Shane Idleman emphasizes the urgent need for repentance and turning away from sin, drawing from 2 Chronicles 7:14. He highlights the cultural tendency to avoid discussing sin and repentance, contrasting it with God's call to confront and confess our wrongdoings. Idleman warns that unconfessed sin can choke spiritual growth and lead to destruction, while true repentance brings healing and restoration. He encourages the church to embrace the hard truths of the Gospel, reminding us that sin has serious consequences but that God's mercy is available through confession and turning back to Him.

What we've been doing on our Monday night study is we've been unpacking 2 Chronicles 7-14. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, God says. And we've been talking about humility, seeking and praying. And then this Monday was the final point on if my people turn from their wicked ways. And that's the type of sermon you can't really advertise because nobody will come to it. Right? There's been created in our culture this need to get away from the word sin, to get away from the word repentance, where God says run to it. Run to these things. There's salvation in these things. And you'll see an article I wrote in the Christian Post last week entitled, Are Churches Avoiding the S&R Words? Are churches avoiding the S&R words? And that doesn't mean sex and Republicans, right? Churches are avoiding sin and repentance. It's no secret that there's a significant shift in the church today to avoid sin and repentance. God's word says to confront, confess and turn from sin. Whereas many encourage us to ignore, overlook and continue in it. Isn't that interesting? God's word says to confront sin, to confess it and turn from it. But the culture says just the opposite. Ignore it, overlook it and continue in it. So you see this struggle, the culture war with what God's word says, but which not only the culture now, many in the church are promoting. Promoting don't talk about these issues, Shane. People don't want to hear it. And I think it's time where we need to start talking about the things we don't want to hear. Because our hope is in those things. Our hope is in the word of God. Our hope is in truth and turning back to him. And I wanted to talk briefly about Chuck Swindoll commenting on a famous text in Matthew 4. It's really how I want to open up the message. And many of you have heard the parable of the sower, right? This person goes out and he sows the word of God. And as he's sowing the seed, some of it falls on hard soil. So the devil comes in and grabs it. Some of it falls on rocky soil and it goes nowhere because there's no root there. There's no soil. There's no depth. It just falls on rocks. And then there's a third group where the seed actually falls into the thorns. And it grows with the thorns and the thorns choke that good seed. And then the final seed falls on good soil into good hearts. And from that produce 30, 60, 100 fold from the good soil. And Jesus gave that parable showing the different kinds of soils. And it really begs the question, what kind of soil are you? What kind of soil am I? When the word of God falls on our ears, does it just go to the wayside? The enemy comes and just grabs it? Or does it fall on rocky soil and it takes no root? It's like, oh yeah, okay, whatever. Or does it fall on thorny areas where there's thorns and what we call weeds? And those weeds choke out the good seed. Or does it fall on good soil? And you know what? A lot of it has to do with the condition of your heart. That's where it falls. That's what determines what happens. And here's what Chuck Swindoll said. It's obvious that the first two groups are those who are not born again. They are rootless, lifeless, and fruitless. It's obvious that the last group is born again. They are submissive. They are active. They are productive. But frankly, he says, I'm bothered by the third group. They are Christians because they grow and get right on the verge of bearing fruit. But their growth becomes retarded. These people hear everything the fourth group hears. But those insights and needed truths are never accepted. They never fully allow them to take root and grow. Why? Because thorns have come in. Thorns which suffocate the normal healthy growth of each plant. Thorns like these trip us up and cause untold misery. They are killers. And I want to parallel this with sin. Because the Bible says that the enemy goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. And if we never talk about this subject, then I think many people can have a false view of a number of things. Of what put Christ on the cross, number one. Why he went there, justification, all those things. But number two, to not really live in the freedom that God has given us. Because with repentance, there's freedom. And being in right relationship with God, there's freedom in that. So what happens, sin comes in and chokes the word. Sin chokes the word and suffocates it spiritually. Okay, you have to realize that. I want to be