is desperate to make things right. He goes to the chief priests and elders and throws the money they had given him, at them.
Matthew27.4-8, “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
Both Peter and Judas were filled with guilt and regret over what they had done to Jesus. If they could have gone back and undo their mistakes, but they can’t.
You Can’t!
You did one thing you promised yourself you would never do and it can’t be undone. Maybe you did it more than once. Maybe you did it three times. Maybe you have lost track of how many times you have done wrong. Now it feels like a few days, a few hours or a few minutes or maybe just a few seconds will define the rest of your life. [Screen 5]
Our regrets should lead to remorse. Remorse is what we should feel when we are confronted with our sin. God’s grace won’t leave you there, but that is where God’s grace will most often find you. Unfortunately when we come face to face with our guilt we do everything we can do to avoid the remorse.
Here are some ways I see that people deal with their regrets. Don’t want you to follow these. [Screen 6[
1. Rationalization-We try to convince our self it is ok what we are doing even when we know it is not.
2 Justification-This usually involves blaming something or someone else. Anyone but myself. “If my parents weren’t so permissive. So strict. If my wife wasn’t so critical. If my husband wasn’t so inattentive. If my boss wasn’t so unfair. If the culture wasn’t so corrupt.
3. Comparison. People try to make themselves feel better by comparing themselves to others. It makes us feel better when we haven’t done something as bad as the other fellow. They say, “Well at least I didn’t….
4. Distraction. This is a big one. We never stop long enough to look at ourselves in the mirror. We never reflect on the decisions we make. We never stop long enough to see what we are doing wrong.
5. Escapism- Drugs. Weed. Go shopping. Get drunk. You pick.
[Screen 7]
Both Peter and Judas own their mistakes. They allow themselves to feel remorse. But they deal with it differently. Judas returns the thirty pieces of silver he had taken for betraying Jesus. He tried to make things right. We should take responsibility for what we have done. The problem is there is little that can be done in some things we do.
Judas couldn’t deal with his regrets. He was convinced that his regrets were greater than God’s redeeming grace. He couldn’t stand what he had done so he killed himself.
Most people won’t deal with their regrets that way, but I’m convinced that even those that don’t are killing themselves slowly with regret.
Peter like Judas was filled with regret, but Peter repents. Regret should lead to remorse and remorse should lead to [Screen 8] repentance. I don’t know if this is always true, but Peter was the one who wept. Luke 22.62, He went out and cried and cried and cried. Message.
Maybe I’m wrong but I believe tears, can be a good sign, of repentance.
John Chrysostom put it this way, “The fire of sin is intense, but it is put out by small amounts of tears, for the tear puts out the furnace of faults and cleans our wounds of sins.”
2 Corinthians 7.10, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
[Screen 9]
Conclusion-One morning, after Jesus had risen from the dead, Peter was out with the other disciples fishing. This is what he did before he became a full time follower of Christ. Was he returning to his business feeling as if he had failed? He had denied the one he had promised to follow through anything. Maybe he had repented but believed he should live the rest of his life being forced to live with his regrets and how he had come up short of what Jesus had wanted him to do. I am sure he was always thinking of what could have been and how God could have used him following Jesus.
From the boat Peter saw a lone figure walking on the shore about one hundred yards away.
John 21.4-6, Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
Peter realized it was Jesus, and he couldn’t wait for the boat to get back to shore. Peter dove into the water and swam to shore. Jesus was busy cooking breakfast, and they gathered around a charcoal fire.
Have you ever noticed how a smell can bring back things to your memory? I wonder if the smell of the charcoal brought Peter back to the time he had denied Jesus.
John 21.15-19, 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Jesus is telling Peter he does not have to be imprisoned by his regrets anymore. Jesus still has a plan for Peter. Jesus still has a plan for you as well.
[Screen 10]
Grace has the power to redeem regret.
Won’t you come forward today? Be baptized and follow Jesus down the never ending road.
Bibliography: Idleman, Kyle; Grace is Greater; Baker Books, Grand Rapids Michigan, Chapter 3, 2017
