If My People Will Humble Themselves and Pray

Would you take your copy of the Word of God and open to the Old Testament book of 2 Chronicles? And if you would find chapter 7, in a moment I want to read verse 12 through verse 14. 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 12 through 14, and I'm not trying to presume upon the Lord. Because the Lord may call us home to be with Him tonight. But if the Lord tarries tonight and Monday night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night, we'll be in this exact same text. And so this will be our text for this week together and how I pray that we obey what this text says and that our Lord moves in us individually and corporately as this text describes.

2 Chronicles chapter 7 records an amazing time in the life of the nation of Israel. The context of this passage of Scripture of course is the completion of Solomon's temple. And in 2 Chronicles 6 41, Solomon, King Solomon, prays a prayer dedicating the newly completed temple of God and calling upon God to fill the temple with His presence. He says in 2 Chronicles 6 41, "Now therefore arise, O Lord, into Thy resting place." And in response to Israel's obedient completion of the temple and in response to Solomon's prayer, the fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices.

And the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house and the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house. The presence of the Lord was so strong. The power of God was so real. God was with His people. It was truly a wonderful season in the life of God's chosen people. It's a season that most of us have never experienced and only heard of. It was a season of genuine revival in the nation of Israel. But fires wane and the glory of God tends to fade in time in the hearts of His people. And that was to be the case here. It's in this atmosphere, in this presence of the glory of God.

It's in this presence of the fires of revival that God warns His chosen people of a coming day. A day that they would no longer be close to the Lord like they were here. A day when their hearts would grow cold and calloused. A day when they would forget that here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. And they would turn away to many other gods. A day in which they would remove themselves from their Lord. A day of sin. A day of declension. A day when God's people would no longer be seeking Him with all of their hearts. To combat this error, God told Solomon that he would have to shut up the heavens. So that there would be no rain.

He would have to command the locusts to devour the land. And he would send pestilence among his people, 2 Chronicles 7.13. But in this day of chastening and in this day of God-sent correction, God made a promise. 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 I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. This so reminds me of the Christian life. We were all, as I preached this morning, if you're born again, we were all born again in the fires of Holy Spirit awakening.

The Spirit of God, even when we were dead in trespasses and in sins, quickened us. And that is the New Testament word for revive. He quickened us, even Ephesians 2.1, when we were dead in trespasses and in sin. How many of you remember when you were saved? I sure do. Do you remember how you felt when God saved you? Do you remember what you were experiencing then? Do you remember how close the Lord was to you? Do you remember how real His presence was in your life? Do you remember that you loved God and He was in all of your thoughts and He was all you wanted to talk about?

Do you remember the newness and the cleanness and the holiness that God brought into your life? What happened, brother? What happened? What has happened to us, just like Israel? The fire has all but burnt out. God's former glory has faded in our hearts and in our lives. We've turned away to other lovers and now we think about them more and talk about them more and serve them more than the living God. And what about the church today? What about the state of the Lord's church? The average church is just like Israel, dry. Dry from God withholding the rains. Devoured from the locusts that He's had to send among us.

Destroyed by the pestilence that God has had to send to get our attention. I'll tell you, the evangelical church in America obviously is sick. Sin, sick. She's weak and sick and fading fast. But I believe that God has given to us the exact same promise that He gave to Israel so many years ago because look, we're His people as this text says, we're His people even more than they are because of the covenant of grace we have through His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Look at 2 Chronicles 7 beginning in verse 12.

"And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, 'I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. If I shut up the heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, 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 heal their land." As we start this journey together this evening, I want to do two things that they out set.

First of all, I want to define biblically for you the word revive or revival as it's found in the scripture. And then second, I want to make a biblical defense for using an Old Testament passage to call you a New Testament church to seek God for revival. First, let me quickly define this word revival. It is used in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word kahlyaw is translated revive or quicken. And it means, this is important, please remember this. It means to recover, to repair, to restore something back, to make something whole once again.

Some examples would be Nehemiah 4.2, Psalm 85.6, Psalm 138.7, Isaiah 57.15, Hosea 6.2 and 14.7, Habakkuk 3.2 and Psalm 119. The word quicken is used over. Psalm 119 is the revival psalm of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we see the Greek word translated quicken or revive. And it means the exact same thing to recover, to repair, to restore or to make something whole again. Romans 8.11, Ephesians 2.1 and 5, Colossians 2.13, 1 Peter 3.18 are all examples of the use of this word quicken or revival. I believe this to be the great need of the church today. And I believe it to be the great need of the Christian today.

