The Prayer of Repentance

2 Chronicles 7:14

Intro: We have looked at humbling ourselves in prayer - Which is our position in prayer. Then we saw the purpose of prayer - To seek the face of God - to know Him completely and to have that intimate relationship with Him.

We first started with the people of prayer and we must reemphasize the point of the people of prayer. Especially looking at this first point

I   We Must Turn

The turning - the repentance. God is speaking to His people - the people that belong to Him. Not the people outside.

US - David understood who had sinned in Psalm 51 “To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David When Nathan the Prophet Went to Him, After He Had Gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. O God...

Turning from our wicked ways - we must admit that we have wicked ways. - Twisted upside down ways of what? All we have to do is think about the very first commandment- have no other gods before me.

Always remembering we must turn to Christ - again seek His face.

Repentance also takes us back to the position of prayer - humility. Remember the two men that that went up to the temple to pray. The publican would not lift his face toward heaven.

Jesus said that man went down to his home justified.

II   He Will Hear

It is only then - remember the “if”

we can say it like this - “If my people will turn from their wicked ways - again there is a condition.

What about Grace - Grace is not license to continue in sin.

“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Listen though to Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

“prayer is not an instrument for permitting sin, but for banishing it from our lives.”

we want God to move in our lives? We want to see our one come to salvation in Christ.?

God wants us to deal with us first - judgement begins in the house of God.

Go back to Davids Prayer in Psalm 51:9-13 “Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”

Then God can begin to work through us.

Then He will heal.

III  He Will Heal Here God says He will heal their Land.

You have to back up to verse 12 -

A pestilence usually always refers to a disease or a calamity, or a drought or famine.

Think about our country - Covid, chain supply, fuel shortage - only 20 days left of diesel fuel.

But that is not our country’s biggest sickness - our biggest sickness is SIN.

SIN not in the world but in the church among us - If My People.

We have to all look at ourselves.

1 Corinthians 11:28-32 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”

If my People …