WEBVTT

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 Well, good morning. This is that funny season in our church life where summer is ending and the fall is beginning.

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! And some of you are brand new to New Haven, to Trinity, and want to welcome you and say we're glad you're here. Some of us have been here all summer,

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 listening to sermons in a hot church, on the book of 2 Chronicles. And today we're going to finish our series in the book of 2 Chronicles.

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 So, if you want to, you can look in the Pew Bible, page 361. We'll be looking at chapter 36. So, just wanted to orient us as we begin by asking this question.

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 How do we move ahead with hope in a broken and insecure world?

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 Some of you may be feeling that anxiety because of our global situation. In the last five years, we've had a pandemic that continues, its after effects continue to shape our lives.

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 We live in a polarized world and the whiplash of politics is fierce. We live in a time of economic uncertainty and volatility and international crises and the threat of war.

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 There's a lot of brokenness and a lot of insecurity in the world, isn't there? And some of you bear this in your own hearts.

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 But maybe many of us also carry personal insecurities and experience with a broken world.

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 Maybe you've just moved here and you're launching out into a new season of life and everything is new, but everything is uncertain.

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 Maybe you've lived here for a long time, but you know the hardness of living in a broken world.

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 Maybe you're walking through chronic pain.

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 You're living the reality of aging and the effects that it has.

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 Maybe you're in a new stage of life. You're a newlywed or new parents.

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 Whatever it is, there's a lot of insecurity in our lives, isn't there?

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 And this is the question I believe that the book of 2 Chronicles was trying to address.

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 We're going to be looking at chapter 36 and focusing in on it, but I'm trying to draw out of that themes that I think are broader,

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 that I think actually can capture everything that we've seen or the most important things that we've seen from the book of 2 Chronicles this whole time.

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 And because some of us are new, we want to remind ourselves, how did the book of 2 Chronicles fit in the whole picture?

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 The book of 2 Chronicles was written after, probably somewhere in the 500-400 B.C. range.

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 It was written to the people of God, the nation of Israel, after the exile.

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 What is the exile?

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 Do you remember? Way back, 1000 B.C., God established a kingdom, and He put David on the throne, and this was the height.

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 David and Solomon was the height of the kingdom of God on earth in Israel in a physical way.

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 But from there, there was this slow decline.

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 And the book of Kings and the book of Chronicles both picture this decline of the people of God and the leaders of God becoming increasingly unfaithful.

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 And no, it wasn't a straight line. It was like everything. It was up and down.

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 There were movements of good and then movements of evil.

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 But it led to, at the end, the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 by the kingdom of Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.

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 The city was broken. The temple was destroyed.

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 The walls were taken down. The kings were taken into exile.

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 And for 70 years, they lived away.

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 And if you had gone to Jerusalem, if you had gone to Israel, you would not know that it was a nation, let alone a nation with great glory.

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 And then God worked to bring them back.

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 And as they brought back, they were diminished.

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 They had no king.

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 They had a smaller temple.

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 They were a vassal state to other superpowers.

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 And the writer of 2 Chronicles is writing to those people in that uncertain and broken time when they're asking the question,

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 how do we move ahead with hope?

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 It feels like we're just living in the wreckage of this exile.

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 This is the question that I think 2 Chronicles is trying to answer.

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 And I think they're looking for a game plan.

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 The people were looking for, God, what do we do now?

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 And it's really easy.

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 What the chronicler does is says, let's look back.

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 Let's look back on our history to see what we can learn about how we can move ahead.

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 But it's very easy for us, and let's be honest, if we are preaching on the book of 1 and 2 Kings,

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 this might be more of the message.

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 Because it's easy for us to look at the story of the kings and think,

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 who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?

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 Who are the black hats and who are the white hats in the western?

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 You know, who do we want to get shot and who do we want to survive this battle?

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 And it's so easy for us to look at the kings in that way.

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 But interestingly, if you've been here, you know this, 2 Chronicles doesn't really let us do that.

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 Because even the worst kings, like Manasseh, they talk about his repentance at the end of his life.

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 And even the best kings, like Josiah, do really stupid things and proudly go out and get themselves killed.

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 And so, there are no good and bad.

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 There's always a mix of good and bad in this.

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 So, if we don't get that kind of thing, where there are no heroes for us to say,

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 if only we had a new Josiah or Hezekiah or whoever it was,

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 then what is it that he's trying to say?

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 What is it that he's trying to say?

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 Where do we go to find hope to move ahead?

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 And it's not surprising, because this is what the Bible does to us over and over again.

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 But what the Chronicler points us to is not the leaders of the people, but the God of the people.

