WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.719 Good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning. Would you turn with me to the book of 2 Chronicles? 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:08.620 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.620 Father, as we draw near to your Word now, we think of those words from the psalmist when he says, 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:47.219 You have put more joy in our hearts than they have when the grain and the wine abound. 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:56.359 Lord, indeed, we are deeply satisfied in you because you have met our every and eternal need. 00:00:56.359 --> 00:01:03.420 So as we come now to your life-giving Word, would you continue to feed our souls? 00:01:04.700 --> 00:01:11.879 Show us again your goodness, your mercy, your power, and your grace, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:14.739 Practices. 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:20.260 He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord and did much building on the wall of Ophel. Moreover, 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:24.620 he built cities in the hill country of Judah and forts and towers on the wooded hills. 00:01:24.620 --> 00:01:28.579 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them, and the Ammonites gave 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:36.040 him that year 100 talents of silver and 10,000 cores of wheat and 10,000 of barley. The Ammonites paid 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:43.740 him the same amount in the second and third years. So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways 00:01:43.740 --> 00:01:50.659 before the Lord his God. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all his wars and his ways, 00:01:50.659 --> 00:01:56.939 behold, they're written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was 25 years old when he began 00:01:56.939 --> 00:02:03.819 to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:11.460 him in the city of David. And Ahaz, his son, reigned in his place. So I recently saw an interview with 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:18.240 Harvard professor Arthur Brooks, and he was talking about a recent study about spiritual influence on 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:25.719 children. And for a long time, sociologists have sort of known and studies have shown that the single 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:31.600 biggest predictor of what sort of faith or religion kids will grow up to have, the single biggest 00:02:31.600 --> 00:02:40.680 influence is their parents. And according to Brooks, the father in particular has perhaps the greatest 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:50.620 statistical impact on the faith of the kids. Now, if you're a parent, these sorts of studies can be both 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:58.360 encouraging and terrifying. It can be somewhat encouraging because there are myriad influences 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:03.300 in the world on our children, friends and teachers and social media and movies and TVs and music and 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:07.340 sports. There's a whole host of voices that seek to capture the attention of the next generation, 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:13.420 shape their outlook on the world and on themselves. But the good news is that amidst all those voices, 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:21.439 parents still have the greater and more impactful role. So parents, don't live in fear. Loving and 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:28.159 serving your kids is still going to be the most clear and influential voice in your kids' lives. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:37.939 But at the same time, isn't that reality somewhat terrifying? I mean, what parent among us is sufficient 00:03:37.939 --> 00:03:47.620 for these things? Most parents I know, myself among them, regularly realize how far we fall short in loving 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:51.219 and serving and teaching and being a godly example for our kids. 00:03:51.219 --> 00:04:07.280 But, but, as big as the role of the parent most certainly is, even their influence is not the final say. 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:18.779 Our passage today, 2 Chronicles 27 and 28, shows us that your spiritual upbringing 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:25.419 doesn't determine or guarantee your spiritual future. 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:35.179 And that makes our passage a passage both of hope and of warning. It's a passage of hope to those 00:04:35.179 --> 00:04:41.959 without a good spiritual heritage, and it's also a warning to those with a good spiritual heritage. 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:49.099 So let's consider first the message of hope. The story of Jotham in chapter 27 that we just read 00:04:49.099 --> 00:04:54.500 essentially tells us that no matter how bad your spiritual upbringing was, you can still be 00:04:54.500 --> 00:05:00.240 spiritually strong. No matter how bad or inconsistent or ungodly your spiritual upbringing was, you can 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:06.339 still be spiritually strong. Now, how do we see that in the life of Jotham? Well, consider verse 2, 00:05:06.799 --> 00:05:07.240 where it says, 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:18.800 Now last week we saw how at the height of his strength, 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:27.660 Uzziah, who was Jotham's father, grew proud to his own destruction. In other words, Uzziah set an example 00:05:27.660 --> 00:05:32.340 of pride before his son Jotham. An example that said, 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:37.019 the good limits of God don't apply to those in power. An example that said, 00:05:37.099 --> 00:05:39.399 the correction of others doesn't apply to those in power. 00:05:41.259 --> 00:05:47.159 But the poor spiritual example that Jotham saw in his own father did not determine his future. 00:05:48.579 --> 00:05:53.279 The chronicler tells us that Jotham did not enter the temple of the Lord. In other words, 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:55.519 he remained humble before God. 00:05:55.519 --> 00:06:02.699 And he remained humble even though the people in his day didn't follow the Lord. The end of verse 2 00:06:02.699 --> 00:06:06.979 says, but the people still followed corrupt practices. In other words, and even though 00:06:06.979 --> 00:06:13.199 his contemporaries were all going astray, even though his own father had failed to model true godliness, 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.159 Jotham still did what was right in God's eyes. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:26.600 And he remained humble even though, like his father, God granted him success. Verses 3, 4, and 5 recount how 00:06:26.600 --> 00:06:32.200 Jotham flourished as a king, both internally as he kind of advanced the infrastructure of the kingdom 00:06:32.200 --> 00:06:36.860 and externally as he brought in more and more tribute from the surrounding nations. 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:44.939 You see, unlike his father, who in his strength grew proud and whose pride led to destruction, 00:06:45.580 --> 00:06:48.660 Jotham stays humble and does what is right in the Lord's eyes. 00:06:50.220 --> 00:06:52.580 Verse 7 is the summary of his life. 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:58.939 So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:06.800 His father had left a crooked path to follow, but Jotham ordered his way before the Lord his God. 00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:10.520 And because of that, he became strong. He became mighty. 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:17.960 In fact, he became one of the few kings in 2 Chronicles of which the chronicler has nothing negative to say. 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:26.240 Now, friend, I wonder, I wonder if you need this encouragement, this hope today. 