2 Chron 7_14 Repentance

Text: 2 Chron. 7:14 The need of the day

Intro:

Orientate Scripture with Context…. 2 Chronicles 7:1-22, dedication of Temple, 7 day feast of dedication followed by the 7 day feast of tabernacles, followed by God’s promise and warning. This book was written to the returned exiles who saw God make good on His promise to destroy the temple and land which God had given them, because they chased after other gods after they had been instructed to not do so.

Idoltry is the #1 Issue, man has chased after other gods, but the very 1st commandment is “Thou shall have no other god before me.”

What did God use to punish His people, sword, famine and pestilence.

Pestilence (7:13) - contagious epidemic disease of devastating proportions. “Pestilence” literally means “destruction” and usually describes an epidemic with a high mortality rate. Covid deaths worldwide; 2.1 million

CPS: Covid-19 is a pestilence… a judgment sent from God (Punishment) because of our idolatry but I believe there is still hope and it will be found when mankind submits to the sovereign creator of the universe and the redeemer of mankind, pleading to God to bring healing while we seek Him in biblical repentance.

God will begin to heal us from this pestilence when we HUMBLE ourselves before Him.

EXP: God’s people is Israel, but this verse shows the heart of God and I believe that God wants to bless any people group whose God is the Lord!

We have done what is right to us, becoming proud and with great resolve. WE HAVE A PRIDE PROBLEM!

“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6

Not saving grace but sanctifying and serving grace… THE DESIRE TO DO HIS WILL AND the strength to serve Him!

Humble - kaw-nah´ to bend the knee. This is the idea of bowing in submission to God.

ILL: Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”

APP: Will you submit to the Lord, humbling yourself dying daily that He will have rule over your life. Will you sit in the background and put the LORD and His ways on display for the world to see?

God will begin to heal us from this pestilence when we PLEAD our case and SEEK His face.

EXP: Once we have submitted to God’s rule then we must come to God in faith and pray while seeking His presence as the necessity of our lives.

Pray - Supplication. “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ.”

ILL: When asked how much time he spent in prayer, George Mueller’s reply was, “Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming. We must live in the Spirit of Prayer!

Seek - baw-kash´; to search out in worship and prayer. It is the idea of craving the LORD and understanding the necessity of His presence…… “I MUST SEE JESUS”

ILL: At night while sleeping I find such delight in knowing that Hope is beside, I often reach my foot out seeking hers that her foot may rest on mine. The delight of our hearts is truly found in the presence of Jesus and we should pray and seek Him as though we are in a crowd of faces but only His will do.

APP: What do we seek… a way out, security? It is the FACE OF GOD that we need!

We treat the Lord in prayer as our personal Genie in a bottle, often breaking into the throne room of God asking Him to give us what we want…. A.C.T.S (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication)

God will begin to heal us from this pestilence when we repent of our sins.

EXP: Once we submit to Him, pray and seek Him we will learn that THIS IS A SIN PROBLEM. We must repent of our sins. All sin, every sin… but what is our number one sin? Idoltry!!!!!

Turn – literally to turn away from, but what happens when you turn from something? You turn to something else. Biblical repentance is doing a double turn, away from sin and To GOD!

“Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart!” We must be broken over our sin and broken away from our sin

If we put off repentance another day, we have a day more to repent of, and a day less to repent in

APP: We must today, turn away from sin and turn to God. When we do that the Bible says He will forgive us of our sin and heal our land! Do you see it? It is a sin problem! Healing comes after forgiveness of sin. Here in this Old Testament History Book we see the Gospel of Jesus.

There is judgment poured on the world but we have a redeemer who bestows upon His forgiveness of sin, healing for not just our land and body but our souls. The Gospel message is the only thing that will heal us form this sin caused pestilence. Acknowledge who you are and understand who you ought to be. One submitted to the purpose of Christ our Lord, seek Him with a life or death desire, ask Him to bring salvation and then turn away from your sins and towards Him in faith.

It’s all one single progression…. Humble, Seek, Repent. ITS NOT TOO LATE!