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 To look at who God is in 2 Chronicles.

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 And in this, the writer of the Chronicles, to that audience and to us,

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 is seeking to give us hope as we seek the God of Israel.

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 So, with that introduction, we're going to go ahead and read chapter 36 of 2 Chronicles.

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 Again, that's page 361 in your pew Bible.

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 So, let's read God's Word together.

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 The people of the land took Jehoaz, the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem.

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 Jehoaz was 23 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.

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 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem,

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 and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.

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 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim, his brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem,

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 and changed his name to Jehoiakim.

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 But Necho took Jehoaz, his brother, and carried him to Egypt.

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 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.

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 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

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 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

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 and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.

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 Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon,

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 and put them in his place in his palace in Babylon.

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 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and the abominations that he did,

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 and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah,

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 and Jehoiachin, his son, reigned in his place.

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 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king,

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 and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem.

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 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

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 In the spring of the year, King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon

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 with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord,

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 and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

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 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.

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 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.

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 He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord.

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 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God.

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 He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.

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 All the officers of the priests and the people, likewise, were exceedingly unfaithful,

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 following all the abominations of the nations,

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 and they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

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 Then the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers,

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 because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

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 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets,

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 until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

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 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans,

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 who killed their young men with a sword in the house of their sanctuary,

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 and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged.

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 He gave them all into his hand.

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 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small,

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 and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes,

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 all these he brought to Babylon.

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 And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem,

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 and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels.

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 He took into exile in Babylon

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 those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons

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 until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,

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 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,

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 until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths.

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 All the days that it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath to fulfill 70 years.

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 Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,

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 now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,

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 that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled,

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 the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia,

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 so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,

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 and also put it in writing.

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 Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia,

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 The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,

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 and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

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 Whoever is among you of all his people,

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 may the Lord his God be with him.

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 Let him go up.

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 And that is the word of God.

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 Let's pray and ask for his help.

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 Lord, thank you for this word.

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 Lord, thank you that you have given us your spirit so that we might understand it rightly.

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 I pray for your help, that the words that I speak would be pleasing to you.

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 And I pray for all of us that as we sit under your word, that we would receive it.

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 Lord, move our hearts to love what you love.

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 Move our wills to submit to your will.

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 Move our hands to be obedient to your call and to do what you've called us to.

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 Thank you, Lord.

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 We pray these things in Jesus' name.

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 Finding hope in the God of Israel in a broken and insecure world is what our passage is about this morning.

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 Now, you may have noticed it, my pacing, even as I read it.

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 The first 14 verses are this litany, right?

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 Four kings over 23 years.

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 And all it does is say, and it got worse, and it got worse, and it got worse.

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 Egypt and then Babylon are taking these kings out of off their thrones and putting them into Israel.

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 You see the vessels in the temple, the riches of Israel slowly getting siphoned away and taken away.

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 And you get to verses 13 and 14, and it's just almost unbelievable.

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 He stiffened his neck and he hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.

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 And all the officials and all the priests everywhere did what was abominable.

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 And this is the description of Israel at the end.

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 And it's fascinating because, again, if you've been here in Chronicles, we get full histories of kings.

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 You know, this is the king, and this was his mother, and this is how old he was, and he reigned for this long.

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 And then at the end, we get a story of, and this is how he died, and this is how the people responded.

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 Do you notice there's no end to these kings?

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 They just disappear into exile.

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 That's intentional.

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 It's good historical storytelling.

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 He's saying, these men were gone.

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 They disappeared, and that's what happened to the kingdom.

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 Right?

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 It's hurtling towards conclusion of this final act of God in ending the kingdom through the invasion of Babylon and the exile.

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 But then did you notice in verse 15, the subject changed.

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 Verses 1 through 14 is about the kings.

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 And, again, we just talked about how we want to read this like, oh, who's the king?

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 Who's the hero?

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 I get to follow.

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 In verse 15, we see the answer.

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 And this is the first point that I want to make to you today is that in verse 15, as the focal point shifts from the kings to God,

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 we see a God who persistently and compassionately pursues his people.

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 Look with me at verse 15.

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 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

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 I think I got this right.

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 If you go back to the post-David and Solomon era, so the period of the kings, there are nine different prophets explicitly mentioned that God sent to speak to the people of Israel to say,

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 seek the Lord, follow him, forsake idols, don't trust in your alliances, trust in God.

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 Not to mention Jeremiah, who we finally see emerge here.

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 Here's a… if you're putting your whole Bible together, Jeremiah served as a prophet during the time of Josiah all the way through into the exile.