00:07:28.080 --> 00:07:30.139 I don't know what sort of upbringing you've had. 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:36.959 Maybe you look at your parents or your grandparents or whoever was most influential in your life, 00:07:37.599 --> 00:07:40.099 and maybe you don't see much help there. 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:42.680 Maybe you don't see much of an example to follow. 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:45.620 And sometimes maybe you wonder, 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:48.699 Am I just bound to repeat the past? 00:07:49.019 --> 00:07:51.459 Will my parents' failings be mine too? 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:54.660 Or maybe lacking a good example, you think, 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:01.000 Am I going to stumble into just different but equally languishing fields of spiritual failure in my life? 00:08:04.120 --> 00:08:07.139 Friend, take hope from the story of Jotham. 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:15.360 Despite a bad upbringing, Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:22.919 His spiritual vitality was not determined by the failure of the preceding generation, 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:26.480 and yours need not be either. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:33.019 And if that's true of us individually, it's also true of us corporately as a church. 00:08:34.740 --> 00:08:38.379 The spiritual dryness, the lack of prayerfulness, 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:43.879 the doctrinal waywardness, or the moral failings that we might be able to see 00:08:43.879 --> 00:08:48.460 in preceding generations of the church, whether here in America or abroad, 00:08:48.460 --> 00:08:53.180 those need not be what determines our future. 00:08:54.700 --> 00:08:59.240 Rather, we can order our ways before the Lord our God and be strong. 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:08.000 The Spirit can blow upon the faintest coals and light a fresh fire, you see. 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:13.820 Revivals often come when the prospects look most dim, 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:20.640 when the fields seem most dry or overgrown from a previous generation's neglect. 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:23.240 There God gets the glory. 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:28.520 He gets the glory when new growth shoots up through dry ground, 00:09:29.060 --> 00:09:32.220 and when a new work begins amidst the ruins of the old. 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:40.860 This, I wonder, I wonder if this is what the chronicler wanted his generation to hear in the story of Jotham. 00:09:40.860 --> 00:09:45.899 Because remember, his generation and a couple generations before his, 00:09:46.019 --> 00:09:47.620 they had all returned from exile. 00:09:48.680 --> 00:09:54.759 The exile, which was the biggest marker of spiritual and moral failure in all of Israelite history. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:00.480 And you have to wonder if the chronicler's generation was asking themselves, 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:02.879 would we repeat those same mistakes? 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:09.960 But the chronicler saying, no, we can be like Jotham, 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:14.019 ordering our ways before the Lord our God, and as a result, growing strong. 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:17.139 We are not destined for failure. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:22.080 The Lord our God is a God of new beginnings, 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:25.539 of revival and renewal, of cities rebuilt, 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:27.059 of families restored, 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:30.839 of children walking in the paths of holiness and wisdom, 00:10:31.079 --> 00:10:33.879 even if their parents did not walk those paths before them. 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:37.279 That's who the God of the Bible is. 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:43.119 The God who can take a valley of dry bones and make it live again. 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:47.199 So this is a message of hope. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:51.220 No matter how bad your spiritual upbringing was, 00:10:51.860 --> 00:10:55.500 you can still be spiritually vibrant and strong. 00:10:57.900 --> 00:11:01.120 But our passage continues with a warning. 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:07.040 If our spiritual heritage cannot determine our future for ill, 00:11:08.759 --> 00:11:11.980 neither can it guarantee our future for good. 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:17.920 Let's pick up at the end of chapter 27 and continue into chapter 28, verses 1 through 7. 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:22.480 The chronicler ends chapter 27 saying, 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:25.360 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:28.519 And Ahaz, his son, reigned in his place. 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:32.000 And Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:34.200 and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.220 And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:38.440 as his father David had done. 00:11:39.060 --> 00:11:40.960 But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.900 He even made metal images for the Baals. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:47.220 And he made offerings in the valley of the son of Hinnom, 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:49.540 and burned his sons as an offering, 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.280 according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out 00:11:53.280 --> 00:11:54.700 before the people of Israel. 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:58.759 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places, 00:11:59.300 --> 00:12:01.160 and on the hills, and under every green tree. 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.800 Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, 00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:07.280 who defeated him, and took captive a great number of his people, 00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:08.400 and brought them to Damascus. 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:10.879 He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:12.580 who struck him with a great force. 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:17.320 For Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:18.920 all of them men of valor, 00:12:19.540 --> 00:12:23.900 because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. 00:12:24.900 --> 00:12:26.680 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, 00:12:27.180 --> 00:12:28.820 killed Maseah, the king's son, 00:12:29.460 --> 00:12:31.660 and Azrakam, the commander of the palace, 00:12:31.659 --> 00:12:35.759 and Elkanah, the next in authority to the king. 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:40.360 It's a great gift, isn't it? 00:12:40.659 --> 00:12:43.639 It's a great gift to have a godly father or mother. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:49.039 Many of us in this room can give thanks for the example of faithfulness, 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:54.620 or courage, or perseverance, or prayerfulness that we have seen in those closest to us. 00:12:54.620 --> 00:13:01.860 But if that is you today, realize that there is also a danger, 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:08.580 a danger that your heart might think that because those who came before you follow the Lord, 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:10.940 then your faithfulness will be guaranteed. 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:13.759 But look at Ahaz. