Diane Avenue Church of Christ

Diane Avenue Church of Christ Psalm 71:20Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

BIBLE CLASS Good Morning Last week with talked about a portrait of a man who during the time of Isaiah walked with those who were in sin and committed idolatry, He was disobedient and put the world around him before God. Of course God was really speaking of a nation not just one man, but it was typical of the times during which they were so deceived that they couldn’t see the “ lie in their right hand “.

Divine Restoration Isaiah 44:20 read - 20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Had we read further God again demonstrates his continuing grace and love for his people?

Divine Restoration Isaiah 21-28 - 21Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

Divine Restoration 24Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretched forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; 25That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

Divine Restoration 26That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: 27That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

Divine Restoration 28That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. God will restore or for the purpose of this lesson let’s say renew all those who will ask for forgiveness but more importantly repent.

Divine Restoration As Christians’ we need to understand endurance, we don’t need to be like everyone else. What did Jesus want us to understand about his cross? And why did he "endure the cross, scorning its shame" because of the "joy set before him" (Hebrews 12:2)? It was because Jesus knew that when he would be "lifted up" he would draw all people to himself.

Divine Restoration Hebrews 12:2 reads ; 2 - Looking unto Jesus the (1)author and finisher of our faith; who for the (2) joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Divine Restoration 1. author, finisher – it means beginning and completer of our faith who went ahead of all believers. 2. Joy set before: His glorification at his Fathers' right hand, actively ruling with God as Lord over all. As with Christ the humiliation of our present suffering is outweighed by the prospect of our future glory.

Divine Restoration Solomon 2 Chronicles 7:14

Divine Restoration In 2 Chronicles 1-7 we are shown the development, construction and dedication of the temple built by Solomon to God. Chap. 1 – God’s Wisdom (came with a vision at Gibeon) Chap. 2 – Temple Plans Chap 3. – Temple Built Chap 4. - Temple Furnishings Chap. 5 - The Ark of the Covenant Chap. 6 – Prayer of Dedication 1-42, a prayer for restoration Chap. 7 – The Glory of God; It is here where we see the prerequisites of restoration

Divine Restoration In a series of requests, Solomon petitions the Lord to forgive him and the people of their sins if they are willing to repent and return to faithfully serving Him (2 Chronicles 6:21-31; 2 Chronicles 6:34-39). God basically promises them that He will restore to them (as He did to David) the “joy of thy salvation” (Psalm 51:12). 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (This is said to the prophet Nathan after King David committed adultery with Bathsheba)

Divine Restoration 2 Chronicles 7:11-13 (NIV) The Lord Appears to Solomon 11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,

Divine Restoration 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Divine Restoration Let us look an analyze these prerequisites of restoration in the light of other passages and then make application of them in our lives. 1) Humble Ourselves This is also a prerequisite of Christ (Matthew 18:3-4; Matthew 20:27; Matthew 23:11-12) and of God (James 4:6; cf. Psalm 138:6; Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:6)

Divine Restoration Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV) 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Divine Restoration Matthew 20:27(NIV) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV) 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Divine Restoration On Being Humble The purpose of acquiring this attitude is for: (a) The giving of grace (James 4:6). (b) Us to be exalted “in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). (c) Teaching us God’s “way” that we might go down a “plain path” (Psalm 27:7-11).

Divine Restoration James 4:6(NIV) 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.

Divine Restoration 1 Peter 5:5-6(NKJV) 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud,But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Divine Restoration Prayer

Divine Restoration 2) Pray We should note from scripture the “frequency” of our prayers to God. (a) The Psalmist said that he prayed “Evening, morning, and at noon” (Psalm 55:17).(b) The apostle Paul states that we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).(c) We are to pray “always” making “supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

Divine Restoration Seek his Face

Divine Restoration 3) Seek God’s Face The idea of “seeking God’s face” is: (a) To seek an audience with God (Psalm 20:9).(b) To seek the favor of God (Proverbs 29:26). We are told to “seek God” with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29; cf.2 Chronicles 15:4).

Divine Restoration Turn From Our Wicked Ways

Divine Restoration 4) Turn From Our Wicked Ways (a) It is a requirement of God (Acts 17:30).(b) It is a requirement of Christ (Luke 13:3, 5).(c) It is a requirement of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-31; cf. Psalm 78:32-41; Isaiah 63:10; Acts 7:51).(d) It is a requirement of the apostle of love (1 John 1:9). Turning from his sins was David’s attitude and desire (Psalm 51:1-4, 7-14). We should display the same attitude and desire as well.

