In this 9-part series, Dr. Michael Youssef walks you through the life of Jacob—demonstrating how the grace of God overrules in the lives of His people. The Almighty God is able to bring His perfect will to bear, even in the midst of our mistakes and shortcomings. Therefore, to Him be all the glory, honor, and praise!

the most difficult conflict of all is that conflict among family members, There are some people who find it easier to harbor resentment than to reconcile. If you inwardly experience the forgiveness of your sins from the Lord, jesus christ, then you must outwardly express that forgiveness to those who have wronged you. It’s time for you to search your heart and that’s what I want to talk to you about today. Up next on leading the way, check out leading the ways, smartphone app with the leading the way app, you can watch recent episodes of Leading the way, listen to sermon series as well as read special daily devotionals written by dr Yousef. You can even watch leading the way, live events on your mobile device. Just search for leading the way on your apple android or amazon fire device to download the app today, we have been delighting ourselves for some time now in the past several messages of watching how the grace of God works in the life of Jacob and learning in the process how the grace of God works in our lives. Here we come to this point after God wrestled with Jacob After God one and Jacob surrendered after God blessed Jacob after God confirmed the promise that he made to his grandfather Abraham that through him the line of the messiah will be born after the joy of meeting the pre incarnate christ, after the joy of victory and the blessings of surrender. Now the time has come for Jacob to face something that he avoided for 20 years for full blessing of surrender to take hold, There might be something that you need to do and that’s what I want to talk to you about today, Jacob may have dreaded taking this step. What was it Facing his brother? S cell with all of the dread of the past 20 years later, beloved that could not have been easy. It could not been easy. You read the text and read it carefully. You will sense that you see after Jacob had cheated his father and pretended to be S. O. And then he received the blessings of firstborn. After his mother, Rebecca told him to go away until the anger of his brother is so subsides after Jacob surrender and receives the blessing of God and the renewal of the promise of God. Now he needs to clean up some past business and that’s not just reconciliation, it’s not just reconciliation, but restitution Parenthetically, whenever the Holy Spirit reveals to you something that took place, I don’t care how many years ago and then you’re determined to make it right. Restitution has to be part of that determination in many ways, lack of reconciliation and restitution is not only hinders our effectiveness and the effectiveness of God’s blessing upon us, but it also hinders answer to prayer are you with me, But not only that it will always cloud the atmosphere, not from God’s side, not from God’s end, but from our end. It clouds the atmosphere in our relationship with the Lord. Now the new testament makes that even clearer. If you inwardly experience the forgiveness of your sins from the Lord, jesus christ, then you must outwardly express that forgiveness to those who have wronged you. The word restitution has been a missing word in our vocabulary in our society today. Please hear me rod, unwillingness to make restitution cheapens repentance, unwillingness to make restitution throws doubt on the authenticity of repentance. Even partial restitution is inconsistent with true repentance. Look with me now at Genesis 33 verse three, you see when Jacob’s life was transformed by his surrender, as we saw in the last message, he knew in his heart that restitution and reconciliation must follow. And so he bows to ish 07 times, seven times he bows to S.O You ask, what’s the big deal about that? Well, You see, for 20 years earlier, Jacob tricked his father and stole the firstborn blessing from his brother. Now, after Jacob lost to God. Now, after God changed him from Jacob Yakub into Israel L God prevails. God also changed Jacob’s heart. I’m going to say more about this actually in the next message. If there is a true repentance, there has to be the fruit of that repentance. If there is going to be inward transformation, then there has to be an outward demonstration. If there’s going to be an inward surrender. It must be followed by outward restitution. Some of you might be stubbornly refusing to make confession and restitution. I don’t know it’s between you and God. But I can tell you that the true blessing, the full blessing, the full joy can only fill your heart when you come clean with God and with us whom you wronged. Let me make something very very, very, very clear here because I know somebody’s gonna misunderstand me. This is a very sensitive issue and I want to I want to be careful private sins or secret sins need to be confessed only to the Lord. Be very careful that you go out on your blood stuff. That is not that person’s business. A secret sin. Private sin need to be confessed to whom The Lord only sinning openly against someone only that someone has to receive your confession and your restitution. Jacob’s experience of forgiveness, of his sin by the Lord himself made him willing to confess his sin against his brother. I know, I know and you know that Jacob could have said, My mother made me do it. Hello, I know location, but the devil made me do it. Uh And you know what he would be partially right. My mother made after all. God’s promise was to me and not to my brother is so he could have said so uh God said will serve me not the other way around God said so is subservient to me. Not the other way right, no, no, no, no. He didn’t do any of this. He bowed and he called him. My Lord. S. O. I’ll explain that in a minute. Because after God touches hip, Jacob recognize his wrongdoing and therefore no rationalization, no explanation, no justification on the confession and restitution human. Right. Please. Some of you may need god’s touch of your hip pocket. Hello martin Luther said, is the last part of the body that gets baptized. You may have been unfaithful to the Lord with the blessings and the bounties