Restore

1 Peter 5:10
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. (NLT)

Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. (HCSB)

Restore, Establish, Strengthen and Support.

Introduction
The people that Peter was writing to were suffering under unjust persecution because of their faith. Peter encourages them to stand firm. He has just spent quite some time encouraging them to holy living, to know that they are a chosen people and to live according to God’s call on their life, not getting trapped by the things of the world. They had probably already suffered much and would suffer some more, but Peter encourages them to remain firm. Jesus will restore them, He will establish them and he will strengthen them.

A Definition
re·store  [ri-stawr, -stohr] 
verb (used with object), re·stored, re·stor·ing.
1. To bring back into existence, use, or the like; re-establish: to restore order.
2. To bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting.
3. To bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigour.
4. To put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc.: to restore the king to his throne.
5. To give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken away or lost).

The Greek word means to render fit sound and complete, to mend what has been broken, to repair, and to prepare, to make one what one ought to be.
Peter is saying –God is in the business of restoring.

Whether it is because of our own stupidity or because of circumstances, God is in the business of restoring, repairing, making us who he sees us to be. When we need restoration, it is because we are no longer in a fit state. It might be a relationship, our lives etc., but God says Jesus himself will come and restore and repair us if we will let him.

In Joel, we read that the people had turned away from God, and had suffered the consequence at the hand of God for incredible disobedience and idol worship. By their own doing, they needed restoration. But God was gracious towards them. He promises to restore them, to not only restore, but to repay them what they had lost.

Joel 2:25-27
I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
My great army that I sent against you.
You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.
You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
You will know that I am present in Israel
and that I am Yahweh your God,
and there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame. (HCSB)

His promise is that if we trust God, then whatever has been the reason for our need for restoration, Jesus himself, because of his great love and desire towards us will restore us.

Job 42:10
When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

The question for us is – if we need restoration – has it been due to circumstances or because we have disregarded God?

Have we, by our own attitudes and behaviours, ripped ourselves off of God’s best for us?
What opportunities have we missed, because we have not trusted?
What relationships have we broken or strained, because of our own stupidity or lack of understanding?

The good news is that whatever the reason we are in need of restoration, whatever has gone on in the past, whatever our circumstance may be – God is in the business of restoration.

Some thoughts about engaging the restoration process.

1. Humility

Develop an attitude of humility before God. Humility and humiliation are not the same thing. Humility is an attitude of the heart; humiliation is what one person does to another from a position of pride and power. God values humility greatly. When we come before God with our own ideas and agendas and place them higher than his, when we are too proud to admit fault or to admit our situation before him, then we limit the process of restoration to our ideas and not God’s perspective.

Isaiah 57:15
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
    the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
    and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

When we have brought consequences upon ourselves we need to repent of our sin and our pride and come before God with a heart full of gratefulness and humility. In both James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 there is an exhortation to live in humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7
In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
“God opposes the proud
    but favours the humble.”
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honour. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

The HSCB says clothe yourself with humility- it literally means tie around yourselves humility.

Humility before God and humility as we live our lives before others, brings restoration. If we are to engage with the process of restoration, whatever the cause, we are to be humble, we are to allow him to do his work, and in due time lift us up. We are to give our cares and worry to him – not doing so is actually pride. Anyone needing restoration must come in humility before God.

Prov 22:4
True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honour, and long life.

Psalm 18:27
You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.

It’s pretty clear that for God, humility, a humble attitude of heart, is key to restoration.

Am I living with an attitude of humility before God and others?

What attitudes do I need to repent of and change so that I can have an attitude of humility?

2. Turn towards God

Once we come with an attitude of humility, the process continues with a turning towards God. What do I mean by this? Keep God the focus of everything we do. Build into God’s perspective for your life. Look beyond the circumstances to the life God has planned for you and promises you in his word. Lift up your eyes from the situation you are in and begin to see the bigger picture.

Romans 5:10
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

God has a great life planned for each one of us.

Will we engage with his restoration, with his plan, by focussing on him, or will we sabotage his plan by narrow self-focus?

Where is our thinking? What do we dwell on?

Are we engaging God’s purpose in our thought life, our prayer life and our behaviour?

God wants us to focus on him, not because he’s a megalomaniac but because he is the one with the answer; he is the one who restores, he is the one who is able to mend what is broken and help us to become the people he has called us to be. (Remember our definition) Dwell on God’s ways and understanding. Keep your focus on him.

Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains—
    does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth!

This psalm was written for people who were travelling to Jerusalem. The way was often difficult and treacherous, and there were many dangers. But the psalmist says, ”my help is not to be found in anything of earthly origin, my help is found in God”. God is the one who is able; he is the one who helps us. Our answer is not in the circumstances around us, but in who God is.

What circumstances am I focussing on that are damaging my restoration prospects?

What promises of God can I choose to focus on instead?

3. Choose obedience

Obedience is a word we do not always cherish. As a kid, we usually didn’t like being brought into line. We didn’t understand that our parents (if they were good parents) required obedience because it helped us to grow and develop properly, to learn and to become confident secure adults. As a parent, we understand why we require obedience from our children. It is to protect them, to nourish them and to help them grow in a way that is going to help them in life. We want them to flourish.

God wants us to flourish. As his children, we don’t always understand why obedience is so crucial, we want to do our own thing and get cross when God pulls us into line. As we mature in him, we hopefully come to understand that in obedience is life. In obedience is hope. Obedience enables us to flourish. As we engage God’s restoration for our lives, choosing obedience enables us to flourish and to grow. We need to give up the rebellion and the fight.

Phil 2:12-13
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

God enables us to be obedient for our own good and our own well-being so that we can flourish.

Jeremiah 15:19
This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
    so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
    you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
    do not let them influence you!

We are to be people that influence others for good, who show others what God’s restoration looks like. We are restored from rebellion, through humility and looking to Him that we may influence those around us, not be influenced by them. In 1 Peter 4:2-5 the people are encouraged to continue to live in obedience, to move away from the temptations of the world and to stop doing the things they once did.

1 Peter 4:2-5
You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.  You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

It’s a call to obedience. Others may not understand it, may be surprised that you are choosing a different road, may even have a go at your for it; but God says enough time has already been wasted in wrong living. King Saul disobeyed God’s command and then tried to make sacrifices to appease God.

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

God is clear, he would rather obedience than us promising all sorts of things.

What “sacrifices” are we making to try and appease God instead of simple obedience?

How much of our time is spent following our own desires, instead of God’s plan and purpose for us?

God says don’t waste time in worldly pursuits; rather use your time to pursue his purpose in obedience to his Word and his call on your life. Our choice if we are to be fully restored is between “my way” and “God’s way”

What will we choose?

Where am I choosing my way over God’s way?

What am I going to start doing today to begin living in obedience to God’s way?

Conclusion

Restoration – from brokenness to wholeness, from sin to salvation, from the consequences of circumstance or of our own decision to true restoration requires:
Humility
Turning to God
Choosing to live in obedience even when it’s tough to do so.
God wants to restore, to bring us back to wholeness and to restore us to what we ought to be.