America's Only Choice
Text: 2 Chron. 7:14-15
Introduction
1. "It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But 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 the God that made us" (Abraham Lincoln, 1863).
2. Just like we were in 1863, I believe that today our nation is at a crossroads.
a. Our politicians are at one another's throats and pointing fingers at each other as the root of the problem.
b. Our economy is crumbling, and we are in more debt than our nation will ever be able to repay.
c. Our society has an ever increasing appetite for sin, and the same things that we used to be ashamed to talk about are not celebrated.
d. Even the church has lost its way, as more and more of our mainline churches are abandoning the teachings of sacred Scripture.
e. As we get ready to celebrate our nations independence, we have to ask ourselves is there really anything to celebrate.
3. Yes we are at a crossroads, and unless something changes, and changes radically, we are destined for destruction.
Proposition: America has one choice and one hope, and that is turning from our sins and back to God.
4. Please stand as we read together 2 Chron. 7:14-15
Transition: The first things that we must realize is that...
I. America Needs The Church.
A. My People
1. This is a very familiar and often quoted passage of Scripture, particularly from the OT, and one that I believe is crucial for our nation today.
2. It begins with, "Then if my people who are called by my name..."
a. The sentence, as it continues, forms what is probably the best known and most loved verse in all Chronicles.
b. It expresses, as does no other passage in the Bible, the stipulations that God lays down for a nation to experience his blessing, whether that nation be Solomon's, Ezra's, or our own.
c. Those who have been chosen to be his people must cease from their sins, turn from living lives of proud self-centeredness, pray to the Lord, and yield their desires to his Word and his will.
d. Then, and only then, will he grant heaven-sent revival (v.15).
3. However, I think that there is a certainty here that is often overlooked. Notice that it says, "If my people..."
a. Most certainly in this context he is talking about the nation of Israel.
b. But in a larger sense, and especially in our modern context, he is talking about the Church.
c. He is not talking about unbelievers; he is talking to us...the Church!
d. In the things that follow he is calling us to take the lead.in leading our nation to repentance, restoration, and revival.
e. He is calling us to stand up and be the Church!
B. Rise Up O Man Of God
1. Illustration: Rise up O men of God,
The Church for you doth wait.
Send forth to serve the needs of men
In Christ our strength is great,
In Christ our strength is great.
2. If there is going to be revival in the land the Church must turn back to God.
a. Acts 2:42-43 (NLT)
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
b. If there is going to be revival in the land the Church must be the Church again.
c. First of all we must commit ourselves once again to Word of God.
d. Not just pay it lip service but truly devote ourselves to it; to all of it!
e. We cannot continue to pick and choose what we want to believe because our society finds acceptable. We must devote ourselves to all of it, and believe all of it.
f. Second, we must devote ourselves to one another, and be committed to the church. We must make church a priority again and not one option of many.
g. Third, we must commit ourselves to prayer again. For where there is much prayer there is much movement of the Holy Spirit, and where there is much movement of the Holy Spirit there is much prayer.
h. It is time for the Church to be the Church again!
Transition: Secondly...
II. America Needs Humility
A. Humble Themselves And Pray
1. One thing that it foreign to the American mindset is humility. We are known as brash, arrogant and independent. But a good dose of humility is exactly what we need.
2. After identifying his people God tells them that they should "humble themselves..."
a. This verb means "to be subdued" or "to be humbled." It is often used of a person falling on his knees in subjugation or humiliation. The form used here is used of a vanquished enemy meaning being "brought low," or "subdued" (The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Kaph-Mem, 3789).
b. However, what is unique here is that God doesn't say "I am going to humble you," but rather he calls us to humble ourselves.
c. He is not saying I am going to make you subject to me, his desire is that we subject ourselves to him.
d. St. Augustine – "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels."
