I think the last time I was here to preach (apart from Church on the Move) was exactly 9 months ago. Had you noticed? I had an inkling then that it would be a big gap and carefully chose my subject. Who can remember what it was? Encourage one another. I have seen some of that going on, good, but there is still much more needed.
Encourage one another, people.
What’s the message today then?
Well, our focus in worship revolves around the question: As we remember those who fought for our freedom, what are we doing with it? Free for what? Are we making real progress in our church, our community, our nation and our world? After the Queen’s Speech this week, how many Government reforms will really be progress, and how many cut across our core beliefs as Christians?
Tough questions. Politically charged I know. But if Methodism, and indeed the other churches in this country are not to go down the tube, we have to stop pussyfooting around and stand up against the wholesale abandonment of Christian values which is going on around us. It has often been said that God has no hands on earth but those of His people. Then it is time to stop sitting on our hands or wringing our hands and start using our hands for God.
We thank and thank God for the freedom we have in this country obtained for us at immense cost, firstly freedom from tyranny, and secondly freedom to practice our faith openly without persecution. But we are on the edge of seeing the second of those change for the worse. Changes in charity law, the religious hatred bandwagon, and the sexual orientation regulations, amongst others, are not in our favour, rather the opposite. Some Christians have already found themselves in trouble with the law for speaking out.
With rising violence and deteriorating morality, how we need God to heal our nation. This text has been pursuing me for some time:
2Chron 7v14 ‘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 will I hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin and heal their land.’
If our goal is the healing of the land, then what are the prerequisites?
We can no longer remain a club of people with the same interests meeting on a Sunday. Methodists began not as a church but as a movement…a movement which transformed 18th century society…how can we get moving again?
Later we will begin to try and answer this. It may take us months, or even a year to get through this, but if we are serious change will happen.
I have come to realise how important was the message God gave me in February. It is so, so, so important that we encourage one another in the days ahead, for if we do not we by default become discouraged, and that is a slippery slope.
‘If my people…’
The context of this message to Solomon was God’s filling of the newly built Temple with His glory to such so powerfully that the priests could not do their work. It was a wonderful occasion, such as we experienced to some extent at the rededication of this sanctuary. God promised to stick around as long as His people obeyed Him, but when the people went astray He warned of disaster. But with that warning God graciously provided a way back. Hope. Judgement would be averted if…
Who are ‘my people who are called by my name’? Under the Old Covenant, Israel. Under the New Covenant of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who are ‘my people’ now? Us. The Christians.
What more important message could there be today for God’s people in this country? On the downward slope to disaster. Can the tide be turned? Can we get back to Christian values? Can disaster be averted? The message is for us, for us….not for non-Christians. God is saying to US, get your act together, my people. ‘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 will I hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin and heal their land.’
‘If my people will….then I will’. It’s a powerful promise, and if we truly believe, He will do it. The transformation of our lives and those around us. He will do it.
The four prerequisites then.
1 Humility
2 Prayer
3 Seeking the face of God
4 Turning from our wicked ways.
Today we will look at the first of these:
Humility
My people must humble themselves.
James 4v10: Humble yourselves before the Lord and God will lift you up.
Humility is not natural. It is not high on our "felt need" list. In fact, it is not something we realise we need to deal with. I realise you need to deal with it. But we don't tend to realise it about ourselves. However, it tops God's priority list. In the sixth verse it says: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." When we fail to deal with humility, we sabotage God's purpose and the well-being of those around us.
In ancient Egypt Pharaoh had all the Jewish people in captivity, building the pyramids. This is what God's message was to Pharaoh: Exodus 10:3
3: So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me, Pharaoh? Not only did Pharaoh mess up the lives of the Jewish people as slaves, but because of his own lack of humility, Pharaoh caused the plagues to come upon his own people, and ultimately caused the death of his own son. When we don't deal with humility, we sabotage God's purpose and the well- being of everyone around us. Contrast Pharaoh with Moses. Why did God choose Moses?
This is what Numbers 12:3 says: "The man, Moses, was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Humble people are the only people God can use.
Look at Luke 14:7-11
‘Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honour, saying to them, "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honour, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you .For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus noticed that at parties people always scramble for the best seat at the table. They always want the place of honour and recognition.
Listen to what Jesus said: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.".
I am working on that. What does it mean to take the servant's seat? I don't know, but I am working at it. You see, there is something in me that always wants the best seat, the first plateful.
If I could just daily pray the prayer of John the Baptist - "I must decrease and Christ must increase." Every day there has to be less of Mike and more of Jesus Christ. It’s about identifying myself with Jesus' interests; rather than identifying Jesus with my interests.
God says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves" the first thing to revival is to humble yourself. God says, "If you want to avert disaster, humble yourself."
But aren’t we good at exalting ourselves rather than humbling ourselves?
Pride permeates us, and we begin to look around and say, "Well, I am driving a Jag, Lexus, Mercedes and that makes me better than the guy that's got the Vauxhall. "
Somebody has got white skin, and she's better than somebody that has dark skin. Somebody came from the UK, so he's better than somebody that came from Poland. Somebody makes £30,000 a year, so he's better than somebody that makes £20,000.
Somebody is an executive, so he's better than somebody who is a labourer. Somebody is better educated. Somebody has an MA, so she's better than somebody else.
He's a professional person, he's a doctor or lawyer, so he's superior to somebody who doesn't have those skills.
And you feel proud. And I've got more money in the bank, therefore, I'm better than he is, or she is. And it's like the pharisee and the tax collector. The pharisee said "God, I thank you because I'm not like these other people. I fast, and I give a tithe, and I do these religious things, and I thank you that I'm not like this dodgee tax man." And the tax collector said, "Be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus said he went home justified.
But the pharisee prayed with himself. He wasn't even talking to God. God isn't interested in hearing how great you are. What God is interested in is having somebody who is humble and of a contrite spirit .
Someone who says "God, start with me. I deserve hell."
You go back over your life, and you start thinking of the things that you've done, and there is no way that you're entitled to heaven. None of us are!
We need to come before God and say, "I need a Saviour." If righteousness came from the law, then the cross is of no effect. And that would nullify the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
That's what pride does. Pride says, "I don't need a saviour. I’m Ok. I don’t need to repent." But humility says, "I must have a Saviour." Humility says, "Without the cross, I am lost."
And that's where you come to the point where God can begin to do something for you and with you.
‘If my people will humble themselves…..’
That’s where we begin to turn the corner in our lives and in the life of our nation.
Please bow your head and pray with me. Silently pray for the person on your right. Pray that God will strengthen them and strengthen their intention to grow today, to say yes to God, to remove any of the obstacles that would cause that person to be less than who God is calling them to be today. Now pray for the person on your left. Pray the same, that God will strengthen their will to be fully obedient and committed to Christ's call upon their life today. Remove any obstacles or barriers, physical, spiritual, relational, that keeps them from being totally humble before you Lord. It is in Your name, Lord, that we pray. Amen
…and we pray as we sing, ‘Lord have your way with us…’
Stay seated, sing if you like or bow your head and listen to the words and pray them in your heart.
Light a candle or write a post it note as an offering to God if you wish.
Ask for prayer. Surrender to Jesus, for the first time, or come back again to Him.
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