We need to be recovered. We need to be repaired. We need to be restored. We need to be made whole once again. Brothers and sisters, this is revival and this is what revival means. But I want to give a biblical defense for using an Old Testament text to call you, a New Testament church, to revival. Twice, the Apostle Paul specifically used the nation of Israel for us as Christians and for us as a church as an example. For example, listen to what Paul said. He said all the things that happened unto Israel happened for examples to us. And they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Wherefore, let him that thinks he stand take heed lest he fall. 2 Corinthians 10.11 and 12. Paul said a similar thing to the church at Rome. He said for whatever things were written a four time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Romans 15 verse 4. In other words, this text and all Old Testament texts are set forth by God for us written as an example to us to admonish us and to teach us. And that's all I'm doing. Jesus Christ was the premier Old Testament preacher. John the Baptist was the premier Old Testament preacher.

And I submit to you that the Sermon on the Mount is nothing more than Jesus Christ giving an exposition of the Old Testament and bringing those truths to bear into the life of a Christian. And that's what I'm doing this evening. The church has repeated the sins of the nation of Israel. And the same judgment that they suffered that needs the same remedy that God gave them is what he prescribes for us here. And that is revival. And in our days together I want us to prayerfully look at this text and look at their example and look to the Lord and seek the Lord for individual and then for corporate revival.

Now, first of all, let's look at the promise of this text before we get into it. Look at the promise of this text. I want to focus tonight on two words. These two words form a God-breathed outline for our text. If you're listening, say Amen. Here they are. If and then. These two words prove the point that while God is sovereign, revival will not come unless we submit to and obey what God has commanded us to do in this text. If comes before then. There will be no then until the demands of if are first met on our part. Revival revolves around these two words, both of them. Then is a certainty. Then is a promise from God.

If, however, reveals the possibility of the conditions not being met by you. If reveals the possibility of the conditions not being met by us as a church. If applies to us, then applies to God. The then is conditioned upon the if. And notice what God says. He begins with us. If we humble ourselves. That's a big if. You know what? There's a lot of people in here not willing to do that. I guarantee it. If we pray. We'll sure pick up our cell phones. We'll sure watch Disney Plus. But there's not a lot of praying going on anymore. If we seek God's face. We'll seek everything else. If we turn from our wicked ways.

And is that not the problem we love sin? But if we humble ourselves. If there's some folks in this congregation. Daring enough to pray. If there's some people willing to seek God's face. And turn from their wicked ways. Listen to the promise God makes. Then. And you could insert only then. I will hear you from heaven. God will hear us. I will forgive your sin. And I will heal your land. As best I can tell. If the if is genuinely obeyed. No manipulation. Not in pure motives. If this if is genuinely obeyed. Then God says. I will. I will. Will be met by God. You know. Brother Chris. I've had to get beyond. My fear. And hesitancy.

Being reformed in my theology. I've had to get beyond my fear and my hesitancy. Of violating God's sovereignty. Sovereignty to genuinely fulfill the if in this text. And then to trust God. And believe God. To do what he said. And promises concerning the then. And I believe this is why. We've seen no revival. What is passed off as a respect. And a regard for God's sovereignty. May simply be a cop out. A lack of faith that God won't do. What he promised he'd do. I fear that. In giving God if you will a way out. Under the banner of sovereignty. And simply old fashioned unbelief. We don't fulfill the conditions of this if.

We don't truly trust God for the then. And I believe that may be one of the reasons why we don't see revival. I think we've hidden a good bit of unbelief. Under the banner of quote God is sovereign. Here's what I begin to pray. God forgive me. For charging your sovereignty with my mediocrity. This is a little bit uncomfortable. But it's amazing how pious we can be. And our theological explanations as to why we're not what God has commanded us to be. I want you to consider these two words. If. And then. First of all here's my first point. If my people and this is as far as we'll get tonight humble and pray.

Just think those are that's where we're headed. Humble and pray. And they go together and you'll see that. God please help you to see it. If here here's the first if statement. My people. Revivals not for the lost growing up a southern Baptist all my roots all the churches I was a part of as a boy. They put a sign out front that said revival and basically it was just a decisionistic evangelistic campaign to try to get a lot of people saved. But revival is not for lost people. It's for my people. Revivals for the church revival is for the redeemed. My pastor used to say you can't be revived until you first get vived.