clear here. I'm talking about besetting sin. All of us struggle with sin. You too Shane? Oh yeah. If Paul did, I sure do as well. Paul said, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of sin and death? For with the mind I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. I'm not talking about struggle. I'm talking about a lifestyle. I'm talking about besetting sin that we keep ignoring. God's people were good at ignoring it throughout the Old Testament. The prophets, the false prophets would come in and say, Peace, peace, there's peace, there's safety. And God would say, I've not even sent these prophets. Yet they ran. I've not spoken to them. But they spoke. But had they truly stood in my counsel, they would have turned those people back to me. So it hasn't changed from 4,000 years ago. People wanting to hear the feel-good messages. Tell me everything's going to be okay. Tell me I can look at porn and hit my spouse and get drunk. And it doesn't matter to God. He's just going to wink like a doting grandfather. Well, I'm here to tell you that the Bible says that we must turn from these things known to be wrong in the sight of God. And that's healthy. That's a good thing. It's not a bad thing. So the message is this. If you turn, God will heal. If you turn, if my people turn back, God says I will heal their land, I will forgive their sins, and I will hear their prayers. My hand's not short that it cannot save. My ears are not heavy that they cannot hear. But your sins, your iniquities have hid my face from you so that I will not hear. Listen, I understand going into this, that this is not going to be a popular message. I understand that some people will not come back. But you have to understand when I go home, I don't say, oh, is everybody happy? I say, God, did I do what you called me to do? And I can rest in that. I can rest knowing that this is what your Word of God. This is nothing I would not preach to my kids. You know, I say, oh, you're poor kids. Oh, oh, oh. But Paul spent a large majority of his ministry warning. Warning the church. Drawing the church back. If you look at all the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, right? Ezekiel, Joel and Amos and Obadiah and Jonah, Micah. All those prophets, they were calling the people back to God. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. Even judges, the Bible says, and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord. And God is drawing His people back. You think that's different now? God is still drawing us back. And wanting us in right relationship with Him. And let's tonight, let's be honest, open and transparent about sin. No more excuses. No saving face. And no more justifying our actions. Can we just be honest tonight? You don't have to raise your hand. God knows our hearts. Let's be honest. We minimize sin so we feel better. Right? Or is it just me? Yeah, I know I had a prideful attitude, but. And I cover it up, right? A minimalist, big deal. It's no big deal. But the Bible says that God hates proud. A proud look. Proverbs 6, He says, I hate the look of pride. These things, these six things, the God says, I hate six, yet seven are an abomination to me. A proud look, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. All these things. So we have to look at sin from God's perspective. Sin leads to damnation. Sin leads to damnation. You're not going to hear that on Christian television tomorrow. Why not? Well, I've got my views, but a lot of times, because it's not what the people want to hear. Shane, come on, ratings, marketing. You know, I know. I know all about marketing. I know all about branding. And God's Word says, do not make the truth palatable. Do not make the truth taste good. Make the truth clear. You see, that's my job is not to say, did the truth feel good? Listen, before you leave, fill out a survey. Did the truth feel good? I don't care. I want to know what is the truth of God. Clear, crystal clear that there is a narrow road and there is a broad road. Jesus said it, not me. All we do is preach His words. So if you get upset, get upset at Him. He said, strive to enter that narrow gate. Broad is the way to destruction. And there are few who find this narrow gate. That's how vital this is. Sin leads to damnation. Romans 6.23 says the wages of sin is death, not life. Death. Sin separates. Sin misleads. Sin deceives and sin destroys. Don't worry, there's good news coming. I've got to put the bad news as the backdrop, though. Or you won't appreciate the good news. See, if you can paint sin dark and demonic, and then you can paint the light of Christ glorious, how much more appreciation do you think you'll have for the light? That's why people don't appreciate Christ. They don't appreciate God. They have no idea what He did. We just sang that song, reconciling the world, reconciling those that drove the five-pound sledgehammer with four-inch nails into His wrist as they're hitting the nails in His wrist. He's saying, I died for this. I died for you. I'm