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 So, Jeremiah was a prophet in Israel during that whole time.

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 That's a whole Sunday school class on how you put all that together.

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 But it's… so, God came and he was persistent in pursuing his people.

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 Why?

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 Because he had compassion on them.

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 And this word actually has a sense of having pity or sparing people.

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 I was thinking about it.

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 It's… it's kind of like a parent who keeps trying to give his children instruction saying,

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 you really don't want to go that way.

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 There's a better way to do this.

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 Do… go… walk in these ways.

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 Don't walk in these ways.

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 Because if you walk in these ways, there are going to be consequences.

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 He's trying to… by sending his prophets, he kept trying to spare them from the judgment.

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 Because he loves them.

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 And the chronicler wanted to make sure that the post-exilic audience remembered this character of God.

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 God has pursued his people.

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 He is persistent.

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 He is patient and he is compassionate.

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 He desires to know you and for you to be his people.

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 This is the hope.

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 I won't abandon you, my people.

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 I am for you.

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 We have a tendency when someone persistently disobeys, when we… people harden their hearts and stiffen their necks and reject us and rebel against us.

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 We have a human instinct to just write people off and say, fine, you're going to be that way.

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 I am done with you.

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 And it would be really easy for the people in the post-exilic period to think that's what God has done with us.

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 He has written us off.

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 But God is not like that.

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 I am reminded of the words that Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3.

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 It's a beautiful verse.

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 It's in a context where Peter is writing in Rome and there are people who are making fun of Christians because judgment hasn't come yet.

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 Christians talk about God is going to judge the world one day.

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 And here in, you know, probably 70 AD or so, maybe a little bit earlier, people are saying, well, where is it?

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 Where is that judgment?

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 And Peter says, listen, the judgment is coming.

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 I promise you it's coming and it's going to be terrible.

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 But, and this is his end of that statement about the judgment.

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 He says, but the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

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 Friends, this is the God who is at work today calling us individually, calling us as humanity to return to him before it's too late.

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 This is the call of a compassionate and a persistent and a patient God.

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 So, this is the first thing we see in this section.

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 The second thing is a little bit surprising given what we just said.

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 Because in verses 16 to 20, we see the chronicler saying,

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 find hope in God who rejects evil and the unrighteousness of his people.

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 All right.

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 So, when you look at verses 16 through 20, what do you see, right?

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 God pursued his people through prophets and how did they respond?

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 Verse 16 is shocking.

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 They kept mocking the messengers, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets.

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 Have you ever been mocked, scoffed at, despised?

00:19:54.599 --> 00:20:02.079
 It's a terrible evil to do that to someone else and even more so to the God of the universe.

00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:08.960
 And at some point, God said, no more.

00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:14.079
 The end of verse 16 is a terrifying phrase.

00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:16.759
 There was no remedy.

00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:25.059
 No more prophets are going to come and say, turn before the judgment comes.

00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:27.059
 The judgment came.

00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:30.000
 The judgment came in the person of Nebuchadnezzar.

00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:32.980
 The judgment came in the exile.

00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:34.559
 And it was terrible.

00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:39.279
 And we struggle with this in our world today.

00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.940
 We struggle with judgment and wrath.

00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:45.399
 And you all have heard me say this before.

00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:46.700
 I'm not going to spend all day on it.

00:20:46.740 --> 00:20:52.099
 But I wanted to say briefly, we struggle with wrath and anger and judgment being good

00:20:52.099 --> 00:20:54.619
 because we can't imagine it being righteous.

00:20:54.619 --> 00:21:01.079
 We always imagine that wrath and anger is either selfish or impure.

00:21:01.379 --> 00:21:02.959
 It's self-serving.

00:21:03.639 --> 00:21:06.500
 And therefore, it's never good, right?

00:21:06.699 --> 00:21:08.479
 The anger is never good.

00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:11.559
 And yet, we still have this impulse in our heart.

00:21:11.699 --> 00:21:17.919
 When we hear an account of genocide or of rape or of sex trafficking, right?

00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:23.059
 When we hear of a massive theft that leaves people bereft of everything,

00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:25.859
 we think they deserve to be punished.

00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.079
 They deserve judgment.

00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:30.619
 And so, we have this sense.

00:21:30.700 --> 00:21:34.220
 And yet, we struggle with it because we can't imagine it being good.

00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:43.679
 But the Bible tells us that the God of the universe is perfect and righteous in everything that He does.

00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:49.279
 And we can see that for 400 years, He was patient.

00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:56.539
 And at some point, it was right for judgment to come.

00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:01.839
 Because evil can't persist forever.

