Plymouth Special – Forgive US

Carter come from Times Square Church in New York City will be talking to you about an upcoming prayer meeting in Plymouth that in my opinion, at least in my life is going to be one of the most pivotal permitting I have ever been involved in as a believer in Jesus Christ. In September 1620 102 freedom seekers left England to embark on the voyage of a lifetime. They left their known world behind and boarded a small ship named the Mayflower heading to the unknown New World. The pilgrims fled Britain in search of a new life and religious freedom. The journey was beyond comprehension. But after 66 days, the Mayflower laid rest on the American shore. Eventually they settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The pilgrims were bone weary strike they face potential enemies and harsh weather but were sustained by a promise from God. A new land where every person can worship God freely. It's at Plymouth Rock where they first gather and pray for the future of America but in the intervening 400 years done with our freedom.

Here's Carter with a special message titled Lord forgive us not want to start with. Second Chronicles chapter 7 unwanted take a look at one of the most profound prayer meetings in the Old Testament. It's the meeting that happened after Solomon built the temple place where God would dwell and took a moment to dedicated it's the moment when the fire of God came down so powerfully that the glory of the Lord filled the temple and the priests could not even enter the house of the Lord because the glory of God had filled the Lord's house. Now, second right of chapter 7 beginning at verse 12 says then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said them up heard your prayer and I've chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain or command the locust to devour the land or send pestilence among 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 I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Now my eyes will be open in my ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now, I have chosen and sanctified this house that my name may be there forever in my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually nice it earlier and I repeat again that it was God's response when he appeared to Solomon by night to a permeating that in my opinion is been one of the most profound permitting in old testament district. It was a response from God about what he was willing to do if the people that he loved were to falter or to fail in the future now want to go back with me just that one chapter to chapter 6 beginning of verse 12 and here's what happened when this particular house which was going to be God's dwelling place on the earth where he was to be the God of the people that were set apart for his purpose and to bring glory to his name, and this was to be the dwelling place. This was to be the house where people would come in and pray and he would be God to the people if they would agree in a sense to be the people of God. Now as this house was being dedicated weight with the presence of God was going to dwell.

The Scripture tells us that Solomon in chapter 6 and verse 12 stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. He made a platform, five cubits wide, three cubits high and he set it in the midst of the court and he stood on it knelt down on his knees before all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven notes it's important to understand something that Solomon was gifted with a wisdom that was beyond any other person. I think in the history of the world except for Christ Jesus himself. God gave this man. April found wisdom, it was in this wisdom that God gave him to Solomon that he started to pray and and I have to believe because it is the prayer of wisdom. Solomon knows something about the heart of God.

The God had instilled in him.

The two of them. In a sense mass at this way were in indirect communion one with another. It's it's so important that when we pray that we understand that the heart of God as we said in the beginning is to be good and to show mercy, it's not.

It is hard to judge it grieved him when he has to judge people or nation, even through the prophet Ezekiel. One time he said that the place had become so wicked, there was nothing left but to judge the nation when he said, and I sought for a man to stand in the gap and make up ahead that I should not have to judge the nation. But I found none.

In other words, God couldn't find somebody that understood his heart that understood that he was willing, if we were willing to be an honest people before him were willing to humble ourselves and pray and seek his face and turn from those things that he reveals loss that have offended our relationship with, and then he promised that he would hear.

He was forgiven he would bring healing your listening to Pastor Carter, with his 2020 special forgiveness in 400 years.

What if we done with our freedom. Now he began his country, from Times Square Church in New York City. Now Solomon is on this scaffold before the people and primarily really before God talking to God as one man and he said Lord God of Israel in verse 14. The second Chronicles 6 there is no God in heaven or on earth like you who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who walk before you with all of your hearts and in verse 16 says therefore Lord God of Israel, keep what you promised your servant David my father, so you shall not fail to have a man sit before me on the throne of Israel. Only if your sons take each of their way that they walk in my law as you have walked before me now Solomon goes on to say in this place of prayer when in verse 21 he said when you hear the supplication of your servant of your people Israel when they pray towards this place hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear forgive in verse 22.

