God is MOST Interested in the Condition of Our Hearts

God is MOST Interested in the Condition of Our Hearts

Rev. Greg Schermerhorn – Written July 6, 2013 – Published July 18, 2013

Particularly around patriotic holidays, we tend to hear references to 2 Chronicles 7:14 tossed around in conversation.  You are likely familiar with this verse, even if you don't know the reference.  It has become quite popular in our culture among many who are seeking political change, as well as, those who are genuinely seeking God's will.  Here is what the verse says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

if My people who are called by My name will 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.

 

We usually hear about prayer in the context of a change in Washington DC, but we never hear about what the verse itself actually says and we never hear about its actual Scriptural context.  For example, when is the last time you heard one of these political activist types talk about confessing their own sin and the sins of our nation before the Lord?  Or have you heard of any political group who is specifically courting Christians through their use of the Bible, to actually hold prayer rallies where they are humbling themselves before God for the purposes of seeking His will, WHATEVER His will might be, regardless of their own personal or group political agenda? 

 

This brings us to our application today.  God is not interested in our politics.  God is interested in the condition of our hearts.  The condition of our heart determines our politics.  Does this mean that God has no interest in the governmental affairs of mankind?  Absolutely not.  God has ordained government and allows those in power to be there.

The political agenda is not God's agenda.  If you have gotten sucked into to the political fray, I would encourage you to get "unsucked" so you can evaluate the truth of Scripture.  Am I telling you that there is no merit in political activism?  No.  I am telling you that there are greater and more important things at stake than a political agenda.  Please allow me to start with this thought:  God is MOST interested in our hearts.  Our hearts determine our politics.  

 

It is my contention that America's greatest problem is truly not political in nature, but spiritual.  We will never return to the political structure of our founding if we don't first return to our spiritual roots with the Lord.  America was never great because of its politics.  She was great because of her faith and trust in Almighty God!  The Bible talks about the importance of guarding our hearts.

Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

What you allow into your heart, in other words, what you allow into the center of your being, will flow out into the rest of your life!  We know this is true.  We become like the things we surround ourselves with.  We take on the traits of the people we associate with on a regular basis.  We become like the books, magazines, blogs, and other things we read.  Why do you suppose David wrote:

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

We are no different than a computer:  GIGO – Garbage In, Garbage Out!  We must guard our hearts and minds to prevent trash from being deposited there.

A strong America patterned after the plan our founders used is a good thing, right?  I would agree.  But is that the best thing...the way God would have it now???  That is an interesting question.  One for which I have no answer to give you today.  I ask it for this specific reason:  Are you willing to seek God's face?  Literally to seek out His will above all other considerations and accept it regardless of any preconceived ideas you may have?  Do you really want to see the Lord's Prayer enacted literally?  Remember, what it says:

Matthew 6:9b–13 (NKJV)

^9b Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. ¹³ And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This is not a trick question.  Are you willing to sacrifice your idea of America to have God's will for America?  It's a VALID question that, I think, far too few of us have actually considered. 

Please allow me to put this into an easier context to grasp.  Let's talk about the the refining process and the refiner's fire.  What is the purpose of the refining process?  Its purpose is to remove impurities from metals.  How is it done?  Usually through a process of adding heat, pressure, and a catalyst to separate the material being purified from the impurities imbedded within the material.  

Let's look at gold as an example of the refining process.  Do you know what the number one impurity removed from gold would be?  It is silver.  A mineral that is also very precious, but not nearly as precious as the gold.  In the refiner's fire, God often removes precious things from us to leave us with what is most precious and most important.  Who wouldn't keep silver if given the opportunity?  But will you sacrifice some silver to have more pure gold?  Can we trust God enough to desire His will over our own will?  Can we trust Him enough to refine out the things that may be good to leave us with His best?

