Archives
Tag Cloud
Abandonment Abomination of Desolation Abortion Abraham’s Bosom Abuse Acceptance Accounting Accusation Activism Adoption Adultery Adversary Adversity Affection Affliction Afterlife Allegory Alliances Altar Ambition America Analogy Angel of the Lord Angels Anger Anointed One Anointing Antichrist Anxiety Apologetics Apostasy Apostles Armor Armor of God Arrest Ascension Ashamed Assembly Atonement Attitudes Authorities Authority Baal Babylon Bad Baptism Belief Believer Believers Benevolence Bethlehem Betrayal Bible Bitterness Blasphemy Blessing Blessings Blindness Boasting Body of Christ Boldness Bondage Book of Life Borders Born Again Borrowing Bottomless Pit Bride Bride of Christ Bridegroom Brokenness Brother Burden Caesar Calling Capital Punishment Care Cares Carnal Cast Away Casting Lots Caution Celebration Chaos Character Charity Childbirth Children Children of God Choice Choices Chosen Christ Christian Life Christianity Christians Christmas Church Circumstances Citizenship Civil Disobedience Clay Cleansing Comfort Commands Commune Communion Community Comparison Compassion Complacency Complaining Conception Condemnation Conduct Confession Confidence Conflict Conformity Confrontation Confusion Connect Connection Conscience Consecration Consequences Contempt Contention Contentment Contrition Conversion Conviction Cornerstone Correction Cost Counsel Courage Covenant Coveting Creation Creator Crisis Cross Crowd Crowds Crowns Crucifixion Cults Culture Curse Darkness David Davidic Covenant Day of the Lord Deacons Deaf Death Deceit Deception Decisions Defense Defilement Delegation Deliverance Demon Demon Possession Demons Denial Dependency Design Desire Desolation Desperation Destruction Devil Direction Disaster Discernment Disciple Disciples Discipleship Discipline Discontentment Discouragement Disease Disgrace Dishonesty Disputes Dissension Distraction Diversity Divine Divine Appointment Divinity Division Divorce Doctrine Dominion Donation Double Fulfillment Doubt Drought Drugs Duties Duty Earth Earthly Earthquakes Easter Edification Edom Education Elders Elect Elijah Elohim Emmaus Emotions Employment Encouragement End Times Endurance Enemies Enemy Environment Environmentalism Envy Equality Equipped Esteem Eternal Eternal Life Eternity Evangelism Everlasting Life Evil Evil Spirits Evolution Exaltation Exalted Example Exclusion Excuses Exorcism Expectations Eyes Failure Fairness Faith Faithful Faithful Servant Faithfulness Fall Away False Christs False Conversion False Doctrine False Gods False Prophet False Prophets False Religion False Religions False Teachers False Teaching Family Famine Fasting Father Father God Father’s Day Fathers Favoritism Fear Fear of the Lord Feasts Feasts of the Lord Fellowship Female Fervor Fig Tree Fights Finances Fire First Coming First Resurrection Firstborn Flattery Flesh Flock Folly Foods Foolish Foolishness Foreigner Foreknown Forgiveness Fornication Forsaken Foundation Free Will Freedom Friends Friendship Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Fruitful Fruitfulness Fulfillment Function Future Gehenna Gentile Gentiles Gentle George Wood Gifts Giving Globalism Glorified Body Glory God God’s Will God’s Word Godliness Godly God's Will Golden Rule Good Good News Good Shepherd Good Works Goodness Gospel Gospels Government Grace Gratitude Great Commission Greatness Greed Grief Grow Growth Guilt Hades Hardship Harvest Hate Hatred Healing Heart Heaven Heavenly Heavenly Father Hedonism Hell Help Herod Hidden High Priest Holiness Holy Holy Spirit Home Homosexuality Honesty Honor Hope Hopelessness Hostility Human Frailty humanity Humility Husband Hypocrisy Hypocrite Hypocrites Identity Idolatry Ignorance Image Image of God Immanuel Immigration Immortality Impossibility Incarnation Individuals Indulgences Indwelling Infilling Inheritance Injustice Inner Battle Innocence Instruction Instructions Insults Integrity Intercession Intermediate State Interpretation Intervention Intoxication Israel Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Temple Jews John the Baptist Joy Judas Judge Judging Judgment Judgment Day Judgments Justice Justification Justify Key Keys Kids Kindness King Kingdom Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Kinsman Knowledge Labor Lake of Fire Lamp Last Days Law Law of Moses Law of the Lord Lawlessness Lawsuits Leader Leaders Leadership Leading Leftism Legal Legalism Leprosy Lies Life Life-Span Light Like-minded Listening Lonely Lord Lost Love