How Restauration Happens | Pastor Raph | Jan. 05, 2025

How does restitution happen

Zechariah 9:11-12 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Have you ever felt the pain of realizing that your time, energy, or resources have been wasted? It’s frustrating, Especially when you’ve invested so much of yourself—whether in a business venture, a relationship, or a personal goal—only to see it unravel or fall short of expectations.

It’s like pouring countless hours, resources, and effort into something only to face disappointment. The sting is even sharper in relationships, where trust, care, and emotions are poured out, only to be met with betrayal or unmet hopes.Adding to this weight is the bitterness of deceit—when manipulation or false promises rob you of not just material things but also your trust, confidence, and sense of judgment.

Sometimes, it’s not even outright deceit but a lapse in attention that leaves you feeling taken advantage of.

Today is a day of hope: financial losses can be met with divine restoration, ministry setbacks can lead to multiplication, and stolen time can be redeemed by the Lord, who promises to restore the years consumed by the enemy.

From the waterless pit to rivers in the desert.

What do you see in your future, O prisoner of hope? Have positive expectations in your heart. The Lord is doing something new among us—something new is coming to light!

Zac 9:11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

The Lord "will set you free from the waterless pit.” and He will"make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

What do you see in your future? I see double restoration, victory, success, and prosperity.

The context of Zachariah 9 calls for the messianic kingdom.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

This passage is quoted by the apostles Matthew 21:4-5 and John 12:14-15, making Zachariah 9 very applicable to us in the New Covenant dispensation.

So, you must understand that some Old Testament passages carry unique applications for us. On the time when they were utter, they were a prophecy for our time.

For example, the passage from the Book of Joel that Peter references in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:16–21).

(Joel 2:28–29) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

Therefore, since the time of the apostles, this prophecy most be a reality for God’s people. You must have the outpouring of the Spirit of God in your life. You should have the prophetic anticipation for God’s move. You should dream and have a vision.

Remember, dreams speak of God’s inspiring limitless possibilities. Vision is how that dream will come to pass. And is all given by God.

The promise of Double Restoration.

Zechariah 9:11-12 11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

13 For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow…

The people of Israel endured captivity for over 70 years. Now, they were returning to Jerusalem, to Zion. Many felt that a significant part of their lives had been wasted. Judah and the Israelites felt as were being pulled back. This may resonate with you.

Many have felt pulled back. But the Lord will catapult you to new heights because of His covenant, His blood because of Jesus.

How does restoration happen

A restoring prayer.

Job’s story illustrates God’s restorative power. First, let’s recall his story.

Job is a faithful man who suffers immense loss and trials yet remains steadfast in his devotion to God. Despite losing his wealth, children, and health due to Satan’s challenge to his integrity, Job refuses to curse God. He wrestles with profound questions about suffering and justice.

God speaks to Job and answers Job with questions. In the en His sovereignty and wisdom,.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4)

After listening from God, Job answers:

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” (Job 42:5)

 Job faced unhelpful counsel from friends and judgment from the ones that should help and comfort him.

 And God restores Job’s fortunes, granting him greater blessings than before. And here is a spiritual key for restitution.

Job 42:10 And the LORD restored Job's fortunes when he prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 

He received double blessings after knowing God’s goodness above His preconceptions. He knew the Lord only by hearsay; in other words, his knowledge of God was second-hand. 

Job thought God was his problem, but the truth is that the Lord is our answer.

Job also forgave those who accused him unjustly. As he prayed for his friends, he yielded to restoration. 

When we forgive, we let go of resentment and trust God’s grace, not our sense of justice. We say, “Lord, I trust You to handle this. I know You are my restorer.”

That is the only way we can live the principles of the new life in Christ—selfless, altruistic, self-sacrificing.

Romans 12:14-21 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We can overcome evil with good when we decide to keep serving, loving, honoring, and respecting. The other part will eventually yield or will distance.

Sinner Was Restored

Peter sinned against the Lord! He denied knowing Jesus, even cursing in front of a servant girl.

(Matthew 26:74). “Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’ And immediately the rooster crowed.”

Peter was motivated by fear and self-preservation in the heat of the moment, but still, he denied Jesus. Judas was motivated by greed, possibly combined with a misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission or personal disillusionment, which led him to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and he also denied Jesus.

Yet Peter was forgiven and restored!

Judas: Resolved the matter to himself.

Matthew 27:3-5 3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.

Peter:

Luke 22:61-62 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Peter cried, powerless and vulnerable.

(James 4:6) “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

(Romans 5:20) “[…] but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

In fact, among all the disciples, when Jesus rose from the dead, He left a very particular message through the angels.