reconciling God and man. As the hammer goes down, you're covered in that sin if you repent, and you turn to Me. You don't think those guards would have a little bit of a joy and excitement there over that good news? Absolutely. That's powerful. If you understand the darkness of sin, you understand the demonic influence, you understand it pulling apart families, you understand how can a man abuse his child, and we sing it's no big deal. How can a mother abort her child and say, sorry, you came at the wrong time? How has this happened? Because we've dumbed down the consequences of sin. We've dumbed down what it looks like. If Christ had to hang on a cross for it, we'd better wake up. A blood-stained cross. A Savior dying for me and you. Ah, yeah, it's no big deal. It's my little vice. Well, that little vice had a hefty price. And we need to look at it that way. If you look at it that way, it will change your whole view of everything. Sin led to a blood-stained cross, a son being separated from his father, and absorbing unimaginable wrath. Sin is not a little vice in the same way that cancer is not just a little division of abnormal cells. Nobody says that. No, I just have a division of abnormal cells. The cancer is set to destroy. Right? Most cancer is not going the opposite direction towards health and vitality. It's destroying. The same thing with sin in our lives. And what I'm talking about really is unconfessed sin. Unconfessed sin is that last nail in the coffin. Confession just means, Lord, I'm bringing this to the light. God, I need you. I'm a sinner. I need your grace. I'm bringing these things to the light. Would you save me from this? Would you deliver me? Would you set me free? I want to return to my first love. Lord, I've been weighed down so much by the sin, by the depression, by the debauchery, by the sexual immorality. I've been weighed down so much by it. Lord, I want to experience that freedom again. That's what confession is. See, sin in and of itself is bad, but when it's unconfessed, then it becomes hidden. And sin either grows or it withers. There's no middle ground. So as we hold on to it, it's either growing or it's withering. It's not holding its own. It's growing and it'll eventually take over. I like what a Puritan said, John Owen. Secret lusts. Think about this. Secret lusts, secret sins, lie lurking in your own heart, which will never give up until they are either destroyed or satisfied. Secret sins lurking in your heart will never give up until they are destroyed or they are satisfied. And most people do this, don't they? They satisfy that instead of destroy it. And that word lurking there is interesting. It's almost like lurking and waiting for the opportunity to come in and grab. And I'm reading a missionary book that was written in 1920. I want to share it next Saturday, some of the excerpts with you. But it talked about in Africa in 1920s, there was this little boy who walked outside of his hut. And a leper came and grabbed him and they could hear the screams of the child going off into the night. Can you imagine? That would be a parent's worst nightmare. But what was the problem? What caught my attention is they said he went outside of his safety and protection. And that leper was there lurking. See, that's how serious this is, folks. This is destroying families. It's destroying marriages. It's taking us away from Christ, our relationship with God. Everything is hinges on this. He's there lurking, ready to destroy. Sin. Sin is devastating. What makes a young adult take their own life even before they start to live? What makes a spouse give up everything for a night of demonically inspired pleasure? Sin. Sin. What makes a person shake their infant so violently that they convulse and die? These are all news headlines. What makes a person abort their own child and calmly say, I'm sorry, but you came at the wrong time? What makes a person live their whole life in rebellion and perish eternally? What does this? And here's what happens. We want to soften the blow. See, I even want to soften the blow of this message. I mean, I'm going through this going, oh, Lord, that's not going to go over well. Let's soften the blow. Soften the blow. And sometimes we need a hard right hook and another left hook. Wait a minute. Joelstein isn't telling me this. Exactly. I know. We need to wake up. Wake up. I only say that because everybody recognizes that, you know. But we want to soften the blow, right? Just come in and soften. If I could just soften what I'm saying. But God's Word doesn't say soften. It says proclaim. It doesn't say make it easy. It says, rose hard. It's narrow. And the enemy wants us to soften the blow. The world wants us to soften the blow. Ephesians 5 says, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. But what do we want to do? We want to hold them and hide them because a lot of it involves humility. It's hard to say, I've been a Christian 10 years and I've been struggling with this and I can't let it go. I've been a Christian for 15 years. You know, pride gets in there. And we don't expose the unfruitful works of darkness. We hide them. And what happens when you hide something like that, like a mushroom in a damp spot? It just grows and grows and that's what sin does. If it's held there, it's growing and growing. C.S. Lewis said, the safest road to hell is the gradual one. The gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. The safest road to hell has no signposts. It's soft under your foot. You walk down, down, down. It's interesting. Every time I talk about this topic, people usually email me or something and say, man, that was pretty hard. