The Gospel According To If

TITLE: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ‘IF’

SCRIPTURE: II CHRONICLES 7:14

Have you ever stopped long enough and taken inventory of the Divine ''Ifs'' that have permeated and prevailed in your life? Not a casual or surface stop, but a still moment where you took the necessary time and actually sat with yourself.

• The good self

• The not so good self

• The old self

• The new self

• The self that you desire to be

• The self that you are

Sometimes you need to sit with yourself in the alone moments and as painful or shameful as it may be, just think about the divine ifs in your life. The divine ifs are those places that you recognize -

• God had to - Circumvent what was going to happen or what should have happened

• God took - the potential of DESTRUCTION - EMBARRASSMENT - SHAME - out of the moment

When you think about the ifs, you borrow that line from Newton's Hymn --

• Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come

• Yes, if it had not been for the Lord on our side

The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ‘IF’ is the difference between –

• When I felt my self being pushed to a place that was not going to be pretty - but then I walked away or felt something pulling me back from an emotional melt down or explosion that I could have regretted for the rest of my life

• The Diagnosis – and the Prognosis

If…if….if… - what a small two letter word! Seems when we hear or see this small two letter word it has a condition attached.

• If you do this then I'll do that

• If only I had made another choice I would not be in this condition

• I really get a kick out of this one, if I could only win the lottery my life will change

• If only I would have listened better

• If ….

There are some big ‘Ifs’ found in the Bible. 1522 of them to be exact –

• I JOHN 1:9 -- “IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

• GALATIANS 5:25 -- “IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT AS HE IS IN THE LIGHT WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH THE OTHER”

• ST. MATTHEW 9:21 -- “IF I MAY BUT TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT I SHALL BE MADE WHOLE”

• ST. JOHN 12:32 -- “IF I BE LIFTED UP I WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME”

• COLOSSIANS 3:1 - “ IF YE BE RISEN WITH CHRIST, SPEAK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE”

• These are some big ‘IFS’ - so much depends upon them

But the biggest ‘if’ in the entire Bible is to be found in II Chronicles 7:14. “IF’ is the greatest barricade in the whole Bible.

• God says - “If you 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 -- IF MY PEOPLE WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME

God’s people are called by His name. If you were in England and asked to serve as a representative of Britain’s Government you must be careful how you live 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

• You must live above reproach because you represent Her Majesty the Queen

• Here, in our text, and throughout the Bible - God’s reputation is involved

• DAVID in PSALMS 23:3 said “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake”

• That’ refers to God’s reputation

• This text is addressed to God’s people and not to sinners

• The tragedy is sometimes we cannot tell them apart

• We are God’s reputation

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.

• Israel forgot God and became proud and un-God-like

• They forgot whose they were

• So God said -- IF MY PEOPLE WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME

Yes, my brothers and sisters -- THE GOSEPEL ACCORDING TO ‘IF’ – We as God’s people focus too much on the “If” instead of the challenge to live according to God’s standards -

• If only I could find my soulmate to marry

• If only my spouse felt like