This is a revelation that came to me today like a soft rain. It brought with it a clarity concerning the restoration promises given to us throughout the Bible, especially through the prophets. These are the specific promises for our restoration that were fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus for all.
Let’s look at a few verses found in Jeremiah, chapters 30 through 33, where there were many promises of restoration made to the house of Israel. These verses have been with me for about ten years, and it’s just now that their significance has become foundational and life changing. Here are a few of these verses.
“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
Jeremiah 30:8 NIV
But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
Jeremiah 30:17-18 NIV
Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 32:43-44 NIV
“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’ Jeremiah 33:6-9 NIV
the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;
his love endures forever.”
For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.
Jeremiah 33:11 NIV
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. Jeremiah 33:14 NIV
In these verses we see restoration in the form of forgiveness, health and prosperity of the people and their land. What I see clearly from this revelation is that these promises are not still in waiting. They are completely fulfilled. Sadly many Christians read these promises thinking that they are in some distant place far away, and that they are still in need of being acquired. This is not true. These promises have already been acquired and given to us through Jesus. He was the One that brought all these promises into fulfillment, and more than that, He has given all these good things to us as an inheritance. It might be better to say that Jesus is The Promise of Restoration, the fulfillment of all that we see in these verses above.
With all these amazing promises already fulfilled, I see that many Christians, through their mannerisms and things they say, are still viewing these promises as something they need to beg and plead for. They believe in their hearts that God’s Word is far away and difficult to receive. This could not be further from the truth. In Ephesians Paul shows us that we have already been given every spiritual blessing through the finished work of Christ Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ: Ephesians 1:3 KJV
See also verse 6,
To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.
The promises of restoration are part of these spiritual blessings in Christ. We see also in this verse that we are accepted in the beloved, Jesus, as sons. The difference now is that instead of working, asking and begging for all that God has promised, we instead ask and receive them because it is an inheritance; an inheritance that is already ours as sons.
We Are His Children
We are His sons, His daughters, we are His children, as the Apostle John shows us in this verse.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! … 1 John 3:1 NIV
The KJV version uses the word, “sons.” Either way, children, sons, daughters, we are His. By God’s great love He fulfilled the promise of restoration through salvation in Jesus. This is a great salvation with a Godly inheritance, a whole restorative package. Our promises for restoration are not something we need to cherry pick one by one in the hope that someday in the distant future we might acquire them if we are lucky. They are already ours, in full!
Jesus was always the promise, all through the Old Testament, and all the benefits of abundant life are part of His salvation plan for you. Nothing promised is excluded; nothing is elusive, it’s all free for you to have, because it is your inheritance.
Have you been robbed?
The bible tells us that we live in a world where our enemy does three things constantly. The enemy came to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came to give life, and that more abundantly.
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. John 10:10 KJV
As you can see one of the three things the thief does is steal; to steal something good from you. All three things are important to understand, but we are going to focus only on stealing right now. The reason is that we have all been stolen from by the enemy throughout our lives, especially before we came to know the Lord as our personal savior. But I also see that many Christians live a life in which they are being stolen from all too much. And worse, we have created doctrines to excuse the robbery we experience because we don’t realize what a great salvation and inheritance we have.
Look again at all the amazing promises we read in Jeremiah. Read them again, and again. What does the word restoration mean to you, what would be restored to you if you make this personal? What does your life restored look like for you? Maybe you are not even sure how to answer that. This is okay, because in time as you seek God He will give you a picture of your life restored, and that vision will make you filled with joy and strength.
Know also that God knew before hand that our enemy would be busy stealing all manner of good things from us. Our health, our finances, our joy, our peace, our revelation of our Father’s love for us, are all targets he tries to steal. As New Testament believers we are walking unnecessarily in defeat, thinking that these promises, these victories, are for someone else, or a people of a different time, but they were specifically for our time. Jesus was, and always will be, the way God fulfilled His promises.
