WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.279 Well, good morning. It is not as hot as it could be, but it is about as sticky as it could be. 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:21.280 ! So, I want to reiterate Tyler's invitation. If you are finding yourself overwhelmed by heat and 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:27.920 ! struggling to pay attention, I will not be offended if you get up. You can come out here, get a drink of 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:35.560 water. If you need to go downstairs, please take advantage of our overflow seating that live streams 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:45.200 our service downstairs in air conditioning because we want you to be able to sit and enjoy God's Word 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:53.000 this morning. What's the difference? I should ask Antoine this. I should have asked him this before I 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:57.840 started this introduction, but here we go. What's the difference between a renovation and a restoration 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:07.640 of a house? It strikes me that a renovation is an upgrade. You want to take something and make it 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:13.180 new. You add things that you didn't have, so you get a bigger kitchen, a new island in the middle, 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:21.320 extra bedrooms, a man cave, or a new master suite, something like that. That's what a renovation is. 00:01:21.319 --> 00:01:28.299 It's making something new by adding on new things. But a restoration, and we in New England know more 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:33.079 about that because we have lots of old houses. A restoration is when you take a house and you strip 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:42.639 it down to its bones, to its very basic original structure. It's not about adding. It's about discovering 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:51.480 the original goodness, the foundational, what was essential to the original, and then bringing that 00:01:51.480 --> 00:02:01.620 out again. When we think about God's house, when we think about the people of God in need of renewal, 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:13.719 it's easy for us to think that what we need really is a renovation. What shiny new thing can we add 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:24.200 so that things will get better? We've just, maybe we need to think we want a new program, or a new 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:32.099 building, or a new logo, or a new strategy. And look, we've just added a new staff person. In the last 10 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:38.899 years, we built a whole new building. I'm not saying that adding these things are bad in and of themselves. 00:02:39.619 --> 00:02:44.879 We refresh our website look every couple of years so that it doesn't look like it was done in the 1980s. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:52.939 Thank you, Jeff Stevens. But the danger in this kind of thinking is that we think that we need to add 00:02:52.939 --> 00:03:03.300 something new to what God has already done. And maybe instead, we as God's people need to think 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:11.439 about the greatest need of the church being a restoration, a return to the core and to the center 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:19.819 of what God has done for us. This brings us to our passage this morning. If you're visiting here, 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:26.680 we're preaching through the book of 2 Chronicles. And we are looking at the kingdom of Israel and the 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:33.299 actions of the kings during that season to see what God has to teach us about what it means to be 00:03:33.299 --> 00:03:39.459 God's people and how we're to live in relationship to Him in the world. And I think we'll see today 00:03:39.459 --> 00:03:48.579 in our passage a story about renewing God's people. If you want to read along with me in the Pew Bible, 00:03:48.580 --> 00:03:57.040 and I recommend it, we're going to be looking at 2 Chronicles chapter 30. I know it says 30 and 31. 00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:02.580 True confessions. I'm going to not, I'm just going to ignore chapter 31 today. We're not going to look at it. 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:08.460 We're only going to look at chapter 30. So, there it is. There's my confession. It's great. It's a great passage, 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:17.259 but it was too much for me today to do. So, we're just going to do chapter 30, page 354 in your Pew Bible, 00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:22.740 if you want to look there, or if you have it, have your own Bible. And as you turn there, remember what 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:29.040 the context is. We're in the Old Testament. We're in the history of the people of Israel. And we now have 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:42.420 Hezekiah the king, right? He reigned from the late 700s to the early 600s BC. He came to rise to power 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:51.060 after his father Ahaz, who was one of the worst kings ever in the history of Israel. He was wholehearted 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:57.900 in his embracing of idolatry and worshiping other gods. And he was completely faithless in his political 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:05.500 actions, not trusting God at all, but continuing to try to play factions against one another in the 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:14.019 powers around Judah in order to try to save it through his political machinations. And at the end 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:21.659 of Ahaz's life, Israel was in a very bad place in relationship to God. And as we saw last week, as 00:05:21.660 --> 00:05:29.720 Tyler preached to us in chapter 29, as Hezekiah came, he started out wanting to please the Lord, 00:05:29.820 --> 00:05:36.700 unlike his father. He opened the house of the Lord and restored the priesthood and brought the nation 00:05:36.700 --> 00:05:44.780 back to a place where the worship of God was restored among the people of Israel. And today, as we look at 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:52.319 chapter 30, we'll see the next step in what Hezekiah brings to the nation of Israel and to God's people, 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:59.359 and we will see what we have to learn from it. So, with that, let me read, if you want to read along 00:05:59.359 --> 00:06:04.359 with me, 2 Chronicles chapter 30, starting in verse 1. 