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:17.720 Ahaz's father was a godly man, 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.039 and yet in the same number of years, 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.340 both he and his father reigned 16 years, 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:23.899 over the same number of years, 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:25.759 look at how different the outcome was. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:29.580 No matter how good your spiritual upbringing, 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:34.179 you can still fall prey to idolatry and be ruined. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:38.879 Do you wonder how it all started for Ahaz? 00:13:40.819 --> 00:13:43.340 I mean, did it start as just outright rejection 00:13:43.340 --> 00:13:47.080 of the ways of the Lord that his father had modeled so clearly for him, 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:48.120 these ways of the Lord? 00:13:48.660 --> 00:13:50.340 Did Ahaz just reject them outright? 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:53.139 Or was it more gradual? 00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:00.500 Did Ahaz begin to think of himself as a bit more of a cosmopolitan ruler 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:01.720 than his father was, 00:14:02.379 --> 00:14:03.379 a bit more open-minded, 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:05.480 a bit more pluralistic? 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.120 You know, did he think at times, 00:14:08.120 --> 00:14:10.740 surely the northern kingdom has something we can learn from? 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:13.080 He might have thought, 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:15.980 yeah, surely the gods of the other nations can't all be wrong, 00:14:16.100 --> 00:14:16.500 can they? 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:18.759 Why not build some bridges? 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.000 And then the attraction of power, 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:25.180 the attraction of wealth, 00:14:25.980 --> 00:14:28.480 the attraction of worldly respectability 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:30.580 starts to grow. 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:34.660 And suddenly he finds himself saying, 00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:37.840 surely the Lord isn't the only God worthy of worship. 00:14:38.160 --> 00:14:38.759 How narrow, 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:39.879 how provincial. 00:14:40.680 --> 00:14:42.320 Let's build an altar to Baal. 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:45.400 And tragically, 00:14:45.540 --> 00:14:48.400 Ahaz's heart begins a rapid decline. 00:14:49.660 --> 00:14:51.100 And before he knows it, 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:52.320 he's free-falling 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.580 into the depths of apostasy and corruption, 00:14:56.580 --> 00:15:00.480 not just following the practices of the wayward northern kings, 00:15:01.020 --> 00:15:03.940 but taking up the evil practices of the nations 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:06.040 that God had driven out hundreds of years earlier, 00:15:06.540 --> 00:15:09.120 sacrificing his own children to false gods. 00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:14.540 And so, desiring to be strong, 00:15:15.040 --> 00:15:16.540 desiring to be respected, 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.080 desiring to be a man of renown, 00:15:20.300 --> 00:15:22.960 Ahaz becomes weak. 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:26.400 And his people pay the cost. 00:15:27.759 --> 00:15:30.139 Verses 5 through 7 tell us of a war, 00:15:30.740 --> 00:15:33.879 a war when the northern kingdom joined forces with Syria 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:36.300 and attacked Judah, the southern kingdom. 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:39.560 And they were attacking Judah to try to force Ahaz 00:15:39.560 --> 00:15:41.660 into a joint alliance 00:15:41.660 --> 00:15:44.840 against the growing threat of the Assyrian empire, 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:48.960 this massive empire that was waking up from its sleep 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:53.420 and beginning to churn its way down south into their land. 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:57.080 And Ahaz tries to stand his ground 00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:58.180 against these petty kings 00:15:58.180 --> 00:15:59.800 trying to force him into an alliance, 00:16:00.280 --> 00:16:02.060 but the sad tragedy is 00:16:02.060 --> 00:16:05.840 he's actually forsaken the only real source of strength, 00:16:06.379 --> 00:16:08.379 which is the Lord God. 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:10.780 And Ahaz is defeated. 00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:14.220 And some of his closest family members 00:16:14.220 --> 00:16:17.639 and even his own son and his advisors 00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:19.019 die in the battle. 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:26.179 But you know, here's the problem with idolatry. 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:29.100 Idolatry is like a whirlpool. 00:16:30.459 --> 00:16:32.799 And the more you kind of swim in its current, 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:35.019 the harder it is to get out, 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.439 the deeper and deeper down it pulls you. 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.900 You would think that after the defeat 00:16:41.900 --> 00:16:43.280 of verses 5 through 7, 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:45.220 Ahaz would come to his senses. 00:16:46.700 --> 00:16:48.760 But tragically, no. 00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:52.420 Let's see how he responds a few verses later. 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:55.960 Let's pick up the story in verse 16 of chapter 28, 00:16:56.060 --> 00:16:57.100 jumping down a little bit. 00:16:58.640 --> 00:17:00.300 2 Chronicles 28, 16. 00:17:01.040 --> 00:17:05.900 At that time, King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. 00:17:05.900 --> 00:17:09.160 For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:10.259 and carried away captives. 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:12.840 And the Philistines made raids on the cities 00:17:12.840 --> 00:17:14.980 in the Shephala and the Negev of Judah 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:17.900 and had taken Beth Shemesh, Ijelon, Gederoth, Soko 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:19.759 with its villages, Timnah with its villages, 00:17:20.640 --> 00:17:22.500 Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there. 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:25.200 For the Lord humbled Judah 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.580 because of Ahaz, king of Israel, 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:29.540 for he had made Judah act sinfully 00:17:29.540 --> 00:17:32.100 and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:35.679 So Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:38.219 came against him and afflicted him 00:17:38.219 --> 00:17:40.079 instead of strengthening him. 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:43.459 For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord 00:17:43.459 --> 00:17:45.699 and the house of the king and the princes 00:17:45.699 --> 00:17:48.679 and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:50.659 but it did not help him. 00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:54.139 In the time of his distress, 00:17:54.539 --> 00:17:58.079 he became yet more faithless to the Lord, 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:00.399 the same king Ahaz. 