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:7). 

“And Peter”—his name was explicitly mentioned.

The restoration of Peter is all God’s grace, forgiveness, and ability to restitute even the deepest failures.

The other disciples would have loved to hear their names mentioned, but the one who sinned the most was the one specifically called out.

Two weeks after Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were by the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus prepared breakfast for them. Among all the disciples present (now eleven) was Peter.

Peter’s restoration is made evident.

John 21:15-17 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Jesus has a deeply personal conversation with him. “Do you love me?”—a three-times question corresponding to Peter’s three denials.

That not only reinstates Peter as a leader among the disciples but also publicly reaffirms his calling to shepherd and care for God’s people.

The one who had disappointed Him the most was given leadership, entrusted with the role of a shepherd, and assigned the greatest responsibility—more than those who had not failed as Peter had.

The restoration demonstrates that Jesus does not abandon us even when we fail. Instead, He offers grace, renews our purpose, and restores our relationship with Him.

Right there, in the very area where sin was present, grace overflowed

On the day of Pentecost, Peter was who stood up to preach and three thousand got saved. 

(Acts 2:41). “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

For each yes of repentance, he received one thousand yes of repented souls. I called this restitution.

Battle for your restoration

Family life is more like a battlefield than an amusement park. Evil orchestrates attacks on the family, launching deadly torpedoes. The hardest battles we fight take place within the family. We need to adopt a spiritual warfare mindset to preserve our relationships. Often, we look for formulas or something that will magically transform our marriage.

1 Samuel 30:1-6 1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

1 Samuel 30:7-8 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

1 Samuel 30:18-20 8 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

Position yourself so the enemy cannot steal God’s dream for you—the dream of a happy marriage. The Bible shows that the devil is a thief and a robber, and he rose up to steal from David’s family and the families of the men who were with him. The same is true today, as the enemy continues to rise up to steal from our families.

Some men withdraw, like snails, hiding themeselves. In these days, that captivity will be broken in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will experience the freedom God works in your heart.

Your life and marriage can be different, and the story can have a happy ending! Often, women expect romantic gestures from their husbands but don’t always act that way themselves.

a. Money.

The greatest crises often start because of money, and our biggest battles are tied to it. We often buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even know, and as a result, the enemy finds a way to creep in and create conflicts in the marriage.

b. Kids

The enemy seeks to take our children captive under spiritual chains and to do this; he sends certain friends or schoolmates to introduce environments, activities, websites, or other traps that can lead our children into bondage.

c. Health

Illnesses can destabilize relationships, and the devil also targets our bodies with his attacks. The enemy’s goal is to cause distance and crisis, but we achieve victory when we take a stand against this in the name of Jesus.

The men wanted to stone David, showing that relationships had been affected. The devil always seeks to destroy our relationships.

Everything that is precious needs to be protected, and there is nothing more precious than your marriage. Our children are entrusted to us only for a season; one day, they will leave. If we don’t invest in our marriage, nurturing something meant to last a lifetime, what will happen when our children are gone?

Some people say they don’t understand why they are being attacked, claiming there are no open doors. As if the devil only attacks those with weaknesses! The devil attacked Jesus Himself, and He had no open doors whatsoever.

Prayer restores

In a moment of conflict, go to your room and spend 20 minutes resisting the devil, commanding him to leave your home in Jesus' name. Then, step out and see what has happened. 

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

The atmosphere in your home will change because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.

Those men murmured, blaming their leader instead of taking action. Similarly, in the church, some blame leadership or God’s work for attacks on their families. But the work of God isn’t to blame—the devil is. Don’t fight people; direct your battle against the enemy.

Have a holy discontent, a righteous indignation. Refuse to tolerate anything in your life that is not God’s will. If you are willing, your story can be completely different. Allow the Lord to enter your marriage in a way He never has before.

Some cry out of anger, others because they feel hurt and see themselves as the greatest sufferers in the world, but this kind of crying does not move heaven. Cry before God with a heart seeking change, and He will transform your story. David and his men wept until they had no strength left.

Renew your strength in God. If you want to restore your home, follow David’s example—though the situation was dire, he found strength in the Lord.

Share your story with God. You can ask Him to change your spouse or transform you. Be renewed in God, and let faith in something greater spring up in your heart.

Don’t leave anything with the devil. When the people of Israel were about to leave Egypt, Pharaoh tried to negotiate with Moses. But Moses was firm:.

(Exodus 10:26) “Not a hoof shall be left behind.”

What God has given, the devil will not take. How long since you took a stand like this?