IN NEED OF RESTORATION?

Barry Davis

Central Truth

By God's incredible grace we will receive ultimate and final restoration from our sins through faith in Jesus Christ.

You pardoned the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave all their sin. (Selah)
You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger.
Restore us, O God our deliverer!
Do not be displeased with us!
(Psalm 85:2-4)

Revive Us Again

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

1 LORD, you were favorable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
    you turned from your hot anger.

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
    that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
    and grant us your salvation.

8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
    but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him
    and make his footsteps a way.

In this passage, we read about the wonderful grace of God as He forgave the many sins of Israel and restored them into their land once again. Their iniquity was covered. But it wasn't long until they returned to sin. Why was God angry at Israel? Because they rejected Him time after time and worshiped the idols of the nations around them. God chose them from among all the people in the world. He chose them to be the seed that would bring forth the savior Jesus Christ. He led them out of bondage in Egypt. He gave them the best land and saved them from their enemies. Yet, they turned their backs on God time after time.

Sound familiar? How many times have we received God's blessings beyond our highest expectation. Then, in our abundance, we turn our backs on God for the idols of our day, only later to find ourselves in need of restoration? The Good News is that we will receive final restoration of our sinful ways through faith in Jesus Christ! And by obedience to Him and His Word during our time on earth, we can begin to experience that restoration even now.

Let's go back to the Israelites. Before Jesus came to die and pay the penalty for our sins, they looked for the Messiah, the Promised One who would come and deliver them from the Roman Empire's rule over them – the ultimate restoration in their eyes! Except for the prophets and a few remnant Jews, most of Israel looked for a conquering deliverer instead of One who would save them from their sins. Then, God sent Jesus Christ to be Israel’s final restoration. They rejected the Son because Christ wanted to save them from sin, instead of from the Romans. He wasn’t the restoration they were seeking.

Are you still waiting to be restored? Perhaps you are looking for the wrong thing! If you have accepted Christ, are idols and sin getting in the way of your experiencing restoration even while here on earth?

1. How has God restored you? How has He surprised you in His restoration?

2. If you are believer, what sin has crept back into your life?

3. In what ways are you still in need of restoration?