Which is why Brother Chris and his wisdom led us this morning to look at salvation. To look at the new birth. To look at what it means to be born again. If God is speaking to his elect. His chosen people. If my people. Listen how personal this is which are called by my name. She'll humble themselves. This word humble is a powerful word in the Hebrew call no. It literally means the bending of the knee. It means to be humiliated and boy we Americans don't like to be humiliated. It means to be vanquished it means to be conquered by God. It means to be brought low before the Lord brought in subjection to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

It literally means to be subdued by God. Pride is our main problem. Pride is our main problem. Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride is the opposite of God and his will for our lives. It was pride that transformed Lucifer into Satan when five times in Isaiah 14 he said I will. I will ascend above the stars of God. I will sit in the congregation of the Mount on the north. I will be like the most high God. We're never more like Satan than when we're full of pride. Pride causes us to fall. The Bible warns us that pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16 18. Pride causes God to resist us.

I resist the proud but give grace to the humble. First Peter chapter 5 verse 5. God hates pride. These six things does the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination to him. And one of those Proverbs 6 16 is a proud look. Pride causes the rains to be withheld by God. Pride causes God to have to send the locusts to devour and get our attention. Pride causes God to send the pestilence among us so that he might once again show us our need and our dependence upon him. Pride is a sin. It's the root of every other sin you have.

There's not one sin you've ever committed and there's not one sin you will ever commit that didn't first have its source and root in pride. Pride is the wicked way that this text is exposing. Pride causes grief. Rahah in the Hebrew. It causes harm. It causes sickness. It causes calamity and even death. I thought of what a good illustration would be to give you of this and the Lord reminded me of the book of Joshua. In the book of Joshua, Moses has died and God has anointed Joshua to be the new leader and magnified him in the eyes of the people. Joshua was successful at leading the nation of Israel across the Jordan River at flood stage.

And they came out on the other side and marched seven times around Jericho and on the seventh day the priest blew the trumpets and the walls fell down and Jericho, that mighty stronghold, was defeated all by the power of God. The very next scene, they come to the little tiny minuscule city known as Ai and the pride enters in. They never consult with God. They never pray. They never ask for God's wisdom. They never ask for God's help. And they come to the conclusion, it's such a small city. We don't need to send all the armed men. We'll just send a small pavilion of warriors. And Israel was humiliated and defeated and 36 men lost their lives.

And fear spread through the camp of Israel. If you're listening, would you say amen? Often God will allow you to be defeated in your pride to prove to you that without me you can do nothing. It's not meant to permanently destroy you, but rather to return you to God, revival, to repair you, to restore you, to mend you, to make you whole. Jesus Christ is the great example of humility. Jesus is the opposite of Satan. Jesus is the opposite of pride.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient under the death, even the death of the cross, Philippians 2, 5 through 11. Here is what is so repugnant about pride. Here is what is so offensive to God about pride. Jesus Christ is equal with the Father. Jesus Christ is equal with the Spirit.

Jesus Christ is God of very God, and he was willing to come and humble himself to save a dead sinner like you. And once saved, then we want to strut around in pride. When God himself humbled himself to reach us, now will we walk in arrogance and pride? This is why it is so offensive to God. And I tell you, pride is in the church today. We identify it as, we give respectable names to it, apathy, lethargy, complacency, indifference, lukewarmness. But another word for all of these things is a wicked way that the Bible calls pride. Think about it for just a moment. God help you to think.

We are apathetic because we don't think we need any more from God than what we now have. We are lethargic because we are satisfied with what self can do. Most of our churches could do everything they are doing without the Holy Spirit, which is an indictment. We are complacent because we see no urgency about the Great Commission. We see no urgency about souls. We see no urgency about tithing or church attendance or genuine love for Christ or for the body or for scripture reading and prayer.

We are lukewarm because like the church at layout of sea, we think we are in need of nothing and know not that we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Pride is the sin behind all other sins and it is killing the average church today. And churches are made up of people. So what it comes down to is individual pride. We will never have corporate revival until we have individual revival. It is as you individually seek revival that revival spreads to the body. What is the remedy for pride? Are you all still with me? I believe you are and I love you for that. James says, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will what?

