Preaching Notes
If My People Will Pray
2 Chronicles 7:11–22
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’
“But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
I. Born in the USA
David Brooks on Bruce Springsteen Concert in Spain:
The continuing flood of immigrants into the USA
Why do so many people want to live here?
Is it our Declaration of Independence?
Is it our …
Uniqueness of the USA
Has the USA lost her way?
II. God’s National Blessings
Scripture reaffirms God’s love
Ours is a God of covenants
Covenants are agreements between 2 parties
In these covenants God promised to bless as long as the people kept
In OT God established major covenants with His people:
The covenant with David was with the nation of Israel
Today’s scripture 2 Chronicles 7:11–22 is a covenant reminder
All covenants included 3 parts
A promised blessing
A condition to be met by the people
A warning if the condition was not met
III. The Promise and the Blessing of 2 Chronicles 7:11–22
The setting for this promise and warning
The Blessing
I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
The Condition
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways
The Warning
If you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight.
From biblical history we know, God is true to His Word
One of the great mistakes of the people of God is when
We trust His promises, but laugh at His warnings
Have we done this in America today?
IV. The State of America Today
We can use a variety of tools to evaluate our nation
As a Christian we should use biblical tools
Based on
Matthew 25:31-46, specifically vs 38 and 39
Micah 6:8
Exodus 20 … The Ten Commandments
Luke 10:27 … The Great Commandments
God is no longer loved or honored in America
America not only hates the church, but our nation despises God
Every political speech ends, God bless America
We continue to take away religious freedoms for Christians
The current media is anti-Christian
The Christian Church in America is in decline
Christian love of neighbor is rarely honored
Is practiced among our leaders
Even as citizens we are more focused on ourselves
=> an ethic which tramples love or concern for neighbor
Christian ethics are not even taken into consideration
Do your own thing reigns
V. We have broken covenant with God
We should no longer assume God’s blessing
According to 2 Chronicles
We should be expecting judgement rather than blessing
What should we do according to 2 Chronicles?
In this passage, we are called to do 6 things
- Humble ourselves
- Pray to God
- Seek God’s face
- Turn from our wicked ways
- Walk before me like David … Have a heart for God
- Obey my commands
All speak of a change of life focus from self to God
A change which is inner and personal
A change which is outward
Doing these thing will not save our nation
In response God will:
- Hear from heaven
- Forgive our sin
- Heal our land.
God is our only Savior
We need a revival in America
Revival begins here … In our hearts
Not out there in the world
Until their is a revival in here there will never be a revival out there
A new or better President will not save us
Unless the Lord reigns in our hearts and in our land
We will remain a nation in decline
Bread Crumbs - Devotions for Life 
“We trust His promises, but laugh at His warnings”
Boy are you right on with this Rus. The Church has become entirely self focused. We have left behind our love of the brethren, and most importantly, our love of the Lord.