WHEN SPIRITUAL AWAKENING COMES

2 CHRONICLES 7:14

      The focus of 2 Chr. 7:14 is on what God does (“I”). Revival comes when God hears, forgives, and heals.

  I. Beginning of revival (when God hears)

      The moment when God hears is the moment that revival comes. When the church humbles, prays, seeks God’s face, and turns–then God promises to hear (2 Chr. 7:12). God gave this promise to Solomon at the dedication of the temple. The frightening truth of this promise is that the form of temple worship might continue and God not hear (Jer. 7:11-16, 14:12).

      God only hears when the conditions of 2 Chr. 7:14 are met. Do not trust that God hears because the church is in the temple worshiping. The church trusts in worship services to get the ear of God when He promises only to hear when we repent–because we saw His face–because we prayed–because we humbled ourselves (Prov. 28:9; Is. 1:15; Hos. 5:6; Amos 5:22; Mal. 1:7-14; Lk. 18:9-14).

      The frightening truth is–God may not be in what we are doing. God is not hearing us at all (1 Sam. 14:37, 28:6). All the church does is meaningless unless God hears from heaven. The church looks to activity and organization instead of repentance and prayer. The result is deadness in the people of God and coldness among the lost. E. M. Bounds said, “The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. . . . The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men–men of prayer.”

      Revival is when heaven is not closed but open (Deut. 28:23; Ps. 66:18; Is. 59:1-2; Lam. 3:44; Ezek. 8:18; Mic. 3:4; Mk. 11:25; 1 Pet. 3:7). Revival is when God hears (2 Chr. 6:19-21-23-25-27-30-33-35-39, 7:12-14; 30:27; Neh. 9:27-28; Ps. 18:6, 116:1-2). God heard at Mount Carmel (1 Kg. 17-18:37). God heard at Pentecost (Acts 1:14, 2:1-4).

 II. Blessing in revival (when God forgives)

      The blessing in revival is the forgiveness of sins (Ps. 32:1). Sin in the church causes the needed revival. Sin causes suffering (2 Chr. 6:25-27). Sin affects the well-being of the land (2 Chr. 7:13).

      In 2 Chr. 7:14 forgiveness follows humility, prayer, seeking, and hearing. Forgiveness precedes healing. God deals with the spiritual before the physical (Mk. 2:1-12).

      Before revival believers must repent of sin seriously (chatah), specifically (plural), and collectively. Erwin W. Lutzer said, “If one member is spiritually cold, he lowers the temperature of everyone around him.”

      God is speaking to all of his people. He wants all of His people in revival. It is not enough to confess my sin–I must confess the sin of my people (Dan. 9:20). The sin of His people not the sin of the lost, hinders revival.

      The sins that hinder revival are the sins God mentioned in 2 Chr. 7:14–pridefulness (Jl. 2:13), prayerlessness (1 Sam. 12:23), passiveness (Is. 64:7), and pureness (Is. 59:1-2). If revival does not come, it indicates disobedience in some area (1 Sam. 15:22).

      One area that stops revival is unforgiveness. God will not forgive His people if His people do not forgive one another.

      Byron Paulus wrote, “We’ve also deceived ourselves into believing that we can love and serve God and be ‘good Christians,’ while failing to forgive. . . . When we can’t or won’t or don’t forgive, we reveal an absence of His heart and nature within us.”

      Roy Hession explained, “Strange as it may seem, pride lies at the back of that unforgiving spirit, for how are we to say that these things should not happen to us, that our rights should not be trampled on?”

      If the church obeys this verse, God will keep His covenant and forgive the sin. Sin needs to be “sent away.” Man cannot rid himself of sin–sin must be pardoned (Num. 14:19-20; 2 Kg. 24:4; Ps. 25:11, 103:3; Is. 55:7; Dan. 9:19; Amos 7:2).

      Only God can forgive sin–He is gracious to forgive (Ps. 103:10). When forgiveness comes, the reproach is taken away–the land is healed (Ex. 34:9; Lev. 4:20; Jer. 31:34, 36:3, 50:20).

      In 2 Chr. 6 and 7 God promised forgiveness when the people prayed toward the temple. Forgiveness involves a mercy seat (LXX– ileos; Heb. 8:12). The mercy seat is Calvary. Revival results is a new love for what Jesus did at Calvary.

      James Stewart wrote, “The Church in Wales had a new and glorious sight of their wonderful Lord. This was expressed in the following chorus which was called “The Love Song” of the revival:

Wondrous love, unbounded mercy!

Vast as oceans in their flood:

Jesus, Prince of life, is dying–

Life for us is in His blood!

Oh! What heart can e’er forget Him?

Who can cease His praise to sing?

Wondrous love! forever cherished,

While the heavens with music ring.”

III. Back to revival (when God heals)

      God chose to place His name and hear the prayer in the house Solomon built for Him. Yet, He warned that if they forsook His commandments the house would be uprooted and become a proverb and byword among all nations (2 Chr. 7:16-19-21).

      America is under the remedial judgment of God (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes). The land needs healing (Ex. 15:26; Deut. 32:39; 1 Kg. 18:30; 2 Kg. 2:21; 2 Chr. 16:12, 30:20; Job 5:18, 13:4; Ps. 41:4, 103:3, 147:3; Is. 6:10, 53:5, 57:18-19; Jer. 8:22, 33:6; Lam. 2:13; Ezek. 34:4; Hos. 6:1, 7:1, 14:4; Zech. 11:16).

      Judgment does not have to happen. God gave the promise of revival (2 Chr. 7:14). Revival keeps the present as it was in the days of the dedication. Revival is when our experience is like the day of our salvation (Rev. 2:4-5).

      Revival brings healing to the land (Ps. 60:2). Revival brings the people of God back to the way God intended things to be (cf. David–2 Chr. 7:6-10-17-18).

      Revival is the word that describes the scene in 2 Chr. 7:1-11. In the dedication of the temple, the people lived out the reality of 2 Chr. 7:14. The people humbled (2 Chr. 7:3), prayed (2 Chr. 7:1), sought (2 Chr. 7:4-7), and turned (2 Chr. 7:4-6). God visited the people with His presence–the essence of revival.