PRAYER MEETING INWARD and UPWARD

Prelude

Welcome

Tonight we focus inward to ourselves and upward to God.

Without the Spirit’s help, we cannot see our blind spots, nor recall our sins that we have not confessed, or the wrongs we may have done to one another.

We focus inward to ensure we are right with God and each other.

we focus upward, for only through the Lord’s grace and mercy, will His Spirit work on us and heal us.

Let us begin by turning to the Lord.

O Worship the King 1486 TCH104

I Will Come and Bow Down 12327 TCH228 - Chorus Only

I Worship You, Almighty God 20807 TCH 146

2 Chronicles 30:1–8 ESV

1 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

Do Not Be Stiff-necked, But yield yourself to the LORD and come to his sanctuary and serve the LORD.

Are you willing to join together, in yielding yourselves to the LORD and gather together to serve our God?

2 Chronicles 30:9 ESV

9 For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

2 Chronicles 30:12 ESV

12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

Ask the Lord to give us one heart to do what He calls all of us to do - to come to Him and ask Him to forgive our sins and to be willing to repent, and where necessary, reconcile with one another.

When we return to the LORD, you will find compassion. For Your LORD GOD is gracious and merciful and will not turn away from you when you return to Him.

You may be thinking that you have not left the Lord. But as we prepare for our final review for church graduation, we need to be sure we are right with God.

We may have picked up some dirt, as Jesus says, and need our feet washed, so to speak.

Ask the Lord to give us one heart like the men of Judah, to confess sin and seek reconciliation with God and each other.

First we will sing a hymn, then take some time to pray individually for God to show us our sin, that we may confess and be right with Him and with each other.

MUSIC - Whiter Than Snow 37144 TCH653

PRAYER - INDIVIDUAL

Instructions

Prayer individually first - 5 minutes

PRIESTS

clean and remove idols - were faithless v7; were stiffnecked v8

confess sin and repent - yield [give] yourselves to the Lord, v8; if you return to Him, he will have compassion

2 Chronicles 30:13–21 ESV

13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord.

They removed the altars of worship and incense. v 14

IN TAKING TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF OURSELVES, CONFESSING AND INTERCEDING, we have cleansed ourselves before God.

Now we need to consecrated ourselves. v 15

We do this by recommitting to the Lord.

Those who set their hearts to seek God were forgiven of their sins and healed by God. v19-20

COMMUNION

They celebrated the Passover - we will have communion in silence.

Pass out the communion to everyone,

Take communion together

SONG OF FORGIVENESS/RESTORATION I Will Sing of My Redeemer 69260 TCH517

2 Chronicles 30:18–22 ESV

18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

Prayer: Intercession vv18-20

PRIESTS

clean and remove idols - were faithless v7; were stiffnecked v8

confess sin and repent - yield [give] yourselves to the Lord, v8; if you return to Him, he will have compassion

intercession vv 18-20

Share one sin (does not have to be your worst) you confessed to God,

pray (intercede) for each other (1, 2, 3)- briefly - 5m/15m

encourage and appropriate

Covenant

2 Chronicles 30:23–27 ESV

23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

Note that the people come to an agreement to celebrate another 7 days the Passover.

There is joy and praise.

Let us consider this promise Hezekiah stated:

2 Chronicles 30:18–19 ESV

18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.”

We have prayed for each other, confessing our sins one to another.

God has forgiven us our sins. It is now to recall God’s promises and end in joy and praise. Consider Psalm 91:9-14:

see also Psalm 91:9-14

Psalm 91:9–14 ESV

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

If we do 2 Chronicles 30, we can rely on God’s protection

Song of Praise

Music Worthy, You are Worthy 17384 TCH106

Music The Love of God 18448 TCH157

Prayer: Encourage and Appropriate God’s Promises

PRIESTS

clean and remove idols - were faithless v7; were stiffnecked v8

confess sin and repent - yield [give] yourselves to the Lord, v8; if you return to Him, he will have compassion

intercession vv 18-20

Share one sin (does not have to be your worst) you confessed to God,

pray (intercede) for each other (1, 2, 3)- briefly - 5m/15m

encourage and appropriate

thank God for what He is doing in your life

Thank God for what He is doing in the life of the person who just shared his/her praises.

Thank God for a particular promise

Pray as the Spirit leads you

Covenant

Corporate Prayer

Closing Song: Love Lifted Me 66926 TCH508

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2 Chronicles 30:18-19 “The Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”