Notes: Sermon on Restoration

Key Themes

• Expectation for God to do something great.
• God's promise of restoration.
• Impact of loss and God's plan to restore.
• The journey of personal and collective restoration.

Personal Journey

• Past Struggles: Six-year period of decline in church attendance and financial strain.
• Turning Point: A realization and promise from God to restore the lost years.

Understanding Loss

• Loss of relationships, opportunities, health, etc.
• Loss caused by personal choices, others' choices, or the devil's actions.
• Loss leads to a sense of void and regret, but we often learn to live with it.
• God's plan is to heal and restore, not to live with perpetual loss.

Biblical Foundation

• Acts 3: Promise of restoration between the first and second coming of Jesus.
• Joel 2:
  • Verse 15: Wake up call to the church.
  • Verse 23-25: Promise of rain (blessings), fruitfulness, and restoration.

Promise of Restoration

• Restoration is a New Testament reality and promise.
• Even deep-seated past hurts can be healed and restored.

The Nature of Loss and Restoration

• Stages of Locust Destruction:
  • Creeping Stage (Cankerworm): Gradual, unnoticed destruction.
  • Caterpillar Stage: Bigger, quicker, more destructive.
  • Gnawing Locust (Palma Worm): Affects the crop but doesn't devour it entirely.
  • Full-Scale Locust: Complete devastation, but restoration is promised.
• Restoration covers all stages of loss, from creeping to full-scale devastation.

Practical Applications

• Recognize the stages of loss in personal areas (marriage, health, relationships).
• Don't accept loss as final.
• Be proactive in seeking and believing for restoration.

Encouragement

• God’s restoration will lead to a life of satisfaction and fullness.
• Verse 26: Promise of eating in plenty and being satisfied. Life post-restoration will be fulfilling.
• Life Expansion: God will help us “eat up space” – expanding our lives beyond current limitations.
  • An example from church growth and expansion.

Final Messages

• Focus on God's ability to restore, regardless of the current state.
• Change expectations and believe for God’s promises.
• God's presence ensures restoration and abundance.

Conclusion

• Restoration transforms loss into satisfaction and joy.
• Embrace God's promise of restoration today and let it change your life.

Call to Action

• Believe: In God’s promise of restoration.
• Declare: Restoration in personal areas of life.
• Act: Keep faith and look forward to God’s abundant blessings.