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.039 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:05.579 that had defeated him and said, 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.579 Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:11.679 I will sacrifice to them that they may help me, 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:15.899 that they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 00:18:16.859 --> 00:18:18.740 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:20.679 of the house of God and cut in pieces 00:18:20.679 --> 00:18:22.159 the vessels of the house of God, 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:24.500 and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:26.059 and he made himself altars 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:27.740 in every corner of Jerusalem. 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:29.460 In every city of Judah, 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:31.720 he made high places to make offerings 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:32.919 to other gods, 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:34.659 provoking the anger, 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:36.440 provoking to anger the Lord, 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:37.440 the God of his fathers. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:41.139 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:42.039 from first to last, 00:18:42.139 --> 00:18:43.319 behold, they're written in the book 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:44.700 of the kings of Judah and Israel. 00:18:45.819 --> 00:18:47.419 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:50.079 and they buried him in the city in Jerusalem, 00:18:50.679 --> 00:18:52.019 for they did not bring him 00:18:52.019 --> 00:18:54.740 into the tombs of the kings of Israel. 00:18:54.740 --> 00:18:57.019 And Hezekiah, his son, 00:18:58.140 --> 00:18:58.940 reigned in his place. 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:01.759 You know, it's a bit like, 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:03.460 it's a bit like taking a piece of metal 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:05.180 and bending it, 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:06.480 and bending it, 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:09.579 and curving it round and round a staff. 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:11.859 You keep curving it and bending it 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:13.799 and molding it around this object 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:16.200 until eventually the twist 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:18.099 and the curve of the metal 00:19:18.099 --> 00:19:19.779 just can't be undone. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:23.359 That's the heart of Ahaz. 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:26.839 And that's how idolatry works. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.339 We go to it for help, 00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:31.319 like Ahaz went to Assyria, 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:32.339 but it doesn't help. 00:19:33.379 --> 00:19:34.079 We're in trouble, 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:34.799 we're in pain, 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:35.480 we're in distress, 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:36.460 we're in affliction, 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:38.019 so we turn to money 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:38.759 or alcohol 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:39.440 or sex 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.240 or hard work 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.799 or professional accomplishments. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:42.700 We seek help 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:43.460 in some project 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:45.279 or some object 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:46.420 of our own choosing. 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:49.120 And maybe at first 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:50.960 it sort of makes sense. 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:53.500 Ahaz, 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:55.779 going to Assyria, 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:57.900 was actually kind of clever 00:19:57.900 --> 00:19:58.860 on the surface. 00:19:59.860 --> 00:20:00.819 The Assyrians were bigger 00:20:00.819 --> 00:20:02.160 and stronger than everybody else. 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:04.019 Why not cut a deal with them 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:04.639 while he could? 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:07.220 But ultimately, 00:20:07.379 --> 00:20:08.299 it didn't help. 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:10.700 It didn't help. 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:12.980 And then comes 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:14.400 one of the most tragic verses 00:20:14.400 --> 00:20:16.200 in the whole of 2 Chronicles, 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:17.519 verse 22. 00:20:18.339 --> 00:20:19.900 In the time of his distress, 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:23.799 he became yet more faithless 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:24.400 to the Lord, 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:26.859 the same King Ahaz. 00:20:28.700 --> 00:20:29.799 At this point in his life, 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:31.240 Ahaz does the unthinkable. 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:32.879 He takes everything of value 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:33.560 from the temple, 00:20:34.080 --> 00:20:34.660 cuts it up, 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:35.720 melts it down, 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:37.460 shutters the temple completely 00:20:37.460 --> 00:20:38.560 in order to take 00:20:38.560 --> 00:20:41.700 all of that precious stuff 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:44.380 to make even more altars 00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:45.340 to false gods. 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:50.100 And how long did it take? 00:20:51.620 --> 00:20:53.200 How long did it all take? 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:55.400 How long did it all take 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:55.880 for the temple 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:57.300 to be desecrated and closed, 00:20:57.620 --> 00:20:58.960 for the people to be defeated, 00:20:59.080 --> 00:21:00.480 for the Lord to be forsaken? 00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:02.900 It didn't take generations 00:21:02.900 --> 00:21:03.779 upon generations. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:05.900 It wasn't the work of centuries. 00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:08.059 It took 16 years. 00:21:09.860 --> 00:21:12.240 At the end of that 16 years, 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:15.039 Ahaz had so twisted his heart 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:16.700 around the idols of his day 00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:19.900 that he simply couldn't unravel himself 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:20.759 from their ruin. 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:26.559 You know, we often think foolishly, 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:28.920 I'll live how I want 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:29.740 when I'm young. 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:31.119 And you know, 00:21:31.140 --> 00:21:31.660 in our culture, 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:33.039 young just keeps getting 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:33.799 longer and longer, 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:34.259 isn't it? 00:21:34.599 --> 00:21:35.640 30s, 40s, 00:21:35.640 --> 00:21:36.700 we still think we're young. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.460 I'll live how I want 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:39.319 when I'm young, 00:21:39.379 --> 00:21:40.539 and then when I'm old, 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:41.759 I'll turn back to God. 00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:42.680 Then I'll do right. 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:45.279 But friend, 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.160 what makes you so sure 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:50.200 that you'll even want 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:51.720 to turn back to God then? 00:21:53.639 --> 00:21:55.879 After living your life like Ahaz 00:21:55.879 --> 00:21:58.240 for the false gods of this age, 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:00.660 after serving them 00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:01.879 and seeking them 00:22:01.879 --> 00:22:03.599 and sacrificing for them 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:05.819 and twisting your soul around them 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:07.660 all of your days, 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:10.099 what makes you so confident 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:12.099 that you'll even be able 00:22:12.099 --> 00:22:13.279 to recognize 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:15.159 your need for saving 00:22:15.159 --> 00:22:15.859 on that day? 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:19.279 At that point, 00:22:19.619 --> 00:22:21.480 will you even want 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:23.299 to swim out of the whirlpool? 00:22:24.959 --> 00:22:27.439 Or will you keep paddling headlong 00:22:27.439 --> 00:22:29.019 for the dark center 00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:30.199 where there is no return? 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:35.159 The chronicler wants us 00:22:35.159 --> 00:22:37.480 to heed the warning of Ahaz. 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.299 No matter how good 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:40.879 your spiritual upbringing was, 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.940 you can still fall prey 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:44.879 to idolatry 00:22:44.879 --> 00:22:45.839 and be ruined. 00:22:46.879 --> 00:22:47.960 Your parents' faith, 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:49.899 your grandparents' faith, 00:22:50.200 --> 00:22:51.339 the faith of your friends, 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.099 the faith of your church community, 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:55.379 it will not avail for you. 00:22:56.879 --> 00:22:58.259 You must choose 00:22:58.259 --> 00:22:59.119 who you will serve. 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:01.500 Will you serve 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:02.960 the living and true God? 00:23:03.899 --> 00:23:05.359 Or will you give your heart 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:05.859 to idols? 00:23:06.899 --> 00:23:07.700 Will you worship 00:23:07.700 --> 00:23:09.220 the gods of this age 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:10.660 and the gods of this age 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:11.720 will demand more 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:13.120 and more of you, 00:23:13.860 --> 00:23:15.640 but they will never really help? 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:18.279 Or will you worship 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:18.960 the God 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.640 who ultimately revealed himself 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:22.759 in Jesus Christ, 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:24.339 the God 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:25.839 who fulfilled the laws 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:27.039 every demand 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:27.880 on your behalf, 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:30.940 and who offers his gracious help 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:32.400 to all who call on him 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:32.880 in faith? 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:36.080 Friend, 00:23:36.180 --> 00:23:37.520 don't mistake 00:23:37.520 --> 00:23:39.520 having a good 00:23:39.520 --> 00:23:41.260 spiritual heritage 00:23:41.260 --> 00:23:43.780 for having living faith 00:23:43.780 --> 00:23:45.060 in the living God. 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:47.620 Take hold of Christ 00:23:47.620 --> 00:23:48.700 for yourself 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:49.740 today. 00:23:50.920 --> 00:23:51.840 Surrender your life 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:52.240 to him. 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:54.780 He lived and died 00:23:54.780 --> 00:23:55.420 and rose again 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:56.039 so that you might 00:23:56.039 --> 00:23:56.720 die to sin 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:57.980 and live to God 00:23:57.980 --> 00:23:59.080 so that you might 00:23:59.080 --> 00:23:59.820 be free 00:23:59.820 --> 00:24:01.039 from the empty 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:01.740 idolatry 00:24:01.740 --> 00:24:02.700 of this passing age 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:03.519 and live for a kingdom 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:04.360 that lasts forever. 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:07.519 Don't mistake 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:08.680 a good spiritual heritage 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:10.340 for living faith 00:24:10.340 --> 00:24:11.500 in the living God. 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:13.360 And that's true 00:24:13.360 --> 00:24:14.740 of churches as well. 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:17.420 The spiritual vitality 00:24:17.420 --> 00:24:18.660 of the previous generation 00:24:18.660 --> 00:24:20.860 will not be automatically 00:24:20.860 --> 00:24:21.900 credited to us. 00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:23.780 the history 00:24:23.780 --> 00:24:24.600 of revivals 00:24:24.600 --> 00:24:25.900 and renewals, 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:26.900 the love 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:27.880 of sound doctrine, 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:29.180 the sacrifice 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:30.019 for mission 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:30.980 and heralding 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:31.480 the gospel 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:31.920 to the ends 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:32.420 of the earth, 00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:33.940 the care for creation 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:34.780 and for the poor, 00:24:35.360 --> 00:24:36.300 the devoted prayer 00:24:36.300 --> 00:24:37.300 for God's glory 00:24:37.300 --> 00:24:38.120 to be shown. 00:24:39.340 --> 00:24:40.540 These godly examples 00:24:40.540 --> 00:24:41.960 of our heritage, 00:24:42.280 --> 00:24:43.840 they will not guarantee 00:24:43.840 --> 00:24:45.180 our spiritual vitality. 00:24:46.080 --> 00:24:47.740 We must take 00:24:47.740 --> 00:24:49.160 fresh ground. 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:52.620 Let's not rest content 00:24:52.620 --> 00:24:54.480 to have good examples 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:55.259 behind us. 00:24:56.019 --> 00:24:58.060 The spiritual affections 00:24:58.060 --> 00:24:59.480 of a Jonathan Edwards, 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:01.900 the missionary zeal 00:25:01.900 --> 00:25:03.259 of a Lottie Moon, 00:25:04.420 --> 00:25:06.160 the doctrinal courage 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:07.600 of an Athanasius. 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:10.860 Let's not rest content 00:25:10.860 --> 00:25:12.220 to just have good examples 00:25:12.220 --> 00:25:12.980 behind us. 