Revival - Or a Footnote of History
On the Waterfront: In 1954 a movie called On the Waterfront came out. The movie starred Marlin Brando who played an up and coming boxer who was forced to deliberately a lose fight so a crime boss could make money by betting against him. He never became a boxing legend and ended up being a dock worker. Later in the movie, when talking to his on-screen brother, Marlin Brando made his famous line: "I coulda' been somebody. I coulda' been a contender Instead of a bum, which is what I am – let's face it." The movie was critically acclaimed and a box office success.
Could we have been somebody?: Many of us wonder if we could have been somebody. Movie star, music star, Janitor (ok a rich CEO of a janitorial supply company). Instead, as history shows, we are just us. I’m not sure that’s so bad, tho. Especially if you’re saved because you have a mansion waiting for you in heaven not to mention a God who loves you.
So many of us perhaps are just a footnote in history (if that).
But what would be worse? If you could have been a great man or woman of God and then didn’t follow thru.
Who could have been a contender?: Today we are going to talk about one such person. He was famous for being great! And he was great! But then something almost predictably happened that caused him to be a cautionary tale.
Is it better to be average? So perhaps it’s better to be average and remain average than to be great and then have a great fall? The bigger they are the harder they fall?
About Solomon: So who is this great person we will be talking about today who was great and then broke down at the end of the race? (besides ourselves) The Bible is full of such stories. Solomon. What? Solomon?
Temple Dedication: In 2 Chronicles chapter 6, we see Solomon dedicating the first temple. It had just been completed and was magnificent.
Solomon’s Prayer: Also in chapter 6, Solomon prays that whenever the people sin and then come back to God, that he requests God will forgive the people and heal the land. He makes such a supplication multiple times in various ways.
2 Chron 7:1-10
1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. 3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6 The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD’s musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing. 7 Solomon consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the LORD, and there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings, because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings and the fat portions. 8 So Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. 9 On the eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival for seven days more. 10 On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.
Quite the celebration for the dedication of the Temple. The additional offerings were given apparently after the fire came down and received their first offerings. So many offerings the bronze altar couldn’t do them all.
The celebration went on for days. 7 days of dedication and 7 days more of festival and then went to their homes.
2 Chron 7:11-16
11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
When there is no blessing or there is pestilence
If my people who are called by my name (not everyone, just God’s people)
Humble themselves, pray, and seek my face. (Seek to fix the relationship with God)
Turn from their wicked ways (Be ye holy for He is holy)
If you do these things, then
He will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land.
2 Chron 7:14 gives the prescription to fix our relationship with God and find forgiveness.
But that’s not all. The Lord cautions Solomon further - which we see he later fails in this.
2 Chron 7:17-22
17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’ 19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
So this seems reasonable. If you serve me and don’t turn away to other gods…
Then you’ll always have a successor to rule in Israel.
If you do turn to other gods then
Israel will be uprooted from the land, it will become an object of ridicule, the temple will be destroyed, and people will say because they have forsaken the Lord.
Warning! This is a caution for anyone not to turn away from God to other gods. God is a jealous God.
When you draw near to God, He will draw near to you and good things happen.
When you turn away from God, He lets you, and the blessings stop, and the devil does what he wants with you, which is never a good thing.
God is Strict but God Forgives! Each of us are living our lives and we have life choices to make. We make some good some bad. But when you make bad choices, don’t stay there, learn from them and come back to the good place.
Many times people when they realize they are away from God just give up instead of realizing the right thing to do is to come back to God and He will forgive them. He is a forgiving God!
1 Cor 9:24-27
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all*, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things*. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means*, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
So what happened to Solomon? Could you see it coming?
1 Kings 11:4-13
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
Contender? Again, this is a cautionary tale. He could have been a contender! He could have been something!
How about You? Don’t be a good Christian and then turn away from God in the end like Solomon did. He ran the race and then at the end he turned to other gods and so destroyed his testimony. Does this mean he lost his salvation, no, but instead of there being a Solomon’s temple to this day as God promised if he remained faithful, instead it was destroyed.by the Babylonians. His lineage as promised to always have been a king if he kept God’s word but because he didn’t, instead the lineage stopped because of what happened. Even though we still know of King Solomon, because of his failures, his lineage failed, and the temple was destroyed.
Careful, It’s a common problem. Sadly, we all have this problem. Be careful if you think it can’t happen to you, lest you make the same kind of mistake.
Prov 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Younger self vs. Older Self. When we are younger we think we’ll never sin and can be cocky about it. When we are older we look for forgiveness for the life of mistakes we’ve made and regrets we have.
But forgiveness is for the asking.
2 Chron 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Invitation: Maybe you need to find Jesus for the first time? If God asked you why should I let you into heaven, what would be your answer?
If you didn’t know that Jesus died for you to take away your sins and that accepting His sacrifice was the only way to be saved, learn that today if you learned nothing else! Your life depends on it! His hand of salvation of reaching out to you today, won’t you take it?
And for those who are saved, if you’re wrong with God, get right with God today!
His hand of forgiveness is reaching out to you today. Won’t you take it?
