IF MY PEOPLE
The Berean Christians in Acts
17:11 says that they were nobler than the Thessalonians. Paul and
Silas preached to them and they were eager to learn. Not only that, they
cross-referenced the teachings by examining the scriptures. Even though the
great apostle Paul was preaching, they checked to see if it matched the
scriptures. We need to be familiar with the word of God to know what is
right and wrong theology.
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my
people who are called by my name..."
Context: King Solomon succeeded his
father and built the temple of God in Chapter 5 and 6 of Chronicles.
Two amazing things happened during
the dedication of the temple:
·
2 Chronicles 5:13- The glory of the
Lord came like a cloud and filled the temple.
·
2 Chronicles 7:1 Fire came down from
heaven and consumed the burnt offerings.V3 When the Israelite saw the fire they
knelt face down on the pavement and worshipped the Lord.
Two weeks of celebration and worship
followed where Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120000 sheep and goats. It
was an extravagant, expensive affair. The Lord appeared to Solomon at night
after this.
1. If my people who are called by my
name:
2 Chronicles 7:13 talks about what is
happening in the world today. Drought, locust attacks, and plagues are present
currently. God allows this to happen for a reason. When these things happen,
our response needs to be swift. The solution to all this is in our hands. We
are the people of God. We are not ordinary. We can easily get overwhelmed with
all that is happening.
However, we need to
be reminded of who we are.
·
We are chosen by God to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
·
We were chosen before the creation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)
·
We are chosen for a purpose as we are a "Royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God."
(1 Peter 2:9)
No amount of money can buy what we
have in Christ. Salvation is priceless. Sometimes we can get so
overwhelmed with work and circumstance that we forget which kingdom we belong
to. Many are afraid of death. For those who believe, death is glorious as our
last breath on Earth will be our first breath in Heaven!
Philippians 1:21 for me to live is Christ and to die
is gain. Paul desired to depart Earth and be with Jesus in heaven. Revelation 21:3-4 says heaven has no
pain, no suffering, no sickness, no death! That is our destiny. No matter what
happens, our eternity is secure. We can focus on the now and forget about our
destiny which is secure. God has great plans for us on Earth and in Heaven! Ephesians 2:10 says we are created to
do good works!
1 Cor 6:3 – says do you not know that we are going to judge
angels! God has great plans for us not only on earth but in heaven. But we can
get so caught up with everyday life that we miss out on what God has for us to
do. Do not neglect God’s great plan and
purpose for our lives.
2. Humble themselves:
One of the ways to humble ourselves
is our physical posture. As we get
into God’s presence we kneel, bow down and honour Him. In 2 Chronicles 7:3 –
“when all the Israelites… they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the
ground”. God loves humility.
If you want the power of God to work in your life,
humility is what he is looking for. Ahab – the most evil man on earth – in 1
Kings 21:25 it says “there was never anyone like Ahab who sold himself to do
evil in the eyes of the Lord. He behaved in the vilest manner.”
Ahab’s response to Elijah’s prophetic
word was in verse 27 “when Ahab heard his
words, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth.” The most evil man does
this and what is God’s response “Then the word of the Lord came to
Elijah the Tishbite: “Have
you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has
humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I
will bring it on his house in the days of his son”
Humility is
reflected in how we treat others. We are humble before those above us, but how
do we treat those who are beneath us? That demonstrates our humility. Another
way in Phil 2:5 – 8 : In your relationships with one another, have the same
mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very
nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used
to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even
death on a cross!
3. Pray:
When you are burdened if you can
separate them into 2 parts – a circle of
concern and circle of influence. In your circle of influence, you are
responsible to do something. The things that are in the circle of concern you
take it to God in prayer and then release it.
Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer.” We can go on about the verses in the Bible that
urges us to pray. But it’s important to pray. We can be so caught up in praying
for our personal needs, but there are great needs in the world that we need to
pray for.
4. Seek His face:
Seeking the face of God is to seek
intimacy with Him. Many of us come to God just for what he can do for us. But
he wants to connect with us. 1
Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, who has called
you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” God intends for us to fellowship with Him. He is calling us to a
friendship.
5. Turn away from our wicked ways:
If you are in Christ your sins are
forgiven. We are like a bride getting ready for a wedding. During the time of
the wedding, the bride is not going hiking, she is putting on the gown, getting
herself ready. That is similar to what
Galatians 5:16-21- So I say,
walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to
the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want… The
acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord,
jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not
inherit the kingdom of God.
This is the Bride getting ready for Christ our groom. Heaven
is fixed for us, but because of our love for Jesus, we put away every
2 Tim 2:20-21 “ In
a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood
and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the
latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the
Master and prepared to do any good work.”
As we put aside sin, God will use us. A helpful thing is to
have a daily reflection and seek forgiveness where you need to.
In conclusion, what will God do as a response to this? He
will hear from heaven, he will forgive our sin and he will heal our land. We
are the solution to the problems of the world. Its only when God’s kingdom
comes on this earth will the evil be dispelled. Let us accomplish the purpose
for which God has chosen us.
Let’s pray.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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