The Biggest “IF” in the Bible
Text: II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Scripture second Chronicles, 7:1-
Introduction
One of the biggest words in the human language is the little word, “if”. It is a big word in a child’s life when it precedes the granting of a cherished wish. “You may visit your friend’s if” “You may go to the picnic if” “You may play if” “You may listen to the radio if”. If can be a big word to anyone with a need, especially when we hear, “I’d help you if” or “I’ll help you if”. We learn how big an If can be when we call in a physician on behalf of a loved one, and he gravely shakes his head and says, “Recovery depends upon an if”. We learn how big an if can be when we go to the bank to borrow money. If the banker looks worried you’ll get the loan because h has made up his mind and is wondering if he’ll get his money back. If he smiles, you’re sunk, because he has made up his mind not to let you have it, and he doesn’t have a care in the world. “I’ll stand by you if” and what a big word if becomes. Put an if in front of it and you can agree to about everything and be on safe ground.
I. There are some big ‘ifs’ in the Bible. 1522 of them
A. First Jno 1:9, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with the other.”
Matthew 9:21, “If I may but touch the hem of His garment I shall be made whole.
If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me.
Col 3:1, “ If ye be risen with Christ, speak those things which are above.”
These are all big ‘ifs’. So much depends upon them.
B. But the biggest ‘if’ in the whole Bible is to be found in second Chronicles 7:14. Back of that if is all that we need, yet that if is the greatest barricade in the whole Bible. God says, “If ye will-then I will.” Revival will come when people humble themselves and pray. Forgiveness comes when people humble themselves and pray. Healing comes when people humble themselves and pray. Speaking to His chosen God says,
II. If my people which are called by my name
A. God’s people are called by His name. A representative of Britain’s government must be careful how he lives because Her majesty the Queen’s reputation is involved. It is an insult to the crown to place a postage stamp bearing a likeness of the Queen in an inverted position on the letter. Here, God’s reputation is involved. David in Psalms 23:3 said “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness on account of His own reputation.” Addressed to God’s people and not to sinners, this if was necessary, for,
B. The lament in Isaiah 63:19 RV is “We have become as they whom though never barest rule.” We have become unGodlike. In ex. 19:5-6 God said “If ye will obey my voice in deed, and keep my covenant, then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.” And in Deut 14:2 God said, “For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself.”
C. Peculiar people have obligations to fulfill. Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth.” If you lose your saltiness you lose your worthiness. We are God’s representatives, the people which are called by His name. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. Let your light so shine that God may be glorified by your light.” If your light has gone out how great is your darkness! God’s representatives, people called by His name.
A man was sent to a foreign land to represent the U.S. but he returned before his term was up. He said, “The responsibility was too great. Every time I drank a glass of water the natives watched to see how Uncle Sam drank. Every time I ate, they watched to see how Uncle Sam ate. Every time I walked down the street they watched to see how Uncle Sam walked. The responsibility was too great, so I came home.”
God’s representatives are a chosen people, called to be a holy people, but Christ will not be glorified unless his people glorify Him by a life lived for Him.
D. Israel forgot God and became proud and unGodlike, and forgot whose they were. So God said.
III. If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves....
A. Humility in those strenuous times seems to be a grace gone out of style. Yet humility is the gateway to God. Micah 6:6-7, “Where withal shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God. Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God?”
B. The first blessed in the sermon on the mount is for the humble. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Had Salome and her sons remembered this beatitude, they would never have asked Christ to make them sit one on His right and one on His left in His kingdom. Had the disciples remembered this beatitude, they would not have been so agitated by Salome’s request. Earthly thrones are built with steps leading up to them but up is down, with God, we must stoop if we would rise. We must gird ourselves to wash the feet of the disciples as a common slave, if we would share the royalty of our Lord.
A man was addressing a room full of school children, “All of you know the verb which says, “I am, you are, he is.” Verbs in English, German, Italian, Latin, and Spanish all run in the same way. Bad way for verbs to run. The old Hebrew people arranged their verbs the other way around. He is, thou art, I am! That is God’s way. Say to yourself looking up at God, “He is.” Then look at your neighbor and say “You are.” last of all think of yourself and say, “I am.”
C. But this text refers to a humbling before God. A humbling which comes when we look within, when we place our lives alongside of Christ’s life, when like John the Baptist we say, “I am not worthy to unlace His shoes.” This is a humility like the prodigal son demonstrated when he came home to the Father’s house in rags and poverty and said, “ I have sinned against heaven an earth and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” This is the publican’s humility when he felt unworthy to approached the throne, but barely within the temple he said, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Humbling before God precedes revival. “If my people will come down off their lofty places, their better than thou attitudes, their haughty spirits, their self-satisfied positions, their unGodliness and humble themselves.”
IV. And pray, and seek my face and turn from wicked ways
A. Humility is the turning of the whole heart, the whole soul to God. There is not a spot on Earth, be it ever so remote, from which the heart cannot turn to God. The poor, crushed, broken, sorry heart can go directly to God in prayer. God doesn’t hear the proud. In a great art palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, a scrub woman was washing the floor before a beautiful statue of Christ. A visitor standing before the statue said, “I don’t see much beauty in that statue, I’m not as impressed with it as I expected to be.” The old lady scrubbing the floors looked up at him and said, “Get down on your knees, and look at it!” How long has it been since you have beheld Christ from your knees?
B. How long has it been since you have sought His face pray? Did you seek God’s approval? The oldest prayer in the Bible is “May God have His face turned in your direction.” God’s face meant approval to the people of old. It’s worth everything to have God’s smile. It’s worth being ostracized and persecuted. We won’t get into God’s heaven without His approval.
C. And turn from their wicked ways. God is very near the humble, He can do nothing for the proud. We must turn from our pride of face, pride of race, pride of position, pride of culture. God hates pride, the pride of self-sufficiency, pride of false values. They that followed Christ for the loaves and fishes eventually went back and walked no more with Him. Jesus didn’t care to build up a big following from that group. Our work is to win souls and not to go back with the crowd. We must go on with Christ, glorify Christ, and not ourselves.
V. Then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins
A. You have humbled yourselves when you have prayed. When you have sought my face, when you have met the conditions-my conditions-then I will hear and forgive your sins of pride, unGodliness, and I will heal your lands.
B. Your land may be your own soul this morning. God will forgive you if you will come down before Him. Your land may be your home. God will heal the breach between you and your loved ones if you will humble yourselves. Your land may be your church. Meet God’s conditions, it won’t take God very long to act when we are in earnest. Get enough concerned about God and all else will see in little.
Conclusion: “If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their lands.”
“If.” What will you do with the biggest if in the Bible?
