Restoration
The difference between a preacher and a pastor:
You might be a preacher if something you see or hear inspires a sermon
You might be a pastor if that same thing inspires a series
Why is restoration so important to a pastor?
A pastor’s heart: Rejoices: When he sees someone who is walking in and enjoying the fullness of a restored relationship with God.
Saddened: When he sees ‘Christians’ who are doing their own thing because they are not walking with God and therefor missing out on the fullness of a truly restored relationship with God.
Broken: When he sees someone who is not a Christian because he truly understands what they are missing, the emptiness they have inside and the eternal torment they face if they do not enter that relationship with Christ Jesus and receive the restoration that God offers.
The Restoration Process:
First: You must know the original state or condition of the building.
Second: You must know full extent of decay / disrepair of the current condition.
Third: Having an accurate picture allows you to know the true cost for the restoration project.
Final: After the price is paid and the work completed; the building is once again the beautiful building it was originally created to be.
Original State or Condition: walked and talked with God
Genesis 2:15-17 “And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die” (Talked with God)
Genesis 3:8-9 “And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where are you”? (Walked with God)
Current State or Condition: the zombie, the living dead
Romans 6:13 “neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God”.
Romans 11:15 “For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead”?
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loves not lives in death”.
1 Timothy 5:6 “But she that gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives”
Application:
Personal: Selfish attitude
Marriage: Strained, coming apart a the seams
Family: Dysfunctional
Point of Restoration:
The “ I Love You” Cross
Current Limited Restoration:
Spiritual
Mat 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”.
Jn 14:23 “Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him”.
Job 33:26 “He prays unto God, and he is favorable unto him, So that he sees his face with joy: And he restores unto man his righteousness”.
Psalm 23:3 “He restores my soul: He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake”
Psalm 51:10-12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit”
Possessions
Proverb 6:31 “But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house”.
Joel 2:24-26 “And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame”.
2 Kings 8:4-6 “Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray you, all the great things that Elisha has done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored to life him that was dead, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now”.
Neh 5:11-12 “Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as you say. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise”.
Mark 10:28-30 “Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed you. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel’s sake; but he shall receive a hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life”.
Health
Jeremiah 30:17 “For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says Jehovah; because they have called you an outcast, saying, It is Zion, whom no man seeks after”.
Mark 8:25 “Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked steadfastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly”.
Matthew 12:13 “Then said he to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other”.
Full Restoration: We will be Physically in God’s Presence
Rev. 21:1-5 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And he that sits on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said, Write: for these words are faithful and true.
Rev. 21: 21 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof. And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.
Rev. 22:1-5 “And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever”.
Personal Restoration:
Heart and Soul: Restored to a loving personal relationship with God. They are obedient God’s will and God’s word
Marital Restoration:
Heart to Soul: They love and cherish each other as God intended. They willingly forgive each other when hurt. They themselves are grieved if they hurt the other and seek the forgiveness of their spouse in humble repentance when they do hurt the other.
Family Restoration:
Unity: When they are all restored with God personally and seek the best not for themselves but for the others as family and they all are following God, then they are all united in goal and action. This eliminates the most common causes for family distress and dysfunction, which is selfishness.
Conclusion:
First: God wants Restoration for Everyone! God’s offer for restoration is open to everyone.
Second: God has promised to restore more than you had and better than you had.
Third: The thief will always pay a high price for what they stole from you.
Forth: True Restoration at any level can only come from God through Christ Jesus.