Lowly Loyalty Lust Lusts Luxury Lying Magdalene Magic Malachi Male Manipulation Marriage Martyr Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Master Materialism Maturity Meditation Men Mentoring Mercy Messiah Metaphor Millennium Mind Mind of Christ Minister Ministry Miracle Miracles Mission Missionary Missions Mocking Money Morality Mortal Mortality Mother’s Day Mothers Mother's Day Mt. Sinai Murder Mystery Nations Natural Natural Gifts Naturalism Nature Nazareth Near-Far Fulfillment Necessities Neglect Negligence New Birth New Covenant New Creation New Earth New Jerusalem New Man New Testament Oaths Obedience Obstacles Obstructions Offense Offenses Offering Old Covenant Old Man Old Nature Old Testament Omnipresence Omniscience One Mind Others Outcast Overseers Pagan Pain Palm Sunday Parable Parables Paradise Paranormal Parenting Passion Passover Path Patience Patriotism Peace Peer Pressure Pentecost People of God Perception Perfect Perfection Persecution Perseverance Persistence Personal Injury Personal Testimonies Perspective Perversion Perversity Pestilence Peter Petition Pharisees Philosophy Piety Pilate Plans Pleasure Politics Poor Pornography Position Possession Possessions Posture Power Praise Prayer Preach Preaching Preparation Presence Pretense Pride Principles Priority Prison Privilege Prodigal Profane Profession Promise Proof Prophecy Prophet Prophets Prosperity Protection Protestant Reformation Proverbs Providence Provision Pruning Punishment Purgatory Purity Purpose Purposes Questions Racism Ransom Rapture Readiness Reason Rebellion Rebuke Receiving Reconciliation Redeemer Redemption Refuge Regeneration Rejection Rejoicing Relationship Relationships Relativism Reliability Religion Remember Remnant Renewal Repentance Reputation Resolve Rest Restoration Resurrection Retribution Revelation Revenge Revival Reward Rich Riches Ridicule Righteous Righteousness Rights Riot Risk Ritual Rivalry Robbery Roman Catholic Church Rule Rulers Rumor Sabbath Sacred Sacrifice Saint Saints Salvation Sanctification Sanctuary Sarcasm Satan Satisfaction Savior Schemes Science Scoffers Scripture Seal Seasons Second Coming Secret Sedition Seed Seek Self Self Control Self-centered Self-Control Self-Denial Selfish Ambition Self-Preservation Self-Righteous Servant Servant-Leadership Servants Serve Service Serving Sexual Immorality Sexual Sin Sexuality Shame Share Sharing She’ol Shepherd Shepherds Sickness Signs Signs and Wonders Silence Simplicity Sin Sincerity Sinful Nature Singing Singleness Sinner Sinners Slave Slavery Sober Socialism Society Sojourner Sojourners Son Son of God Son of Man Sons of God Sorcery Sorrow Soul Source Sovereignty Speech Spirit Spirit Baptism Spirit Beings Spirit Realm Spirit-Led Spirits Spiritual Spiritual Adultery Spiritual Battle Spiritual Birth Spiritual Condition Spiritual Death Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Growth Spiritual Maturity Spiritual Rulers Spiritual Warfare Stewardship Storms Strength Stress Strife Strong Stumble Stumbling Block Subjection Submission Suffering Suicide Supernatural Supper Surrender Survival Swear Symbols Syncretism Tabernacle Tags: Patience Taxes Teacher Teachers Teaching Teachings Tears Technology Temple Temptation Temptations Terminal Illness Test Testimony Testing Tests Textual Issues Thankfulness Thanksgiving The Beast The Curse The Day of The Lord The End The Faith The Fall The Gospel The Grave The Great Tribulation The Holy Spirit The Lamb of God The Law The Law of Moses The Secret Place The Way The Word The World Theft Theology Thought Life Threats Throne Time Time of Visitation Times of the Gentiles Timing Tithing Tongues Tower of Babel Tradition Tragedies Tragedy Training Transfiguration Transformation Traps Treachery Treasure Tree Tree of Life Trial Trials Tribulation Trifles Trinity Triumphal Triumphal Entry Trouble Trust Trustworthy Truth Tyranny Unbelief Unbelievers Uncertainty Underground Church Understanding Unfaithfulness Ungrateful Unity Unpardonable Sin Utopia Value Vengeance Victory Vigilance Vindication Virtue Virtues Vision Visions Visiting Ministries Voice of God Volunteer Vow Vows War Warning Warnings Wars Watch Watching Water Baptism Water of Life Weak Weakness Wealth Weary Wicked Wicked Plans Wickedness Widows Wife Will Wineskins Wisdom Witness Witnesses Witnessing Women Word Word of God Word of Knowledge Word of the Lord Work Works World World View Worry Worship Worth Worthy Wounds Wrath Yahweh Yeast YHWH Yoke Zion
Tuesday
Jul032012