What I am saying here is that the minute you received Jesus as your personal savior, you will also, by default, receive a Godly inheritance. This inheritance includes all the restoration you see in the verses and more. This is just the tip of the iceberg here, and something you should pursue. There are many promises that you have inherited.
God will not lie, He will not take back His Word. His promises and many more are repeated time and time again throughout His Word, and they were all to be accomplished by His Son Jesus.
Here is another verse that shows His promises will never fail.
“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’” Jeremiah 33:24-26 NIV
This is a very compelling statement by our Father God! He is saying that if the covenant He has made with the day and night, and the laws of heaven and earth had not been established, then He would not keep His covenant with the descendants Jacob and David. But the covenant of day and night, and laws of heaven and earth, have been established. We see the sun rise every morning by the promise and covenant of God. Likewise His promise of restoring all that was stolen from us, has now already been kept. It is not waiting any more, it is fulfilled through Jesus.
Has your health been robed from you? Has your sense of sonship with God been taken from you? Has your work, business, or overall wellbeing been stolen from you? Are you threatened by some major loss? If so, look again at what we are saying here. These promises and blessings of restoration are yours already because our Father God has, by His grace, given them to you through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” that was the moment all the promises written in these verses were fulfilled.
What do I do?
You take your new and rightful position in Christ as a son, or daughter, and know that these promises, and even more, are already yours. You are seated with Christ in heavenly places, this is your position as a son. Your restoration is no less an inherited promise then the air you breath, or the sun that rises and sets each day. Do you ask for the air that you breath every day? Do you ask for the sun to rise each morning? No! You do not need to bend God’s arm to partake of the promises He freely offers. Remember also that the New Covenant, in which we now live, is given by promise, not earned by your hard works.
As New Testament believers we need to know that restoration, health, and more have already been given. You receive them as an adopted son. When you see this, and when you understand this in your heart, you will, by your very New Nature, have them as a vibrant part of your new life. What is not clear to many Christians is that they have access to all their “spiritual blessings in heavenly places” right now, without pleading for them; they are there to partake of freely. You inherited them through Jesus; you are now a son!
If you believe this in your heart, your life will change forever, and you will not be easily robed from again, because you will not tolerate it. You will know your position as a son of God, and you will have the authority to say otherwise when your enemy comes to rob, kill and destroy.
Your fortunes, your life, your health, your wellbeing, your prosperity, will be restored when you see that God the Father, through His Son Jesus, has already restored your life in full. Your job is to believe it. You need to see the promises of God’s Word, and take God’s Word into your heart, believing Him, and you will start to see this restoration manifest quickly in many areas, and gradually in some others depending on what was lost, and what needs to be restored. Maybe you’ll find that God has brand new blessings to give you, a whole new picture. It’s very exciting!
The fullness of time
At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.
Zephaniah 3:19-20
Notice that the verse above from Zephaniah says, “At that time.” Well, that time was the “fullness of time” spoken of in Galatians 4:4, and that was the time of Jesus.
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:4-7 NSAB
Jesus is the fulfillment of restoration for all, and that promise is complete, not in waiting. You have inherited all that God has for you. You are a son, and therefore an heir, not a slave. You are a son with access to all the restoration you could possibly imagine. If you could just grab that idea and let it live in you and grow in you, you would flourish like a tree by living waters, bearing the fruit of sonship. You will discover that your Father in heaven loves you without end.
Please let these words sink into the good ground of your heart, so you can “walk in them.” Paul tells us to, “Walk in the Spirit.” Many Christians are mystified as to what that even means. One simple way to start understanding walking in the Spirit, is seeing what Jesus said.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 NKJV
Jesus is saying that His Word is spirit. His very words, promises, truths, are spirit. So if you walk in His Word, you are walking in the Spirit. Simple I know, but it’s a good place to start.
Knowing these things brothers and sisters, seek out God’s Word, and His promises, and start “walking in them,” believing them, and you will begin seeing many great changes of restoration in and through your life.
Written by John Strazza
Senior Pastor
Strazza Ministries
