After a truly amazing Ash Wednesday service (yes, we are not even five years old yet and we are an Independent Christian Church, not Catholic or high church or anything like that and we STILL celebrated Ash Wednesday) I was reflecting on the theme.
The theme was 2 Chronicles 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 forgive their sin and heal their land." That is a popular verse and is oft quoted.
But what happens if we don't? What happens if we don't do what that verse says?
I think many of us look at that verse and say to ourselves, "That sure would be nice, but right now things aren't that bad. If we don't do what that verse says, we'll just kinda stay where we are and continue on with life as we know it."
I don't think so.
The reason I don't think so is that history doesn't show that to be the truth. Those words were spoken to the nation of Israel, who in later years would abandon the Lord (probably lots of reports of young people leaving the faith came out), devolve into sexual immorality, sacrificing children to idols, following false gods, and being consumed with materialism. They were called to repent, and they didn't. So things just kinda stayed where they were, right?
Wrong.
When God calls a nation to repentance, it isn't because it might be considered a good idea, or because it would allow the people to live their best life now, or even because it is harmful to the people.
It's because God knows what the next step is. That next step is Judgment.
And now you say, "Oh, Dave, you're starting to sound like those idiots on the street corner calling us all to repent or we will be going to hell. We've all heard that before."
Well, actually, no. I'm studying history, and those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Why do you think the story of the fall of Israel is in the Bible? It is in there so that we can learn from it, to learn from their mistakes, to turn from the path that they took that led to their destruction.
If you truly study the last days of the nation of Israel, they look eerily similar to the current situation in America. You see the same arrogance towards God and His word. You see the same sins against children- they sacrificed their children to idols named Molech and Asherah, and we abort our children and sacrifice them to the idols named Ease and Comfort and Materialism and Self-Actualization. You see the same sexual immorality. You see the same lack of character- dishonesty, laziness, blaming others for their own faults, disrespect of parents, and destructive words from the peoples' mouths. You see the same pursuit of money and materialism. I could go on.
So what if we don't repent, turn from our wicked ways, pray, and seek the face of God?
Israel was invaded by the kingdom of Assyria and completely wiped out. Could the same thing happen to America?
Yes, it could. There is a reason why the saying, "History repeats itself," is so common. It's because it is true.
That is why it is so essential for us all to take 2 Chronicles 7:14 seriously- there are severe implications if we don't. It is more than just a nice verse. It is more than just a promise of God to us as people.
It is God's call to us to act before it is too late.
The nation of Israel refused to. You know what happened.
Right now, it's up to you and me- pray for our nation. Pray that we will, as a nation, repent of our wicked ways and humble ourselves before God. Pray that a nationwide revival will take place so that we can avert the judgment, which will be totally right and fair and justified, that is coming because of our sins. Wake up to reality that if we don't do what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, we will feel the full wrath of God in this nation. I believe that right now God is waiting on our response.
The theme was 2 Chronicles 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 forgive their sin and heal their land." That is a popular verse and is oft quoted.
But what happens if we don't? What happens if we don't do what that verse says?
I think many of us look at that verse and say to ourselves, "That sure would be nice, but right now things aren't that bad. If we don't do what that verse says, we'll just kinda stay where we are and continue on with life as we know it."
I don't think so.
The reason I don't think so is that history doesn't show that to be the truth. Those words were spoken to the nation of Israel, who in later years would abandon the Lord (probably lots of reports of young people leaving the faith came out), devolve into sexual immorality, sacrificing children to idols, following false gods, and being consumed with materialism. They were called to repent, and they didn't. So things just kinda stayed where they were, right?
Wrong.
When God calls a nation to repentance, it isn't because it might be considered a good idea, or because it would allow the people to live their best life now, or even because it is harmful to the people.
It's because God knows what the next step is. That next step is Judgment.
And now you say, "Oh, Dave, you're starting to sound like those idiots on the street corner calling us all to repent or we will be going to hell. We've all heard that before."
Well, actually, no. I'm studying history, and those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Why do you think the story of the fall of Israel is in the Bible? It is in there so that we can learn from it, to learn from their mistakes, to turn from the path that they took that led to their destruction.
If you truly study the last days of the nation of Israel, they look eerily similar to the current situation in America. You see the same arrogance towards God and His word. You see the same sins against children- they sacrificed their children to idols named Molech and Asherah, and we abort our children and sacrifice them to the idols named Ease and Comfort and Materialism and Self-Actualization. You see the same sexual immorality. You see the same lack of character- dishonesty, laziness, blaming others for their own faults, disrespect of parents, and destructive words from the peoples' mouths. You see the same pursuit of money and materialism. I could go on.
So what if we don't repent, turn from our wicked ways, pray, and seek the face of God?
Israel was invaded by the kingdom of Assyria and completely wiped out. Could the same thing happen to America?
Yes, it could. There is a reason why the saying, "History repeats itself," is so common. It's because it is true.
That is why it is so essential for us all to take 2 Chronicles 7:14 seriously- there are severe implications if we don't. It is more than just a nice verse. It is more than just a promise of God to us as people.
It is God's call to us to act before it is too late.
The nation of Israel refused to. You know what happened.
Right now, it's up to you and me- pray for our nation. Pray that we will, as a nation, repent of our wicked ways and humble ourselves before God. Pray that a nationwide revival will take place so that we can avert the judgment, which will be totally right and fair and justified, that is coming because of our sins. Wake up to reality that if we don't do what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, we will feel the full wrath of God in this nation. I believe that right now God is waiting on our response.
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