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If My People

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If My People

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If My People

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When the Lord entered into a covenant with ancient Israel, He established early a formula by which they could come back to Him if they strayed, and they did stray. But, their proclivity to reject God was not unique to them. Abraham Lincoln in a proclamation on March 30, 1863, to appoint a national day of fasting is quoted to have said, "We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!" As Christians, we too can stray from a proper relationship with God. The formula for coming back to God applies the same, whether to ancient Israel, any nation which claims God as sovereign, or the followers of Jesus Christ. NOTE: A song is referenced at the end of this sermon which, due to copyright concerns, cannot be included with this message. A snippet of the song, "If My People," written by Kaley Willow and performed by Darryl O'Donnell, may, however, be previewed in iTunes.

Transcript

We truly live in a beautiful, beautiful country and I know as the people of God we are all very thankful for the life that we've been given.  All of us are thankful for God's precious truth, a truth that God chose Himself to share with us. So few in this world have had that blessing at this time.  And we are thankful for the physical abundance that we can enjoy in this country in the midst of a world where so many truly have so little. And we're thankful because through nothing that we did we just happened to be born in this nation...a nation that has been greatly blessed by our creator God. A nation that itself has so much to be thankful for.

If you have travelled this country to any extent at all as I know some of you have, you've seen some of the fantastic beauty we have been blessed with. The abundant material resources that provide not only for our people but for many around us. The fertile farmlands the magnificent frosts that we have. This is truly a nation that is witness to God's blessings. We are thankful as Gods people that we live in this nation where we still have the freedom to worship as we choose and are able to assemble here on God's holy Sabbath without the fear of government intervention or persecution.  This is a nation that, as it says on the statue of Liberty, holds something out for the people of the world; as it says the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses of the world. People still long to come to this great nation from all over the world.

Yet, we don't fool ourselves. We are a nation that is in real trouble. We are a nation whose people have lost sight of where these great blessings that we enjoy have come from.  Now this just didn't happen during our lifetimes.  In fact let me read you a quote from one of our most famous presidents of this country, Abraham Lincoln that he gave back in 1863. President Lincoln said this "We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us.  And we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God."

Is that true today? Absolutely it is. Our nation is so much more so today than it was back in 1863 when president Lincoln saw this in the character of our nations people.  We have seen the disease of greed and corruption to bring this great nation to its financial knees.  It's a situation that seems to grow worse with each passing day as we spiral downward. We've seen the decline and the deterioration of what is presented as entertainment through TV, through the internet, and through books and magazines. There's so very little that you can even watch that you can show your children, allow them to watch without imprinting into their little minds things that are morally corrupting. It’s hard to imagine but if you could fall asleep, had fallen asleep 10 years ago, five years ago and you woke up today what a drastic change you would see in the world in that short time. But it's happening right before our eyes and sadly it happens without many of us taking note of it and seeing whets happening to ourselves, to our people, to our nation.

One of the most striking things recently I read was of a survey done of practicing Protestants and Catholics; people who practice religion, if you would, who claim to be Christian.  The survey asked about same sex marriage-whether it was morally acceptable. The percentage of these Christians who said yes it is morally acceptable: Fifty-two percent. Fifty-two percent!  It's absolutely amazing! But that's how slowly but quickly we are declining as a nation.  It's just a reflection of that. We see more and more perverted crimes, especially against children!  Horrifying numbers of babies are murdered each year through abortion.

All the time we see the moral mooring on which our nation was founded being eroded away.  As we as a nation remove all vestiges of God and His righteousness from the very fabric of what makes us the people. But are we surprised that our nation is becoming only a shadow of this previous great nation or great status in this world? Can we understand why this most favored of nations that has been given so many blessings due to the faithfulness of our father Abraham-why it is headed for such a destructive end?

Well if you go back and read Deuteronomy 28 you see God's warnings that He gave to Israel and its descendants when they turned away from following God.