He says if anyone sins against his neighbor. In other words, God forgive us when when we stepped outside the boundaries of what you say. Our lives are to be and what I behaviors to look like or in verse 24 is that if your people are defeated before an enemy because they sinned against you and they return and confess your name and pray and make supplication before you in this temple than hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land which you gave them into their fathers. He says in verse 26 when the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against you when they pray towards this place that would be the temple and they confess your name and turn back from their ways. He was saying God here hear their prayer and forgive them because they are your inheritance. Verse 28. He says when there is a famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers when their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities. Whatever played whatever sickness there is me think of something coming into the cities, but perhaps is bringing fear into the hearts of a lot of people. And Solomon says if this should happen if we should find an enemy in our cities if we should find things going on in our streets that cause us to be afraid. Is it whatever prayer whatever supplication is made by anyone or all your people Israel. When each one knows his own burden in his own grief and spreads out his hands to this temple than hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive and give to everyone according to all his ways was heart you know for you alone know the hearts of the sons of men. He says when the foreigner comes from a far country, and this is really curious about who you are and what you're able to do, Solomon said please hear their prayer and answer it verse 30 forces when the people go out to battle against their enemies hear from heaven there prayer in the supplication and maintain their cause.

Verse 36.

This is when they sin against you. For there is no one that is not sent you become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy and they take them captive to a land far or near, I mean I think about America today my friend and are we not far from where we started and what we are intended to be as a nation will talk about that in just a moment. Verse 37 says, yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive and repent and make supplication to you in the land of their captivity saying we have sinned, we have done wrong, and of committed wickedness and when they return to you with all her heart and with all her soul in the land of their captivity where they been carried captive and pray towards their land which you gave to their fathers, the city which you have chosen toward the temple which I built for your name than hear from heaven, your dwelling place there prayer in the supplications and maintain their cause and forgive your people have sinned against you. Now, my God, I pray, let your eyes be open and let your ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place of Solomon's prayer was really really simple. If the people sinned against you and because of it are delivered to their enemies and their taken into captivity, into a place as far away from where they were intended to be and from the people that you destine them to be.

But if they come to themselves if they if they start to realize we become less than we were destined to be living in place or were not called to live were saying things were when called to say we become the people that we've not been destined value in the inception of this nation to be and were carried captive by the forces that we've allowed to exist in the sensing within our own borders, and even embraced, thinking that these things could become friends. When in reality they were sent to bring us into captivity, but if we turn if we have a change of heart.

If we begin to appeal to you in this place a captivity.

If we say we've seen. We've done wrong if we committed wickedness when returned to you with all our heart and all our soul in this place of captivity.

This place were we been carried away and we pray towards this place, the land that you gave to our forefathers if we think about what we were destined to be what happened in the beginning. If we start to take a look at honest assessment. That's why the Lord appeared to Solomon is that of my people will humble themselves and pray this prayer starts with humility. This prayer starts with an admission.

This prayer starts the very same way the prayer of Daniel did. When Daniel said, Lord, we have sinned against you both I did in my forefathers have sinned against you to us belongs the shame of faith that we are experiencing this day, but Daniel goes on to say, but to you along truth and mercy.

Thank God for that and he said it, but if we turn back to this place that you've chosen and towards this temple which I built for your name than hear from heaven and put their prayer in their supplications and forgive your people who have sinned against you know it's in that context that the Lord appears to Solomon that night. The prayer meeting is now over everybody's gone home. Assumedly Solomon is probably at home and better preparing to go to bed. Or maybe it's the middle of the night.

I don't know what it says in the middle of the night.

At night, God appears to Solomon and he says I've heard your prayer. I've heard your prayer and if I have to shut up heaven, that there be no rain or if I have to commend the locus to devour the land or send pestilence even disease among my people if my people 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, I will hear I will forgive their sin, and by inference, I will heal their land.