He will lift you up. James 4.10. What did Peter say? Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time, casting all of your care upon Him for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5, 6 and 7. Brother Job, I am doing the read through the Bible and by the way, I heartily recommend it. I heartily recommend it. Especially if you are an expository preacher or you go to an expository church because when you are involved in a church that does expository preaching, you zone in on one text. And that is good. But reading the Bible through in a year gives you a panoramic view. What a great marriage.

When you and your personal time are getting this big picture and then you come to church and you see the laser focus. That is a wonderful marriage. So this year I am doing the read through the Bible and just loving it. And right now as providence would have it, my Old Testament reading is in Job. I love that book. And in Job 22 the Word of God says when men are cast down then God will say there is a lifting up. And He will save the humble person. What a great truth. What a great truth. Jesus said whoever exalts himself will be abased. But the one that humbles himself will be exalted. Christ turned the kingdom upside down.

With Christ the way up is down and the way down is up. In 2 Chronicles 7.14 He says humble yourselves. Then I will hear from heaven and forgive your sin. And do you see why the word "if" is loom so large? Do you see why that word is so large in this text? Pride is a very, very slippery thing. And everybody in this room including Brother Johnno, every one of us have it. Let me show you how tricky pride is. You can be proud about the fact that you don't have pride. Am I right? The great need of the church and the great need of the Christian is humility. If my people...

We are never going to be revived until we get to the point that we are humble enough to admit that we need it. We need to be repaired. And most of us think nothing is wrong. We need to be restored. But most of us don't think there is any restoration needed. We need to be made whole. But too many of us don't think that we are lacking anything. Which is exactly why the then is never fulfilled. If my people... There has got to be some bending. There has got to be some yielding. There has got to be some submitting. And then the second one goes with it. Where you find humility you always find prayer.

If my people will humble themselves and there is a conjunction and pray they go together. They are inseparable. If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray. God Almighty has given us a wonderful tool to help us in humbling ourselves before Him. And it is this second "If" statement. If my people will humble themselves and if my people will pray. It is in prayer that we discover again the greatness and the glory of God. It is in prayer that we discover the wickedness in our own hearts. David cried out, "Lord, search my heart and try my thoughts.

And see if there will be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." David was praying for revival. "Search me" means penetrate, x-ray my heart. See if there is anything there God that offends you, that is prideful, that is against you, that would usurp you. And when you see it God remove it and cleanse me and lead me in the way everlasting. Repair me, restore me, revive me, quicken me, oh Lord. Prayer is where we discover again the greatness and glory of God. And prayer is where the Lord communes with us and points out our wickedness, our pride and our sinfulness. God's then will never come in our lives if we don't pray.

We must be about the task of prayer. Prayer is the key to revival. I could stop right there and end my case and go home. The church doesn't see revival because the church has stopped praying. And you know what? There are some people called hyper-Calvinists and hyper-Calvinism is heresy and a poison. It's going off the back side of the cliff that will actually say, "Well since God's sovereign we don't need to pray." See how Satan can take a legitimate doctrine and twist it? Let me say it this way. Since God is sovereign we'd better pray.

Since God is sovereign we must be about the task of prayer because prayer is an ordained means of God through which God chooses to accomplish His will in this world. And He lets you be a part of it. That is awesome. I'm not aware of a single spiritual awakening or revival that began in this world without prayer, not one. I went back and I took pretty good notes in seminary and I pulled my spiritual awakenings notebook off the shelf and read back through it again. And I came across the story, 1806, many of you remember it, of the Haystack Prayer Meeting. It took place on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Five college students were discussing the theology of missions and God sent a thunderstorm. It's amazing how God has a way to get us off of egg-headed theology down to practical nuts and boats. Sometimes the church needs a good thunderstorm. And God sent a thunderstorm and drove these five students under a haystack, a literal haystack, where they had a prayer meeting and began to call out to God. And the result and the fruit of that prayer meeting was the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the first missions sending organization in the United States of America.

And this led to a revival of the Great Commission in the church that literally has led to millions of people being saved and converted. And it all began with five young people praying, calling out to God. "If my people will pray." That's a big if. We have every tool and device hell can spin out to ensure that we don't pray. You go to bed at night, you're looking at a device. You wake up in the morning, I guarantee you because I know myself. I know myself. I wake up in the morning and if I'm not disciplined, I lay my phone right there. I wake up in the morning, and this is what I do. I can't see.