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:14.680 Let's seek God 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:15.720 for ourselves too. 00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:18.160 And by God's grace, 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:19.519 let us leave 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:20.160 a good example 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:21.019 for those to come. 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:26.480 And brothers and sisters, 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:26.900 friends, 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:28.460 it is not 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:29.900 too late 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:30.720 to begin. 00:25:32.360 --> 00:25:33.120 We've said 00:25:33.120 --> 00:25:33.640 this passage 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:34.380 is one of both 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:35.620 hope and warning, 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:37.600 but it's also a call 00:25:37.600 --> 00:25:38.880 to begin seeking God 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:39.460 today. 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:41.519 No matter what 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:42.600 your spiritual background, 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.019 you can heed 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:44.660 God's voice 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:44.720 today. 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:45.519 today 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:46.720 and begin again. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:48.880 In the center 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.059 of chapter 28, 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:51.860 verses 8 through 15, 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:53.380 the chronicler 00:25:53.380 --> 00:25:54.620 places a story 00:25:54.620 --> 00:25:55.640 where we see 00:25:55.640 --> 00:25:56.299 just that. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:57.440 And I think 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.000 the chronicler 00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:58.740 put this story 00:25:58.740 --> 00:25:59.460 in the middle 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:01.000 to make it stand out. 00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:02.380 In contrast 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:03.319 to Ahaz, 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:04.259 the bad king 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:04.900 of Jerusalem, 00:26:05.620 --> 00:26:06.500 the chronicler 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:07.259 shows us 00:26:07.259 --> 00:26:08.519 genuine 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:10.299 spiritual repentance 00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:11.059 and renewal 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:12.339 in the most 00:26:12.339 --> 00:26:13.680 unlikely place. 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:15.560 in the midst 00:26:15.560 --> 00:26:16.660 of the rebel 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:18.180 northern kingdom, 00:26:18.680 --> 00:26:19.460 in the heart 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:20.380 of Samaria, 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:22.200 genuine faith 00:26:22.200 --> 00:26:22.759 is found. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:25.000 Let's read 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.060 verses 8 through 15. 00:26:26.059 --> 00:26:28.700 The men of Israel, 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:29.940 that's the ungodly 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:30.579 northern kingdom, 00:26:31.379 --> 00:26:32.139 took captive, 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:32.899 they took captive 00:26:32.899 --> 00:26:34.000 in that same war 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.720 previously described. 00:26:36.159 --> 00:26:37.079 They took captive 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:38.019 200,000 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:39.139 of Judah's 00:26:39.139 --> 00:26:39.639 relatives, 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:41.319 women, 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:41.659 sons, 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:42.139 and daughters. 00:26:42.859 --> 00:26:43.759 They also took 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.299 much spoil 00:26:44.299 --> 00:26:44.679 from them 00:26:44.679 --> 00:26:45.279 and brought 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:45.720 the spoil 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.419 to Samaria. 00:26:46.420 --> 00:26:48.460 But a prophet 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:48.900 of the Lord 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:49.360 was there 00:26:49.360 --> 00:26:49.920 whose name 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:50.440 was Oded, 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:51.539 and he went 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:51.940 out to meet 00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:52.360 the army 00:26:52.360 --> 00:26:52.759 that came 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:53.240 to Samaria 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:53.620 and he said 00:26:53.620 --> 00:26:53.980 to them, 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:55.259 Behold, 00:26:56.120 --> 00:26:56.840 because the Lord, 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:57.720 the God of your fathers, 00:26:57.800 --> 00:26:58.960 was angry with Judah, 00:26:59.140 --> 00:26:59.600 he gave them 00:26:59.600 --> 00:27:00.279 into your hand. 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:01.759 But you have killed 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.460 them in a rage 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:03.060 that has reached 00:27:03.060 --> 00:27:03.620 up to heaven. 00:27:04.259 --> 00:27:05.360 And now you intend 00:27:05.360 --> 00:27:06.279 to subjugate 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:07.100 the people of Judah 00:27:07.100 --> 00:27:07.740 and Jerusalem, 00:27:08.140 --> 00:27:08.820 male and female, 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:09.560 as your slaves? 00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:11.279 Have you not 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:12.480 your own sins 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:13.960 against the Lord, 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:14.460 your God? 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:16.680 Now hear me 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:17.980 and send back 00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:18.539 the captives 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:19.420 from your relatives 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:20.500 whom you have taken, 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:22.180 for the fierce wrath 00:27:22.180 --> 00:27:22.640 of the Lord 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:23.519 is upon you. 00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:26.319 Certain chiefs 00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:27.160 also of the men 00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:27.740 of Ephraim, 00:27:28.360 --> 00:27:28.920 Azariah, 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:29.880 the son of Jonahan, 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:31.279 Berechiah, 00:27:31.380 --> 00:27:32.460 the son of Mishillamoth, 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:33.680 Jehizakiah, 00:27:33.860 --> 00:27:34.579 the son of Shalom, 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:35.740 and Amasa, 00:27:36.019 --> 00:27:36.779 the son of Hadli, 00:27:37.380 --> 00:27:38.160 stood up 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:38.880 against those 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:39.420 who were coming 00:27:39.420 --> 00:27:40.019 from the war 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:40.720 and said to them, 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:41.880 You shall not 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:42.620 bring the captives 00:27:42.620 --> 00:27:42.980 in here, 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:44.660 for you propose 00:27:44.660 --> 00:27:45.579 to bring upon us 00:27:45.579 --> 00:27:46.500 guilt against the Lord 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:47.299 in addition to our 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:48.400 present sins and guilt, 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:49.579 for our guilt 00:27:49.579 --> 00:27:50.480 is already great 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:52.220 and there is fierce wrath 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:52.940 against Israel. 