When the people of God, both Israel and Judah, turn from obeying Him, He removes His hedge.  We want to read that over in the book of Isaiah.  Let's turn to Isaiah-there's many prophecies we could read in Isaiah, but I just want to turn to one quick one here. Isaiah chapter 5, I think it is important that we recognize and heed the warnings that God is giving us through His word. Isaiah 5 and let's just start reading in verse 1.  Now let me sing to my well beloved (this is how God speaks about His people, His children, His nation Israel), A song of my beloved regarding his vineyard.  My well beloved has a vineyard, a very fruitful hill, he dug it up and cleared out all its stones and planted it with the choicest vine.  He built a tower in its midst and also made a wine press in it, so he expected that it would bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. And now inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah judge please between me and my vineyard.  (And he asks a question) What more could I have done, or could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it? (What more could God have given this great nation?) Why then when I expected it to bring forth good grapes did it bring forth wild grapes? And now please let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard.  I will take away it's hedge and it shall be burned and break down its wall and it shall be trampled down.  I will lay it waste and it shall not be pruned or dug.  There shall come up briars and thorns.  I will also command the clouds that they shall rain no rain on it.  For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.  He looked for justice, but behold oppression, for righteousness but behold a cry for help. We could go ahead and read the rest of this chapter, but sadly it paints an even darker picture of what is to come.  God's word makes it abundantly clear that what will come upon the national descendants of Israel when they follow the ways of Baal...which is what our nation has and continues to do.

But let me ask a question.  What about spiritual Israel? What about God's church? What about God's people? Can what God has decreed will happen to physical Israel for disobedience, can that ring true for the disobedience of those who lay claim to being the disciples of Christ?  For those who claim to have God's spirit dwelling within them? We're told in 1 Cor. 11 that what is recorded here in the scriptures is there as examples for you and I in this end time, so we can learn from what is being shown us. Psalm:15:4, says these things were written for our learning. So when we see what Israel has done in the past, it's a warning for us that you and I heed so that we don't follow down that same path. What is allowed and even brought upon Israel in the past for their disobedience, He does allow to happen to those in His church who fail to follow His ways.

If you go back and read Hebrews 12, which we won't take time to do-but He says there that the Father, as a loving Father, chastens His son. Why?  Because He loves His son. He does it for our good. He does it as He says in Hebrews 12, so that we can be partakers of His holiness.

But does this have to happen? Is there any way that this can change?  Is it set in stone that our nation must suffer destruction? Does God's church have to suffer loss when it fails in its mission given by God? Do you and I have to suffer when we stumble as we endeavor to live righteous lives, when we fall short of doing what God wants us to do? Does God provide a way for our nation to avoid the sure destruction that is coming upon it if we continue down the path which we are on? Does He provide for us a way out of our spiritually weakened condition when we fall into that condition ourselves? Does He give us a way back into God's good graces, a way to find favor again in God's sight? Can we find hope in what the Psalmist penned in Psalm:30:5? For His anger is but for a moment. (God's anger is but for a moment) His favor is for life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.  That, brethren, is a scripture filled with hope for you and I.

We see when ancient Israel, time and again, when they turned from following God and God delivered them into the hands of their enemies. And when they cried out to God He extended them mercy and He delivered them from the hands of their enemies. So, can you and I find a process, or a formula, that God gives to us for bringing us back to Him when we have fallen into the hands of our spiritual enemy, Satan the Devil? You know what a formula is.  It is a way of expressing a relationship between known quantities that result in a desired outcome. I liken it to a recipe. Most of you have probably cooked or attempted to cook as I have.  When you put the right ingredients together in the right combinations you usually get a known outcome, don't you? You combine water, oil, salt and yeast in the right combination what do you get?  Well in my case probably a mess, but you get dough, normally; dough for making bread. So what formula or what recipe does God give us that we can use to bring ourselves back into a right relationship with Him when we have allowed sin to dominate our lives?

Well, We are going to go to the book of second Chronicles. Here in second Chronicles we find one of the most powerful formula processes for getting us back on track with God.  It is a formula that comes with a guarantee from God that it will work every time. It's a sure thing! Let's take a look at this formula and see how we can make it work for us in our spiritual lives.

