What Do I Do Next? Sermon (4)

What Do I Do Next?

Oct. 17,2021

2 Chronicles 7:1-3; 11-14

In the text, Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord.

. The sacrifices had been offered

. The glory of the Lord had filled the temple

. And the Children of Israel bowed and praised the Lord, saying, “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.”

Throughout the Bible, we see how God uses man.

· In Genesis, when He got ready to start the race, he used a man named Adam

· When He got ready to bless the race, He used a man named Abraham

· When He got ready to lead the race, He used a man named Moses

· When He got ready to March the race, He used a man named Joshua

· When He wanted a fighter for the race, He used a man named Sampson

· When He wanted wisdom for the race, He used a man named Solomon

· When He wanted a weeper for the race, He used a man named Jeremiah

· When He wanted a vision for the race, he used a man named Isaiah

· When He wanted to baptize the race, He used a man named John the Baptist

· When He wanted a preacher for the race, He used a man called the Apostle Paul

· When He needed a man to die for the race, He used a man sent from heaven named Jesus Christ

The text says that the temple was now built. I want to take one verse of about 40 words, and we will have our answer.

Vs14:

Bear with me as I cut it up; he starts by Saying:

· “If” that’s a possibility

· “My people” that’s personal

· “Will humble themselves” that’s preparation

· “And pray” that’s power

· “And seek my face” that’s a privilege

· “And turn from their wicked ways” that’s progress

· “Then will I hear from heaven” that’s a promise

· “And forgive their sins” that’s pardon

· “And will heal their land” that’s prosperity

If: stands for Choice or chance

“If”- is the central part of the word “life” if you drop the L and the E sandwiched in the middle, you have the word IF

I guess that’s why the old folks used to say: I’ll see you next Sunday “if” it’s the Lord’s will

If- stands for choice or chance

· Meaning you have the choice of doing it God’s way or the chance of being swallowed up by His rath.

· Matt 16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me[1]

· John 12:32: And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”[2]

· John 15:7: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.[3]

· Rom 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.[4]

· 2 Cor 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new[5]

So, he starts off by saying “IF,” then he says, “My People.”

Not everyone is His

· The only way you can be his is if you have accepted His Son as your Lord and Savior

· But there’s a responsibility that goes along with being a child of God

He expected us to do something’s for Him, and if we are (his) or my people, then we must remember what Romans 12:1-2 says: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.[6]

· The first thing we must present our bodies as a living sacrifice

· With our eyes, we are to lift them towards the hills. Ps 121:1: 1I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?[7]

· With my ears, I take Matt 11:15: He who has ears to hear, let him hear![8]

· With my mind, I take Phil. 2:5: 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus[9]

· With my heart and mouth, I take Rom 10:10: 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [10]

· With my hand, I take Ecc. 9:10: 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.[11]

· With my knee’s I take Phil 2:10: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,[12]

· With my feet, I take Heb. 12:1: Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [13]

· So, we must present our bodies – a presentation to the world

· Then it says and be not to conform to this world

o We can’t let the world dictate how we are to live. “If my people.”

Which are called by my name

· We are called Christian’s now, but our enemies called us that

· But first, we were called people of the way

· Then Christion

· Them at Antioch, we were first called Christian’s because we followed Christ

· And if you are called by His name, it ought to be enough evidence so that the world would know that we have been set apart to be identified with Jesus

If my people who are called by my name

He’s concerned about His name: Psalms 23:3 says: He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.[14]

· Matt 18:20 says: 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”[15]

· Phil 2:10 says: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,[16]

· Rom 10:13 says: For “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”[17]

· Acts 4:12 says: Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”[18]

· It’s something about that name

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves

· The word humble in this text means broken that if we look at where God has brought us from, we ought to have a humble spirit

Humble themselves and pray

· Meaning if we’re going to learn how to pray, we have to learn how to be humble ourselves

· Seek his face

· Turn from your wicked ways

Look at what He’s saying

· First, we have to humble ourselves

· Second, we have to pray

· Third, we have to seek His face

· Fourth we have to turn from our wicked ways

Then: look at Malachi 3:10 he says that you have to make the first move: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it.[19]

· Look at Matt 6:31-33: 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you[20]

· But seek ye first the kingdom

And so, he says he will forgive us of our sins

· We have to be careful with this little word sin

· Sin chokes and provokes

· It tarnishes and punishes

· And if you follow the “s” in sin, sin brings about sorrow and sadness is followed by suffering and suffering is followed by sickness, and then after sickness, there is death

· Sin will soil your soul, that you’ll need to be washed

· Then it will stay your conscious and sicken your body

The problem with sin is the one letter sandwiched in the middle; if you remove the “S,” then the “N,” it leaves the “I.”

That little letter I carry a lot of weight, but if you pull the “I” out n put an “O” in know it’s reads Son the only conquer for sin

I can hear the songwriter say:

· What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus, what can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus

I can hear the songwriter say:

· That there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins and sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 16:24). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Jn 12:32). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [3] The New King James Version. (1982). (Jn 15:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [4] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 10:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [5] The New King James Version. (1982). (2 Co 5:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [6] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 12:1–2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [7] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 121:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [8] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 11:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [9] The New King James Version. (1982). (Php 2:5). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [10] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 10:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [11] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ec 9:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [12] The New King James Version. (1982). (Php 2:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [13] The New King James Version. (1982). (Heb 12:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [14] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 23:3). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [15] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 18:20). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [16] The New King James Version. (1982). (Php 2:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [17] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 10:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [18] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ac 4:12). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [19] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mal 3:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [20] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 6:31–33). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.