00:22:02.259 --> 00:22:04.399
 If it does, then God isn't good.

00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.379
 And we have lost all hope in the world.

00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:13.180
 If there is no judgment, if evil does not face a final reckoning,

00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:17.220
 what a terrible world it is to live in.

00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:25.980
 And so, in fact, we want God to judge evil, even though it is scary for us.

00:22:26.620 --> 00:22:28.320
 And it really was scary.

00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:30.940
 When you look at verses 17 through 20,

00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:36.180
 the description of this is that the judgment was comprehensive and terrifying.

00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:41.720
 Did you notice all the times that the writer said all?

00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:44.440
 All the people were given into His hands.

00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:46.680
 All the vessels from the temple were taken.

00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:50.440
 The city, the temple, the walls, they were all broken down.

00:22:50.820 --> 00:22:53.460
 All of these people who survived the sword,

00:22:53.560 --> 00:22:57.680
 He took into exile in Babylon.

00:22:58.340 --> 00:23:01.100
 Now, there's a little bit of literary license.

00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:04.959
 We know from other parts of the Bible that a few poor people were left

00:23:04.959 --> 00:23:10.000
 to try to scrounge in the land of Palestine during the exile.

00:23:10.219 --> 00:23:11.459
 But there was no kingdom.

00:23:11.679 --> 00:23:13.099
 There was no government.

00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:14.559
 There was no society.

00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:15.699
 There was no temple.

00:23:16.379 --> 00:23:20.799
 All of that had been destroyed in God's judgment.

00:23:21.259 --> 00:23:24.219
 There was nothing left at the end of it.

00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:29.059
 God finally gave His people what they wanted,

00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:30.659
 which is life without Him.

00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:35.339
 And found out that it was terrible and terrifying.

00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:38.539
 Their presumption that they could do whatever they wanted,

00:23:38.679 --> 00:23:42.039
 God would be pleased, was exposed and punished.

00:23:44.699 --> 00:23:49.159
 And even as they returned, there's a sense of being chastised.

00:23:49.659 --> 00:23:51.619
 The post-exilic people were wondering,

00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:55.579
 how do we live when God has judged us like this?

00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:58.199
 Can we move forward with hope?

00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:02.120
 Or has He actually written us off?

00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:10.659
 But God hasn't written His people off.

00:24:11.659 --> 00:24:18.879
 He promised not only to bring judgment to end evil,

00:24:19.079 --> 00:24:22.019
 but He promised to overcome evil.

00:24:23.699 --> 00:24:26.459
 Overcome evil with His own sacrifice.

00:24:26.460 --> 00:24:29.340
 And so the prophet Isaiah,

00:24:30.539 --> 00:24:32.819
 in the famous words in Isaiah 53,

00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:35.700
 predicted a servant who would come.

00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:42.880
 And this man would come despised and rejected by men,

00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:46.019
 a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

00:24:46.539 --> 00:24:49.140
 And as one from whom men hide their faces,

00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:51.160
 he was despised,

00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:53.160
 and we esteemed him not.

00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:58.180
 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,

00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:00.519
 yet we esteemed him stricken,

00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:01.880
 smitten by God,

00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:02.780
 and afflicted.

00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:06.560
 He was pierced for our transgressions.

00:25:07.040 --> 00:25:09.800
 He was crushed for our iniquities.

00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:12.520
 Upon Him was a chastisement

00:25:12.520 --> 00:25:14.600
 that brought us peace.

00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:17.020
 And with His wounds,

00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:18.480
 we are healed.

00:25:19.520 --> 00:25:21.340
 All we like sheep have gone astray.

00:25:21.580 --> 00:25:23.720
 We have turned everyone to His own way.

00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:26.400
 And the Lord has laid on Him

00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:29.420
 the iniquity of us all.

00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:32.059
 You see, my friends,

00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.779
 the amazing thing about the God of the Bible

00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.700
 is that as committed as He is

00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.400
 to judging evil,

00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:43.920
 He would do it in an unbelievable way

00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:46.620
 so that we might find hope

00:25:46.620 --> 00:25:50.299
 rather than merely fear and condemnation.

00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:54.919
 What an amazing thing it is

00:25:54.919 --> 00:25:58.440
 that Jesus would take the wrath of God

00:25:58.440 --> 00:25:59.879
 for His people

00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:03.779
 so that we might have peace with God.

00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:06.759
 And this, of course,

00:26:06.879 --> 00:26:08.759
 turns us to the last thing we see

00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:10.059
 in this passage.

00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.919
 And it's a word of hope.