Here in 2nd Chronicles we read the events surrounding the dedication of the temple that was built by Solomon. If you go to chapter 6 here in 2 Chronicles:6:12 we read a prayer that Solomon made before the altar at the dedication of this temple. I want us to go through and we are going to read most of this prayer and note what Solomon was beseeching God for on behalf of His people. Lets drop down in verse 12 of chapter 6 in second Chronicles, Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands for Solomon had made a bronze cubic platform 5 cubits long, 5 cubits wide and 3 cubits high and had set it in the midst of the court and he stood on it, knelt down on his knees before the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven (Truly an example of humility coming before his God).

Verse 14 and he said Lord God of Israel; there is no God in heaven or on earth like you who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before you with all their hearts.  So he is identifying these people as having their hearts turned to God.

Verse 19 continuing on in his prayer here he says, yet regard the prayer of your servant and his supplication oh Lord my God and listen to the cry and the prayer which your servant is praying before you. So he is beseeching God to hear what he is praying.

Verse 20, that your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night.  Toward the place where you said you would put your name that you may hear the prayer, which your servant makes toward this place. And may you hear the supplications not only of your servant but also of your people Israel when they pray toward this place.  Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. He continues in

Verse 22.  If anyone sins against his neighbor and is forced to take an oath and comes and takes an oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Don't just hear but act on what is being asked of you. Hear from heaven and act and judge your servants bringing tribulation on the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. But if your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against you and return and confess your name and pray and make supplication before you in this temple.  When they do this, he says, then hear from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land, which you gave to them and their fathers.

Verse 26. Please pay attention to these things he's touching on it's very relevant to you and I and even to our nation. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you afflict them, then hear from heaven.  Forgive the sin of your servant your people Israel that you may teach them the good way in which they should walk and send rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

Verse 28, and when there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers.  When their enemies beseech them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is notice whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, individually, or by all your people Israel as a nation. When each one knows his own burden, when we know our part in what's going on and his own grief and spreads out his hands to this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place and forgive.

 And give to everyone according to all his ways whose heart you know, for you alone know the hearts of the sons of men, that they may fear you to walk in your ways as long as they live in the land, which you gave their fathers.

Drop down to verse 36 When they sin against you, for there is no one (notice-for there is no one) who does not sin, And you become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy and take them captive to the land far or near, yet when they come to themselves (I just love that phrase) when they come to themselves and wake up and realize that they have sinned against you.  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.  And when they return to you with all their heart, with all their soul, in the land of their captivity.  When they have been carried captive and pray toward the land which you gave to their fathers, the city which you have chosen and toward the temple which I have built in your name, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, their prayer and supplications and maintain their cause.  Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Now my God I pray let your eyes be open, let your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place, Now, therefore, arise O Lord God to your resting place, You and the ark of your strength.  Let your priests Oh Lord God be clothed with salvation and let your saints rejoice in goodness. Oh Lord God do not turn away the face of your anointed.  Remember the mercies of your servant David.

That's quite a prayer, brethren. It's a truly magnificent prayer that we need to read often. Can we, do we dare, go before God and ask for such intervention in our lives? Yeah!  We can! In fact we should!  It's written here for our example.  It's here for our learning.   

How did God respond to such an awesome prayer from Solomon?   Well let's continue on here… Chapter 7. Here’s God's response to this prayer that Solomon gave beginning in verse 12.  Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said to him I have heard your prayer.  Our prayers don't do much unless they are heard do they? I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.  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, turn from their wicked ways.  Then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.  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.

Now if you will notice in verse 13 God is referring back to some of those things Solomon addressed in his prayer

Things that would come upon the people when they sinned, and God is making plain that when they would commit these sins, it would be God that would bring these calamities upon them because of their sins.  Sin has consequences. Sometimes the sin itself brings about the consequences, but as we see here, God can and does at times, directly bring about punishment for our sins. As Solomon said in his prayer there is no one who does not sin. So how do we come back to God when we have separated ourselves from God by our sin, because sin separates us from God as it says in Isaiah:59:2? Your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear. Sin causes God to turn a deaf ear to our prayers. We use the very same process that God gave to Solomon here and we are going to go through that today; this formula, this process, for coming back to God after we have sinned. First we need to make sure that we understand that this formula, this process, is for you and for me. Sure, it was given here at this time to a physical people in Israel, but as we are going to see it is for you and me. OK?

