Humility, Prayer, Seeking & Turning
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Good morning!
This past week there has been an event on the national stage that happened that I just couldn’t pass up for sermon purposes.
For those who are football fans, you may have been watching on Monday night when a play suffered a shocking and near fatal injury.
I say injury, but it actually was a heart problem.
It has been said that a helmet or a shoulder of another player hit the chest of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin at precisely the right moment that it caused him to have a heart attack more or less.
So he got up from making the tackle, and a couple of seconds later, he passed out and fell to the ground.
They had to perform CPR on him for an extended period of time, and then rushed him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Now, there’s actually some intense debate about exactly what caused the heart problem that led to Damar’s condition.
That has NOTHING to do with what we’re going to talk about this morning, so if that’s where you thought we were headed, clear your mind because …
What we’re actually going to talk about this morning REACTION of the players, the coaches, and the nation after this tragic and scary event.
Namely, we’re talking about a major national REMINDER of the importance of PRAYER.
I find it interesting that in a culture and society that has to a large extent (as proven by its actions) FORGOTTEN God, all of the sudden when something like this happens, we see a lot of people running back TO God!
And look, before we’re too hard on people about that — “Oh, NOW you decide to run back to God in prayer” — Need I not remind us all that we have probably ALL done the same thing at one time or another!
Some tragedy strikes, something bad happens in our lives, and what do we do?
Oftentimes, we straighten up and we turn back to God, where we should have been all along!
Sometimes it takes a “WAKE UP CALL” in order to remind people that they need God!
Anyways, after this event took place, I want to sow you some pictures of some things that happened:
(Show picture of the players praying on the field).
(Show picture of the lights lit up blue to remind people to pray for him).
(Show picture of ESPN anchor praying on live TV).
I really appreciate the humility, and again, the turning to God in the moment.
Now, let me speak to the other side of this for a moment:
I like something that Brad Harrub pointed out a few days ago, and that is that he pointed out from the book of James that “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
He rightly pointed out some of the hypocrisy of the media (Think about it — On the one hand, you have the players, the coaches, the NFL leaders itself emphasizing the need for prayer …)
But then on the other hand, just a few years back you had the same organization REPUDIATING (disassociating from and ridiculing) prayer when it came to Tim Tebow!
So that is definitely a good point and a powerful reminder that we should not ON THE ONE HAND praise God and on the other hand REPUDIATE Him by the way we live, act and speak!
That’s why I really like that Brad Harrub brought in James 4:8-10:
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
That’s very similar language to what we are going to look at this morning, and that is 2 Chronicles chapter 7!
The most famous verse being verse 14 - “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
So let’s talk about that this morning because that is certainly relevant to today, and the events of this past week are a good reminder of that.
Let’s begin this morning with a study of the ...
Background of 2 Chr. 7:
Background of 2 Chr. 7:
We need to look at the context of this first, so it will enhance our understanding of what we’re going to read today.
To do this, I’m going to give you the headings listed in my Bible in the chapters leading up to chapter 7.
These are summaries, if you will, of the chapters leading up.
Chapter 1 vs. 1-12 - Solomon Requests Wisdom (and receives not only that, but riches, wealth and honor as well.
Chapter 1 vs. 13-17 - Solomon’s Military & Economic Power (so much so, that is says Solomon “made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones” - v. 15!)
The next several chapters are dedicated to Solomon building the temple:
Chapter 2 - Solomon PREPARES to build the temple.
Chapter 3 - Solomon BUILDS the temple.
Chapter 4 - The FURNISHINGS of the temple.
Chapter 5 - The Ark is Brought into the Temple (and the glory of the Lord fills the temple)
Chapter 6 - Solomon gives a speech after completing the work, and dedicates the temple with prayer
So in summary, what we have in these Scriptures leading up to our text in 2 Chronicles 7 is Solomon starting off WELL in service to God (now we know how he ended up for a while — 700 wives & 300 concubines), gaining wisdom, building the temple, and an emphasis on the holiness of God.