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:13.040 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh that they 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:20.759 should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:28.319 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:35.379 in the second month, for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:41.839 themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem. And the plan seemed right 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:47.420 to the king and all the assembly, so they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel from 00:06:47.420 --> 00:06:53.680 Beersheba to Dan that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, 00:06:53.680 --> 00:07:02.079 Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. So, couriers went throughout 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:08.240 all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes as the king had commanded, saying this, 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:17.439 O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:24.879 to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:32.139 and your brothers who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation 00:07:32.139 --> 00:07:40.519 as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come 00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:47.120 to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:53.419 may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find 00:07:53.419 --> 00:08:01.859 compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful 00:08:01.859 --> 00:08:10.240 and will not turn away his face from you if you return to him. So, the couriers went from city to city 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:19.060 through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:25.460 and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves 00:08:25.460 --> 00:08:33.000 and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:39.659 and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the 00:08:39.659 --> 00:08:45.120 feast of unleavened bread in the second month of very great assembly. They set to work and remove 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:50.839 the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw 00:08:50.839 --> 00:08:56.439 them into the Kidron Valley. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second 00:08:56.439 --> 00:09:02.799 month. And the priests and the Levites were shamed so that they consecrated themselves and brought 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:09.259 burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their custom posts according to the law of Moses, 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:14.740 the man of God, the priest through the blood that they received from the hands of the Levites. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:21.200 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore, the Levites had 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:26.679 to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean to consecrate it to the Lord. 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:32.639 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:40.759 had not cleansed themselves. Yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:49.319 had prayed for them, saying, May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God the Lord, 00:09:49.419 --> 00:09:56.600 the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanliness. And the Lord 00:09:56.600 --> 00:10:03.019 heard Hezekiah and healed the people. And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:08.899 feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests praised 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:16.720 the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:22.680 the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:27.459 seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:35.199 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for 00:10:35.199 --> 00:10:41.359 another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah, king of Judah, gave the assembly a thousand bulls and 00:10:41.359 --> 00:10:47.500 seven thousand sheep for offerings. And princes gave the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep. 00:10:47.500 --> 00:10:54.039 And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah and the 00:10:54.039 --> 00:11:00.100 priests and the Levites and the whole assembly that came out of Israel and the sojourners who came out 00:11:00.100 --> 00:11:07.980 of the land of Israel and the sojourners who lived in Judah rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem 00:11:07.980 --> 00:11:15.139 for since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:20.740 in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard 00:11:20.740 --> 00:11:29.000 and their prayer came to His holy habitation in heaven. This is God's Word. Let's pray and ask for 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:36.319 God's help as we look into it this morning. Lord Jesus, we pray this morning that You will help us as we 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:48.120 read this passage together. Lord, for a story and a time, a place far away and a time long ago. Lord, 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:54.560 yet You have recorded it for our benefit so that we might learn of You and of Your ways 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:03.019 how to be Your people. Oh, Lord God, be with us this morning. I pray for Your help that I would speak 00:12:03.019 --> 00:12:10.039 clearly as I ought. I pray for our hearts that we would be ready to receive Your Word and by Your Spirit 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:20.459 that we would receive it and obey it and rejoice in it. Thank You, Lord. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:12:20.459 --> 00:12:20.579 Amen. 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:25.559 Amen. 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:34.219 This passage is about the renewal of God's people by the call to return to the gospel of grace. 00:12:34.619 --> 00:12:39.159 We're going to look at the original story first. We're going to spend a bunch of time just looking 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:45.500 through so you can try to put the pieces together of how this story all points to this central idea 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:51.759 of a renewal by return to the gospel, and then we'll consider its implications for today. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:59.600 Okay. So, with that, first of all, let's think about this call. What is the purpose of Hezekiah's call? 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:06.580 Look with me in verses… with verses 6 through 9. This is the message that was sent out to all of 00:13:06.580 --> 00:13:11.460 Israel, right? Return to the Lord is the… is the fundamental thing. He says it at the beginning of 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:16.340 verse 6. He says it twice in verse 9, at the beginning and then the end of the verse. He says, 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:24.120 return to the Lord, yielding yourself and coming to His sanctuary to serve Him. And so, this is the 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:33.340 fundamental call to come back to the Lord, to forsake the ways of how they had lived before under Ahaz, 00:13:34.060 --> 00:13:44.120 to forsake apostasy, to forsake abandoning God, and to return to the Lord. And as you see it in verse 9, 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:51.799 because God is a gracious and merciful God. So, this is the fundamental call that Hezekiah puts out. 