Now, he said, my eyes will be open and my ears are listening to the prayer that's made in this place. I have chosen and sanctified this house that my name may be there forever in my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually. In other words, is what God is saying that you find yourself in the place is very far from what you are, you are destined to be as my people. Then I will wait here for you to come back and I will be listening for your prayer you're listening to Pastor Carter Conley with his 2020 special Lord forgive us in 400 years. What if we done with our freedom. The spiritual side at least of America. This virtual side of this nation.

God set apart for himself. 400 years ago started in a little place called Plymouth, Massachusetts, with a little over 100 people sailed across the ocean believing in their hearts that they had been given of God, a promise that promise was that in this place that you are going to be given the freedom to worship according to conscience without dictates be given to you from up above there going to be able to live as followers of Jesus Christ, should live you will not be told from the top down how you can live what you can say what you can do. I will give you a land I give you place of freedom.

Now, over half of these people paid with their lives. In the first year they landed on the shores of Plymouth, Massachusetts at the end of one year.

They had very little in the way of resources they had very little strength every heart I'm sure was filled with sorrow because they had just lost half their their company. That means people lost thousands. They lost children of the lost parents but they gathered in a house on a lot will exist in Plymouth, Massachusetts and is its address really is lot number one America and in that house. They pray and all they had only had in that house was a promise from God. They were surrounded by enemies errata resources they had no strength.

They had a promise that I'm bringing you to the land where you can worship me freely, as believers in Jesus Christ, according to conscience there would be a promise in that place that this be a place of blessing place of provision place perhaps forgot promise these people he would be glorified. This where the store becomes personal to me because it was in August of last year in 2019. My wife and I were coming back from her vacation and she had asked me to sit can we stop in Plymouth Massachusetts because I would like to see Plymouth Rock. I would like to see the area that they say historically where these these first believers in Christ landed and prayed and believe that God was going to give them the nation where they could worship him freely and according to conscience. So I said okay let's let's go there so we went to Plymouth Massachusetts and ironically ended up parking place that was very close to where Plymouth Rock was. We found the location. We went down we we sat down on a park bench where we were overlooking the water.

We were there for only a little while when I heard somebody and I turned and I said to the young lady do I know you and she said no she said, but my husband and I know you because we been praying with you in your world by permitting New York for almost 2 years now and she said my mother and father owned the house. This just around the corner. Now, you could see the house from where we were sitting so we talked for a little while and then she said would you like to come and see the house and initially I did find will know were very busy and to get going and I can see my wife wanted to see this particular house so we ended up going there and we walked in and I didn't know this was the house where the first pilgrim people survived that first year.

I didn't know it was the place where they petitioned God to give them what only he could because they had no strength to make it happen and where they prayed for the future of the country that didn't exist yet, apart from the native population was there at the time and during the course of this discussion, I found out that the man who knows his house and his wife. They were business people and about two or so years before the Lord had spoken to them to buy this house in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the instruction was wait is by reserve it and waits on obedience to God. That's exactly what they did. They bought the house that exists now on the lot where this first house used to stand and where there was a prayer meeting back in 1620, 1621, the got answered and so when I walked in the house.

There was an undeniable presence of God that followed us into that house and you can explain it any other way but just suddenly aware weight in the air. The presence of God is in the room I lived long enough as a as a Christian man and as a follower of Christ to know when his presence is somewhat in the presence of God was so strong in that room that I said let's pray and so we gathered – we join hands and we began to pray and it was such a profound sense that here we are back where the nation actually begin standing on the very half-acre this first pilgrim prayer meeting were standing on the lot with a first Thanksgiving in America actually happened. There are drawings, artist conception from the time of of that taking a moment and were also the treaty was signed with the native peoples of that time.

The treaty which stayed in force for almost 60 years and there was an amiable relationship in the native population and the pilgrims landed 20 that's the truth that's document.

That's the reality of the situation.

That night I went back home to our hotel and I was I couldn't sleep… So stirred in my spirit and what we had just experienced. And I began to pray and and here is my personal God, why did you take us to that place. Why did you bring me into that house and this particular man and his wife had been praying with us in New York City for two years and he had prayed a specific prayers of God. Can you arrange it so I can meet that man has departed an effort pray that prayer is only a short time later in sitting on a bench within a stones throw of his house and only God could set up this particular meeting that we had that day but here's what I felt the Lord speak to my heart as I laid in bed that night back in our hotel room began to pray why did you take that house, the Lord led me to the passages I shared with you.