00:26:12.879 --> 00:26:14.579
 In verses 21 through 24,

00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:18.039
 we see a call to find hope in God

00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:20.139
 who sovereignly orders all things

00:26:20.139 --> 00:26:21.460
 for His redemptive plan.

00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:24.420
 Verse 21,

00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:26.519
 did it jump out at you

00:26:26.519 --> 00:26:28.180
 as feeling really weird?

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:30.519
 Like, we're suddenly talking about

00:26:30.519 --> 00:26:31.480
 the Sabbath here?

00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:33.099
 What in the world is that about?

00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:34.879
 Okay, so really quickly,

00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:37.200
 the command from Leviticus 25

00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:39.220
 was that the land was meant to rest

00:26:39.220 --> 00:26:41.399
 one out of every seven years.

00:26:42.099 --> 00:26:44.240
 And there was a warning in that passage

00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.319
 about if you don't do this,

00:26:46.539 --> 00:26:47.859
 there will be consequences.

00:26:47.859 --> 00:26:48.799
 There will be judgment.

00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:51.539
 And then we see a whole history

00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:52.479
 of the kingdom of Israel

00:26:52.479 --> 00:26:53.399
 where there's no record

00:26:53.399 --> 00:26:54.899
 of ever giving the land rest.

00:26:56.019 --> 00:26:57.659
 And so, okay,

00:26:57.699 --> 00:26:59.419
 you got to do some interesting calculations.

00:26:59.679 --> 00:27:00.719
 It's not deceptive,

00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:01.419
 but you got to count

00:27:01.419 --> 00:27:02.740
 from the right place to the right place.

00:27:03.139 --> 00:27:05.179
 But from the beginning of David's reign

00:27:05.179 --> 00:27:06.699
 to the end of the exile

00:27:06.699 --> 00:27:09.879
 is about 490 years.

00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:10.919
 And do you know what

00:27:10.919 --> 00:27:13.459
 one-seventh of 490 is?

00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:14.599
 Seventy.

00:27:14.599 --> 00:27:17.599
 The 70 years that the people of Israel

00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:18.659
 were in exile,

00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.399
 the land lay fallow.

00:27:22.259 --> 00:27:24.159
 It was a Sabbath rest.

00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:26.319
 And I believe that the chronicler

00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:28.299
 frames it like this

00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:31.240
 to give us hope.

00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:34.399
 Because the Sabbath rest

00:27:34.399 --> 00:27:39.240
 is a reminder of God's faithfulness

00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:40.839
 to His people

00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:42.660
 to provide and to protect.

00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:44.940
 And at the end of the day,

00:27:45.180 --> 00:27:46.539
 we see the Sabbath

00:27:46.539 --> 00:27:48.000
 leading us to finding

00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.940
 the Sabbath rest of salvation

00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:51.359
 in Christ.

00:27:54.180 --> 00:27:54.980
 And so,

00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:57.039
 the first word of hope is,

00:27:57.880 --> 00:27:59.500
 though you may not keep the Sabbath,

00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:01.700
 I'm going to make the Sabbath happen

00:28:01.700 --> 00:28:04.059
 so that you will remember

00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:05.200
 my provision.

00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:09.980
 And then in verses 22 and 23,

00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:12.799
 we see the most remarkable thing

00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:13.380
 in the world.

00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:14.759
 Right?

00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:17.660
 The chronicler is actually stealing,

00:28:17.860 --> 00:28:18.519
 if you look ahead,

00:28:18.600 --> 00:28:19.400
 the book of Ezra,

00:28:19.580 --> 00:28:20.340
 the next page,

00:28:20.660 --> 00:28:22.440
 it's the same two verses,

00:28:23.100 --> 00:28:23.960
 almost verbatim.

00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:25.200
 Right?

00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:28.160
 He just took those words

00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:28.580
 and said,

00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:28.860
 okay,

00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.500
 I'm just going to remind you,

00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:32.420
 this is where this story is going.

00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:33.740
 He's told the story

00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:35.759
 of all of the kingdom of Israel.

00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:37.900
 And what we've seen

00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:39.240
 at the end of 2 Chronicles

00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:40.200
 is this slow,

00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:41.579
 inevitable,

00:28:41.940 --> 00:28:42.960
 inexorable march

00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:44.220
 of decline

00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:46.619
 towards judgment and exile.

00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.119
 The kings failed

00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:50.279
 and the people failed

00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:51.380
 and God acted.

00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:53.819
 And yet at the very end,

00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:55.599
 God chooses to raise up,

00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:56.859
 what, a new king?

