What happens when repair isn’t enough…

Have you ever tried to fix something that simply couldn’t be fixed? You tinker with it, polish it, patch it up — but deep down you know it needs to be replaced, not repaired.

Something so broken that no amount of duct tape, glue, or patchwork could bring it back. Maybe an old phone that just refused to hold a charge, no matter how many times you tried a new charger. Or maybe a car with a critical part that tanked — and no mechanic could repair it; it simply had to be replaced.

That’s exactly how the Bible describes the human heart apart from God. It’s not wounded but hardened, not sick but dead. It’s not just damaged. It’s not just weak. It’s stone. Cold, unresponsive, lifeless.

And here’s the truth: God doesn’t patch stone. He doesn’t weld it back together. He doesn’t apply a bandage. He replaces it with something living, something tender, pliable and new.

We do live in a broken world. People are hurting. And we need Jesus and a genuine understanding that He loves us deeply. We really are who God says we are. And even if you are struggling to believe it, He loves you. We belong to Him. He died for us. And His will is that no one should perish. He desires to establish His identity in you. You are part of His plan, no matter where you came from or what you’ve done. He desires you to be included in the New Testament story of the church of Jesus Christ! And that is why He has called us to restoration — because the heart of Jesus is not to discard what is torn. His heart is to restore.

This is more than a sermon series. It’s an invitation. An invitation to let God mend what is broken, heal what has been hurt, and restore what has been lost. Join us for the next 4 weeks in ‘A Call to Restoration.’

And that starts with a Net with a Hole in it. That’s where the word for restoration appears in the Word of God. Picture with me if you will, James and John on the shore in Matthew 4:21. The text says they were mending their nets. The word “mend” is the Greek word katartízō [kah-tar-TID-zo] — the very same word Paul uses in Galatians 6:1 when he says, “Restore that person gently.”

Def. ‘Katartízō’:

• To repair what is broken.

• To set right what is out of joint.

• To make useful again that which was torn apart.

We do live in a broken world. People are hurting. And we need Jesus and a genuine understanding that He loves us deeply. We really are who God says we are. And even if you are struggling to believe it, He loves you. We belong to Him. He died for us. And His will is that no one should perish. He desires to establish His identity in you. You are part of His plan, no matter where you came from or what you’ve done. He desires you to be included in the New Testament story of the church of Jesus Christ! And that is why He has called us to restoration — because the heart of Jesus is not to discard what is torn. His heart is to restore.

This is more than a sermon series. It’s an invitation. An invitation to let God mend what is broken, heal what has been hurt, and restore what has been lost. Join us for the next 4 weeks in ‘A Call to Restoration.’

And that starts with a Net with a Hole in it. That’s where the word for restoration appears in the Word of God. Picture with me if you will, James and John on the shore in Matthew 4:21. The text says they were mending their nets.

The word “mend” is the Greek word katartízō [kah-tar-TID-zo] — the very same word Paul uses in Galatians 6:1 when he says, “Restore that person gently.”

Def. ‘Katartízō’:

• To repair what is broken.

• To set right what is out of joint.

• To make useful again that which was torn apart.

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