Second on the dedication of Solomon's Temple and the promises that were made there. The prayers that will create the Lord spoke to my heart, Carter.

They prayed when they had lost.

They prayed when their hearts are filled.

They prayed when they had no hope of going they prayed when they were surrounded by potential enemies and had no power to stand against it and only had was me promise that I needed the Lord spoke to my heart that I needed common with those people. I made a promise that I was going to do for them what they could not do for themselves and I started to think about that moment in second Chronicles is Lord led me to this passage of Scripture with the Lord appears to Psalm by night and said I've heard your prayer and I chose this place for myself if I have to set up heaven, that there is no rain.

If I have to commend the locus to devour the land who can deny that with living in a moment like that in America today or send pestilence among my people if my people are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.

He said now my eyes will be opened in my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place now I know that you feel probably the way I did today they were going back to where America began 400 years after the founding in the sense of this nation.

400 years after God made a covenant and promise to be for them what they cannot do for themselves and were going to go back to that place and within pray a simple prayer. This is where it's going to begin this what God is Lord forgive us for what we did with our freedom. Forgive us Lord you brought us to a land and prosper us and you made us more than we could ever hope and you did beyond informative years. Our wildest expectations. But what did we do with our freedom how the God of heaven and here we are captivated in the sense in a place that's foreign to what we were supposed to be as God's people in America and so were going to begin in that place by saying Lord forgive us, forgive us for what we did with our freedom. I'm going to be specific. I'm going to name the sins of America. This is what the Lord is asked and talk about things that we've done the end of a holy God and ask for forgiveness than following this there going to be people from every aspect of life from government in Washington right single moms in their home in the inner city was going to be praying and asking God for our schools for our children for long for the rule and the regard for the law in race relations in America what is going to be praying for healing that only God can do in a sense were coming back to where it all began.

Here we are 400 years later and it seems that as God's people. We are in great measure without surrounded by enemies. The loss in the sense of what nation have been is immeasurable.

It seems to be beyond repair is violence in our cities is violence in the streets are economies trouble the nation is far short of what God intended. But yet bringing us back to the beginning to simply say God. Remember your promise you made to these 50 or so survivors after the first year stood before you with nothing but you and promise you see someone prayed this if we are taken In God here in forgive and the Lord appeared to Solomon by night set of heard your prayer of heard your prayer. My eyes will be open there in my heart for ever. There waiting to come back. Prayed again.

So here we are an American 20 2400 years later coming back to work. All began to pray and believe God. I personally believe the Plymouth prayer meeting might be one of the most pivotal permitting in the history at least my generation. I pray with all my heart be there with us and you join us online@tsc.nyc October 6 from 7 to 9 PM were simply to gather as a grassroots movement across America from home to home family to family.

Perhaps small gathering to small gathering were dissenting in pray the way they prayed 400 years ago. So father thank you God for all that you promised this nation.

You made a covenant to these people. 400 years ago and were coming back to the very half-acre where America began immersing God have mercy on us. Forgive us our sin. Forgive us for what we did with our freedom and lead us into a moment of spiritual awakening that can only come from your hand. We recognize we don't deserve it to us long shamefaced but to you belongs to the mercy of God, we appeal to you, we appeal to the promise that you made to those who you sent to found this nation. God have mercy one more time. One more season one more spiritual awakening before you come in. We ask it in Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for joining me today and please join me on October 6 from Plymouth, Massachusetts. Well, as Carter, and explained in today's message we're living in a very pivotal time in history we must pray for our nation.

Would you join us in prayer for America. Pray for the healing of our land.

Pray for God's great blessing to be shed on this country once again thanks for listening today to Carter, of Times Square Church in New York City with a special message titled Lord forgive us a 400 years. What if we done with our freedom. For more information log onto TSC.NYC TSC.NYC