00:28:57.059 --> 00:28:58.559
 No, a pagan king.

00:28:58.960 --> 00:28:59.299
 Cyrus,

00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:00.480
 the king of the Persians.

00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:02.900
 Some of the global background.

00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:04.299
 The Babylonians ruled

00:29:04.299 --> 00:29:05.539
 at the beginning of the exile.

00:29:05.660 --> 00:29:06.579
 By the end of the exile,

00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:07.559
 the Persians had beaten

00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:08.359
 the Babylonians.

00:29:08.440 --> 00:29:09.380
 So the Persians were now

00:29:09.380 --> 00:29:10.160
 in charge of Israel.

00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:11.339
 So Cyrus says,

00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:12.099
 hey, we're going to do

00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:12.680
 something new.

00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:14.440
 But God moved

00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:16.099
 through a pagan king

00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:20.240
 to speak his words

00:29:20.240 --> 00:29:21.839
 to his people

00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:25.240
 to begin the process

00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:26.099
 of restoration.

00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:30.859
 Now, the people who heard this

00:29:30.859 --> 00:29:32.179
 knew this already

00:29:32.179 --> 00:29:33.079
 because they were

00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:34.439
 the fruit of that, right?

00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:35.759
 The books of Ezra and Nehemiah

00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:36.899
 tell us the history

00:29:36.899 --> 00:29:38.859
 of the return to Israel,

00:29:39.259 --> 00:29:40.259
 returning the people,

00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:41.679
 rebuilding the temple,

00:29:42.159 --> 00:29:43.339
 rebuilding the walls.

00:29:43.779 --> 00:29:45.199
 Jerusalem was rebuilt.

00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:46.220
 And so the people

00:29:46.220 --> 00:29:47.100
 receiving this book

00:29:47.100 --> 00:29:47.720
 already knew

00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:48.559
 what happened here.

00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:49.400
 You know,

00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:50.019
 they don't have to,

00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:51.340
 the writer doesn't have to

00:29:51.340 --> 00:29:52.440
 say anything more about it

00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:53.279
 because they already knew.

00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.019
 But the writer

00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:56.779
 put this in

00:29:56.779 --> 00:29:58.100
 and ended here

00:29:58.100 --> 00:29:58.880
 to say,

00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:00.660
 this is the God

00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:02.480
 that you are serving now.

00:30:02.700 --> 00:30:04.060
 And this is the God

00:30:04.060 --> 00:30:05.320
 as you look forward

00:30:05.320 --> 00:30:06.940
 that you can have,

00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:08.380
 find hope in

00:30:08.380 --> 00:30:11.460
 because this God

00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:13.440
 has not abandoned his people.

00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:15.740
 He will restore them.

00:30:16.060 --> 00:30:17.580
 He will forgive them.

00:30:18.040 --> 00:30:20.620
 He will bring to fullness

00:30:20.620 --> 00:30:21.420
 the promise,

00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:23.560
 the restoration.

00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:26.120
 He will provide a kingdom

00:30:26.120 --> 00:30:26.980
 and a temple

00:30:26.980 --> 00:30:27.720
 and a king

00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:29.140
 so that we can worship

00:30:29.140 --> 00:30:30.039
 God rightly.

00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:33.180
 And this

00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:35.160
 is what the end

00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:36.500
 of the book of Chronicles

00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:37.640
 reminds us of.

00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:40.000
 A God who is compassionate

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:41.420
 and persistent

00:30:41.420 --> 00:30:43.200
 in pursuing his people.

00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:45.380
 A God who will not let evil

00:30:45.380 --> 00:30:46.299
 stand forever

00:30:46.299 --> 00:30:47.559
 but will bring judgment

00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:49.400
 to purify the world

00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:50.539
 and bring righteousness

00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:51.279
 to bear.

00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:52.519
 And finally,

00:30:52.660 --> 00:30:53.240
 a God

00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:55.279
 who in his sovereignty

00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:56.920
 will work in ways

00:30:56.920 --> 00:30:58.380
 that we can't even imagine

00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:01.360
 to bring about

00:31:01.360 --> 00:31:02.039
 the fulfillment

00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:02.900
 of his promises

00:31:02.900 --> 00:31:04.759
 and a people

00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:06.480
 who will worship him

00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:07.220
 in this world.

00:31:08.600 --> 00:31:09.539
 And friends,

00:31:09.660 --> 00:31:10.980
 you know where I'm going

00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:11.480
 on this

00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:12.900
 but we've got to finish it

00:31:12.900 --> 00:31:13.279
 with this.

