The church has a God-given task of serving as His vessels of restoration. As we have experienced restoration from God – we are then tasked with advancing this work in one another’s lives. To “restore” one another is the actionable work of the gospel in our church community.
Observations: The “Tools” of Restoration
- Restoration requires interdependence
- Restoration requires awareness of sin
- Restoration requires God’s Spirit leading
- Restoration requires gentleness
- Restoration requires personal reflection
- Restoration requires divinely determined value
Conclusions: We are to restore one another because…
- God restores us
- We are waiting as agents of restoration
- When we do, we reveal Jesus
Application:
- Treat sin as a deadly infection in the “body”
- Train yourself to keep short accounts
- Confess & Forgive
1. Confess orderly1. Forgive mercifully
2. Confess quietly 2. Forgive mindfully
3. Confess quickly 3. Forgive first
4. Confess honestly 4. Forgive completely
Philippians 1:27
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.”
1 Timothy 5:24
“The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.”
James 5:14-16; 19-20
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
2 Timothy 2:24-26
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
1 Timothy 5:1-2
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”
1 Corinthians 10:11-12
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
1 Timothy 5:19-20
“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.”
Psalm 23:1-3
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
1 Peter 5:10
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Revelation 21:5
“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Matthew 6:14-15
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
John 3:17
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 8:10-11
“Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Psalm 32:1-5
“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Isaiah 65:24
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”
Jeremiah 31:34
“No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Psalm 130:3
“If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?”