Sackcloth & Ashes: A Look At True National Repentance - Part 1

“Collective Repentance: A Call for National Humility and Return to God”

Read & download full video transcript here: https://robertwimer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sackcloth-Ashes-FULL-SERMON-TRANSCRIPT.pdf

Listen & download the full audio here: https://robertwimer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sackcloth-Ashes-Audio.mp3

Introduction to Collective Repentance

This week, I had everything planned out. My sermon was ready four weeks in advance—well, at least I thought it was. Then, at the beginning of this week, God made it clear: “No, that’s not what I want you to talk about.” Ever had that happen? You’re sure you’re on the right track, only for God to nudge you off that path and onto another? I went through this twice in the span of a few days. The message I thought I was meant to give wasn’t what He wanted. By 10 o’clock the night before, I finally realized what I needed to speak on: collective repentance.

It’s a heavy topic, isn’t it? It’s not just about personal repentance—the kind of repentance you and I do when we mess up and ask for forgiveness. Collective repentance goes far beyond that. It’s when an entire group, community, or even a nation, humbles itself before God, recognizes its collective sin, and seeks forgiveness. This isn’t just about saying sorry. It’s about turning around—doing a 180—and heading back toward God. That’s a significant and often overwhelming idea, but it’s one we have to wrestle with, especially in these times.

You’ve probably seen 2 Chronicles 7:14 shared on social media or heard it mentioned in sermons: “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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” It’s a powerful verse. But here’s the thing: when we talk about collective repentance, most people don’t fully grasp the depth of what that means. We like to think of it as a quick fix—say a prayer, humble ourselves, and all will be well, right? But true repentance, especially on a collective level, requires much more.

The Weight of Collective Repentance

Take the story of Jonah and Nineveh, for instance. We all know about Jonah—how he ran from God, got swallowed by a giant fish, and eventually went on to deliver God’s message to Nineveh. But the part that often gets overlooked is what happened after Jonah delivered that message. God didn’t tell Jonah to ask Nineveh to repent; He simply told Jonah to pronounce judgment: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” That’s it. No plea for repentance, no suggestion of mercy—just a declaration of doom.

And yet, the people of Nineveh believed God’s message. They believed so strongly that they proclaimed a fast, dressed in sackcloth, and sat in ashes, from the greatest of them to the least. Even the king got off his throne, took off his royal robes, and humbled himself before God. Imagine that—one of the most powerful men in the world at the time, trading in his robe for sackcloth and sitting in ashes, all because he believed that God’s judgment was coming.

This wasn’t a comfortable or easy repentance. Sackcloth was rough and uncomfortable, a physical reminder of their spiritual condition. Sitting in ashes symbolized deep mourning. Fasting added another layer of self-denial. The entire city—from the rich to the poor, even the animals—participated in this collective act of repentance. And they didn’t even know if God would show mercy. They just knew they had to turn from their evil ways and seek His forgiveness.

National Sin, National Responsibility

Now, fast forward to our own nation. It’s easy to look around and see the brokenness. Christians everywhere agree that our country is in trouble. But what does collective repentance look like for us? How do we, as a nation, turn back to God? It’s not about a few individuals seeking personal forgiveness. It’s about the entire nation recognizing its sin and humbling itself before God. That’s a tall order, isn’t it?

In America, we haven’t seen collective repentance on that scale since the Great Awakenings or the Civil War. The last time a U.S. president officially called for a national day of prayer and fasting was during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer, recognizing that the nation’s sins had led to God’s displeasure. He urged Americans to seek God’s intervention and forgiveness, understanding that the Civil War was, in part, a consequence of collective sin.

Since then, we’ve had national days of prayer, but none have specifically called for fasting or tied national sin to the need for repentance in the same way. That’s significant. We’ve lost the urgency—the understanding that national sin demands national repentance. Collective sin breeds collective consequences.

The Call to Return

The Bible is clear: when a nation turns away from God, there are consequences. Deuteronomy 28 outlines the blessings that come from obedience and the curses that result from disobedience. It’s a stark reminder that sin has real, tangible consequences—not just for individuals but for entire nations.

America is facing those consequences. We see it in the rise of natural disasters, health crises, and moral decay. But the solution isn’t just to heal the symptoms. We have to address the root cause: our collective rebellion against God. Like Nineveh, we need to humble ourselves, fast, and cry out to God. We need to recognize that we’ve sinned against Him and turn from our wicked ways.

This is where we find hope. Just as God spared Nineveh when they repented, He promises to hear from heaven and heal our land if we truly humble ourselves and seek His face. But it’s not going to be easy. It requires genuine repentance—turning away from sin and turning toward God, not just as individuals but as a nation.

In the next part, we’ll dive deeper into the example of Nineveh, exploring what their repentance looked like and how we can learn from their actions. But for now, let’s reflect on what it means to return to God as a people, as a nation. It’s not about going through the motions. It’s about a heartfelt, collective turning back to the One who is able to forgive and heal.

The time is now. Will we respond like Nineveh, or will we continue down the path of rebellion? The choice is ours, but the consequences—good or bad—will be collective.