00:31:13.580 --> 00:31:14.820
 In the Hebrew Bible,

00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:17.120
 Chronicles was the last book

00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:18.320
 of the Old Testament.

00:31:18.319 --> 00:31:22.659
 And it sets us up

00:31:22.659 --> 00:31:24.939
 for 400 years later

00:31:24.939 --> 00:31:26.939
 when God

00:31:26.939 --> 00:31:28.879
 took on human flesh

00:31:28.879 --> 00:31:30.099
 in the person of Jesus

00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:31.819
 and came to earth.

00:31:32.439 --> 00:31:33.480
 And when he arrived,

00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:33.879
 he said,

00:31:34.059 --> 00:31:35.700
 the kingdom of God

00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:36.679
 is at hand.

00:31:36.879 --> 00:31:37.379
 Repent

00:31:37.379 --> 00:31:38.539
 and believe

00:31:38.539 --> 00:31:39.879
 the good news.

00:31:40.939 --> 00:31:42.319
 And this king

00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:42.939
 came

00:31:42.939 --> 00:31:44.259
 and he established

00:31:44.259 --> 00:31:44.980
 his kingdom.

00:31:44.980 --> 00:31:46.860
 not with a great army,

00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:49.279
 not with a geopolitical entity,

00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:51.599
 but through the preaching

00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:54.200
 of the kingdom of God

00:31:54.200 --> 00:31:56.099
 and through his own life

00:31:56.099 --> 00:31:58.960
 full of grace

00:31:58.960 --> 00:31:59.839
 and truth

00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:02.900
 heading towards

00:32:02.900 --> 00:32:04.079
 the greatest work

00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:04.680
 of redemption

00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:06.279
 on the cross

00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:08.380
 where he bore

00:32:08.380 --> 00:32:09.759
 the wrath of God

00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:10.860
 against the sin

00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:12.079
 of humanity.

00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:17.179
 as he died

00:32:17.179 --> 00:32:18.720
 an innocent man

00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:20.079
 in our place.

00:32:22.659 --> 00:32:23.960
 And in bearing

00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:24.720
 that sin

00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:25.519
 and that judgment,

00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:27.279
 he earned for us

00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:27.899
 our redemption

00:32:27.899 --> 00:32:29.359
 and he rose

00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:30.099
 from the dead

00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:31.079
 to establish

00:32:31.679 --> 00:32:32.319
 forever

00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:35.139
 that sin

00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:35.699
 and death

00:32:35.699 --> 00:32:36.799
 are not going

00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:37.439
 to win,

00:32:38.179 --> 00:32:39.159
 that evil

00:32:39.159 --> 00:32:40.079
 will not triumph,

00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.639
 but that in Christ

00:32:42.639 --> 00:32:44.039
 there is a victory

00:32:44.039 --> 00:32:45.259
 and a fullness

00:32:45.259 --> 00:32:46.980
 that is still yet to come.

00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:47.599
 And you know

00:32:47.599 --> 00:32:48.659
 that we're still waiting

00:32:48.659 --> 00:32:49.279
 for it,

00:32:49.439 --> 00:32:49.899
 right?

00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:51.859
 We haven't seen

00:32:51.859 --> 00:32:52.939
 the fullness of it.

00:32:53.159 --> 00:32:54.079
 We've seen the fullness

00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:54.839
 of Jesus

00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:56.139
 and his work of redemption

00:32:56.139 --> 00:32:57.339
 and we're longing

00:32:57.339 --> 00:32:58.599
 to see the outworking

00:32:58.599 --> 00:32:59.559
 of all of that

00:32:59.559 --> 00:33:00.220
 in the world.

00:33:01.519 --> 00:33:02.519
 And we live

00:33:02.519 --> 00:33:03.119
 in a broken

00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:04.500
 and insecure world

00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:05.720
 and we wonder

00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:06.259
 at times,

00:33:06.439 --> 00:33:07.659
 where do I find hope?

00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:10.000
 And just like

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:10.640
 the chronicler,

00:33:10.759 --> 00:33:11.740
 we look back

00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:13.040
 in history

00:33:13.040 --> 00:33:14.920
 to the person

00:33:14.920 --> 00:33:15.460
 and the work

00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:15.960
 of Jesus

00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:17.200
 and say,

00:33:17.620 --> 00:33:18.000
 this is where

00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:18.640
 our hope is

00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:19.960
 because he has done

00:33:19.960 --> 00:33:20.900
 all that is done

00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:22.560
 for the promises

00:33:22.560 --> 00:33:23.240
 of God

00:33:23.240 --> 00:33:24.900
 to be fulfilled.