00:27:54.140 --> 00:27:55.240 So the armed men 00:27:55.240 --> 00:27:56.240 left the captives 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:57.200 and the spoil 00:27:57.200 --> 00:27:58.599 before the princes 00:27:58.599 --> 00:27:59.559 and all the assembly. 00:28:00.539 --> 00:28:01.059 And the men 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:01.620 who had been mentioned 00:28:01.620 --> 00:28:02.440 by name rose, 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:03.920 took the captives, 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:05.220 and with the spoil 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:05.920 they clothed 00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:06.599 all who were naked 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:07.120 among them. 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:08.279 They clothed them, 00:28:08.360 --> 00:28:09.200 gave them sandals, 00:28:09.620 --> 00:28:10.660 provided them with food 00:28:10.660 --> 00:28:11.120 and drink, 00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:11.960 and anointed them, 00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:13.039 and carrying all 00:28:13.039 --> 00:28:13.799 the feeble among 00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:14.460 them on donkeys, 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:15.160 they brought them 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:15.920 to their kinsfolk 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:16.600 at Jericho, 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:18.640 the city of palm trees. 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:20.440 Then they returned 00:28:20.440 --> 00:28:21.079 to Samaria. 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:24.460 You see, friends, 00:28:25.539 --> 00:28:26.519 ultimately, 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:28.200 it's not about 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:29.319 your spiritual heritage. 00:28:30.480 --> 00:28:31.259 These leaders 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:32.000 from Samaria, 00:28:32.360 --> 00:28:33.940 they had a checkered past, 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:35.240 mostly bad, 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:37.180 just like many of us. 00:28:37.180 --> 00:28:39.360 but they heeded 00:28:39.360 --> 00:28:40.160 God's word 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:42.120 and they repented 00:28:42.120 --> 00:28:43.560 and they made 00:28:43.560 --> 00:28:44.240 things right. 00:28:45.840 --> 00:28:46.759 These prisoners 00:28:46.759 --> 00:28:47.420 of war 00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:48.019 at their gate, 00:28:48.120 --> 00:28:48.600 these women 00:28:48.600 --> 00:28:49.200 and children 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:49.799 from Judah 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:50.240 that had been 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:51.160 stolen away 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:52.259 in the recent war, 00:28:52.340 --> 00:28:53.019 they stood up 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:53.880 and they refused 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:54.720 to take them in. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:55.820 They refused 00:28:55.820 --> 00:28:56.680 to subjugate them 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:57.140 and turn them 00:28:57.140 --> 00:28:57.900 into servants. 00:28:58.759 --> 00:28:59.220 And instead, 00:28:59.340 --> 00:29:00.080 they did the opposite. 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:01.759 They clothed them. 00:29:02.620 --> 00:29:03.160 They gave them 00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:04.120 sandals and food 00:29:04.120 --> 00:29:04.620 and drink 00:29:04.620 --> 00:29:05.100 and healed 00:29:05.100 --> 00:29:05.560 their wounds 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:06.039 with oil 00:29:06.039 --> 00:29:06.779 and gave them 00:29:06.779 --> 00:29:07.460 transportation 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:08.179 back home. 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:10.440 You see, 00:29:10.539 --> 00:29:11.980 for these Samaritans, 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:12.919 it wasn't about 00:29:12.919 --> 00:29:14.200 their spiritual pedigree. 00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:15.659 It was about 00:29:15.659 --> 00:29:16.379 what they did 00:29:16.379 --> 00:29:17.519 with God's word 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:20.000 and how they responded 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:21.159 when their hearts 00:29:21.159 --> 00:29:22.659 were exposed by it. 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:24.639 When they were 00:29:24.639 --> 00:29:25.299 confronted 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:26.200 with their sin, 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:27.220 with their guilt 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:28.039 before God, 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:29.619 how did they respond? 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:32.339 That's what matters. 00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:36.179 Are you soft 00:29:36.179 --> 00:29:37.720 and responsive 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:39.500 to God's word? 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:42.839 And that isn't 00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:43.240 something 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:44.559 that a godly heritage 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:46.679 or an ungodly heritage 00:29:46.679 --> 00:29:47.619 will determine 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:48.139 for you. 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:50.980 In just a minute, 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:51.579 we're going to take 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:52.220 the Lord's Supper. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:53.899 And here, 00:29:53.980 --> 00:29:54.399 in the Supper, 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:55.539 we see the gospel 00:29:55.539 --> 00:29:56.459 displayed 00:29:56.459 --> 00:29:57.439 in visible, 00:29:57.720 --> 00:29:58.579 tangible form, 00:29:59.199 --> 00:30:00.000 broken bread 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:00.679 that speaks 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:02.019 of the body of Christ, 00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:03.220 the poured-out cup 00:30:03.220 --> 00:30:03.680 that speaks 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:04.480 of the shed blood 00:30:04.480 --> 00:30:05.100 of Christ. 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:06.960 These elements 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:08.720 proclaim the gospel. 00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:11.080 His body was broken 00:30:11.080 --> 00:30:11.920 and His blood 00:30:11.920 --> 00:30:12.900 was shed for sinners. 