he’s given you. You might have been keeping the ties and the offerings that belongs to the Lord doesn’t belong to you. But you’re keeping it. You need to make restitution before it is too late. And perhaps for some it may be very close to being too late to do it. Today. Jacob recognized the wrong. He did. He confessed it, He repented of it. And then he insisted on making restitution bowing seven times and insisting on calling his brother. My Lord essa is a mark of respect. It’s the expression of repentance in those days in that culture. And he insisted whether I needed it or not. He insisted that these gifts be accepted by his brother. Jacob insisted that S. O. Will receive that restitution when God touches your heart. When God forgives all of your sins. When God blesses you with salvation. When God ministers to you by his grace. When God exercises mercy towards you. Then you have no choice but to exercise mercy toward others. You must be ready to right the wrong Even happened 20 years ago. Let me ask you this only between your own God. Are you carrying bitterness in your heart towards someone? Are you harboring that bitterness in your life towards someone? Are you loaded with anger and resentment towards someone? Have you knowingly wronged someone? Have you knowingly took advantage of someone? Have you cheated someone? Have you cheated God? And said, well, God doesn’t need it. Let me plead with you. I can tell you most assuredly. There is no amount of public singing, There is no amount of public prayer, there is no amount of bible study, attendance. There is no amount of teaching and preaching that you can hear. There is no amount of preaching and teaching that you can do because I’m speaking to the preacher as well. That will substitute for confession and restoration. Someone would say to me, Michael, you just don’t understand me. You don’t understand my predicament, Michael. You just don’t understand my world. I only took what is due to me. Most likely. I don’t understand. The older. I get, the more I’m discovering, the more things I don’t understand. But it doesn’t matter whether I understand or not. I’m only a flawed fallen sinner, saved by grace like you. What matters is God and his word. Stay tuned for the conclusion of dr yusef’s message in just a moment, Father. We need you in this time of trouble and confusion awaken dead churches to your truth And call each person back to their first love, Father. God forgive us and grant us humility fill us with your love so that your light may shine through us to the glory of your name. Father. Please pour out your spirit upon our land. I am standing on your word and asking for a great awakening to happen in our land. Unite in prayer for the next great awakening, share your prayer today at awake America 2022 dot com. And now the conclusion of dr Yusef’s message, Restoration and restitution. As Jacob insisted that Isha received the gift. He reluctantly accepted it. Question did is so need it very clear in the scripture. It doesn’t matter though. Did s so appreciated. It doesn’t matter. Did s so deserve it. It doesn’t matter. You are doing this for the Lord and for you, here’s something else. I don’t want you to miss. The most important step is to purpose in your heart as the very first and most important step. Your purpose in your heart, Your purpose in your heart to confess your purpose, in your heart, to make restitution or your purpose in your heart to ask for forgiveness. Remember, God is the one who is working on the other end of things. He’s not only working on you, but he’s working on the other end. Even if the other end, I’m not believers, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to see in this story in S. O right now, God will not only enable you, he will empower you, he will provide the opportunity, he will provide the resources, but you have to begin by purposing in your heart. Let me now show you from the scripture what I mean? You see everything you read in the bible about esa everything we know about him from the scripture, he did not fear God. He was into himself. He was into instant gratification. It was a wild man. In fact, that’s what the word is used here. It was a wild man, but God had already gone ahead of Jacob and he changed esos heart. God is working on both ends. In fact, he’s working on many fronts, but he works on both ends when there is a purpose in in the heart, when your purpose in your heart to right the wrong, God will go ahead of you. God will prepare the way for you and God will change the heart of the other person, God will do things that will absolutely surprise you. There’s something else that would bless you if you take it to heart, Jacob and esso never actually talked specifically about the problem or the sin. You notice that they can talk about it. Like we we we we like to talk things to death. I’ll move on. They’ve never discussed in details. The old hurt, they never said to each other, hey let’s hang out together and hash this thing out now and say, hey, let’s get our kids together, have a barbecue and you and I talked together have heart to heart talk. They never even got it off their chest. Something we like to do, which is okay. But you know why do you know why? I am absolutely convinced? Because sometimes an embrace and embrace can speak much more eloquently than words. Please watch this Before God touched Jacob before God wrestled with Jacob. Jacob sent the others and the gifts ahead of him. You notice that but here after God had wrestled with him and he lost to God and God won? What happens? He goes in the front to face the issue. That’s the power that God gives and only God can give. The Holy Spirit does not waste words. The Holy Spirit is the author of that book from genesis to revelation. Amen now that Jacob has been conquered by God. Now that he’s been conquered by God himself. Now he has the courage to face his past now that Jacob has been conquered by God. He has a renewed strength to go and face the painful past. Question, where did that renewed power and strength come from? Where’d it come from? It came from? The one who changed him? You see it’s a complete job. It’s a complete job. When God starts his work, it’s a full job. I told you in the last message that I am one of those people are absolutely delighted to be called a loser to God, let