God of Restoration (Part 2)

When God starts to move as He restores, move with Him. As He restores Kenya, let Him restore you. The blood of Jesus was meant to forgive and cleanse us, and restore us to live the life that we were meant to live before sin, a life of victory.

Easter is a time to celebrate man's restoration, back to God.

Romans 3:23-26
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

If it was not for Jesus, no human being could stand before God, as righteous. Let us look at one very powerful story of restoration, that Jesus narrated:

Luke 15:11-32

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ 31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

God has everything we need, and is our restorer. He still has the love to give us everything and anything we need. God can not withhold anything good from those He loves, and those who love Him. 

When God restores you, do not stay away from Him. Away from Him is where lack is, and wants are. Close to God there are no wants. The church as been in want because she has stayed away from God. The most important blessing is to be in Christ, and Him in us. 

True restoration will come when we are reunited with the Father, back to worshiping in true and in Spirit. We need to come to our senses and leave out anything that hinders us from being friends with God. We need to go back where we need to be. 

When you decide to go back to God, He will spot you from afar off and embrace you. When He sees that we have left the things we used to do and decided to go back to God, we will find Him with wide arms ready to embrace us. He does not even ask you question. That's the God of restoration. 

People will complain when God restores us, we just need to concentrate on our journey and move forward. 

1 John 5:5-8

And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

When ou go back to the Father, He will make sure that He has destroyed the works of the devil. Whatever was killed and destroyed will be restored, by God. 

Salvation is the most important restoration form man. 

Let us pick up from where we left off last week, looking at the 6 instances or lessons we can learn from Elijah and Elisha, on restoration:

2nd Lesson: 1 Kings 17:17-22, 24

Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” 21 And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” 22 Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of theLord in your mouth is the truth.”

People who will be restored are those whose hearts will be prepared by God, ready to obey and move. These are people who will be able to discern the true servants of God. Seek God to know the spirit reigning in any servant, before you walk with him. Stay where you know the Spirit of God has been given the number one position. 

You have to attach yourself with the anointing of God, if you will be restored. With such an anointing, you will be restored and have a reason to say, "now I know the place I worship is where the Spirit of God is." Do not feel apologetic for leaving a place where the Spirit is. 

3rd Lesson: 2 Kings 2:19-22

Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”

20 And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’” 22 So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

According to verse 19, we see that those who will be restored are those who will discern the bad in the good, and what requires improvement. Detect what the problem is and be specific in your requests to God. Open your eyes, and ask for wisdom to know where needs repair. Be specific, before God, so that you can deal with the problem. Because of this, Elisha knew where to help, and not focus on the whole city. 

Do not be silent in any area of your life. Apart from the wisdom, open your spiritual ears (verse 21). Be careful when you are praying with someone, to ensure they speak like your Father. Let it be someone who will speak life, not death. 

Once the Lord restores you, there can be no going back to the former state. Once the new has come, the old is gone forever. He is a God of restoration. 

We will continue with the other 4 lessons from the story of Elijah and Elisha the next time the Lord provides us with an opportunity to. 

Amen. 

-- Pastor Mary Mugo. 

(31/3/13 Sunday Service Sermon, Africa Transformation Mission. At Pramukh Plaza, 6th Floor)

Pastor Mary Mugo is a Pastor at Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.