I. We must understand that everything

belongs to God.

A. Haggai 2:8  "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts."

B. Proverbs 13:22  "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just."

C. Malachi 4:2 "But unto you that fear may name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

D. Ephesians 1:3  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly place in Christ."

E. Deuteronomy 8:18 "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."

 

A. John 10:10  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:"

B. Malachi 3:11 ... Calls the Devil the "DEVOURER".

C.  Revelation 9:11 ... Calls him Applyon which means "the destroyer".

D. *** We have a very real enemy and he has come to steal, kill, destroy, and to devour what God has given us.  [NOTE]  We may have opened the door to Satan or God may be using Satan to purify our faith ... but this is not the point of the message today.

E. The truth is that Satan has destroyed.... He has stolen our finances.  He has taken away our families.  He has destoryed our homes.  He has killed our hope and faith in God.  He has taken away our dreams.  He has thrown cold water upon our zeal to serve God.  He has destroyed our health.  He has stolen our joy.  He has destroyed our honor.  He has taken away our freedoms.  He has stolen our peace.

******  The devil is come to steal, kill, and destroy.... to devour.

John 10:10  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

A. The principal of restoration is in the law of God.

1. Leviticus 6:4-5 "Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found,  Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering."

2. Exodus 22:4 "If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double."

3. II Samuel 12:6  "And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."

4. Luke 19:8 "And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold."

5. Proverbs 6:31 "But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

B. David understood the principle of restoration.

II Samuel 9:7  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

C. Jeroboam, who had put his hand out against the prophet of God, understood the principle of restoration....

I Kings 13:6  "And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before."

A. God brought restoration in the life of Joseph.

1. God gave him a vision.
2. He boasted of the vision.
3. He was thrown into the pit.
4. He was cast into the dungeon of the prison.
5. Then he was raised to the palace.

B. God brought restoration to the life of Moses.

1. Moses was groomed to be a leader -- in line to be the pharaoh.
2. God gave him a vision of being a deliver of his people.
3. He became a shepherd.
4. He was restored to position of leadership.

C. God, the Father, restored life of Jesus.

1. He was born to be king of kings.
2. He was born in poverty.
3. He was oppressed.
4. He was accused and sentenced to be crucified.
5. Died, was buried, but raised to be King of kings.

D. God brought restoration in the lives of the Israelites.

1. Exodus 3:22  "But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians."

2. Exodus 11:2-3 "Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people."

3. Exodus 12:36  "And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians."

4. Psalms 105:37  "He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes."

E. God brought restoration to the people in Samaria. When the king of Israel disobeyed God, God stirred the heart of the enemy, Syria to come up against Samaria.  The devil brought the country into a great famine and people were starving.

1. II Kings 6:25 "And there was a great famine in Samaria: and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore piece of silver, the forth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. " ... and it got worse...

2. II Kings 6:29  "So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son."

3. II Kings 7:1, 8  "Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. ... And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it."

4. II Kings 7:16 "And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD."

5. Explanation: God restored what the enemy had stolen through some poor lepers who stepped out in faith.

F.  Elisha was staying with a widow woman and her son and the son died.  The woman appealed to the man of God.  Elisha prayed (II Kings 4:33) and laid upon the child and the life returned to him.  II Kings 8:5  "And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life."

G.  Job lost his possession, his family, and his health to the devil, but God restored 2X as much to him.

Job 42:10 "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."

Job 42:12 "So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than this beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and thousand she asses."

A. Matthew 17:11  "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things." (Jesus spoke of restoration.)

B. Matthew 12:13   "Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other."

C. Mark 8:25 "After he put his hands again upon his eyes, and make him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly."

D. Acts 10:38  "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."  (JESUS IS OUR MEANS OF RESTORATION).

A. Of wealth and prosperity...

1. Joel 2:21  "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things."

2. Joel 2:25 "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you."

3. Joel 2:26  "And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed."

B. Of our souls:  the mind, will, emotions.

Psalms 23:3  "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

C. Of our health:

Jeremiah 30:17  "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after."

D. Of our freedom:

1. Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

2. Deuteronomy 30:3  "That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee."

3.  John 8:36  "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

E. Of a right spirit in us.

1. Psalms 51:8, 10  "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

2. Ezekiel 36:26-27  "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.   And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

F. Of the joy of our salvation:

Psalms 51:12-13   "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  Then will I teach transgressors thy way; and sinner shall be converted unto thee."