The House of God - Part 2 — Peter Brandon

God's Promise to Solomon and the House of God

2 Chronicles chapter 7 reading from verse 12. In the 8th chapter we have the longest prayer in scripture. It was prayed by Solomon and really we should read that with great care. In the half way through the 7th chapter it is God now speaking to Solomon.

Not Solomon speaking to God, it is God directly speaking to Solomon. And therefore there is great importance in what he says here. And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

Now I must say one or two things about that. In the Old Testament there was a place where God put his name. Eventually there was a building where God put his name. But in the New Testament as far as we can see that there is no such thing as a place or a building.

It's where God's people are gathered together. Now I believe that's vital. And therefore you could have the house of God in a shed. You could have it in a neutral building. It's where God's people are gathered together and drawn, notice the word, to the Lord Jesus.

He is central. Verse 13. If I shut up heaven and there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence or sickness among my people, if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Earthly Israel and the Heavenly Church

Now one word about the land. Israel's blessing generally as a nation were earthly. Our blessings are not earthly but heavenly. That's why we look for the Lord's coming in the air. And we believe that coming is very near.

Israel looked for the land to be restored and the kingdom to be restored. But the church of God is a heavenly company of people. We began on the day of Pentecost and we shall finish when the Lord removes us to heaven.

And who knows, this could well be our last weekend together. In Europe they're all looking for this mastermind. They don't know it but they're looking for the man of sin. And in Western Europe they're in serious trouble of bankruptcy.

But we don't look for the man of sin, we look for the man in the glory. And when God's people go out and look for his coming, invariably they are in a spiritual condition. Let's read verse 14 again. If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Now my eyes shall be opened and my ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house that my name may be there forever and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

And as for thee, if thou will walk before me as David thy father walked and do according to all that I have commanded thee and shall observe my statutes and mine ordinances, then will I establish the throne of thy kingdom according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying there shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

Apostasy, Spiritual Decline, and the Need to Return to Scripture

Now notice verse 19. But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you and shall go and serve other gods and worship them, then will I pluck them out by the roots out of the land which I have given them.

And this house which I have sanctified for my name will I cast out of my sight and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. And this house which is high shall be an astonishment to everyone that passes by it, so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus to this land and unto this house?

And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore they brought all this evil upon them.

Now God will bless to us the solemn reading of his word. We are living in a day of great change. Unfortunately the change has come into the church. The only change we need is to get back to the word of God and to get back to the power of God.

In Europe I cannot speak of Australia because I do not know like her, I do Europe. We are now governed by that awful philosophy called existentialism. Which basically says God is dead and all the laws affiliated with God are dead.

And we need to start all over again and have a new kind of concept and culture. Now we are seeing the change in Europe and I want to say this very carefully and I'm going to use the old-fashioned word.

The permissive society is not working and Western Europe is in serious trouble. If only we would get back to God's word and the teaching of God's word and really live it out even in these last days we could see blessing.

Now among the assemblies of God there are two schools of thought. Some are saying this especially those that we call intellectuals. The assemblies were good for the early part of the 19th century. They were good for the first part of the 20th century but they're not operating today as they should and therefore we need a change and what a change it is.

In other words they're going right the way back to one-man ministry and we can see that change is not really working for the glory of God. Now when we look at the bible it's not just a change that's needed.

There is a change if we're doing things against the scripture but what we need is to get back to the power. Get back to the presidency and get back to the presence of God and if we do that we shall see God moving among us.

Repentance and Humiliation as the Way Back to God's Presence

Now how can we get back to the presence of God? There's only one way and this goes right the way through the old testament. It goes right the way through the new testament and that is repentance and humiliation.

Now what we must keep clear in our mind is this that two-thirds of the reference to repentance refers to believing people in the scripture and only one-third refers to the non-christian. So can you see if we go through the scriptures and I wish I could prove this to you but we haven't got time.

The word repentance is mainly for believing or christian people and that is why right at the beginning of the temple and please note this when all the gold was shining and the silver was just as bright as the gold and it's true to say that there are only a few nations that could ever afford to put up Solomon's temple even today.

It amounted to billions not millions billions gave them a format on what happens when decline comes and that's why we should take this really seriously to heart. Now when I first came to Australia in 1980 the assemblies were much more united and therefore we had here Bill Newman's tent and at the beginning it was only half full but at the end it was packed.

