View Resource Online
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
Luke 13:34-35 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
I. Regret
A. Mistakes
1. I wish I would have done things differently
a) Electric Outlet – shock
b) Great Stuff in the door frame
B. Getting Lost
1. I wish we would have taken the correct turn
2. I wish we had followed the map
C. Bad decisions
1. We chose to do something that we know we should not have
a) When you lie, you have to remember what you lied about.
b) When you steal – you might get caught
c) When you drink or do drugs, you have to deal with those consequences
2. If you had made the right choice you wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences.
a) You wouldn’t have the regrets
D. The Old Prophet
2nd Kings 13:14-19 14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 15 And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands. 17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. 19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
1. Recognizes that he will die
2. Does not have a replacement
a) Elisha was Elijah’s replacement
3. Calls for the King
E. The Significance
1. I have no replacement so I am transmitting what I can to you
2. Let me put my hands on your hands
a) Let me show you how to do it
3. The arrow of deliverance
a) This is not an ordinary day or an ordinary event.
(1) Sometimes ordinary moments can turn into extraordinary things.
4. Follow these instructions
a) Shoot the arrow
b) Now break the rest of your arrows on the ground
F. The Response
1. Shot the arrow
2. Struck the arrow three times and stopped
3. Missed his opportunity to take up the prophets mantle
a) To win a decisive victory
4. Regrets
a) What might have been?
b) Could Israel have avoided Babylonian captivity, if one king had just broken some arrows that day?
II. Remorse
A. More serious mistake
1. You’ve done something really wrong
2. You’ve made a decision that not only affects today but will affect the rest of your life
a) Not only affects you but also affects others as well
3. You have sinned
B. David and Bathsheba
1. David commits adultery
a) That’s the first sin
2. David lies about it
a) That’s the second sin
3. David schemes
a) Because one sin leads to another
4. David commits murder
a) Now the man after God’s own heart has committed a terrible sin
b) He lived with those consequences
c) He lost his kingdom for a while
d) He lost a son of his own – Absolom
e) He had to deal with the repercussions of all that he had done
C. Peter
Matthew 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
1. Jesus told Peter – you will deny me three times
2. I’ll not deny you Lord
a) At the fire
b) I don’t know Him
c) I’m not one of His
d) Cursing – denies the Lord
3. Rooster crows
a) Peter realizes what he had done and weeps bitterly
(1) Remorse… I’m not just sorry that I got caught, I’m sorry that I ever did it.
(2) No one “caught” Peter – he recognized on his own what he had done and felt remorse over it.
III. Repent
A. David
1. God sends the prophet Nathan to David
a) He confronts David with his sin
2. David repents
a) He has a heartfelt repentance unto the Lord
Psalms 51:1-3 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
B. Peter
1. Peter repents
a) Peter ends up preaching at Pentecost
b) Giving to the world – Acts 2:38
(1) The basis for Biblical salvation
2. Repentance leads to restoration
IV. What might have been?
A. Soddom and Gomarah
1. Could Soddom and Gomarah have been spared if they had repented?
a) Abraham tried – can I find 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 righteous in the city. Will you spare it God?
2. Ninevah
a) God sent Jonah to Ninevah to tell them that they were going to be destroyed.
b) But they repented and were spared.
3. Oh Soddom – what might have been?
B. King Saul
1. Could King Saul have stayed on his throne and ruled well if he had only repented?
a) David was given the Kingdom after Saul’s sin. But what if Saul like David had repented?
C. Ananias and Safari
1. Could they have lived had they acknowledged their sins and repented?
a) Could they have gone on to do great things in the book of Acts?
D. Jerusalem
1. Could thousands of years of Jewish suffering have been averted if the Jews had acknowledged Jesus as their Messiah?
a) Could the crusades and inquisition been stopped if the Jews had accepted Jesus as the Messiah?
E. Eden
1. Could the curse of Sin been lifted if Adam and Eve had repented?
a) Could they have stayed in the garden?
b) Might they have lived forever?
c) Maybe the relationship with God would have never been broken?
(1) If they had just said TWO WORDS… I’m Sorry.
V. The Power of Repentance
A. Samson
1. Had a relationship with God and lost it
a) But he repented and won a final great victory
B. Paul
1. Was in ignorance, and persecuting the church
a) But he was given the light and repented
C. Don’t wonder what might have been?
1. God offers repentance today.
2nd Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