me tell you something else that’s very important here about not resolving conflicts, not resolving past hurt and passion. I want to tell you something very, very important about bitterness. If it is not dealt with bitterness. If it is not dealt with biblically, biblically, it never goes away, it doesn’t disappear and it’s forgotten. No, no, no. It goes underground. Are you with me? And that’s why the bible speaks about the root of bitterness. The root of a tree is hidden. You can see it. It goes underground. Whenever the bible talks about bitterness, it talks about it not as a fruit, but as a root. Why? Because it goes under the soil of your life and when it goes underground it poisons the soil of your life and hurts you and a lot more people around you just before you think that I’m lecturing at you. Trust me, trust me. I’m not let me admit it to you openly. Restitution confession. It’s not easy. It’s not easy producing the fruit of repentance is not a walk in the park. I’m telling you that because I am speaking from experience, correcting past wrongs come put a dread in your heart, facing passions and wrongs. Can give you a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach. Do I know what I’m talking about or not. Ah But if you do it in the name of jesus. If you do it for the sake of jesus. And if you do it in the power of jesus, you will receive strength that you have never experienced before. They have never known before. Why do I say this? Because often God is going to go ahead of you and he’s going to prepare the other party? The question is this what have you got to a person that you know you’re wrong and he knows you wronged him and you go and ask for his forgiveness and confession genuinely. What if he refuses? What if he refuses? Read my lips? It is not your problem. That is not your problem. It is now their problem on God’s problem. Amen. But why is restitution very important to you? It’s very important to me. It’s very important to us who love jesus because it humbles us before God and man. Jacob humbled himself before. S. O beloved, that could not be easy because it also helps us deal responsibly with the consequences of our action. It reminds us of how costly obedience is. And one thing it does, it polishes our testimony. It polishes our testimony when I saw his brothers true humility and a change of demeanor. When ISO saw his brothers humility in confession and repentance. He was overwhelmed. He immediately recognized that his brother became a changed man beloved. One of the greatest marks of maturing in christ is to be able to say, I’m sorry I wronged you. Listen to me, very few of us, including this preacher preach on the power of asking for forgiveness. Let me conclude by saying that there is, there are in the plural unique blessings and asking for forgiveness, truly unique blessings. He will not only give you genuine peace, it will not only remove the shadows that are hanging over you, it will not only restore you the full spiritual health, but the bible makes it very clear. It will bring about answers to prayer, Prayers that you have prayed for a long time and God has not answered. And I say that on the authority of God’s word, because psalm 66-18 says if I cherish if I hide, if I don’t confess, if I keep sin in my heart without repenting of it and confessing it, repenting of it, God will not answer me. That kind of preparation compelled him that as soon as he heard from the apostle paul, that the messiah came, that he lived, that he died, that he rose again, that his ascended into heaven and that he soon coming back as judge timothy put his faith in jesus christ, I would do whatever it takes to encourage you. I think every situation and every family differ. If your next generation are closed minded and they don’t want to listen to what you have to tell them. The wisest thing to do is not to force it down their throat or nag them. The most important thing, The wisest thing is to just pray for them and believe that God will do the impossible. But then there are opportunities for other families where the younger generation will put up barriers, they will ask questions. You need to welcome these and be flexible. Listen to them as well as you speak to them, speaking to their life the word of life, but be careful not to be preaching at them, don’t don’t don’t come condescending. Listen to their hearts, find out what is really motivating and igniting their passion or their questions and as you listen with compassion with mercy with understanding, remember God did this with us then begin to bring answers from the word of God. I think this is a great opportunity if they are open that you can walk through that door and uh answer their questions the best of your ability and if you cannot call somebody who can and they’ll be able to help them. Do you have questions about the christian faith, visit us online at L T W dot org slash ask here, You can find answers to questions other believers have asked as well as submit your own questions to dr Yousef, you can also find additional free resources to help you along your walk of faith. Don’t let your relationship with jesus get bogged down with doubt and worry, there are answers dive deeper at L T W dot org slash ask, are you receiving dr Yousef’s monthly publication? My journal. If not, you need to request it today, jesus said, I am the one who lives was dead. And behold, I’m living forevermore. The My journal provides you with biblically based devotionals from Dr Yousef, practical tools to make memorizing scripture easy and fun, trending articles that address the cultural issues of our day and so much more, including frontline ministry updates from around the globe, exclusive previews of doctor uses brand new books, access to free digital resources. It is a valuable monthly source as you strive to grow in your faith and as you encourage your family to walk with the Lord right now, if you request the my journal, we will give you the first six months free. Don’t put it off any longer contact us today and ask for the my journal. If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land? Visit us online at awake America 2022 dot com, passionately proclaiming, uncompromising truth. Leading the way with Dr Michael Yousef. Thanks you for your faithful support through your continued prayers and gifts