00:30:13.900 --> 00:30:14.940 Christ suffered 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:16.080 once for sins, 00:30:16.580 --> 00:30:17.259 the righteous 00:30:17.259 --> 00:30:18.120 for the unrighteous 00:30:18.120 --> 00:30:19.279 to bring us to God. 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:22.259 But look, friends, 00:30:23.140 --> 00:30:24.259 His broken body 00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:25.140 now means 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:26.220 that you can eat 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:26.799 and be full. 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:29.100 And His shed blood 00:30:29.100 --> 00:30:30.019 means that you can 00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:30.940 drink and rejoice. 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:33.200 All who come 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.359 to the risen Christ 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:36.339 confessing their need 00:30:36.339 --> 00:30:37.099 for a Savior, 00:30:37.859 --> 00:30:39.059 admitting their sin, 00:30:39.379 --> 00:30:40.819 and trusting in His death 00:30:40.819 --> 00:30:41.440 and resurrection 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:42.339 for their rescue 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:44.059 will be reconciled 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:44.539 to God 00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:45.400 and filled 00:30:45.400 --> 00:30:46.079 with His Spirit. 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:48.940 They now become 00:30:48.940 --> 00:30:50.180 family members 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:51.480 and have a place 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:52.079 at the table. 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:54.500 Friends, 00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:55.400 is that true of you? 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:58.440 You are not just 00:30:58.440 --> 00:30:59.400 hearing God's Word 00:30:59.400 --> 00:30:59.820 this morning. 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:00.700 You are seeing it. 00:31:02.900 --> 00:31:03.880 No matter what 00:31:03.880 --> 00:31:04.900 your spiritual heritage 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:05.380 might be, 00:31:05.460 --> 00:31:06.320 the Word of God 00:31:06.320 --> 00:31:07.180 is before you. 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:09.600 The Word of God 00:31:09.600 --> 00:31:09.940 that says, 00:31:10.040 --> 00:31:10.540 you are a sinner 00:31:10.540 --> 00:31:12.160 who deserves death. 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:13.960 The Word of God 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:14.620 that says, 00:31:14.980 --> 00:31:15.460 in love, 00:31:15.580 --> 00:31:16.080 God's Son 00:31:16.080 --> 00:31:17.120 died in your place 00:31:17.120 --> 00:31:18.060 to forgive you. 00:31:18.780 --> 00:31:19.720 The Word of God 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:20.040 that says, 00:31:20.100 --> 00:31:21.060 to all who believe, 00:31:21.380 --> 00:31:21.900 God will grant 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:22.640 a new heart 00:31:22.640 --> 00:31:23.780 and eternal life. 00:31:23.779 --> 00:31:27.399 take hold of Christ 00:31:27.399 --> 00:31:27.799 today, 00:31:28.099 --> 00:31:29.660 and He will pull you 00:31:29.660 --> 00:31:30.379 from the whirlpool 00:31:30.379 --> 00:31:31.539 of sin and idolatry. 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:33.200 He has the power, 00:31:33.339 --> 00:31:33.460 friends, 00:31:33.500 --> 00:31:34.299 to untwist 00:31:34.299 --> 00:31:35.299 your hardened heart, 00:31:35.299 --> 00:31:36.460 no matter what 00:31:36.460 --> 00:31:37.519 your spiritual background. 00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:38.980 He'll receive you 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:39.579 as His own, 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:41.319 and your family 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:42.079 will be the family 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:42.680 of God, 00:31:43.220 --> 00:31:44.359 and your future 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:45.539 will be the new growth 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:47.059 and the fresh ground 00:31:47.059 --> 00:31:48.379 that only God's grace 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:49.120 can produce. 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:52.480 And parents, 00:31:53.280 --> 00:31:54.740 when it comes 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:55.460 to our kids, 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:58.600 let this same gospel 00:31:58.600 --> 00:31:59.380 be our hope. 00:32:00.220 --> 00:32:02.100 It is not our example 00:32:02.100 --> 00:32:03.120 that's going to save 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:03.680 our kids. 00:32:05.020 --> 00:32:06.200 Our confidence 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:07.140 is in the beauty 00:32:07.140 --> 00:32:08.540 of the gospel alone 00:32:08.540 --> 00:32:10.120 and in the power 00:32:10.120 --> 00:32:11.260 of Christ alone. 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:13.460 He is the one 00:32:13.460 --> 00:32:14.680 who binds our wounds. 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:16.040 He is the one 00:32:16.040 --> 00:32:17.560 who clothes our nakedness. 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:18.720 He is the one 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:20.000 who feeds our souls. 00:32:20.579 --> 00:32:21.179 He is the one 00:32:21.179 --> 00:32:22.159 who leads us home, 00:32:22.679 --> 00:32:24.179 carrying us all the way. 00:32:25.700 --> 00:32:27.259 May our kids see Jesus 00:32:27.259 --> 00:32:28.339 in all His beauty, 00:32:29.059 --> 00:32:30.039 and may they know 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.839 God's grace. 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:33.419 And by that same grace, 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:34.679 may we all 00:32:34.679 --> 00:32:36.879 order our ways 00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:37.679 before the Lord 00:32:37.679 --> 00:32:39.240 and be strong. 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:40.779 Let's pray together. 00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:47.759 Father, 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:48.980 we ask 00:32:48.980 --> 00:32:51.139 that by Your Spirit 00:32:51.139 --> 00:32:51.859 You would come 00:32:51.859 --> 00:32:54.720 and You would pour out, 00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:56.000 You would grant God 00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:58.679 repentance unto faith. 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:02.619 Help us in this moment 00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:03.419 to be grateful 00:33:03.419 --> 00:33:06.079 for our spiritual heritage 00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:06.839 where it is good. 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:09.759 Help us in this moment 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:10.379 to not 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:13.660 feel trapped 00:33:13.660 --> 00:33:15.320 by our spiritual heritage 00:33:15.320 --> 00:33:17.160 if it be 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:18.220 not so good. 00:33:19.760 --> 00:33:20.400 But Lord, 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:21.360 let none of us 00:33:21.360 --> 00:33:23.180 overly depend 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:24.300 on those 00:33:24.300 --> 00:33:25.040 who have come before. 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:27.260 Let us only depend 00:33:27.260 --> 00:33:28.840 on the One 00:33:28.840 --> 00:33:29.840 who has come before us, 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:30.620 Jesus Christ. 00:33:31.540 --> 00:33:32.900 And let us rest in Him. 00:33:32.900 --> 00:33:34.100 Amen.