I hadn't wiped the sleep out of my eyes yet, and I go, "Can I get an amen? Am I hitting close to home?" From the rising of the sun to the setting, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. We are bombarded. Anything hell says to keep them off their knees. Look, if prayer is unimportant and ineffectual, then why does Satan and demons and hell fight so hard against it? I'll tell you why. Satan fears that word "if." He fears when God's people pray. "If my people will humble themselves and pray." And this word "paulau" in the Hebrew, it means to earnestly pray. Listen to this. Please don't miss this.

We're almost done, so hang with me. This word "prayer" literally means, and it's what David did in the Psalm, it means to judge something wrong and to move in the direction of right. That happens to me every time I pray, which is why Satan doesn't want me to pray. Through prayer and study the Scripture, I'm able to accurately judge the wicked ways in my life, and God's Spirit gets involved in the process, and He leads me to repentance. He leads me to confessing 1 John 1.9, my sin, and its revival, its repair, its restoration. Why do we need to pray?

To discover what's wrong so that we might move in the direction of what's right, and you might ask, "Well, what's wrong?" Well, Jesus said to the church at Ephesus, which would have been a Reformed church, I mean, brother, they would have been in the Anchored in Truth network. They would have believed the doctrines of grace. They practiced church discipline. They were involved in mission sending all over the world. But Jesus looked at that church, He said, "I am He who searches the minds and the hearts Jesus can see beyond the veneer." He can see beyond the 1689 London Confession. And Jesus said, "I have something against you.

You have left not lost." Oops, I misplaced it. No. You have left your first love. He said, "Remember from where you have fallen and repent, or I will come to you quickly and remove your candlestick out of its place. And if you look at the history of Ephesus, that candlestick was removed." It's nothing but an archaeological dig now. There's no church there. There's one thing Christ will not tolerate in a disciple, lovelessness. And our hearts are cold. Cold has become the new norm in the church. And by the way, the Reformed camp romances flatlined. Reformed circles love one notch above death. Cold as a rifle barrel.

Emotionless, passionless, egg-headed theology. We've left our first love. The church is powerless. The church is lifeless. The church is apathetic. The church is complacent. The church is lethargic. The church is, in a word, lukewarm. We're comfortable with our wicked ways. We're literally full of idols. We're trying to serve two masters or more. Our eyes are dry. Spiritual deadness is the new norm. We're sick, declining, and dying. Prayer in this verse is coming before God and judging something to be wrong and seeking God in His power, which is what Solomon did when he prayed this dedicatory prayer.

And the fire of God falling once again, and the passion and the glory of God being the very air we breathe and the beat of our hearts. These first two "if" statements certainly go together. "If my people, called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, they're inseparable." It's impossible to pray in a way that God hears, to pray in a way that revives, unless we humble ourselves. Do you see the connection? It's not possible to pray in a way that God hears and pray in a way that God revives unless we truly humble ourselves. Pride is the great enemy of prayer. Pride is the great enemy of revival.

So as we close tonight, I want to couple these two "if" statements together in an assignment for you. I want to ask you to... I'm giving you a homework assignment. If possible, don't go out to eat. If possible, change the plans that you had immediately after. Go home and eat a quick grilled cheese or a quick bowl of cereal and get to what I'm about to ask you to do. The brothers that have those sheets, I'll pass those out and make sure that every member of the church gets one. I call this the humility exercise. And here's what I want to ask you to do.

I want to ask you to take this sheet, read through it seriously, pray through it, and honestly, with complete transparency, ask God in prayer which column describes you. Go home. Dad, you go to your prayer closet. Mom, you go to your prayer closet. Daughter, you go to your prayer closet. Son, you go to your prayer closet. And each of you individually read through this sheet, read through it prayerfully, and just honestly ask God, am I the prideful person or am I the humble person? To make you feel better, almost every time I read through it, I feel guilty of every single one of them. I don't know if that helps you or hurts you.

But when the Lord reveals pride in you, and that's what He's about to do, confess it as sin, not a mistake, not an oversight, not oops, confess it as sin, forsake it, ask God for forgiveness. Proverbs 28, 13 says, "He that covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sin will have mercy." Now look this way right quick. Look this way and I'm done. Two letters. "I-F." That's a big word. "If." If you're saved, you're His people. You're My people. You're called by God's name. And He says to the saved, "If My people and will you, will you humble yourself and will you pray?"