I want you to read 2 Chronicles 7:14 in the Amplified Translation:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP)

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

When it comes to living out 2 Chronicles 7:14, are we willing to humble ourselves before God and pray to confess our own sins, as well as, the sins of our nation, so that we can be clean before the Lord?  Do we have a broken heart and contrite spirit before God's throne? 

Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—

These, O God, You will not despise.

Do we seek God's will with a true craving, a true desire to know it and fulfill it?

Matthew 7:7–8 (NKJV)

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

When we humble ourselves before God and pray to Him seeking His face and His will, the Lord promises to hear us from Heaven.  As it says in Psalm 40:1:

Psalm 40:1 (NKJV)

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.

As the rest of 2 Chronicles 7:14 goes, so goes Psalm 40:2:

Psalm 40:2 (NKJV)

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

 

If God weren't interested in our hearts, He would not have sent Jesus to save the souls of mankind.  There would be no John 3:16:

John 3:16 (NKJV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Let's look at 2 Chronicles 7:14 again:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP)

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Now that the Lord has addressed His concern for our heart's condition in the first half of 2 Chronicles 7:14, He is now willing to hear us from Heaven, to forgive our sins, and heal our land.  This is a tremendous verse, but it is a single verse that is part of a much larger context.  I would encourage you to read the context surrounding the Lord's words to Solomon so that you can grasp the impact and importance of why God said the things that He said.  You can gain a good perspective of the context by starting your reading at 2 Chronicles 5:11 and reading through 7:22.  This is the story of the dedication of the Temple Solomon built for the Lord in Jerusalem, Solomon's prayer to the Lord before the people, and God's response to Solomon.  God wants a personal relationship with you and with me.  All that is required is a heart relationship with Him by receiving salvation though the finished work of Jesus!

 

God's paramount concern for you and for me is the condition of our heart.  Do we, in our hearts know His Son, Jesus, as our Savior?  All of history has been focused upon that question.  All of the Bible has pointed toward God's supreme interest in each of our hearts.  Don't you think we should also be interested in them too?  That is why Jesus' last words before He ascended into Heaven concerned telling others about the Gospel...looking out for their heart condition!

Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Knowing Jesus as YOUR Savior is as easy as A-B-C!

A-Admit you are a sinner.  Repent and turn away from your sin.

Acts 3:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

B-Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive God’s gift of forgiveness from sin.

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

C-Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Romans 10:9–10, 13 (NKJV)

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Rebuke of a Nation: Call for a Return to God’s Righteousness

Rebuke of a Nation: Call for a Return to God’s Righteousness

By Rev. Greg Schermerhorn

Jeremiah 2:3, 7, 11-13, 19-22, 26-28, 31a, 37b  (AMP)

3  Israel was holiness [something set apart from ordinary purposes, dedicated] to the Lord, the firstfruits of His harvest [of which no stranger was allowed to partake]; all who ate of it [injuring Israel] offended and became guilty; evil came upon them, says the Lord.

7  And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and good things. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination [detestable and loathsome].

11  Has a nation [ever] changed its gods, even though they are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory [God] for that which does not profit.

12  Be astonished and appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked and shrivel up with horror, says the Lord [at the behavior of the people].

13  For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.

19  Your own wickedness shall chasten and correct you, and your backslidings and desertion of faith shall reprove you. Know therefore and recognize that this is an evil and bitter thing: [first,] you have forsaken the Lord your God; [second,] you are indifferent to Me and the fear of Me is not in you, says the Lord of hosts.

20  For long ago [in Egypt] I broke your yoke and burst your bonds [not that you might be free, but that you might serve Me] and long ago you shattered the yoke and snapped the bonds [of My law which I put upon you]; you said, I will not serve and obey You! For upon every high hill and under every green tree you [eagerly] prostrated yourself [in idolatrous worship], playing the harlot.

21  Yet I had planted you [O house of Israel] a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned into degenerate shoots of wild vine alien to Me?

22  For though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, yet your iniquity and guilt are still [upon you; you are] spotted, dirty, and stained before Me, says the Lord.