There was a sense of unity but I must say that unity is gone and we need to get back to it. Now how are we going to get back to this unity? By each local church taking the words here of God seriously.

The Churches of Ephesus and Laodicea: Losing First Love

For instance the church of Ephesus they had a nine-fold commendation and I doubt whether there's one church in Australia or England that would have that commendation. But they had left first love and because they had left first love the fear of losing their land stand was pre-eminent.

Secondly the last church the Lord is outside of it completely not there. They were meeting but the Lord wasn't there. We don't read of the deeds of the Nicolaitans in the Laodicea. We don't read of the seduction of Jezebel.

We don't read of the doctrine of Balaam. We don't even read of the synagogue of Satan. But they were neither hot nor cold and therefore the Lord is outside. But what was he saying? Be zealous and repent.

Now that's the only time zealousness is linked with repentance in scripture. Now why? The hardest thing to get out of is indifference that is caused by materialism. Somehow we can't say basically that materialism is wrong.

But it militates against the principles of faith and unknowingly makes us unbelievers when we're believers. And the whole thing is obnoxious to God. And therefore he says be zealous therefore and repent.

And then he says behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him. And I believe that's what the Lord is doing. He's not knocking for conversion. Thank God for that.

He's not knocking even for consecration. That may be applicable. But he's knocking for communion. So that each one of us should be intimate with the Lord in communion. Now we come to the Lord appearing to Solomon.

Revival, Removal, and the Conditional Promise to God's People

And first of all I want you to note that it's all conditional. If my people. If my people. You see it's the work of the Holy Spirit to bring repentance but it's only the Lord's people who accept the repentance as spoken of here.

If my people. Now when we look at the house of God carefully and we look at his presence and we see it's awe and we see it's peace and we see it's joy and we see it's power. Isn't it time we repent? Time a group of Christians came together and said are we just being a local church in structure without the real presence of God being there.

And therefore the word if is important. If my people that are called by my name. You see you often get that word. If thou wilt walk before me as David thy father walked. It's all an if. It's conditional.

Now I'm very sensitive in saying this. I had no intention of saying it but I feel the Lord prompting me now. We knew that we were declining in Britain 40 years ago. We knew that even our evangelical missions although they were being blessed there was something missing.

And then through the careful reading of scripture the Lord gave us two messages. One was revival. The other was removal. And very carefully we shared that with God's people. Now can I open my heart to you to express just as I feel now.

That was rejected. And we were rejected. People said to us Peter you preach the gospel and there'd be blessing. Cut out that revival and removal business. But it's happened. We had in London a hundred and twenty assemblies.

There are only fifteen left. We had scores of assemblies. More than half have gone. The word of the Lord was given revival or removal. It was rejected. It's if. Now I feel here and I haven't spoken to many people yet that there is a different spirit.

I believe I'm speaking to people right now who really do want to see revival. You want to get back to the real presence of God. You want to get back to the real pre-eminence of God. You want to get back to the power of God.

It seems almost impossible for us to get back to it. But there is a way. It's if. If my people that are called by my name shall humble. Now brethren we need prayer meetings where we humble ourselves. We mustn't keep on saying we are the people.

All the other companies are unclean. We are the only ones that are right. All that is prime. We need as a company of Christians all over the country to get low before the Lord and humble ourselves. Are we willing?

Conviction, Conversion, and the Lordship of Christ

It's as simple as that. Now my people who are the subjects. What makes a Christian a Christian? Can we make Christians automatically? For instance it's so easy when a man stays behind to say now look you're a sinner you agree with this otherwise you wouldn't stay behind.

It's so easy to say to a man now you believe that Christ died for your sins. Yes I believe that. It's so easy to say look the Bible says whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and therefore get on your knees and ask him to save you.

And he says a little prayer like Lord save me. Oh another one say it. Is that becoming a Christian? Now let's go over this because it's so vital. Now I do not want to disturb anyone who's in the faith.

But I want to disturb any that are not in the faith. But I want to do it in love. Before you can lead a person to Christ you must you must see that God has been working in them. There must be conviction of sin.

Now what is conviction of sin? It's a conviction that makes sin personal. You don't think of other people. It's a conviction that makes sin painful. You realize you've sinned against the law of God and you're guilty before God.

And conviction makes sure that you are in a problematic state. Why? Now note this. Every single sin that you commit is against God and it wounds the heart of God far more than it paralyzes man. And where there's that conviction then he's ready.

