Weekend Sermon -- "If My People Which Are Called By My Name -- II Chronicles 7:14

     Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekend Sermon. I am glad that you have taken the time to stop by and read the blog this week.
     This has been a good week in many ways for me. I asked for prayer about the high winds. My house did OK, and the neighbor's house did not sustain any further damage. Thank you for your prayers in this matter.
     I also want to thank the Lord for letting me get quite a bit of writing work this week. I am still praying for the mole to exit my yard and go back out in the large field where no one cares if it is there. Please pray about this if you would.
     In prayer this week, please pray for those in the eastern part of the United States who were hit with the big storm. Many thousands are still without power. Please pray that the power is restored soon.
     Please continue to pray for those in Puerto Rico. There is still much to be done for those recovering from the hurricane there.
     Let us also be in prayer for those in Papua New Guinea who are recovering from the effects of the earthquake. Pray that they will receive all the aid that they need.
     Continue to pray for peace in this world. Syria needs peace. The situation there is like a nightmare. Let us also pray for peace in Afghanistan, South Sudan and Yemen.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Tunisia and Thailand. Pray that many will hear the message of the love of the Lord Jesus.
     For the last couple of weeks, we have been in a series that is examining some of the passages in the Bible that are often taken out of context or are often misinterpreted. Today, we will continue with this series looking at one of the verses that is most taken out of context.
     II Chronicles 7:14 if a verse that one often hears used in revival meetings. The evangelist or teacher will call on the church to repent so that God will restore the nation to what it once was. I've heard many sermons in my country of preachers saying that God will only restore America if the church first repents.  They will then quote II Chronicles 7:14 as Scriptural support.
     There's a problem with this. II Chronicles 7:14 in its proper context refers to Israel, the dedication of the Temple, and actual land restoration.
     In order to find the context of the passage, Let's start with II Chronicles 7:12 and go through 16.  Here is what it states, "Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, ' I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times, I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn for their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen to every prayer made in this place, for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my house forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here. '"
     Solomon had dedicated the Temple previous to these verses. God was pleased with the construction of the Temple and the offerings that Solomon and the people had made to Him during the time of the Temple dedication. God appeared to Solomon and assured Solomon that He would always be willing to forgive the people even if they sinned.
     When the people of Israel sinned against God, punishment would often follow. However, God said that if the people of Israel would come to the Temple in humility and seek Him, God would hear them and heal the land of the effects of His judgment. We see the fulfillment of these words of the Lord time and time again in the history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament.
     God had and has a special relationship with the people of Israel. They are in a special way a people that are called by His name. The people of Israel are the nation that God has a covenant relationship with.
     Those in the church are called God's people in a different way. We are the children of God through the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus Christ God's Son. When we trust in Jesus, we are adopted into God's family. He is our Father, and we are His children.
     God has not abrogated His covenant with the Jewish people. When Jesus comes again, the Jewish people who follow Jesus will receive all the covenant blessings promised to David and Abraham. God has not forgotten His promises to His blessed nation.
     I think that some of the misinterpretation of II Chronicles 7:14 comes in my country from a misunderstanding of how God relates to the nations of the world today. Some in my country have the view that God has a special relationship with the United States. They view the founding and settling of America as something like when Israel went into the land of Canaan. It's all part of the manifest destiny ideal.
     There is a problem with this thinking. God does not favor one nation over another at this time. He doesn't love one group of people more than another group of people. God cares about and loves everyone. He wants all people to come unto Him.
     The Lord Jesus cares about those who love Him if they live in the United States, Morocco, Vietnam, Bulgaria or wherever. There are Christians in every nation of the world. There aren't many in some, but there are Christians in every nation.
     Now, does it mean that there is nothing that we can learn from this passage? I think that there is much to learn from this passage as long as we keep it in the right context. The problem comes when it is taught that God will heal a nation or bless a nation if the people in the church repent, humble themselves and pray. God promised that to Solomon and Israel.
     What we can learn from this verse is that humility is important to God. We must put aside pride and repent when we know that we have committed a sin. We should pray and ask forgiveness of our sins. The Scripture that we should use to teach this is found in I John 1:8-9 which states, "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong."
     Some people may feel that there isn't a big problem taking a verse out of context and using it to prove a point. I think that there is. Anytime that you take a verse out of context, you are altering the meaning. Also, taking a verse out of its proper context is often how false teachings come about. People will hear a verse quoted, believe that a teacher is speaking from the Bible, and they will believe the false teaching. A person that is firmly rooted and grounded in the truth will not succumb to false teaching because as a student of the Scripture, they will be able to rightly divide the Word in its proper context.
     Next week, we will look at another often misused Scripture that is taken out of context. This time, Lord willing, we will look at something Jesus said that is often misused. On Monday, I will post the verses, and I will have a dog book review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.