O, Say Can You See?

This week we have much to celebrate and great reason to be thankful.  First, we recognize the many men and women who have served this country by volunteering to defend it and the debt that is owed to them by society.  Further we recognize that those who serve as police officers and fire-fighters also serve us in ways that should cause us to give thanks.

Among Christians there is a concern for America because, more and more, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture that wants nothings to do with the righteousness of God.  This concern generally leads to a call for the Church in America to repent and pray from the Scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

I do want to affirm this message.  The churches and Christians of this land do need to repent of following our own thinking, turn back to God, and pray for our nation.  However, when you look closer at this passage, you find that the challenge goes deeper than just Christians getting their act together.  Let’s look at 2 Chronicles 7:12-22.

Repentance Is For The Nation As A Whole

The context of this passage is the completion of the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon.  The whole nation had turned out to celebrate and had now gone home.  God appears to Solomon with a promise and a warning for Israel and its leaders.

In verse 13 God warns of future punishments or disciplines that will come upon the nation.  There is no “if” in the verse.  Just as Moses did in Deuteronomy, God lets Solomon know that discipline “will” come upon Israel in the form of extreme weather, crop damage, and pestilence.  Pestilence is a general term that means destruction and death.  Generally it referred to a plague of some sorts, but could be used generally to refer to raiders or foreign armies.  It is easy to day to be afraid to recognize that these things could be God’s discipline.  But throughout the Bible we are taught to see God’s discipline in all calamities that come upon us.

Now in verse 14 the phrase “My people” is not a reference to a select group of people within Israel, but rather to the nation as a whole.  I am not saying every person in Israel was a true believer.  But God himself had made the nation of Israel, and had given them his name (Israel means prince with God).  He is not calling for the repentance of true believers or any select group of Israel.  He is calling for a wholesale national repentance.  I am not saying that means 100%, but it is more than just a part of Israel.  In fact wouldn’t you agree that the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel, all repented and turned towards God in prayer?  However this did not save their nation.

Here it is.  Even if Christians repented and turned towards God in prayer, this and this alone will not save America.  It is a foundational step, but this passage is not saying that all God wants is for Christians to live for him.  God is incrementally holding America more and more accountable for casting Him off in all we do.  This will not change until there is a greater awakening than just Christians.  The nation as a whole needs to repent and pray.

In verse 19 God tells Solomon that if he turns away it will have an impact on the nation.  Leadership is critical and does have an impact on a nation.  In fact, God raises up the leadership that our actions as a people deserve.  So the Leadership of America needs to repent and pray in a public way.  We used to have leaders who would do such a thing.  One of the most famous is the declaration of Abraham Lincoln that stated the pride and arrogance of America and how we needed to repent and pray for God’s help.  You see, the ultimate problem is stated in verse 22 of 2 Chronicles 7; we have forsaken the God of heaven and his Son Jesus.  This is the same God who has raised us up.  This is the same God who has blessed us greatly as a nation.

We are in the middle of great calamity economically, politically, socially, and with many natural disasters and weather extremes all over the place.  God is trying to get our attention.  Can you hear?  Can you see?

Our History of Awakening

Though historians don’t always agree, most state that there have been at least 3 great awakenings or revivals in America.  The first was roughly from 1730 to 1750.  This move was mainly within churches and had an emphasis on a personal relationship over the top of ritual and tradition.  Personal salvation was the focus.  Names like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield are associated with this awakening.  Many point to the importance of this event (240 years after people started coming from Europe) in preparing for the societal ideals that would arise during the Revolutionary War.

The 2nd Great Awakening was from 1800 to 1830.  This had an emphasis that anyone could be saved, even the worst of sinners.  This began an explosion of people coming into the Church and the number of denominations.  Alongside this was the social change groups that surfaced from within churches: temperance groups, abolition of slavery groups, and women’s rights.  Names that are connected with this are Alexander and Thomas Campbell and Charles Finney.

The 3rd Great Awakening was from 1857 to 1910.  There was an emphasis on the life of the believer after salvation.  Within this period was the rise of the Holiness groups and the Pentecostal groups.  Dwight Moody was associated with this period along with others. 

Although some would argue others, none seem to have impacted society as a whole like these three did.  It is clear that we need revival in America.  But it cannot be a revival of Christians having a good time in church.  It must be a revival that breaks out into the non believing population and impacts society.

So what should Christians do?  First we must make sure we have repented of any wicked ways (as the Bible defines it) and pray for God’s mercy.  Second we must focus less on saving institutions and society and more on saving individuals.  Sure, perform your social duty with passion, but society only changes as people’s hearts are changed.  Thirdly, we must live a life that trusts God’s Word instead of giving lip service to it.  This world needs people who are truly willing to die to themselves in order to love it.  But better than that, the people around you who don’t know Jesus need Christians who are truly willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus.  Will you be the one?