Divine Restoration Acts 17:30 (NIV) 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Luke 13:3(NIV) 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 1 John 1:9(NIV) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Divine Restoration When we as God’s children fulfill the four restoration prerequisites enumerated above, then God will (according to 2 Chronicles 7:14): (a) Hear from heaven.(b) Forgive our sins.(c) Heal our land. Our fellowship with God will then be restored! What a marvelous promise from our Heavenly Father even to His children today.

Divine Restoration Asaph Who is Asaph? Remember God’s commands humble, pray, seek his face and turn from your wicked ways.

Divine Restoration Question: How do you view the world around us today? 1. Do you think we live in a very wicked world where it's very easy to become discouraged. If yes why?

Divine Restoration Have you ever been disillusioned with people? Have you ever had life just not work out the way you expected it to? Have you ever wondered why it seems the faithful suffer while the wicked prosper? Have you ever questioned God when it seemed like He wasn't keeping His promises?

Divine Restoration If so, you will want to learn about one of the great men of faith in the Bible who faced all of those tests and asked all those questions. His name was Asaph. Most Christians do not even recognize his name. Even those who do, do not seem to recognize his importance.

Divine Restoration We can choose one of two paths: a. The path of worldly thinking that will ultimately end in despair. b. The path of godly thinking that will allow us to see truth and hope. (Romans 8:6) - 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Divine Restoration Asaph found himself facing this decision in the context of Psalm 73. Who is Asaph? - The Psalms of Asaphare the twelve psalms numbered 50 and 73 – 83 of the Book of Psalms. According to the Chroniclers, the sons of Asaph, Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah, were assigned by David to prophesy "to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals" (1 Chr. 25:1-2). As such, Asaph would be one of David's chief musicians

Divine Restoration Let’s turn our Bible to Psalms 73: Psalm 73:1(NIV) BOOK III Psalm 73 A psalm of Asaph. 1 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Divine Restoration I. The Wickedness of the World (v. 1-12) A. Asaph observes the various sins of the people, 1. Arrogance/Pride (v. 3, 6) 2. Violence (v. 6) 3. Evil thoughts - (v. 7) (Gen. 6:5) 4. Mocking (v. 8) 5. Sins of speech (v. 9, 11) We must guard against these sins.

Divine Restoration B. What troubled Asaph so much was that the wicked still enjoyed so much. 1. God often continues to bless people who are in sin or so it may appear. (Why) 2. Asaph became envious and was tempted to give up his righteousness. (v. 2, 13) We must not simply give up because of the wickedness of the world!

Divine Restoration II. The Reaction of the Righteous (v. 13-17) A. Anger 1. There are two ways we can be angry at the wickedness of the world a. We can be angry because they're prospering and we're not. This is selfish b. We can share God's anger at the fact that they are sinning! (Eph. 4:26)

Divine Restoration Eph. 4:26 - 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, B. Confusion 1. This is a natural reaction from a physical point of view 2. It sometimes appears that doing the right thing is useless/vanity. (Ecc. 2:14-15)

Divine Restoration Ecclesiastes 2:14-15(NIV) 14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness;but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”

Divine Restoration C. Turning to God 1. Thankfully, Asaph turned to the right place in his anger and confusion; he turned to God! 2. Coming into the sanctuary of God will help us put things into the proper perspective, (v. 17) 2. This proved to be a turning point for Asaph, as he saw things in a far different perspective once God was in the picture.

Divine Restoration III. Putting Things into Perspective - Learning to Trust in God (v. 18-28) A. Seeing the disaster of a wicked lifestyle (v. 18-20). 1. The first thing Asaph notes after his realization is the horrible situation that the wicked find themselves in. 2. This also helps him to see the brevity of life (Psalm 39:4-6) 3. Ultimately, the disaster of the wicked comes with the wrath of God! (Romans 1:18)

Divine Restoration B. Seeing ourselves and our emotions properly in this conflict (v. 21-24) 1. Sometimes we may seem senseless before God when we think from a worldly perspective, (v. 22) 2. But God is still with us, even in the midst of our anger and confession (v.23) 3. If we trust in Him, God will guide us through these times, ultimately to a safe and glorious end in heaven! (v. 24)

Divine Restoration C. Seeing the infinite goodness and love of God! (v. 25-28) 1. When we see the world as it truly is, our desire will be for God, and Him only! (v. 25) 2. When we trust in God, He will be our strength even when our earthly strength may depart. (v. 26) 3. We must learn to see things from the proper perspective and make God our refuge.

Divine Restoration Conclusion: How do we view the world around us? 1. In spite of the wicked world we live in, God is still in control. 2. God wants us to seek Him and find him in the darkness of the world. (Acts 17:26-27) 3. Are you ready to face reality with the proper perspective?

Divine Restoration Acts 17:26-27 (NIV) 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Diane Avenue Church of Christ