3. Humility causes us to recognize that we cannot do things on our own; we need God's help. That is why along with humbling ourselves adds, "...and pray."
a. Israel is a nation born of prayer. Abraham heard God’s call (Gen. 12:1-3)
b. God heard the cries of the Hebrew children (Exod. 3:7).
c. Moses conversed with God (Exod. 3:1-4:17) and interceded for Israel (Exod. 32:11-13; Num. 11:11-15).
d. By prayer Joshua discerned sin in the conquest community (Josh. 7:6-9) but was tricked when he did not discern God’s opinion by prayer (Josh. 9).
e. God also spoke to the judges to deliver His people when the people called out to Him for deliverance (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
f. Prayer is the acknowledgement that we are helpless to change a situation on our own.
g. It means acknowledging that God is greater that we are and we are totally dependent upon him.
h. That's why humility is coupled with prayer, because it takes humility to admit that we need God assistance in all areas of our life.
B. Prayer
1. Illustration: In a scene from Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis, Lewis has returned to Oxford from London, where he has just been married to Joy Gresham, an American woman, in a private Episcopal ceremony performed at her hospital bedside. She is dying from cancer, and, through the struggle with her illness, she and Lewis have been discovering the depth of their love for each other. As Lewis arrives at the college where he teaches, he is met by Harry Harrington, an Episcopal priest, who asks what news there is. Lewis hesitates; then, deciding to speak of the marriage and not the cancer, he says, "Ah, good news, I think, Harry. Yes, good news." Harrington, not aware of the marriage and thinking that Lewis is referring to Joy’s medical situation, replies, "I know how hard you’ve been praying .... Now, God is answering your prayer." "That’s not why I pray, Harry," Lewis responds. "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God; it changes me."
2. America needs humility because it will drive us to our knees in prayer.
a. Nehemiah 2:4 (NLT)
The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven,
b. Outside of prayer America is beyond help.
c. Without prayer we are doomed to our own selfishness, arrogance, and pride.
d. Without prayer we will not be able to find and answer to our problems, because God is the answer to our problems.
e. We need to pray for the church.
f. We need to pray for revival.
g. We need to pray for America.
Transition: Furthermore...
III. America Needs To Seek.
A. Seek My Face
1. Illustration: "Character will be developed in our lives when we stop seeking the PRESENTS(What we can get from Him) of God and start seeking the PRESENCE of God", Steve Gulbronson
2. America needs to start seeking for God not for his blessings, although that will come if we do, but we need to start seeking God for his presence in our lives.
3. That is why God tells the Israelites to "Seek my face..."
a. In the Bible the word "seek", meaning "to choose to follow" refers to giving the top priority to God and to seeking the good of other people (Mark Water, ed., Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, 590).
b. Jesus told his followers: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" Matthew 6:33, NIV
c. The problem is that when we stop seeking God, stop following him, we start following our own way, our own ideas, and fall prey to our own desires.
d. We have stopped seeking God because we have abandoned his word.
e. We need to get back to the word of God.
B. Back To The Word
1. Illustration: Biblical Illiteracy Studies show only 17% of Americans read the Bible regularly while Gallup studies show 80% of Americans see themselves as Christians. These statistics establish the sad reality that a large majority of Christians are biblically illiterate and spiritual juveniles.
2. American needs to get back to the Word!
a. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
b. America has lost its way because we have thrown out the Bible.
c. We have thrown it out of our homes.
d. We have thrown it out of our schools.
e. And sad to say, in too many cases we have thrown it out of our churches.
f. We are more concerned about what society feels than about what the Bible says.
g. Too many of our preachers have abandoned the truth of the word for watered down, lukewarm sermons that are designed to tickle itching ears.
h. We are more concerned with making people feel good than about training in righteousness.
i. But sugar coated preaching is poison to the soul, poison to the church, and poison to our nation.
j. It's time to get back to the word America!
Transition: Above all...
IV. America Needs To Turn.
A. Turn From Their Wicked Ways
1. When we do the aforementioned humbling, praying, and seeking it will eventually lead us to the place of repentance.
2. That is why God tells his people "...and turn from their wicked ways."
a. Turn: essentially means "to turn." Depending on context, the verb can also have the connotation of "to repent," "to return," "to turn back" or "to be restored" (The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Sin-Taw, 8178).
b. True repentance is more than talk—it is changed behavior.
c. Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, following these steps will lead to forgiveness.
d. God will answer our earnest prayers (Life Application Study Bible, 675-676).
e. repentance consists of
i. a true sense of one’s own guilt and sinfulness;
ii. an apprehension of God’s mercy in Christ;
iii. an actual hatred of sin and turning from it to God; and
iv. a persistent endeavor after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments (Mark Water, ed., Encyclopedia of Bible Facts, 585).
