The
Pathway of Restoration
"As for me, far be it from me that I
should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will
teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD
and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great
things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you
and your king will be swept away.” 1 Samuel
12:24-25
When we lived in the town of Dauphin, Manitoba, Christine and Heather
were young children. I remember one summer day we got them ready to go
outside to play. It was mosquito season, and they were dressed as
fully and snugly as you could on a warm early summer day. Exposed skin
was covered with insect repellent, and out they went.
They had no sooner gotten off the back porch and onto the back lawn
than they were greeted by a cloud of mosquitoes that just appeared like
a hungry horde from the grass, waiting for young children upon whom to
feast. No matter what kind of clothing or how much mosquito repellent
was used, they were going to be bitten. It was just a question of how
many bites could be tolerated over what period of time, before we
retrieved them and treated the mosquito bites.
Temptation is like that.
Sooner or later it is going to
get you!
In fact that is not a bad practical description of what is sometimes
called original sin, which
has nothing to do with the act of conceiving. It means we all come into
a world where sin, though avoidable, is inevitable.
Our girls were innocent when bitten. We are not innocent when we
succumb.
God has given us the means to resist, but knows our sinning is just a
matter of time. A very short matter of time.
Mosquito bites are treated with calamine lotion, or your favorite home
remedy. Sin is treated by the mercy of God through Jesus death for us
And so we need a pathway to restoration.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:10,
Godly
sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
So the first step to restoration is recognizing that you are either in
the danger zone or already in trouble.
The second step is asking for forgiveness.
The third is making a determination to make changes where they are
necessary.
The difference between godly repentance and ungodly sorrow is that
godly repentance admits the fault, asks for forgiveness and then begins
the work of making the necessary changes. Ungodly sorrow just
feels bad, but does nothing about it.
We need then to occupy our place in God's grace.
Samuel says do not be afraid.
When we sin and our conscience is troubled, sometimes even after
repentance and forgiveness we still live with the fear that we are not
or cannot be acceptable to God again. Samuel and Jesus say, "don't be
afraid."
You are forgiven, you are restored to God's grace.
You may not be restored to the grace of other humans, but God has
restored you to your place in His love.
It is important to fix that in your mind.
Do not let the tempter come along and steal that from you again.
That's what he did in the garden, stole their peace by sewing doubt.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Get it fixed in your
head and hold onto it.
When you have turned away from sin and ask for forgiveness, you have it
and are restored by God.
It is interesting to see how Peter was restored by Jesus.
Remember after Jesus' death and resurrection when Jesus met Peter by a
campfire in the early morning light?
He asks three times, "Peter, do you love me?"
Three times Peter says, "yes, I love you."
You can imagine Peter's feelings being asked three times....doesn't He
know?
He thinks I am going to fail again....what?
And each time Jesus says, "feed my sheep."
Here is something interesting.
We believe by faith we are forgiven, but sometimes we have to act on it
for it to work into our heart.
If you feel you have fallen by the wayside, and have asked for God to
restore you, you cannot just sit by the wayside and expect God to come
along and scoop you up and make you feel better.
God says, "You are forgiven, now its time to get back on the trail and
get hiking again."
The best way of all is to get busy caring for others.
It helps restore, not your place with God because that is taken care of
through Christ.
But it helps restore you broken sense of esteem and feeling of
worthiness.
The pathway to restoration is not just through introspection and
meditation.
In fact too much meditation on things gone wrong will almost always
lead to depression.
The way back is to get engaged in helping plant and harvest the crop
again.
Reach out a hand to a brother or a sister.
Be part of the process.
Something else that Samuel says is that, though he is disappointed in
their actions, he is committed to praying for them.
Interceding for others in their difficulties is part of the path of
restoration.
In fact Samuel says God would count THAT a sin if he refused to pray
for those who fall.
God has no armchair believers.
Heaven doesn't need us as scorekeepers.
God wants us in the battle for restoration by praying for those who
fall, and offering a helping hand.
And it may very well mean interceding not just in prayer, but with
other believers who think they are scorekeepers.
People need an advocate, not just with God with you and me when we get
judgmental.
Restoration involves repentance.
It involves making changes in behavior.
It involves getting clear in our minds that God has restored us and
holding firm on that.
It involves getting active again, especially offering help to others
who need it..."feeding sheep."
And it involves interceding on behalf of others who may fall as well.
But the best response to temptation is to RUN.
If you are on thin ice, get off the pond.
Then no one will have to come pull you out when you fall through.
Preached August 26, 2007
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian
Church
Victoria, British Columbia
Resources
consulted:
Beth Moore, When Godly People Do
Ungodly Things: Arming Yourself in the Age of Seduction,
Lifeway Press, 2003.
Return to Main
Sermon Page
Email Harold McNabb