Lk. 15:11-31 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, "and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. "So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

2. Restoring the Erring: Lesson 3
Restoring the One that has Gone
Astray!
2Cor 5:18-20 Now all things are of God, who
has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus
Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ
reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing
their trespasses to them, and has committed to
us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God were
pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's
behalf, be reconciled to God.

3. We have indeed already come along
ways in our study together!
•We have seen “the realization” that one
can go astray and “the recognition” that
one has gone astray, so today we want to
look at how we are to help “restore”
them!
•It is clear, in the pages of the Bible that
Jesus came to bring “Restoration” to a
lost and dying world!
•Jesus claim so that He might restore us
back to God again!

4. Today we will be applying what I would
like to call
“The Three Keys of Restoration!”
• Before we begin our points let’s define what
it means to restore and what is restoration!
• Restore = return to a former condition,
place, or owner; repair or renovate; bring
back (Oxford Univ. Dict.)
• Restoration = the action of returning
something to a former condition, place, or
owner (Oxford Univ. Dict.)

5. When we come into this world we
do so in a perfect & upright state!
Eccl. 7:29 Behold, this alone I found, that God
made man upright, but they have sought out
many devices
•As we live our lives we become corrupted
along the way, by sin!
•Rom. 3:12 They have all turned aside; They
have together become unprofitable; There is
none who does good, no, not one."
•Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God,

6. I. The Key of Love!
•I believe these keys are best used in this order!
Everything is nothing without love!
•1 Cor. 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels, but have not love, I have
become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And
though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned, but have
not love, it profits me nothing.

7. We are to preach & teach the truth, but
we must do so “in love!”
Eph 4:15-16 but, speaking the truth in love, may
grow up in all things into Him who is the head--
Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit
together by what every joint supplies, according to
the effective working by which every part does its
share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of
itself in love.
•When we love someone we will do everything
in our power to help them and not hurt them!
(1 Jn. 3:16-18)
•Biblical love is to seek the highest good of
another!

8. II. The Key of Law!
•We need to keep in mind that this next key
is “equally” important! It is not one without
the other, but the combination of them
working together!
•I once was told by an elder that they were
looking for someone to preach the “love of
Christ” and not the “law of Christ” and I
simply asked him this question, “How can we
understand the love of Christ, if we neglect
the law of Christ?”

9. God’s love is seen through His laws!
•It is because of the love of God that He has given
us laws to govern our lives!
•Pr 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the chastening
of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom
the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the
son in whom he delights.
•The law of God is designed to “help us” & not to
“hurt us!”
•A child is given rules/laws by their parents because
they love them & want what is best for them! Laws
are to protect us!

10. God’s love & law can not be separated!
They are not mutually exclusive, they can’t stand
alone!
•Joh 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My
commandments.” Joh 14:21 "He who has My
commandments and keeps them, it is he who
loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by
My Father, and I will love him and manifest
Myself to him." Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and
said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep
My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him.

11. Because we love the ones that have
gone astray, we will taken to God’s law
on their current condition!
Js. 5:19-20; 2 Pet. 2:20-22
•God is a God of justice & that requires
governing laws!
•Now, we are not saved by obeying laws,
but we learn to obey the laws of God
because we are saved! (Rom. 6:14-18)

12. III. The Key of Long-suffering!
•I have found that this last point is often very
difficult to fulfill, if you have people you have
problems!
•The “key” is is for us to see past the problems to
the potential! This is indeed what God does!
•It is one thing to have to suffer, another to
have to do it long and yet we are to learn to do
this willingly!
•2Ti 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season
and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort,
with all longsuffering and teaching.

13. An example of this can be seen in the
show House Hunters: Renovations !
•In this show people are looking to buy their
dream home, but because they can not
afford to go out and buy a new one, they
buy one in that is in desperate need of
repairs!
•They then must but in the needed work to
turn it into their dream home!
•They must learn “to see past the problems
to the potential” in the home!

14. We must learn to work with the
fallen even though it is often difficult
& time consuming!
•It is important that we do not give up on
them!
•“The difference between a winner and a loser
it that a winner is willing to do what a loser will
not even try!”
•When one has turned away from God, this is
really when they need us the most!
•I sure am thankful that God is long- suffering
with us! (2 Pet. 3:9 & 15)

15. Conclusion:
•We have one lesson left in this study and
then it will be up to us to put into practice
what we have learned about restoring the
erring!
•May each of us learn to use these three
keys to help bring others back to God
again!
•If you are here and not yet a Christian,
then today is the day mt friend, tomorrow
maybe too late!