 Notice verse 14:  If my people who are called by my name-so this is who God is directing this to-not just the nation of Israel at this time-but it's to those who are called by his name. Now there are many cases and scriptures in the Bible we could go to where God makes it clear in the Old Testament, starting back in Exodus:3:7 where it's first identified that the people of Israel, God says are My people.  He's identifying those who are his people as Israel. Exodus:6:7 God shows that he is the one who has chosen them as his people.  So God chose the people of Israel to be his people. Isaiah:58:1 God tells Isaiah, and by extension all of his prophets, he says cry aloud, do not hold back, lift up your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.  Do you and I have ears to hear these prophecies, these words of these prophets as they are given to us through the word of God?

One of the most powerful prayers we find in scripture is the one we find recorded over in the book of Daniel. Hold your place here in Chronicles because we will be back there. Let's go over to Daniel.  Most of you are familiar with this prayer that Daniel gave over in chapter, somewhere in here, I think it is chapter 9.  I just want to go to the last verse in chapter 9 of Daniel.  We could go through the entire prayer, but I just want to go to the end of it.  Notice how Daniel identifies the people for whom he is beseeching God. v. 19- Oh Lord hear, Oh Lord forgive-sound familiar? Oh, Lord, listen and act.  Do not delay for your own sake my God, for your city and your people are called by your name.  So these were a people that were called by God's own name.  It's a powerful prayer if you read through the whole thing-a powerful prayer of repentance that Daniel was taking before God's throne.

Matthew:2:6-so we transition into the New Testament-we find that Jesus Christ, as was prophesied back in the book of Micah, that Jesus Christ was born to be a shepherd to His people Israel. Let's just read Matthew:2:6 But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the leaders of Judah for out of you shall come a ruler-notice that ruler we know as Jesus Christ-out of you shall come a ruler that shall shepherd my people Israel. Now we find as we get into the New Testament that Christ came among the physical tribe of Judah that were living in the land of Palestine. They were identified as God's people during the time of Christ's ministry on the earth.

Now over to second Corinthians 6, after the founding of the church, after Christ was crucified and resurrected we find the identity of God's people now extending to those who have a spiritual relationship with God. Here in second Corinthians 6 and let's just go down to verse 16. He says: And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God-Now he's talking to whom? He's talking to the church of God at Corinth. These were God's people. Continuing on here in verse 16 He said I will dwell in them and walk among them. He said I will be their God-notice-and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate says the Lord.  Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you.  I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Paul is writing to God's church. God was identifying them as his people.

In Hebrews 8 God makes plain that the covenant he is making with his people today is a covenant by which he is writing his law in the minds and the hearts of his people by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That covenant is with you and me. We are the ones called by God's name today. Nobody else on the face of this earth does God call his people, other than the true believers; those who truly have God's spirit; those who are a part of God's spiritual church, spiritual body. We are his people and he is our God. And it is for those on whom the ends of the ages have come as we can read about in first Corinthians 10.

So when we read this formula back in second Chronicles if you want to turn back there, we have to know that God is directing this to each of us, individually, and to his church as a whole. In fact he is directing it to all the nation of Israel. Let's see what this formula is comprised of. It does us no good if we don't know how to put it into action. So here in second Chronicles, again, verse 14 of chapter 7 says: If my people-that is you and me-who are called by my name will humble themselves.  I think we understand at least at different levels what humility is all about.

Keep your place here and let's go back to the book of Exodus real quick to chapter 10.  We want to notice what Moses and Aaron said to the Pharaoh, when they went before him. Chapter 10 and verse 3 So Moses and Aaron came into Pharaoh and said to him Thus said the Lord God of the Hebrews how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go that they may serve me! So we know that Pharaoh refused to recognize and acknowledge God's supremacy. In his human pride and vanity he considered himself to be greater than God. I think we recognize where that attitude first came into existence don't we? Yes we do.