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? And it's interesting that Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven. Did you know that? The good teacher, right? Everybody thinks he's just a good teacher. He spoke more about the realities of hell than on the glories of heaven. He warned as much as he encouraged. See, we always like to talk about Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, you know, your accusers are gone. I don't accuse you either. Yeah, but keep reading, keep reading. He said, and sin no more. Jesus said, for this reason I have been sent to proclaim the gospel, to preach to sinners. He sent out his disciples and said, go and preach repentance. Peter's first sermon, repent and be converted. The times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Repentance is powerful. We need to look at sin from God's view or really doesn't convict us. We need to look at sin from God's view or really doesn't convict us. Think about this. How can we justify the beatings Christ took for us? How can we justify the most horrific death a person could endure to be separated from God for me? And many live in deception. Many Christians live in deception. The only way to deal with it is to expose it. Do you realize that if you're living in deception and most people know if you're living in deception, the only way to break out of that is to expose it. Say, Lord, I've been lying to you in this area. I've been coming and playing in church. I've been doing all these things. Lord, I need to expose this cancer. I'm in deception. I need to expose it. And you bring it to the surface. What doctor would say, let's not worry about the cancer? Are any of you doctors in here, nurses? What doctor would say, let's not worry about the cancer that we just found. Let's talk about the wonderful weather, your beautiful kids and the luxuries of life. Let's just smell the roses even though death is knocking at the door. They would lose their license, right? They would lose their license, yet the pulpits can remain silent about something far more important. We can remain silent about something far more important and it's no big deal. We're written off as fundamentalists, as narrow minded, as bigoted, as angry. No, we're just contending for truth. The power of confession. Here's the part I wanted to get to. God says, if you turn, I will forgive, I will hear, and I will heal. Modern psychology says, deal with your inner struggles. But how? They say, let the past go. But how? They say, heal the wounded child within. But how? They say, retrain your cognitive behavioral patterns. But how? How? The root problem is sin, not self-esteem. The root problem is sin, not self-esteem. The answer is a Savior, not psychology. And that's the world's answer to all of our ills. Just talk about your past and maybe your wound is a little boy and now that hurts coming out. And that's why it's like, no, we need a Savior. We need a Savior. The root problem is sin, not self-esteem. Proverbs 28, 13. He who conceals his sin does not prosper. He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Did you catch that? Whoever conceals his sin will not prosper. But whoever confesses it and renounces them, they find mercy in the sight of God. There's power in confession. 1 John says, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Listen guys, if this message convicts, if it upsets, if you're upset and angry and wanting to get out of here, that's a good thing. Let me tell you up front, that's a good thing. This is the answer. Walking out those doors will not change anything if change doesn't take place. I talked about physical, mental and spiritual healing. I want to touch on all three and then I'll be out of your way. James 5, is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. And we want to do that tonight. There will be people back there in the prayer area. We believe in this scripture. Is anyone sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. Anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of the faith will save the sick. And the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. See, this is something a lot of people don't want to talk about. But sometimes, unconfessed sin can lead to physical ailments. Unless you read that scripture any other way. Sometimes holding on, because unconfessed sin is like a toxin. Right? Have you ever met a Christian holding on to a lot of sin? Are they happy to be around? Are they great to be around? Good, you know, fun and joyful? Or are they just miserable? And they want to take everybody down with them. We know they are miserable. They are not happy. