With enough exposure to what the world has to present to each and every one of us, it seems like we are never lacking in having something to be concerned about, something to fear about.
And throughout all this time, we’ve resorted to the Scriptures to remind us, and to bring us back to the right state of mind.
One scripture which is of particular note is 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“…if my people who are called by my name 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.”
Now, on its own, I respect this passage the same way those who have gone before us have. For indeed, tragedies would definitely remind us to humble ourselves and to pray.
And we could certainly end the message there, but I would have us consider looking at the same verse, through the light of Christ and His finished work.
Let’s look at Philippians 2:5-7:
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.“
For us today, we can rest in the truth that Christ humbled Himself first.
Next, let’s look at Romans 5:6-8:
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“
Because of the finished work of Christ, we can rest from striving to ‘seek His face’, and any prayers we have are out of gratitude and in recognition of the truth that Christ sought us first.
Finally, let’s look at 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Psalm 103:12:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
“as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.“
You know how much I love to say, Christ not only took our sin He became our sin. And in so doing, He took our wicked ways from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Halleluyah!
Again, we see a point where we could end the message, but let us move on, because we haven’t gone through the second half of 2 Chronicles 7:14: “then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
For the sake of making my point I’d like to go in reverse…
So let’s talk about how God heals our land. Please consider: God heals our land by healing us first. And how has God healed us? By proclaiming forgiveness of our sins first.
Before anything else let’s go to Matthew 9:1-8: “And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.
When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
I want to point 2 things out here: (1) That Christ is the Son of Man, and that He has the authority on earth to forgive sins, AND to speak healing to the sick, and (2) That before He told the paralytic to “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”, He said to Him: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
With that said, let’s keep going. Let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 5:21:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Remember the second part: Not only are we forgiven, but we have been proclaimed righteous!
And let’s not leave out John 16:8:
“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
If you have trouble remembering your forgiveness, and your righteousness, listen to the Holy Spirit: He convicts you of righteousness!
And in your appreciating how You have been made righteous in Christ, let’s look at 1 Peter 3:12a:
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.”
Because we are righteous, He hears us!
And if that isn’t enough, take a look at Romans 8:26-27:
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[g] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
And even when we don’t know what to pray for, it’s the Spirit that prays for us! God reads between the lines!
In closing:
2 Chronicles 7:15-16
“Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”
Friends, because of Christ’s finished work, we have verses like 2 Chronicles 7:14 to remind us of the extent that we have been saved. For before we ever even sought God, it was Christ who humbled Himself, and through His finished work, He took our sins away from us.
And we can celebrate in spite of anything and everything happening in this world that afflicts us, for not only have our sins been forgiven, but we have been made righteous… and because we have been made righteous, the Creator of the Universe, who we now call ‘Abba, Father’, has His eyes, ears, and heart for us for all time.
Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.
Let’s pray.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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