Introduction

Spiritual failure is something that all of us experience in our lives. It is the feeling of being stuck in a rut, feeling disconnected from God, or feeling like you have let the Lord down. It can be a difficult and overwhelming experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Through Jesus Christ, we can be restored and experience God again no matter how many times we fail. Jesus came to earth to provide salvation for us and to bring us back into a right relationship with God, not just at the beginning of our relationship with Him, but all throughout our lives. In other words, He promises to restore us daily, especially when we fail. How?

Jesus restores us…

1. By allowing us to experience our need for Him. (John 21:1-5) – Often the Lord will allow us to fail so that we will see our need for Him. Spiritual failure can be a form of consolation once we begin to understand that it is the Lord who is showing us that apart from Him we can do nothing.
2. By enabling us to recognize His presence. (John 21:6-9) – It is the Lord who opens our eyes to the reality of His presence. Often we are focused on our situation or our experiences, especially when we are experiencing spiritual failure. But the Lord in His mercy opens our eyes so that we will look to Him and see Him instead.
3. By inviting us to draw near to Him. (John 21:10-14) – When the Lord opens our eyes, it is a form of an invitation to draw near to Him. When we insist on our ways, we will not experience true restoration. But when we draw near to Him by faith, healing will come.
4. By humbling us to give up our pride. (John 21:15-17) – Pride is the reason why we are tempted to withdraw from Him. We think too much of ourselves. But the Lord knows how to show us our pride so that we will repent from it and be restored.
5. By reminding us to focus on Him alone. (John 21:18-23) – Whenever we experience spiritual failure, we tend to compare ourselves with others. Thus we lose sight of Jesus. So He reminds us to focus on Him alone. That is the key to our full restoration.

Conclusion

1. Central Idea: “Through Jesus, we can be restored even when we fail.”
2. We all experience spiritual failure in our lives. But through faith in Jesus, we can always hope for complete restoration.
3. The next time you experience spiritual failure, look to Jesus to restore you completely by His grace and mercy.

Discussion

1. When have you experienced spiritual failure in your life lately?
2. What have you learned today that encourages you?
3. Now that you know how the Lord Jesus restores us, how do you plan to respond the next time you experience spiritual failure?