Deuteronomy:8:2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these 40 years in the wilderness to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. So we realize that a humble attitude is one that comes to realize that our ultimate survival depends, not on ourselves, but our ultimate survival depends on God. And what is one of the best ways that God is giving you and I to come to understand that? That he's the one we must depend on? Fasting!  Fasting.  Fasting can help us come to have a right perspective as to who God is and who we are in comparison. And it works!  

You go back in Daniel 10 again and read what happened when Daniel was beseeching God as it said there when he was humbling himself?  God responded.  God sent an archangel to answer him.

James:4:6 says God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. So when we have allowed sin to come between God, and ourselves, we begin to seek spiritual healing by approaching God in a truly humble, submissive, attitude. This is where it has to begin. We can't approach God in any other way.

Back in second Chronicles again, notice the next part of this formula. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves… and pray… The second part of the formula is prayer. We have already taken note of two powerful prayers today. That of Solomon which we read a good portion of as he dedicated the temple and then Daniel's prayer which we didn't read much of but it's a powerful prayer if you want to read it on your own. Prayer is how we beseech God's involvement in our lives. It is how we express to him out sincere love and devotion. That's what we do through prayer. In the context as we see in 2 Chronicles:6:14 it seems that this is requiring a prayer of repentance.  We are seeking a way back to God after sin has overcome us.

Daniel's prayer - Daniel's prayer was a prayer of repentance, not just for the nation of Israel, but if you go back and read that prayer, Daniel was praying that prayer of repentance for himself, also; quite a significant thing to consider.

Psalm:32:5, Hold your place in second Chronicles (I probably don't need to say that, but I said it). Psalm 32-habits are hard to break-notice what it says about this type of prayer here in just one verse, Psalm:32:5.  This is what we do with this type of prayer of repentance: I acknowledge my sin to you-to God-that's who we tell.  God, I know I sinned against you, and my iniquity, I have not hidden it. It's here. I recognize it. I see it. He says, I have said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. That's what happens when we approach God through prayer in an attitude of complete and total repentance.

1 John:1:9, tells us if we confess our sins… if we confess them… says he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Can we go before God in an attitude of humility and repentance?  When we do, God will hear such a prayer.

Psalm:66:18 says this:  If I regard iniquity in my heart...if we hide it there, if we don't bring it out before God...He knows it's there, but we have to lay it out before God. Says when we hide it in our heart, the Lord will not hear.  He knows it's there. We are not fooling God one bit. For this formula to work our prayers must be heard.

We won't take time to go to Nehemiah 1, but there is another example for our learning of a powerful prayer, a prayer of repentance.

We have to learn, brethren, to pray with such conviction and boldness that we see in the scriptures. We can't hold back.  We can't be timid before God. I hope all of us are learning that.  And it takes time.  It is not something that just comes easily for any of us.

Let's go back to 2 Chronicles:7:14 Along with our humble and prayerful approach to God, it says in verse 14 we must seek his face. Seek his face. The word for “seek” in Hebrew means to diligently look for. To search honestly until the object of our search is found. You don't give up.  You never give up when you are beseeching God on some matter.

Hold your place there and go to Psalm 27.  We are going to look again at the example of David. Psalm:27:7. There are so many examples in the Psalms from king David. Notice how David sought the face of God. Psalm:27:7 Hear oh Lord when I cry with my voice-so he wasn't in his prayer closet mumbling under his breath to God, was he? Now, no doubt David cried aloud and if you were in the room next door you probably heard him. When I cry with my voice have mercy also upon me and answer me.  Now he is not doing this in a demanding way from God because that's not the approach that David had with God, just as we shouldn't.  When you said seek my face, my heart said to you your face I will seek.  Do not hide your face from me.  Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my help.  Do not leave me or forsake me oh God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take care of me. Continuing on in verse 12, or verse 11 Teach me your way oh Lord and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me. And such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.  

Does it take patience on our part many times? Yes it does. Sometimes we lose patience.  God never loses patience with us. So what did David mean by "Seeking God's face?" He was asking.  He was searching earnestly for God's active presence in his life. He was asking for God's deliverance; for God to show his presence in a way that would allow David to endure what he was going through. That would allow David to wait on God for his purpose and will to be done in David's life.  But this too requires repentance.

