We have taken this week to examine the warnings given to us in Hebrews 12:15-17.  Read the passage one more time.

Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV)
¹⁵ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

The final lesson that we learn from this passage is a very important one.  After Esau sold his birthright, he came to recognize what a great mistake it was.  He wanted to turn back the clock, sort to speak, but it was too late.  He missed the time to repent, which would have had to occur before Isaac blessed Jacob (Genesis 27:1-38).   Now, though Esau wept because of his loss, his opportunity to repent had passed.

Esua’s situation was different than ours in that he was dealing with a physical blessing that repentance could not restore.  The good news for us is that no matter what sin we commit, as long as we are alive and able, we can repent of it and be forgiven.  The instruction that Peter gave to Simon still applies to us when we sin against God.

Acts 8:22 (ESV)
²² Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.

What we do have in common with Esau is that we, too, can find ourselves in a situation where we have no chance to repent.  There are three scenarios where this might occur.  First, we can die before we repent.  Once we die, the chance for repentance is gone.  The danger here is that death is unpredictable.  None of us knows when that time will come.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 (ESV)
⁸ No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death…

Death is coming for us all.  As the Hebrews writer declared, “…it is appointed for men  to die once, but after this the judgment…”  Notice, he did not say anything about repenting after death because at that point it is too late.  After death, the next event is judgment, and the verdict will depend on what we did when we were living.

Second, Jesus can return before we repent.  Again, we cannot predict when He will return.  Jesus does not even know Himself when that day will come (Matthew 24:36).  What we do know is that He can come at any moment, and on that day, He will unquestionably find some who waited too long to repent.  Do not let that be you, for just like Esau, you will find no chance to repent, even if you seek with tears.

A third scenario is that we can fall so deeply into sin that our hearts become too hardened to repent.  This is why sin should never be taken lightly.  The next wilful sin you commit might launch you into a path of sinful living from which you never recover.  This is especially true when one gives in to false doctrine.  Paul spoke of some who would depart from the faith because they devote themselves to deceitful false teachers.  Over the years, many have been persuaded by error to leave the faith, never to return to the fold.  If you ever leave the faith, whether caused by false doctrine, immoral living, or even indifference to the ways of God, you might find yourself in a situation where you never have the chance to repent simply because of the circumstances by which you are now engulfed.

We must all learn from Esau.  It is always possible that when we sin, we will not find the chance to repent.  The admonition is to take sin seriously, doing our best to avoid it (1 John 2:1).  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.