Then there must be indictment. Now when you preach the cross and you preach it carefully and you explain that Christ died for our sins you've got to stop and say Lord it's up to you. No preacher can give divine enlightenment.

God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Now when God's people have been through a process of real humbling and cleansing before God you'll see the spirit moving.

And you'll see the spirit of God convicting. Then you will see as you're preaching the spirit of God enlightening. Divine light. But you say then what happens when divine light comes? You see number one the awfulness of your sin that caused his death.

And you'll see the infinite reality of God's love for you. And God puts a holy ring all around you in a congregation. It's like a such light of glory and you can't get out. Then there comes a moment when the word is put to you.

Are you willing to make Jesus Christ your saviour and your Lord? Not just saviour but Lord. What do you mean by Lordship? Well when you get into a car and the man is a good driver he takes hold of the steering wheel and is Lord of it.

And you feel safe. But if he's a poor driver like a man in Ireland who went through two red lights you're nervous all the time because you haven't come to him in his Lordship. The one that you're making Lord is the one that God has made.

And there comes a time when you ask him to save you and be the Lord of your life. And the word says this. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now that's ridiculous. Check up now have you been convicted?

Have you been divinely enlightened? Have you made him saviour? Have you made him Lord? Then the word says and that's final thou shall be saved. Now these are the people he's telling to humble themselves.

Humility, Prayer, and Spiritual Barrenness

Could I speak to our sisters? Would you allow me? They do more to an assembly than we realise. If you have in your company godly sisters that spend time in prayer you've got precious jewels in yours. Now this refers to sisters humbling themselves.

Now you brethren and this includes me we all need to humble ourselves. Do you know in my ministry and I know this is a bad confession but I'm coming out with it now. Every month I have to get away, get alone with God.

Why? Because of the corruption that comes into your life. We constantly need to be humbled before the Lord. We all need it and therefore if my people, notice that word my people, there's a sense of endearment in that.

If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves. When is the time for humbling? If I shut up heaven and there be no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land or if I send pestilence among my people.

Let's take the first clause. If I shut up heaven and there be no rain, a time of barren. Now let's face it has there been a time of barrenness in your gospel preaching? How many times do you see a soul saved on Sunday night?

Would your gospel meeting be a spiritual sarad where they're all saved? No unsaved present. You see that can be the cause of barren. Now this is important. Never get used to barrenness. If you do God will pass you by.

Always have a longing to see someone saved. So that when you take that platform and after you have been through the prayer meeting at the bank before the gospel meeting, you believe that night God is going to save a soul.

But you say we haven't seen a soul saved for six months. Well is this normal? No. We should be concerned. And therefore when there is a period of barrenness and there's no rain we should question what's happening.

That's when we're to humble ourselves. Notice two. If I shut up heaven and there be no rain. Then he goes on. If I command locusts to devour the land. What does that mean? Well here is a man and he's got a great group of apple trees and they're all ready to be picked.

This doesn't happen in England but it could happen here. And then one morning he gets up and the place is full of locusts. Millions of them. And all the fruit has gone. Why? It's a time of fruitlessness.

Now are we seeing that? Now if you look at the assemblies in my country they had great Sundays. They don't have them now but they used to have them. And the children were well taught. In those days I used to have a children's mission and then an adult mission.

And sometimes we had so many children the police had to be brought in to control the crowds outside. And then the brethren started to panic because they said we won't get them in. And sometimes we used to have two meetings a night.

So you see the children were taught in those days. And then we used to have lovely youth bible classes and youth meetings and things like that where about six together. But then there came a moment when after they had been taught the scriptures the locusts came and took it all away.

And that went on for years. And you may be seeing something like that even in Australia. Children under the instruction of the word. Then going into the youth meeting. And then all of a sudden they're in the world.

Now when you see that, that's the time to humble ourselves before the law. There's something wrong. They're not being baptized and brought into the assembly and growing in the law. Then he goes on. If I send pestilence among my people, that's sickness.

Spiritual Sickness in Prayer, Worship, Witness, and Ministry

Now what do we mean by sickness? Well these were natural sicknesses. Pestilences. But we're not concerned with natural pestilences. Admittedly if there is sin in the local church sometimes there's sickness.

Sometimes there's death. Sometimes there's weakness. But let's make it clear. Not all sickness is a sign of sin. It can be the testing of the law. But some sicknesses are. Let me give you a case in point.

