I want to start my message with an Introduction from the book of Daniel. But, then I want to quickly move on to Solomons discussion with God.
It’s hard for anyone to talk about the “coming kingdom of heaven” and not discuss Daniel. It’s a prophetic book that goes into detail of what the coming future days will look like.
Daniel’s heart broke for the generations of people who had turned away from God. Just as many of our hearts break with the condition of our nation, America.
Keep in mind, this prayer is after Daniel had been captured, tortured, thrown into a lion’s den, experienced difficult-to-interpret dreams, and was weighed down by the sin around him.
But first, Daniel repents of everything he knows to repent of:
“So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).
Daniel mourned his sin. For any Christian, this is key! He longed for repentance. He wanted to be made right with God, but not only that, he also mourned and repented on behalf of his people, friends, family nation and—people near and far away.
He continues in Daniel 9:4–6:
“I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands—we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.”
(speak to Daniel’s Prayer)
I’m going to leave Daniel now and move to 2 Chronicles chapter 7.
Have you ever heard the saying, “As the family goes, so goes the church; And as the church goes, so goes the nation.” ???
My message this morning is this… The healing of the nation will begin with the repentance of the church. The church is falling into the world.
God’s Word is being watered down, and tossed aside. Thankfully not in this church, but every church needs to improve.
It’s sad to say that the Bible has lost its influence. Most Christians don’t even carry a bible to church anymore. Our nation’s churches need to once more become Scripture-Driven churches. (elaborate)
In Nehemiah chapter 9 we see that God’s people had “cast Your Word behind our backs.”
The Bible has lost its influence in America because the Bible is losing its influence in the church.
It happened long before Madalyn Murray went to court to remove prayer and Bible reading from schools. It began long before the Supreme court ruled that killing her unborn child is a mother’s constitutional right. It began long before our government began passing laws that make Christian Apologetics a hate crime. It began long before government gave legal protection to Sodomy. And soon pedophilia and gender swaps. (share)
The answer/problem is not in denominations that lost their way. The answer/problem is not in church leadership, or wayward parishioners.
The answer to our national problems is in 2 Chronicles Chapter 7.
In today’s message for the New Year, I want to look at one of the most misunderstood prayers in scripture- that has not only a promise but comes with it, a conditional warning.
Understanding this prayer, which is actually somewhat of a discussion between Solomon and God,… takes knowledge of the culture and the history, of the nation Israel and the context of the scripture.
The key to understanding most scripture is context, which is determining the meaning of the passage, the circumstance in which it occurred and the texture, meaning, what connects it together.
Understanding today’s lesson takes looking at the immediate context in light of previous events. So, lets turn in our Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 7.
(quick review)
2Chr7:12 – In other words, God is moving in! And since He will be living there He has some ground rules.
2Chr7:13 – God begins to explain what can happen to a sinful nation… No rain, ruined crops, pandemics and disease.
This warning was God reminding Solomon of the Covenant He made with the Nation Israel back in Deuteronomy 28. (explain)
This covenant was God promising to take care of Israel as long as they Obeyed Him. This covenant laid out Blessings for Obedience and Curses for Disobedience. (explain)
7:14 – Here we find the answer to every problem for Israel. This is the remedy; the missing puzzle piece. So let’s break this verse down. But first we need to be on the same page. There are two issues to discover first.
1. We need to realize that the United States of America does NOT have the same covenant relationship with God that ancient Israel enjoyed. This contract was exclusive to Israel. Notice: If MY People, called by My name…
2. When Israel repented – they repented “en-mass.” As a Nation. Honestly, the USA is getting further and further away from God’s laws, God’s Promises, God’s Statutes, God’s commandments, and God’s Will. And if you look at our condition today, many people in America will say they believe in God, but not that Jesus is the Way.
(READ verses 15-22 then come back to 7:14)
God’s promises to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 requires meeting 5 conditions. This model prayer includes the Five Elements based on those 5 Conditions. If you don’t know what a Conditional Prayer is, it is a prayer that when you ask for something you must meet certain conditions for the prayer to be answered.
For example, in the Lords Prayer we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Here, the condition is that for us to be forgiven, we must first forgive.
(Break it down…)
1. IF, My people which are called by My Name…
The first element in having God take notice of your prayer is to be the “right kind of person.” God knows our thoughts, what we say, and do. So, while God will hear every prayer, He doesn’t necessarily Listen, or pay favorable attention to just anyone. God singles out one class of people that He would listen to…HIS.
IN the Context of God’s promise to Solomon, God’s people would have referred to the Nation of Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Today, this will thankfully apply to those who have been Adopted into this family by faith in Jesus Christ. Born Again Christians, called to be Saints, are Sanctified in Christ. Together with Israel, called “God’s Holy People.”
(Qualification) If You are NOT one of God’s people, to satisfy the first element is: you need to become one. (give plan of Salvation)
2. If my people HUMBLE themselves…
A most important element in this model prayer is Humility. We pray to God because He is Omnipotent and has the power to Answer our prayers and meet our requests; BUT, He is under NO Obligation to do so. Therefore, the Condition of this element is – We must repent of any Pride in our lives and humble ourselves. Remember, God is all knowing, the Holy Creator of everything, and we are sinful. We must humbly acknowledge our unworthiness, and submit to His Mercy and Grace. To do so, we must lose our Pride.
3. If My people PRAY…
It should come as no surprise that the heart of a model prayer is to Pray. The word Pray is stated in a way that indicates that it should be an ongoing action, continual. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.”
You’ve heard me explain Situational Awareness in Sunday school. It’s an awareness that God is always there, always watching, always with you, so be always having that conversation and acknowledgement that He is listening.
Friends, prayer also needs to be Effective. How so?
Effective prayer needs to be Unhypocritical; You have to Mean it.
Effective prayer needs to be Specific
We must Agree as a group – “When 2 or 3 are gathered in My Name.”
Effective prayer is without Doubt – Believing you’ll receive because God is Listening. (Explain why I no longer give Doubt a pass)
Effective prayer includes, Seeking God’s Face.
4. If My people will SEEK MY FACE…
The Hebrew word for Face is… FACE.
The Front of a person’s head.
Your face, and God’s face represents the Countenance of a person. It show’s your expression. When God says to Seek His Face, He means that He wants to have a close enough relationship with you that you can tell what His expressions are when you see HIS face. So, how does that happen?
Well, the best place to seek God is the Bible; God’s People; the Church.
We seek God’s face looking for a pleased God. How do we please Him? Obeying His Word, Agreeing with His people, and getting Fed in His House.
When we seek to please God, only then will He pay favorable attention to our prayers.
5. Lastly, the 5th Element to this Model Prayer is: If My people will turn from their Wicked Ways…
Psalm 66:18, 19 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.”
If we have sin in our hearts and do nothing about it- God will not “listen” “Regard” “Accept” our prayers.
Sin that is allowed in your life, over time becomes an Idol. Idols break fellowships between us and God. If we want God to hear our prayers and answer them, we must confess and forsake our sins; then fellowship with God will be restored.
AS the Family goes, in public or behind closed doors, so goes the church; and as the church goes, so goes the Nation. (explain)
“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.” (power point prayer – All together)