26  As the thief is brought to shame when he is caught, so shall the house of Israel be brought to shame—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets—

27  [Inasmuch as] they say to a tree, You are my father, and to a stone, You gave me birth. For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces; but in the time of their trouble, they say, Arise [O Lord] and save us!

28  But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise if they can save you in the time of your trouble! For [as many as] the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. [Surely so many handmade idols should be able to help you!]

31a  O generation [that you are]! Behold, consider, and regard the word of the Lord:

37b  for the Lord has rejected those in whom you confide, and you will not prosper with [respect to] them.

This passage of Scripture really preaches itself.  It is a rebuke to the leaders of Israel to turn from their idolatry and return to the Lord.  It is a warning that the Lord has rejected their ways and their political allegiances and that He will not allow them to prosper.  This is God putting the nation of Israel on notice that they have become an abomination in His sight.  We can draw some parallels to our nation from this passage.  I want to be very clear; God still has a purpose and a plan for His chosen people, the Jews.  His plan for the Jews is separate from His plan for the church.  He has two separate and distinct plans for his chosen people through Abraham and His chosen elect separated through salvation by grace.  That being said, there are many parallels that can be drawn between God’s plan for both of His peoples, the Jews and the Church of Jesus Christ.  This is just one of the many reasons we have the Old Testament as part of God’s revealed Word to us.

In many ways, the United States of America is like the Israel of the Old Testament.  Both nations were set apart before God Almighty and purposed to bring Him honor and glory.  While many modern historians try to deny that our country was founded on true Judeo-Christian values, this is a fact that cannot be denied.  It takes only the most rudimentary study of our country’s founding documents to see that they sought God’s guidance every step of the way as they formed our Republic.  Yes, I said Republic.  This is no democracy because we have a government founded upon law, specifically God’s law.  Democracy, in its purest form, is the lynch mob.  It doesn’t follow law, only the mob’s desire for or against issues.  Indeed, this would be a very dangerous way to govern as decisions are based upon the emotion of the moment.

Our founding fathers knew that freedom had a price.  They knew that liberty was not free.  They certainly had in mind Gal 5:1:

Galatians 5:1 (NKJV)

5 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

And also:

John 8:36 (NKJV)

³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

They knew that this freedom also came with responsibility.  Their responsibility was to act in ways that brought honor and glory to God, as opposed to bringing themselves personal gain.  They were charged to act in the best interests of the people, above and beyond their own self interests.  History reveals to us that America’s founding fathers did just that.  They fixed their eyes on Jesus and set about the business of shedding the yoke of British slavery and tyranny.  Then they set about the business of establishing a government that had never been tried in all of humanity’s existence.  A government that not only honored God, but sought to protect it citizen’s free moral agency to live life as they saw fit, to serve God, or not, was the citizen’s choice.  They established laws to prevent the government from establishing a state religion.  They wanted to ensure the free practice of freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.  Twenty-seven of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were ordained ministers or had degrees from what we would consider seminaries today.

Today we are in bondage to sin as a nation.  Our leaders, in general, are not seeking to honor and glorify God.  Our nation, as a whole, does not seek the Lord.  We have departed from the path chosen by our nation’s founding fathers.  We have a nation where wickedness is accepted as a normal and sometimes even a desired behavior.  We have a nation where it is not only legal, but mothers are encouraged to consider abortion during their pregnancy.  We live in a society where various legal groups sue to prevent God’s name from being used, spoken or prayed, even at funerals.  We have elected officials at the highest levels of government that exalt themselves above God Almighty and declare to the world that “America is not a Christian nation.”  Truly Psalm 12:8 is true today:

Psalm 12:8 (NIV84)

⁸ The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.

There is a whole lot of strutting going on in Washington DC, Atlanta, and other seats of political power in our nation.

Now what do we do?  God made a promise to Solomon that I believe also has relevance to us in this case.  The Lord said:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will 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.

