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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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠

Series Review to date…

Over the last three weeks, we’ve walked together through the process of ‘What Happens in the dark room."

In Episode 1, we saw that God exposes us to His promise in a moment just like film, the image is already there, even if it’s not yet visible.

In Episode 2, we discovered that development happens in the dark, where God shapes, strengthens, and prepares us in hidden seasons.

Then in Episode 3, we were cautioned of the danger of impatience. If we open the door too soon, we can ruin what God is forming, because patience protects the promise.

And now, in Episode 4, we arrive at the moment we’ve all been waiting for, The Reveal. The moment when what God has been forming in secret — finally comes into the light, not just for our blessing, but for His glory.

Bridge…

God never develops us in the dark without intending to reveal us in the light. When His timing is complete, the doors open, the image is revealed, and the promise is fulfilled.

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For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠⁠

Last week in Episode 2, Developed in the Dark we learned that darkroom isn’t punishment — it’s preparation. God uses hidden seasons to shape us, strengthen us, and develop us for what He has already imprinted in our lives. Even when nothing seems to be happening on the surface, God is at work in the shadows. But here’s the challenge: development only works if we let the process finish. If we rush out of the darkroom too soon, we risk ruining the very thing God is forming.

That’s where Episode 3 comes in: We can’t open the door too soon. There is patience in the process — because God’s timing is just as important as God’s promise — and interrupting God’s timing can cause you to lose the promise. And if we can learn not to waste the wait, but to grow, prepare, and trust in the season of delay, then when God finally opens the door, we’ll be ready to step into the fullness of what He has prepared. Don’t waste the wait; there is value in the waiting season.

The Darkroom Door

In film photography, after exposure, the film must stay in the darkroom until the development process is complete. If you open the darkroom door too soon, the light will flood in and ruin the image. All the work, all the time, all the promise, wasted. Spiritually, the same is true. When we rush God’s timing, when we force doors open, when we try to make something happen before God is finished forming it, we risk ruining the very thing He was preparing for us.

_____________________________________________________________

For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠

The darkroom is not just a place of waiting — it’s a place of working. In the darkness, God is developing in us the depth, strength, and character required to handle the light.

In the dark, the image changes from invisible to visible. The conditions you can’t control are the ones God uses most to shape you.

_____________________________________________________________

For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠

Continuing from where we left off last week, in this part 2, Joseph is given favor while in prison, as leader of the prisoners.

[holding in my hand] This strip of film has already been exposed. Light has already touched it. The moment is there — it’s permanent — but invisible. It doesn’t matter how closely you look right now; you won’t see the image. But given time, in the right environment, handled by skilled hands, it will reveal what was always there.

God does this in our lives. He gives a moment of exposure — a vision, a promise, a calling — and then moves us into a darkroom season where it’s remains unseen and yet unfulfilled, but still real.

The dream God gave you is already real, it’s just not visible yet. The dark room seasons are where faith is forged and the image becomes clear.

___________________________________________________________

For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠

[holding in my hand] This strip of film has already been exposed. Light has already touched it. The moment is there — it’s permanent — but invisible. It doesn’t matter how closely you look right now; you won’t see the image. But given time, in the right environment, handled by skilled hands, it will reveal what was always there.

God does this in our lives. He gives a moment of exposure — a vision, a promise, a calling — and then moves us into a darkroom season where it’s remains unseen and yet unfulfilled, but still real.

The dream God gave you is already real, it’s just not visible yet. The dark room seasons are where faith is forged and the image becomes clear.

___________________________________________________________

For more info and updates on Revive Church:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.reviveohio.church/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@revivechurchohio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ReviveChurchOhio/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/revivechurchohio/⁠