RCCG Sunday School Student’s Manual 19th June 2022 – Lesson 36.
TOPIC: Degrees Of Restitution
MEMORY VERSE: Micah 6:8 (KJV)
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 33:1-11 (KJV)
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
LESSON INTRODUCTION: Simply put, restitution is the act of making right the wrong done against someone or an institution. God is a just God and He expects justice from everyone (Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 22:3). This is such a universal law of human relationships that even the world’s courts know that it is just and right to require that corrections be made for wrong actions of the past.
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LESSON OUTLINES:
KINDS OF RESTITUTION
SATISFACTORY COMPENSATION
1. KINDS OF RESTITUTION
There are two basic kinds of restitution, depending on what was taken/lost.
Restitution for material loss. This is to make material or monetary reparation, compensation, reimbursement or repayment (or the equivalent) to the victim for what was lost, forcefully taken, damaged, or injured due to our (wrongful or accidental) actions (1Sam.12:3; Lk.19:8).
Restitution for personal loss. When it comes to relationships, once it is realised that we have wounded another person, inadvertently or consciously, restitution is the act of retracing our steps for the purpose of attempting (as much as it is in our power to do so) to make right any offence, or restore any emotional or non-material loss endured by another due to our sinful or unintentionally hurtful actions, words or other choice(s) – (Gen.33:1-11; Gen.50:15-21).
David actually asked God to test his heart for him so that God could point out his wrong (Ps.26:2; Ps.139:23-24).
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2. SATISFACTORY COMPENSATION
Generally speaking, if making restitution will require that the person pays a great deal more than the thing is worth; it requires that satisfaction only be made. For instance, if you borrow someone’s car and wreck it, but replacing the exact make and model of car would cost way more than the car is worth, making satisfaction would mean that you pay the car’s owner an amount agreed upon that better represents the loss instead of the huge sum that an identical replacement would cost.
Knowing this guideline, do not loan out something that cannot be replaced unless you are okay with losing it. You may not be able to receive an exact replacement (such as something with sentimental value that makes the thing priceless to you). This teaches us that it is not just the borrower that needs to be sure they can afford to replace the thing loaned to them, but the lender must also do some calculations of their own (Isa.24:2).
Over-compensation, or the desire for it, is evil on the part of the one who has lost, in that it is greed and covetousness.
The completion of restitution will appease our conscience and give us peace of mind. It releases others from the temptation to withhold their forgiveness since the payment has been voluntarily made by the offender.
CONCLUSION: Understand your degree of offence and make efforts to compensate satisfactorily.
QUESTIONS:
What are the kinds of Restitution?
How can you make Satisfactory Compensation?
FURTHER READING:
Monday: Exodus 21:19 (KJV)
19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
Tuesday: Exodus 22:3 (KJV)
3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
Wednesday: Numbers 5:8 (KJV)
8 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
Thursday: Job 20:15, 18 (KJV)
15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. 18 That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.
Friday: Jeremiah 35:15 (KJV)
15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.
Saturday: Ezekiel 33:15 (KJV)
15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Sunday: Acts 3:20,21 (KJV)
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
ASSIGNMENT: Mention ten (10) things you can restitute.
RCCG Sunday School manual is used in Sunday School Classes in the RCCG.
The RCCG Sunday school manual is written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye and is available online for easy access. See the previous RCCG Sunday school Manual for 2022 here