Hosea.  Hosea (right after Daniel), Hosea 5.  Notice God's word here through the prophet Hosea in chapter 5 verse 15. This is God speaking to his people at that time through the prophet Hosea. Hosea:5:15. And, he said, I will return again to my place, till they acknowledge their offense. In other words God says I am not going to look on them until they acknowledge that they have sinned against me. Notice then: Then when I do that-he says-then they will seek my face.   In their affliction they will earnestly seek me. What is God saying they had to do? They had to repent. That's what is required for us to seek God's face.

Psalm:10:4 says the wicked in his proud countenance-which is just the opposite of humility-he said they do not seek God.  God is in none of his thoughts. When we are seeking a right relationship with God, then he must be at the very forefront of our thoughts.  Not just occasionally, but always.

Back to 2 Chronicles:7:14 continuing on here with this formula: When my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face-here is the result-or here is what the next step is, and turn from their wicked ways.  Turn from their wicked ways...the result when we seek God's face, when we humble ourselves, the result will be complete repentance, which means turning.  Turning that which opposes God to a life of complete submission to his will and purpose for each of us. We take our sins before his throne of mercy.  And what do we do when we go before that throne?

Hold your place and go over to the book of 1st John in the New Testament. First John chapter 1 and let's go down to verse 9. 1 John:1:9. If we confess our sins-we don't hide them.  We don't try to pretend their not there. Says: If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  But if say that we have not sinned we make God out to be a liar, and his word is not in us. Remember, we have already read that all of us have sinned. But when we go to God under the pretense that we are without sin we are saying God, “You lie.” Not a good thing. We confess them; confess our sins, don't deny them. Take them before God in humility and prayer. Seeking his divine presence in our lives. To help us turn, turn from those sins.

As I said in the beginning, every formula has a desired result or outcome. Let's go back to second Chronicles again and see the result when you and I follow this formula. 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-now notice the word then-when we do that-then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.  We can't expect God to hear, to forgive and provide spiritual healing in our lives unless we do what he tells us here in this verse to do: humble ourselves. Pray. Seek his face. And turn from our wickedness. 1,2,3,4. God was promising a physical healing for the nation of Israel, at that time.  When they would turn back to him after they had stayed from following him.  They did that time after time after time, and over and over as is recorded in the scriptures. And again it is there for our learning. God would hear their prayer when they would turn to him in this way, and forgive and heal them.

Does our nation today need healing? Yes it does; now, more than ever. Could it happen? Yes, it could happen if our nation, as a nation and as a people, would humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from our wickedness. God says it works, if they did that. But we know that is not going to be the case for the descendants of Israel at this end time.

But how about you and me? Do we need, do we want, spiritual healing in our personal lives? Absolutely! We do. Can we do it?  Yes we can. God has given us the only formula by which it can and will happen. And as he said to Joshua when Moses was turning over the leadership of God's people to him, he is also saying to us. Be strong and of good courage.  Do not fear nor be afraid for the Lord your God, he is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you, nor forsake you. Wow!  Do we ever hang on to that promise!  He will not leave us nor forsake us.  It's an absolute promise, s promise that cannot be broken when we humble ourselves, when we pray, when we seek his face, when we turn from our wickedness. Brethren, it's a formula for healing, a formula for healing our nation, it's a formula for healing ourselves.

I would like to close with a song-no I am not going to sing it-had you worried there for a second, didn't I? At the feast this past year in Newfoundland an elder there, Larry DeLong and his wife from up in Canada, purchased this CD for all of the members that were there in Newfoundland. I think there were 35 of us. This is a series of songs that were composed by a young lady in the church, up in Pennsylvania. I say, “young”, I don't know how old she is. But her name is Donna Roddenbush. Now, this is a beautiful CD and you can get this CD.  I can tell you how to get that if you are interested in it. But this is one of the songs on that CD.  And it is one of those, all of these, come straight out of the word of God. I think she did an excellent job. But as we close this I want you to think about what we have covered in this sermon and maybe hearing this song it will help imprint it into your mind because music has a way of doing that. So if you would, let's hear the song and then we will have the closing hymn.