We had a man years ago and I was just a boy when he was really ministering. Old Samuel Rogers. He was the father of Old Samuel Rogers. And when he was 64 he was sick. And the doctor asked the family to call them home.

Because he only had two days to live. So all the family were around his bed. Including E .W. Rogers. Then he said I would like the elders of the church to be called. Or to use his language the elders of the assembly.

And they came. And the children all went out. And he said I want you to anoint me with oil. So they read him the portion in James in detail. And asked according to James could he affiliate this sickness with some sin.

Now what happened we don't know. But they prayed for him and anointed him with oil. Not that there was any healing in the oil. It was a picture of the Holy Spirit. The children were called in. And Mr. Samuel Rogers said the Lord's healed me.

And I'm going to get up and walk around the bed. Don't be afraid. Oh you can't father. You can't father. You know how the children would go. And he got up. And walked around the bed. And he lived till he was 99.

See there were spiritual men. And there were sicknesses. And some know what I say can be healed. But I'm not thinking now of physical sicknesses. They just affect the body don't they. I'm thinking of spiritual sicknesses.

Beloved don't think I'm grumbling. But there's a sickness in prayer. We used to hear men crying to God. That's gone. Sometimes in the prayer meeting there would be tears of brokenness because of the loss.

That's gone. And there's a great sickness in prayer. And when it comes to worship there can be a sickness in worship. What a privilege to come together with a clean hands and a clean heart and worship the Lord.

What a joy it is to see young men getting up and worshipping. What a joy to be in a meeting to hear people just say you're saying Lord this time three weeks ago I was blind drunk but now you've saved me and I'm in Christ.

Thank you Lord. Oh there's great joy in it. Beloved when you pray be very careful you're simple. Don't exhaust everything. I knew of a young man in London he was just going to get up and a brother got up and he prayed for 25 minutes and he said to me afterwards I couldn't match that.

Well of course we know he was so wrong but you know what I mean. Even in the days of revival there were theologians that spoiled a prayer meeting. There was one brilliant theologian I won't mention his name but this was in days when God was working mightily through Whitfield and Wesley and he prayed for 25 minutes and he finished his prayer by saying and I quote this If I had one more feather in the wing of faith I would soar into the heavenlies and never return.

Amen. And one country brother got up and said Lord give him his feather and then he'd be gone. But can you see what I'm saying a sickness in prayer, sickness in worship and then there's a sickness in witnessing.

You know we need to ask ourselves a question. Have I led someone and we should be concerned about it. Now I was with a sister in Australia and I shall never forget this they were taking me to the plane before I flew home to London and all the time she was taking me to the plane she was giving away booklets.

Witnessing right to the end. What a witness. Can you see when we talk about sickness there can be spiritual sickness and then there can be a sickness in ministry. You see what do you mean? Well it's possible to minister on a particular subject you know nothing about experimental.

No this isn't easy to say this but coming to the end of my life as I am I am discovering that all the ministry that I have given that has not been experimental never communicates. Never. It's only that ministry that's gone right into my system and become a part of me that communicates.

Brokenness, Cleansing, and a Fresh Outpouring of the Spirit

Now can you see there is this. So obviously there is a time for the shut up of heaven. There is a time for the locust. There is this time when there is pestilence. Pestilence? Well let's humble ourselves and let's come before God and tell him we've utterly failed.

Let's weep in his presence and in that brokenness God will bless us. Now what do I mean by brokenness? I don't mean that we're all emotional. Brokenness in the presence of God means that God has dealt with you and you are now willing to do what he wants you to do.

It's a willingness to go the whole way with God. We need that. I wonder if I could share this with you. In Scotland I went to a place and preached the gospel for a fortnight and the place was packed every night but no one got saved.

And then after the second Sunday one of the elders, a man by the name of James Blank came forward and he said would all Christians stay behind? And I wondered what he was going to say. So we all stayed behind.

I suppose there would be about 90 of us. And he said we were seeing souls saved at our Sunday night meetings regularly before this mission. But since the mission there's been a block. About 30 unsaved have been coming every night and we know some are near the kingdom but we're not seeing a break.

Let's search our heart. Well we all prayed for an hour and 40 minutes including the preacher and they were praying for the knacks that were coming. In Madison they're nearly all McCormick's or McDonald's and so on.