00:33:29.620 --> 00:33:30.140
 Friends,

00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:30.900
 if you are here

00:33:30.900 --> 00:33:31.640
 this morning

00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:34.759
 and your experience

00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:35.460
 of Christianity

00:33:35.460 --> 00:33:36.440
 has been more

00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:36.920
 of a

00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:39.120
 who's the model

00:33:39.120 --> 00:33:40.140
 that I need to follow

00:33:40.140 --> 00:33:41.140
 so I can do enough

00:33:41.140 --> 00:33:41.840
 right things

00:33:41.840 --> 00:33:42.380
 so that God

00:33:42.380 --> 00:33:43.440
 will be pleased with me.

00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:44.819
 Or if you're here

00:33:44.819 --> 00:33:45.640
 and you're just exploring

00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:46.440
 what in the world

00:33:46.440 --> 00:33:48.019
 is this Jesus thing

00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:48.579
 all about,

00:33:48.720 --> 00:33:49.680
 I invite you

00:33:49.680 --> 00:33:51.319
 to stick around

00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:52.120
 and explore

00:33:52.120 --> 00:33:53.240
 who the person

00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:54.400
 of Jesus is.

00:33:58.140 --> 00:33:58.660
 See

00:33:58.660 --> 00:33:59.980
 what he has done

00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:03.079
 and hear his call.

00:34:03.079 --> 00:34:04.639
 come,

00:34:04.819 --> 00:34:05.359
 follow me.

00:34:08.179 --> 00:34:09.319
 If you're feeling

00:34:09.319 --> 00:34:10.619
 wracked with insecurity,

00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:11.659
 Jesus says,

00:34:11.799 --> 00:34:12.039
 come,

00:34:12.259 --> 00:34:12.840
 follow me

00:34:12.840 --> 00:34:14.159
 and I will show you

00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:15.119
 the path of life.

00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:18.259
 And if you already

00:34:18.259 --> 00:34:18.940
 know him,

00:34:19.659 --> 00:34:20.579
 be reminded

00:34:20.579 --> 00:34:21.480
 in the midst

00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.619
 of the ups and downs

00:34:22.619 --> 00:34:23.719
 of your day today

00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:25.119
 and of this week

00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:25.840
 and this month

00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:26.659
 and this year

00:34:26.659 --> 00:34:27.579
 and this decade

00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:28.799
 and this century

00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:30.840
 in the uncertainty

00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:32.080
 and the insecurity

00:34:32.080 --> 00:34:33.120
 and the brokenness

00:34:33.120 --> 00:34:33.920
 of this world,

00:34:34.260 --> 00:34:35.100
 where do we set

00:34:35.100 --> 00:34:35.640
 our hope?

00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:37.680
 We set our hope

00:34:37.680 --> 00:34:39.019
 on Jesus

00:34:39.019 --> 00:34:41.840
 because he is

00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:43.120
 a compassionate God

00:34:43.120 --> 00:34:44.700
 and in Jesus

00:34:44.700 --> 00:34:45.660
 we have forgiveness

00:34:45.660 --> 00:34:46.580
 of our sins

00:34:46.580 --> 00:34:47.900
 and eternal life

00:34:47.900 --> 00:34:48.400
 with him.

00:34:49.180 --> 00:34:49.820
 Let's pray.

00:34:49.820 --> 00:34:49.920
 Amen.

00:34:55.100 --> 00:34:56.120
 Lord, thank you

00:34:56.120 --> 00:34:57.800
 for this word of hope.

00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:00.300
 Lord, even as it

00:35:00.300 --> 00:35:02.800
 tells a terrible story

00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:03.460
 of decline

00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:04.080
 and judgment,

00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:05.920
 Lord, yet we see

00:35:05.920 --> 00:35:07.100
 you in the midst

00:35:07.100 --> 00:35:07.420
 of it

00:35:07.420 --> 00:35:08.620
 reminding us

00:35:08.620 --> 00:35:09.940
 of what kind

00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:10.820
 of a God you are.

00:35:11.780 --> 00:35:13.039
 Lord, turn our hearts

00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:14.060
 to you today

00:35:14.060 --> 00:35:15.880
 that we might seek you

00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:17.060
 with all of our heart

00:35:17.060 --> 00:35:19.960
 and in doing so

00:35:19.960 --> 00:35:20.680
 find hope.

00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:22.000
 We pray this

00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:22.780
 in Jesus' name.

00:35:23.120 --> 00:35:23.340
 Amen.

00:35:23.340 --> 00:35:23.480
 Amen.

00:35:23.480 --> 00:35:23.519
 Amen.

00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:23.519