We need to remember that when we get to the next section in 2 Chronicles chapter 7! (Try to read through all of that when you get a chance).
2 Chronicles 7:12-22:
2 Chronicles 7:12-22:
(We’re not going to read the first 11 verses for sake of time this morning — That section has more information about the dedication of the temple).
But now we want to look at verses 12-22 for the rest of our time this morning.
2 Chr. 7:12
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
So we begin this section here with this positive affirmation from God.
God is showing his APPROVAL to Solomon for what he had done — built the Lord’s house, shown tremendous respect to God in dedicating the temple and praying on its behalf, praying for God’s people as well …
And God ACKNOWLEDGES that He has HEARD Solomon’s wonderful, humble prayer!
Speaking to that for a moment, I want to go back to just a portion of Solomon’s prayer real quick!
(Read 2 Chr. 6:34-35).
“When Your people go out to battle against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to You toward this city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.
(2 Chr. 6:36-37).
“When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to a land far or near; yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’;
(2 Chr. 6:38).
and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been carried captive, and pray toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and toward the temple which I have built for Your name:
(2 Chr. 6:39-40).
then hear from heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You. Now, my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.
(2 Chr. 6:41-42).
“Now therefore, Arise, O Lord God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, And let Your saints rejoice in goodness. “O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed; Remember the mercies of Your servant David.”
Now, back to chapter 7! Let’s hear God say the same thing that Solomon talked about in his prayer! - 2 Chr. 7:13-14
When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Such an important verse!
The meaning of the verse goes without saying!
And we’ll get to some application here in a little bit.
But I just want to hone in on the four parts that God emphasizes in verse 14:
God tells His people to “Humble themselves,”
“Pray,”
“Seek (God’s) face,”
And “TURN (repent) from their wicked ways.”
THEN, and only then, will God hear from heaven, will forgive their sins, and heal their land!
4 things involved — “Humility (opposite of pride), prayer (addressing the problem and communicating it to God), seeking God’s face (instead of OURSELVES), and TURNING (repenting)!
You’ve got to have ALL 4 if you truly want to get right with God again!
2 Chr. 7:15-16
Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
Is this to say that God’s people can’t pray somewhere else besides the house of the Lord (the temple in this O.T. context)?
No, I definitely don’t believe so.
We see examples in the Bible of people praying elsewhere, of Jesus saying “Go pray in your closet,” etc.
That said, maybe it’s not a stretch to say here — “Let’s ‘super-charge’ our prayers.”
What do I mean by that?
I mean, really, really FOCUSING and praying FERVENTLY, and location can have an impact on that …
The same could be said about having a “prayer meeting” together as a group, or praying coinciding with fasting, etc.
2 Chr. 7:17-18
As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’
This is conditional — “If … then.”
GOD was going to keep His end of the bargain!
The question is, would Solomon?
(Sadly, again we know “the rest of the story” when Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines led him away into idolatry!)
2 Chr. 7:19-20
“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
2 Chr. 7:21-22
“And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”
In other words, there would be consequences!
And Israel and Judah BOTH end up suffering the consequences when they both large-scale abandon the faith in God (Assyria and Babylon, respectively!)
Application:
Application:
The application is simple — That although this text was written SPECIFICALLY with Israel in mind (directly) ...
Still, there’s something we can learn from this for today!
Romans 15:4 - “The things that were written aforetime were written for our LEARNING, that we through patience and COMFORT of the Scriptures might have HOPE!”
And the key takeaway for us today is the same that it was back then!
4 things:
“Humble yourselves,”
“Pray,”
“Seek God’s face,”
And “Turn from your wicked ways!”
The world needs that same message today just like it needed it when this was written!
And sometimes we see little glimmers of hope and little reminders that maybe just maybe there’s still a chance this could happen in a large-scale way!
That’s why I wanted to use the opportunity today to talk about what happened in the football game last week, because we saw so many people turning (at least to an extent) to God, and we need to capitalize on that!
(Give invitation).