And then after praying for an hour and 40 minutes right near me a boy got up. Only 12. First time a boy ever prayed in the prayer room. And he broke his little heart. He said I'm hindering the blessing Lord.

And he got down sobbing. A man right near him got up. He said it's not that little boy Lord it's me with my tobacco. No one ever mentioned tobacco. But he got deliverance that night. Another brother right near him said it's not tobacco Lord.

I've got bitterness in my heart and would you believe it he mentioned the brother. But that night they got reconciled. Then it started. And for the first 20 minutes I was terribly critical. Things came out that were immoral.

And I was criticizing. Then roughly about two o 'clock the Lord showed to me that he could do nothing with me. I was a Pharisee. And what I was doing I was criticizing the very work that he was doing.

Now all I can say is when I got up it was like vomiting. And everything that was inconducive to holiness poured out. And I know that God meant it. And that night I was delivered from hardly galloping.

And I never want to go back to it again. It was a milestone in my life. That same night I preached and we got free at half past five in the morning. Half past six in the morning. I preached and four men stood up and cried out the message.

And we had to stop the service. And to cut a long story short that went on for three months. Couldn't breathe it. God swept the whole place. Beloved I say this with conviction. Not just a ministry. I believe God wants to do that.

He wants to give us a good clear out. And fill us with the Holy Spirit. And then you won't need a preacher. You've got the preachers here. That can be used. Then I want you to notice the great blessing of humiliation.

Forgiveness, Healing, and the Presence of God

Look what he says. First of all he says I will forgive their sin. Now that's not the sin of relationship. Once we're forgiven we're forgiven once and for all. And that never has to be repeated. But it's the forgiveness of friendship.

That means when we sin it doesn't break relationship but it breaks friendship and intimacy with the Lord. Now that's what we need. Forgive their sin and then you will notice he will heal their land. Now for us it's not the land being healed.

It's the fertility and the fruitfulness of soil that's being prepared by God. Then he goes on and then he says this. My eyes shall be opened. Now what does that mean? God looks and he sees a group of people cleansed, hurt, filled with the Spirit.

Hallelujah for that. Carrying out the ordinances of God and he says ah doesn't that look lovely. That corresponds with the house of God. Then he goes on. The eyes and then you will notice my ears open and attend unto the prayer that is made in this place.

And that means not only the eyes of the Lord are open but the ears are open. I hear that prayer. I hear that prayer. Why? There's unity. Holy men of God are lifting up holy hands without wrath and without doubting.

And God's looking and he's saying I hear that and we shall see God doing things in answer to prayer. And that's wonderful when we see that. And then he goes on. Verse 16. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house that my name might be there forever and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

Now when God puts his name he puts the indulgence of all his power. Think of that. Among the people. And then you will notice his eyes are there again and he says doesn't that look lovely. Here they are cleansed, clothed in my righteousness, filled with the Spirit.

His eyes are open, his ears are open and he's attentive to their prayer. God is about to work. But now I want to close with this. And as for thee if thou will walk before me as David thy father walked and do according to all that I have commanded thee thou shalt observe my statutes and my ordinances then will I establish thy throne of thy kingdom according as I have covenanted with David thy father saying there shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments which I have set before you and shall go and serve other gods and worship them then will I pluck them out or pluck them up by the roots out of the land which I have given them and this house which I have sanctified for my name will I cast out of my sight and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

And this house which is high shall be an astonishment to everyone that passeth by it so that he shall say why hath the Lord done thus unto this land and unto this house. And it shall be answered because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt and laid hand on other gods and worshipped them and served them therefore that they brought all this evil upon us.

A Call to Young and Old to Rediscover the House of God

Now I want to say this for my younger brother. First of all it's good to see young people at this conference. It's lovely to see you and it's good that you're young in year so that you can hunger for God.

What perhaps you have seen is not the real manifestation of the house of God. What we want to do is to get back to the real meaning of the house. Now it's going to be costly. We must humble ourselves.

We must do it quickly because the Lord has come. Not only the young people but the mature people. So that our young people can see functional the real movement of the house of God that's established in various areas.

But some might say I don't want to be disturbed. I say that with tears but all of us need to hear what the Lord said to Jacob. Arise and go up to Bethel and make there an altar where I appear myself to you.

And what did he do? Turn to his wives and said put away the strange gods. Be clean. Change your garments and let us arrive and go up to Bethel. My closing word is young and old together let's join hands and rediscover the power of the house of God.