B. Repentance
1. Illustration: Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. According to an article in the Kansas City Star from January 24, 1996, his prayer stirred controversy, and one member of the legislative body walked out. Others criticized the prayer.
The controversy didn’t end there. Later that year in the Colorado House, Republican representative Mark Paschall angered lawmakers by using Joe Wright’s prayer as the invocation. Some members there also walked out in protest.
Paul Harvey got a hold of the prayer and read it on his program. He got more requests for copies of it than any other thing he had ever done. Here’s what he prayed:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:
We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism.
We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it a choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it political savvy.
We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the airwaves with profanity and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will... Amen
2. It is time for America to repent and turn back to God.
a. Isaiah 55:7 (NLT)
Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
b. We need to turn from our selfishness.
c. We need to turn from our pride.
d. We need to turn from our lust and perversion.
e. We need to turn from our lying, cheating, and coveting.
f. We need to turn to God in repentance.
g. We need to turn in humility to a holy God.
h. We need to turn to righteousness.
i. We need to turn to truth
j. America needs to turn from its sins and turn back to a loving, gracious, and forgiving God.
Transition: If we do all these things...
V. America Will Be Restored.
A. Forgive Their Sins and Restore Their Land
1. When we do the things mentioned so far than God responds with not only forgiveness, but favor.
2. He says, "...I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place."
a. Forgiveness—God has promised forgiveness of sin to His people who humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways (Disciple's Study Bible).
b. Again he not only promises to forgive but to restore or heal.
c. The basic idea of restore rāphāʾ is restoring something to its original wholeness.
d. For example, the verb rāphāʾ, "to heal," is used to describe repairing an altar or a potter's vessel and to refer to the process of making water fit to drink (The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Pe-Resh, 7784).
e. Not only will he make us better, but he will make us new. He will heal all of the consequences of our sin. He will fix what is wrong. He will restore us again.
B. Restore America
1. Illustration: In a remote Swiss village stands a beautiful church - Mountain Valley Cathedral. It has high pillars and magnificent stained glass windows, but what makes it special is the most beautiful pipe organ in the whole region. People would come from far off lands just to hear the lovely tunes of this organ.
One something went wrong with the pipe organ. It releases the wrong tones and sounds of disharmony. Musicians and experts from around the world had tried to repair it. No one could find the fault. It was made unique, customized and no one really knows how to fit it. They gave up.
After some time, one old man came. "Why wasn’t the pipe organ used?"
"It’s not playing right," says the church staff.
"Let me try." Since it has been lying there, the staff reluctantly agreed to let the old man try his hand at it.
For two days the old man worked in almost total silence. The church worker was, in fact, getting a bit nervous.
Then on the third day - at noon – suddenly the music came. The pipe organ gives off the best music after so many years. The people in the village heard the beautiful music. They came to the church to see.
This old man was playing at the organ. After he finished, one man asked, "How did you fix it? How did you manage to restore this magnificent instrument when even the world’s experts could not?"
The old man said, "It was I who built this organ fifty years ago. I created it, and now I have restored it."
2. Only God can restore America to her greatness.
a. Jeremiah 33:6-9 (NLT)
6 “Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. 8 I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. 9 Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
b. No politician can heal America.
c. No system can heal America.
d. No psychologist can heal America.
e. Only the God who made us can heal America.
f. Our problems are political.
g. Our problems are not economic.
h. Our problems are social.
i. Our problems are spiritual, and the only way to fix them is for us to return to God, humble ourselves, pray for forgiveness, and serve him again.
Conclusion
1. Yes we are at a crossroads, and unless something changes, and changes radically, we are destined for destruction.
2. America needs...
a. The Church
b. Humility
c. Seek
d. Turn
e. America will be restored
3. How about you?