This was addressed to Israel, but we are also called by the name of Jesus.  Jesus’ name is the Name above all names.

Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)

⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We need to humble ourselves and confess the sins we have committed as a nation before the Lord!  We need to turn from our wicked ways as a nation!  This means that our elected officials need to be engaged in this issue to see the truth of God’s Word.  If they do not see it or agree with the truth, it is our duty to VOTE to unelect them!  Christians can no longer be a silent majority in this country.  We MUST stand up and take action.  We cannot be complacent.  Look at the legacy complacent Christians have left us to deal with!  The “be silent” and “the live and let live” attitude are not Christ-like!  What did Jesus do when He saw the merchants and money changers in the Temple courts in Jerusalem?  He was angry and He cleaned house.   

Mark 11:15–17 (AMP)

15 And they came to Jerusalem. And He went into the temple [area, the porches and courts] and began to drive out those who sold and bought in the temple area, and He overturned the [four-footed] tables of the money changers and the seats of those who dealt in doves;

16 And He would not permit anyone to carry any household equipment through the temple enclosure [thus making the temple area a short-cut traffic lane].

17 And He taught and said to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have turned it into a den of robbers.

Indeed, America also became a house of prayer for all the nations.  As a place of true freedom of religion and practice, this nation became a haven for persecuted Christians from around the world.  Baptists and Anabaptist were among some of the first Christians to come to this country before it was America.  Freedom of religious practice is one of the cornerstones of our country that modern revisionist historians would have you know nothing about.

Isaiah 56:7 (NKJV)

⁷ Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Much of Isaiah 56:7 is also true of America, in her youth.

How will we change as a nation?  It is a daunting thing, but just like eating an elephant, it can only be done one bite at a time.  This change starts at the individual level with each one of us.  It starts with the personal prayer before the Lord, “Lord, please heal our land.”  We must continually seek the Lord in our own lives first and foremost.  We are admonished to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus in Heb 12:1-3.

Hebrews 12:1–3 (NASB95)

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

We have to lay aside the things which keep us from become fully committed followers of Jesus Christ and draw our strength from Him.  This is a lifelong process, so realize that you can’t wait until the point where you have reached Christ-likeness to start becoming involved.  You need to be on your journey toward Christ-likeness and be involved in the matters that the Lord would have you address. 

I believe that there are two issues that every Christian has been commanded to address, regardless of anything else the Lord puts on your heart.  They are the Great Commission and the Great Command.  These are Jesus’ last commands to us, as His church, before He ascended into Heaven.  Here it is:

Matthew 28:19–20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The Great Commission is the command to reach the lost of this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Great Command is the command to lead believers toward a state of growth and spiritual maturity in their relationship with the Lord.  All Christians share in this responsibility and we are all gifted differently to fulfill this mission.  God also gives us individual assignments to accomplish in addition to these tasks based upon His calling in our lives.  We are all a Bible that someone else reads.  Your actions tell the story of your relationship with Jesus.  As citizens of this country, we have a responsibility to see that business is conducted in an honorable way.  In our specific case, we were founded upon godly principles and precepts, so we need to seek to elect officials who will honor God and the godly principles and precepts upon which this country was founded.

Pray for America. We have been the second Promised Land for generations of people.  For 235 years, America has more or less prospered.  Certainly it did for the first 200 years.  At the turn of 1900, major secular thought started to invade our country through universities, colleges, seminaries, and even the government.  These humanistic ideas have resulted in our country turning its back upon God Almighty.  This is evident by our government’s political positions like backing away from Israel in favor of the Palestinians, the overt and successful attempt to change the Constitution’s freedom of religion into freedom from religion, and the general moral decline of our society highlighted by abortion.  The wicked are freely strutting about in honor within our society.  Pray for America, and her leaders at all levels of government.  Pray for your pastor.  Pray for your family.  Pray for an awakening and a revival.  It is not too late!