Sermon Outline:
2 Chronicles 7:13-14:
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, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Today God's warning would include other items, such as loss of job, foreclosure home, business bankruptcy or incurable disease… At times, God uses evil to pull the alarm.
In the Hebrew the first word of the sentence is the verb to humble: …and will humble themselves my people who are called by My name…
God doesn’t want to humiliate us! He wants us to humble ourselves. It is one thing to be humble, and another thing to be humiliated. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you/lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).
John Flavel, said: “They that know God will be humble. They that know themselves cannot be proud.” The problem: You stiff-necked people! – said Steven the martyr (Acts 7:51).
1. Will pray…
Humble prayer is not the same as hypocritical prayer. Are we praying humbly or hypocritically?
2. Seek my face…
We often turn our back to God… (Jeremiah 32:33) Psalm 27:8
3. Turn from their wicked ways…
We need to turnaround! Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
God has three promises for us: then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. The land here seems to be more than the people!
If we pray humbly, the land will be healed!!!