Restore week 5

“Receiving Restoration”

Opening . . .

One of the key aspects to receiving the restoration of God is to give ourselves permission to do so.

This may sound funny at first, but there are some who miss receiving the restoration of the Father due to the fact that they do not believe they deserve restoration.

This belief often comes from a misunderstanding as to God’s grace and forgiveness.

In order to “feel” forgiven, the individual chooses to enact lasting punishment on themselves.

We cannot receive the Father’s restoration of lost years if or when we are continuing to beat ourselves up over past mistakes and failures.

As a result of prolonged unforgiveness, the individual begins to live in a constant state of guilt and shame.

If held in place long enough, the individual can develop an identity of shame where all of life centers around their belief that they are unworthy of God’s blessing in restoring lost years.

In addition to the person’s self-inflicted shame, there is often support from relationships around them.

They are convinced through their own inner voice and the voices of others that they are undeserving of God’s restoration and choose to remain in the place of loss and devastation.

This belief is actually a form of spiritual pride.

To believe that I can self-punish into forgiveness diminishes the accomplished work of Christ on the cross.

He alone has purchased our forgiveness and as such, we must bring ourselves to the grace of Christ on our behalf.

I truly believe that many who have rejected the sacrifice of Christ have done so because of an inability to receive the grace of God on their behalf.

[Jhn 8:2-11 ESV] 2 “Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.

5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.

9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

Comments . . .

We find ourselves with an empty street containing only Jesus and the woman at which point Jesus asks her a question: “where are your accusers?”

The woman acknowledges that all have left and no one remains in accusation.

Jesus states; “neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

We see clearly that the accusers are gone and that Jesus Himself didn’t condemn the woman, but a question that was not asked the woman was “can you forgive yourself?”

Grace extended must become grace received.

Moving from Shame to Restoration

Restoration begins the moment we stop defining ourselves by our failures and start seeing ourselves through the lens of Christ’s sacrifice.

Often, shame holds us captive because it distorts our view of who we are, convincing us that our past mistakes and sins define our worth.

But in Christ, this is not the case. The woman caught in adultery, as we saw in John 8, is a perfect example of this transformative shift from shame to restoration.

1. Defining Ourselves by Christ’s Sacrifice

When Jesus encountered the woman, He didn’t deny the reality of her sin, but He also didn’t let it define her.

Instead, He extended grace and gave her a new identity—not as an adulterer, but as a forgiven child of God. The same is true for us.

Our Identity in Christ:

We must learn to see ourselves through the lens of Christ’s finished work on the cross. Jesus’ sacrifice means that our sins—past, present, and future—have been paid for in full.

When we focus on His sacrifice rather than our failures, we begin to experience the freedom of restoration.

Letting Go of Shame:

To see ourselves as undeserving of God’s grace empowers the shame.

Shame tries to tell us that we are beyond redemption, that we are unworthy of restoration.

But the cross tells a different story.

It tells us that Jesus took our shame upon Himself so that we wouldn’t have to carry it anymore.

When we let go of the identity of shame and embrace the identity of Christ, we begin to walk in the restoration He offers.

2. The Command to "Go and Sin No More"

After extending grace to the woman, Jesus tells her to “go and sin no more.”

This command wasn’t just about changing her behavior; it was about changing her mindset.

She was no longer to be defined by her sin but was called to live in the newness of life that Christ offered.

Leaving the Past Behind:

True restoration requires us to leave the past behind.

Jesus’ instruction to the woman to "go and sin no more" was an invitation to start fresh.

He didn’t leave her condemned or trapped by her past mistakes.

In the same way, when God restores us, He calls us to walk away from the patterns of sin and guilt that kept us bound.

Walking in the Newness of Life:

Restoration is not just about being forgiven for the past; it’s about stepping into a new future.

Paul echoes this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

We are not just forgiven sinners; we are new creations in Christ, restored to walk in the fullness of life that God intended for us.

3. Restoration is a Process

Restoration is not a one-time event but a journey of continually embracing the grace of God.

Every day, we are faced with the temptation to slip back into shame and self-condemnation.

However, restoration means continually reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ and walking in that truth.

Restoring Our Minds:

Romans 12:2 reminds us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Meditating on God’s Word . . .

[Jos 1:8 ESV] 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Meditation from a New Age perspective is to empty one’s mind.

Meditation from a Biblical perspective is to fill one’s mind.

Conclusion:

Grace extended must become grace received.