If my people ...

Limavady Independent Methodist Church

Sermon notes from Sunday 2 August 2020

Psalm 81

This is a psalm of Aspah who was a worship leader in the house of the Lord.  Our text for today is 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14 "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 will heal their land."

Over the past Sunday mornings we have been looking at great characters in the word of God, considering their prayers and how they set aside time to come before the God of heaven.  We thought of Isaiah when he said "Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens that thou wouldest come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence." (Isaiah 64 verse 1)  Isaiah realised that God was the answer to what his nation needed.  Isn`t that what our nation needs today?  For God to come down and pour out his Spirit upon us?  We then thought of David "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."  For David God was very personal.  Last week we thought of Abraham.  On his mind was his family down in Sodom.  There is no doubt we stand in awe of these mighty giants, stand in admiration of them as we listen to their words, seeking God for their own circumstances.  The spotlight though is not on Abraham, nor David nor Isaiah but on us today.  "If my people" it is down to us which are called by God`s own name.  If we could only humble ourselves and pray, seek God`s face and turn from our wicked ways.  God then promises to hear from heaven and will forgive us our sin and heal our land.  

The distinction it makes.  This is God making this distinction not the elders of the church, nor the Pastor of the church but "my people".  He is calling out for a really  determined people, those saved by the grace of God and have known his forgiveness.  Jesus died on Calvary that we might be saved.  God does not look at the distinctions we see today.  He doesn`t look down on the Independent Methodists, or the Baptists, or the Church of Ireland or the Presbyterians - "if my people".  They are those who have been saved by grace of God.  Those who were lost in their sin and on their way to a Christless hell for all eternity.  Are you one of the Lord`s own today?  Remember the story of the wheat and tares in Matthew`s gospel chapter 13.  Matthew likens the field in which the wheat was planted to the world.  There is a crop growing there, not only the good wheat but tares are growing alongside.  They are so alike that they cannot be distinguished by the natural eye.  The man`s servants asked "did you not plant good seed in the field so why are there tares also growing there?"  The master acknowledged he had planted the good seed. The servants asked if they could go and pluck out the tares from the wheat but the master told them to leave it alone because they could pluck out wheat as well as tares.  It was agreed to wait until harvest and then separate them.  Jesus likened that to this world - when the harvest comes the good seed will be told to enter into the joy of the kingdom of his father while others would be taken out and burned.  We can be so like other Christians, do all the right things, go through the motions but have never been to Calvary  You have profession but no possession.  God himself is saying "if my people."  Paul said "for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1 verse 18)  Paul is speaking of 2 distinctive groups.  Colossians 1 verse 13 "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."  God seen a world of darkness and sent his Son to die on Calvary so that people could be placed in to the light of his dear Son.  Are you saved today?  Are you enjoying God`s salvation?  Paul to the Corinthian church speaks of that former state but now set free from bondage.  Paul goes on to list the sins that people have committed and asks "know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6 verse 9)  He was not making one sin different than another because sin is sin.  "The wages of sin is death."  Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 6 to say "And such were some of you ..."  That is the distinction - some were in this category but now are saved.

The demand that God holds.  God sees those who are lost and those who are God`s own children.  God is speaking to us today.  God is saying "my people".  He makes a three fold demand.  The need to humble ourselves.  The Laodicean church had so much going for them, were in need of nothing.  A great church building, large congregation and good pastor, they didn`t need anything but the Lord was standing at the door.  He was speaking to them and he is speaking to you and I today.  James said "humble yourselves in the sight of God and he shall lift you up."  Psalm 81 tells us God`s heart was disappointed, the people would not listen to God`s voice.  Hezekiah was a good king who began to undo the things his father had done before him.  His father had shut up the temple of the Lord.  Hezekiah`s people took a week to clear out the rubbish so that they could begin the worshipping together again.  Maybe the rubbish in our hearts needs to be cleared out today.  It is holding us back from worshipping God properly today.  Think of Nehemiah who left the Persian kingdom to return to Jerusalem.  He seen the damage done by the enemy.  They had destroyed the walls of Jerusalem and pulled down the gates.  Nehemiah prays and seeks the will of God.  God sends him to Jerusalem to begin the work.  Nehemiah goes out at night and is circling the walls.  He gets to the point where the beast under him cannot tread.  He has to get off to examine the devastation done.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Nehemiah was sent to repair the gates but he cannot begin until the rubbish was cleared out.  Tobiah thought "will they lift the stones out of the rubble."  They couldn`t build until they got all the rubble out of the way.  Maybe God is telling us that we need to set things right in our lives, in our congregation, in our families.  We are standing so far from God that we need to ask him to work in us once more.  The enemy mocked and laughed at Nehemiah, they claimed the walls were not well built, that a fox could run against them and knock them down.  Think of Solomon 2 Chronicles 6.  He had built the temple of the Lord and lifts his hands to heaven and begins to pray.  He pictures a nation forsaking God in the future.  He sees a day when the people of God will turn their backs on God, will not obey the commands of God, will forsake the house of the Lord.  Solomon asks "if this people forsake you, should there be war in this land, when the enemy comes in, when there is famine because of the lifestyle of the people, if there should be pestilence, if all of that happens then Solomon asks God to remember his people once more - 2 Chronicles 6 verse 30 "Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place and forgive and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest."  The answer comes from God himself in the words of our text - "I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land."

The decision that God waits for - "if".  That little word sums it all up.  This throws a great responsibility onto us.  Are we willing to comply with this verse?  Are we prepared to humble ourselves today?  Think of the story of the prodigal son.  A man breaking away from his father`s house, breaking his father`s heart.  How it must grieve God to see his people going their own way, turning their backs on him.  This young man leaving his father full of selfish ambition.  He will enjoy himself for a while but soon he finds the world has nothing to offer him.  Look at the manner in which he has come home - Luke 15 verse 21"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son."  He knows he has to come in a repentant manner, seek his father`s forgiveness.  His father was ready to do that.  He left the world behind him but found a father waiting, watching and willing to accept him into the family again.  "For this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found."  Maybe you have turned from God today, have gone back into the world again.  How will you find forgiveness again?  "If my people" God says.  We need to learn to trust God once more.  Maybe we have been careless about God`ss word - we need to come back to God again.

The deliverance that God promises.  If people turn to you Solomon asks, will you hear.  God promises to do just that and more.  Think of Acts 16 and the petition from the man in Paul`s vision to come into Macedonia and help them.  Paul went with the assurance God would deliver the gospel.  Paul might have turned and gone to Asia and the gospel might never have come into Europe.  God will deliver.  Are there amends to be made?  Maybe you have grown cold - you need to come back to the Lord, to seek his face, repent of all those lost days today.