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Confession can bring healing. Hebrews 12.6, listen to this verse. The Lord disciplines the one he loves. And he chastens everyone he accepts as a son. The truth is, without pain, we often don't change. Without pain, we often do not change. In this verse here, the Lord disciplines the one he loves. If you are being disciplined, that is a good thing. What parent in their right mind would never discipline their children? What would that look like? Well, we are seeing a lot of what that looks like, aren't we? But God loves us so much that he disciplines us. And without that pain, we won't change. I don't like that. Neither do you. But it is the truth. That is why a lot of times it is good to bring up things. And say, thus saith the Word of God. You need to change. You need to feel the pain and the weight of what has happened. It is interesting. I spoke about this a year ago. I heard on the radio. There is a pastor here. It wasn't you, Sylvester. It was a different pastor from Africa. And they are asking him, Why is there so much counseling in the American church? You guys have counseling appointments from 8 in the morning until 8 at night. Monday through Sunday. All the time. There is so much counseling in the American church. Why is there not a lot of counseling going on in the African church? And he calmly said, Because in America you counsel. In Africa we repent. Let that sink in. That is a sermon in itself. I think the devil wants his mic to come off, huh? It is on its way. But think about that. In America we counsel. Everybody wants to counsel. We want therapy. We want a therapist. We want this, this, this. I want to talk. I want to talk. I want to dialogue. But God says, Repent and be healed. Repent and be healed. Sometimes we need to shut our mouth. And we need to get our faces on the floor before God. You need to tell that therapist, I love you, but I don't need you as much as I need Christ. I need to talk to Him. I need God to change my heart. That is what I need. And I am not against therapy. My mom is a registered marriage and family therapist. But she would tell you just as quick as I do, that the majority of problems are due to a lack of repentance. A lack of taking responsibility. A lack of saying, I am the problem. I am the issue. I repent. And they change. Because repentance just opens the door. It is like confession. Lord, I confess. I repent. I was wrong. God says, good. Now I can fill you with my spirit. Now I can use you. Now I can bring that joy that you used to have. Do you remember when you used to have that joy? I don't know about you, but do you remember that joy of salvation? It's joy unspeakable. You're right standing with God. You're like on a cloud. I don't know if you've ever had that before. And then what happens is it gets weighted down. That's why Jesus said, I see all your works, but you've left your first love. You need to repent. Do what you first did. Repent. There's that word again. Repent and turn back to me. That's what people say, Shane, you talk so much about repentance. So much. I said, when are you going to stop? And I said, when you do. When this nation is, when the church in this nation is in a form of repenting, then we'll switch gears. But until that day, this is a topic we need to talk about. A.W. Tozer said, it is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. Isn't that true? It's doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. Why is that? It's because in that hurt, I'm humbled. And now that I'm humbled, He can use me. I've been hurt so much, Lord. I've been hurt. I look to You. Now He can use you. Oswald Chambers said something very interesting in his devotional, My Utmost First Highest. He said that on this issue of being broken before Him and being hurt, that the message of the gospel hurts and it offends until there's nothing left to hurt and to offend. And that is so true. As you read the Bible, it hurts and it offends and it hurts and it offends and it hurts and it offends until there's nothing left to hurt and to offend. And I cry out and say, Lord, I'm Yours. I humble myself. I'm Yours. See, there's power in confession. There's power in repentance. The church needs to hear this message. The church needs to hear this message. We've got guys coming in saying, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, and they go home and they beat their spouse. Not here, but other churches I know of. This is a serious issue. They just looked at porn six hours ago and they're going to come saying, Worthy is the Lamb. Where does this come from? A heart in deception. A heart living in deception is where it comes from. And I want to move through this quickly. Mental and emotional health. Romans 5 