12 Steps: 8&9
Part of App Notes: 12 Steps
February 13, 2024

Steps 8&9

Review of the Twelve Steps

 
1. We admitted we were powerless over our sin – that our lives had become unmanageable

  1. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves (God) could restore us to sanity

  2. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him

  3. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves

  4. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs

  5. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character

  6. We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings

     
    Step 8 – We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all

     
    Step 9 – We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others

     
     If Step 4 is about taking off our blinders about ourselves,

Step 5 is about confession of what we see

If Step 6 is about being honestly ready to give up that sin/addiction

Step 7 is about asking God to take away our desire for those things – that’s repentance

 
Step 8 is about how my selfishness has affected others, and making it right

 
It is a lot easier to see the other person’s faults in our broken relationship than it is ours

 
Matthew 7:3-5 New Living Translation

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

 
Implementing Step 8

Set aside time

Bring a paper and pen (or your tablet), a broken and contrite heart, and start to list the people you’ve hurt

Be specific

 
Two parts: Making the list, and being willing to make amends

 
Implementing Step 9

Take action

Make amends wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others

 
Restitution is Biblical

 
Matthew 5:23-25 New Living Translation

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.*

 
Leviticus 6:2-5 New Living Translation

“Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the LORD. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin. If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed. On the same day you must present a guilt offering.

 
2 Samuel 12:5-6 New International Version

“As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

 
Luke 19:8-9 New Living Translation

Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham.

 
Keith Miller:

But in Steps Eight and Nine we learn that the way out of the pain of separation is through that pain, not around it. Instead of justifying ourselves, we own our hurtful behavior specifically. Instead of burying what we find, we go to the person we have offended, confess the behavior, and make amends. For those of us who have always hated to be wrong, and have been terribly afraid of rejection, this is a very frightening prospect.

 
Never injure someone else by coming clean

Sermon Based Questions
1. How many of the first nine steps can you remember (without looking at the app notes or calling Alexa?)
2. Can you remember a time from childhood when something you did caused a broken relationship with a close friend or sibling? How was that relationship repaired? If it was never repaired, why wasn’t it?
3. Why do you think making amends for something that happened a long time ago – that you haven’t even thought of for a long time – might relieve a burden and allow you to experience freedom?
4. If you can picture someone you’ve harmed that you need to make amends to, how do you think they’ll respond?
5. Which is more difficult for you – creating a list of all of the people you’ve harmed, or being willing to make amends?
6. How does understanding the concept of restitution (making amends) impact our understanding of our relationship with God and Jesus?