Hope for Home Improvement

Many years ago, my wife, Luella’s, parents were looking at houses to buy. My father-in-law had a list of addresses he wanted to check out, and he invited me to tag along.

I glanced at one of the locations and thought, Why would you ever think about owning a house here? But I kept my opinion to myself and joined him for the tour.

When we pulled up, the front yard was a disaster. Shockingly, the inside of the house actually made the outside of the house appear decent.

What shocked me more was my father-in-law’s initial reaction: “Well, this looks promising!” he said cheerfully. I checked the calendar to ensure that it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. It wasn’t. Surely this man was pulling a prank on me. But he wasn’t.

I thought he was delusional, but he was genuinely optimistic. Within a few days, he had secured the money to buy the house, and not long afterward, began a total restoration. It took time, but he did it. I’ll never forget returning after the restoration was complete. It was an entirely different house!

RESTORATION

Today is the last in a four-part series: Creation. Slavery. Redemption. Restoration. These four themes link the narrative of Scripture together, and you should look for them whenever you read the Bible.

After God created this beautiful world, sin entered the world, enslaving humanity and ravaging the original house. But God didn’t give up on his creation. Because he loves us and hates sin, he sent his Son to redeem us and defeat sin.

One of the most precious results of the Creator’s hatred of sin is not just redemption, but the promise of the final restoration. All things will be made new, our place in the new heavens and earth will be permanently secure, and righteousness will dwell forever.

There are implications today that result from the promise of the restoration that is to come: Hatred, Honesty, Hope, and Hard Work.

First, since there is sweet comfort and eternal security in knowing that God hates sin, we should hate sin today, too. “O you who love the Lord, hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9).

God’s hatred of sin is complete and unrelenting. He will not be satisfied until it is finally and completely eradicated in every way and in every place, along with all its corollary damage. That should be true of us as well, starting with our own sinful, idolatrous hearts.

Second, the Bible is brutally honest about the restoration process: it won’t be pleasant! The world and the redeemed children of God are groaning like in the pain of childbirth (Romans 8:22-23). We need to recognize how bad things really are, and how much worse they might get.

Have you ever tried to eat or talk on a construction site? The dust and dirt and the noise and chaos can make it worse than if you were just sitting in silence in a disheveled building.

Third, though we live with uncompromising honesty, we simultaneously embrace the gospel promise of restoration with undiminished hope. Romans 8 says, “in hope that creation will be set free […] For in this hope we were saved […] If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (vv. 20-25).

And lastly, as we live with hearts of patience and eyes of promise, God calls us away from self-focused protection and to the hard work of restoration. God is not satisfied with the state of this house, and he calls us to share in his holy dissatisfaction.

God did not leave us in this world to merely wait and survive, but to actively thrive as hard-working restorers. His plan is to pick us up in his hands and use us as the hammers, saws, and screwdrivers of a brand-new world.

Someday you will live forever in a fully restored house. Until then, you are called to live righteously, honestly, hopefully, and actively. Because of what he has done, what he is doing, and what he has promised, there truly is potential for home improvement, right here, right now.

A Prayer for Today: Lord, I recognize that I desperately need you. I’m in need of restoration and repair in so many ways, but you are the only One who can truly bring healing to my life. Spirit of God, would you do the hard and important work of transforming my life more and more into the image of Jesus and would you reveal the blind spots of my heart that I’m currently ignoring? I know it will be hard work, but with you all things are possible. Thank you for your grace and commitment to my transformation. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

God bless,

Paul Tripp

Discussion Prompt for Children

• Why do broken things need to be fixed? What kinds of problems and broken things in our lives need to be fixed?

• How does God want to be involved in restoring the broken things in our lives? Do you think it’ll be easy or hard to see those broken things change? How can we help each other fix those problems and broken things?

Reflection Questions

1. In what ways does your own heart reflect God’s heart in its hatred of sin? Does that hatred of external sin you see in the world and others match the hatred you have of your own sin? If not, why not?

2. How have you witnessed the restoration process in your life mirror the chaos of a construction site? How has that discouraged you? How has it given you hope? Have you been naive to the idea that restoration isn’t usually pleasant?

3. Where have you been more concerned about self-focused protection instead of the hard work of restoration? Where is God calling you to a holy dissatisfaction with the parts of your life that need work? What steps have you taken and will you take to see that restoration happen as you rely on the Spirit’s power to transform you?

4. As you think about the life you’ll live in a fully restored house for eternity, how does that usher hope into the seemingly hopeless circumstances you’re going through right now?