says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you do not have peace tonight, this is your answer. This is your answer. Not Buddha. Not Hindu. Not Harry Krishna. Not Joseph Smith. Not Brigham Young. None of those things. This is where true peace is found. Only in Jesus Christ. Not in works. Only in Jesus Christ. I actually was able to get a group of four or five Jehovah Witnesses at my sidewalk this morning. And I said, I can't embrace any of that because you say Christ plus works. They said, Yeah, you've got to please the Father through your obedience. And I said, Why did Christ die on a cross? Jesus Christ plus something else is heretical. It's dangerous. You don't have to do anything. He's already done it. You just walk in that freedom. Now, there should be works. A heart that's in right relationship with God better be doing something for God. They better be loving the things of God. They better be wanting the things of God. If they don't, it's called a false conversion. If you don't have a genuine love for God and His Word, and your heart's not going in that direction, your heart's loving the things of the world, I would challenge you tonight and ask, Have you truly repented of your sin? And have you embraced Him as your Lord and Savior? There's no middle ground here on this one. And the final thing is spiritually. Psalms 107.20, He sent out His Word and it healed them. The Bible says He sent His Word and it healed them and rescued them from their destruction. So did He just go and throw this at people? Does that work? He sent out His Word. How did He send out His Word? Through preaching. Through the Word being read. For people seeing the Word of God and being shattered by it, being broken by it and seeing their need for a Savior. He sent His Word and it healed them. How did it heal them? Because they were receptive. They were receptive of the Word. And it's funny sometimes when my sermons are loud and convicting, people say, Now you're preaching, brother. But when I focus on the love of Christ, they say, Oh, you're losing your prophetic zeal. You're softening up. And not really. You've got to have both. You've got to have the thunder and the lightning, but you've got to have the soft rain and the gentle calm of God. They go together. The conviction and the love of God are married. You've got heaven and you've got hell. You've got right and you've got wrong. These things, when you look at the grace of God and the mercy of God, and then you look at the judgment of God, they're together. You can't overemphasize one over the other. As a popular contemporary song says, I love these lyrics, The arms that hold the universe are holding you tonight. Isn't that so true? I don't think if it's sappy or not to some people. But the arms that are holding the universe are holding you tonight if you know him. The voice that calmed the raging sea can calm your anxious heart. Satan has to bow to the Father. Fear has to run. Darkness has to flee. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear and I will heal and I will forgive. I'm just going to close with Psalm 51. Have mercy on me, O God. Think about this. This is David. You know David, right? Good old David. Committed adultery, then had the husband killed, and then lost the baby because of it. And he's been confronted. Oh, there you go. Confrontation. He's been confronted with the word of God by a prophet named Nathan, and he repents. And this is what he says. Lord, have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgression and my sin is ever before you. Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin. My mother conceived me. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness again. Let the bones that you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will return to you. Did you catch what he said there? Against you only. David said against you and you only have I sinned. Lord, it's only against you. And he says, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me. He takes full responsibility here. Purge me with hyssop. Hyssop is like a disinfectant. Purging that toxins out. Purge me. Remove these toxins. Purge me with hyssop. Wash me as white as snow. Let the joy return. Let the bones, the bones that you have broken, let them rejoice. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Let the joy and the happiness of my salvation come back to me. Then I will point people to you. Then transgressors will return. Then the sinner will come home. Why? Because now I'm in right relationship with God. I can point people to the Savior. I can point people to the cross. And that's what God says. I will talk of His goodness and forgiveness all the days of my life. That's what David is saying. Though he was in the pit of hell. Though he just had tremendous, his bones. Have you ever felt that your bones were broken? That the bones you have broken, God may rejoice. And then David just said, and many need to say this tonight. Create in me a clean heart. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Amen.