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:56.480 Come back. And how are we going to do this? Well, we'll see in just a minute. We're going to celebrate 00:13:56.480 --> 00:14:04.220 the Passover. But first… but secondly, if the call is to return to the Lord, secondly, who does He call? 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:08.740 And I don't know if you picked this up, so I want to make sure you see it really clearly. 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:18.200 Hezekiah called all the people of Israel. Not just… if you remember the history of the nation of Israel, 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:26.180 back after Solomon, the kingdom divided into the north and the south, right? And Judah, that Hezekiah 00:14:26.180 --> 00:14:33.460 is a king of, is the southern kingdom. And the northern kingdom had lived a whole… generations 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:39.820 upon generations of unfaithfulness. And in fact, right before Hezekiah became king, they had been 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:46.440 judged by God through the coming of the nation of Assyria and been destroyed. Politically, 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:54.780 they had been scattered. But what you see here is Hezekiah is calling all people, not just from the 00:14:54.780 --> 00:15:00.840 southern kingdom, from Jerusalem or from Judah, but from… you heard the repetition… from Manasseh, 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:07.379 from Ephraim, from Issachar, from Zebulun. In verse 5, it says the call should come out from Beersheba 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:14.700 to Dan. That's like saying the call should go out from Maine to Florida and from California to 00:15:14.700 --> 00:15:23.100 Washington, D.C. The whole country, every… the whole land is meant to hear this call. 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:34.000 It's an invitation for the twelve tribes of Israel to return to Jerusalem and to return to the right 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:42.220 worship of God by doing that. And it says that some laughed and mocked, but some responded. And God 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:49.259 was pulling together a remnant of His people, those who would seek to really be faithful, and they 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:57.399 responded. But it's also interesting to note the timing of this call because this relates to who He 00:15:57.399 --> 00:16:06.439 called. Did you pick it up? Verses 2 and 3. Look with me again. The Passover was meant to be celebrated 00:16:06.439 --> 00:16:14.600 on the first… in the first month, on the 15th day. That was when it was prescribed in the Law of Moses. 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:23.180 That was when it was intended to be… to be recognized. And they didn't do it. Verse 3 says why. 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:31.240 Well, the priests weren't consecrated. That is, they weren't prepared to do this, to perform these 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:37.040 services because they hadn't done the things that God had prescribed for them to do. But also, the people 00:16:37.040 --> 00:16:43.660 hadn't gathered. They hadn't prepared. They hadn't done this. And so, they did it in the second month. 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:50.100 But the second month is also important for another reason. If you turn to Numbers chapter 9, 00:16:50.360 --> 00:16:59.519 you would see that they had a whole discussion in a subsequent keeping of the Passover where there 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:06.220 were people who couldn't participate in the Passover because they were ritually unclean. They had been 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:12.299 near a dead body. They had some sort of skin disease. There are all these sorts… these things in the 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:18.879 Levitical law that made someone ceremonially unclean. And they couldn't come and participate in the 00:17:18.879 --> 00:17:25.919 Passover celebration because of that. And they said, why should we be kept from doing this? And so, Moses said, 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:32.759 you know what? That's a good question. And the Lord said, it's okay. On the second month, those who are 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:43.279 unclean in the first month can come and celebrate the Passover. And I believe that this story helps us 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:51.200 recognize something because Hezekiah knew that the whole nation coming together was actually unclean. 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:57.759 They knew… and their cleanliness wasn't merely ritual uncleanness of being near a dead body or… 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:04.099 their uncleanness was in their hearts because they had participated in the apostasy and the unfaithfulness 00:18:04.099 --> 00:18:13.279 of Ahaz. And so, even in Jerusalem and Judah, they knew they were coming not as the pure and righteous 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:20.599 ones, but as those who had no claim to God's mercy and grace. They knew that they were sinful and that 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:29.159 they had failed. Let alone the call to the tribes of the northern kingdom who had just experienced great judgment 00:18:29.159 --> 00:18:37.099 of God. They just experienced the worst judgment of all and had been scattered and broken. And we're wondering, 00:18:37.459 --> 00:18:46.539 where do we go now? And this call is to you, the unfaithful, to you, the stained by sin, to those who know that they 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:51.920 don't deserve anything from God. This is the invitation to come to the Passover. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:01.119 And so, Hezekiah recognizes this, even in his prayer in verses 18 through 20, 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:10.359 may the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:18.919 even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanliness. And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed 00:19:18.919 --> 00:19:30.639 the people. So, the invitation is to all people, the whole tribe, and it's to come not as those who 00:19:30.639 --> 00:19:39.019 deserve, but as those who are unclean and who need a God of redemption, a God of mercy, and a God of grace. 00:19:39.019 --> 00:19:47.559 Okay, so that's the prologue, right? He called them to renewal. Who did He call all these people? 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:55.519 What does He call them to? Well, He calls them to observe the Passover. Now, many of us may know this, 00:19:55.579 --> 00:20:02.299 but let's remind ourselves of what the Passover was. Remember the history of Israel, right? 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:08.440 Abraham was a father of many… was called to be the father of great nations, but he had one son, 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:13.700 and his one son had… well, he had more than one son, but there was one son of promise who then had 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:19.600 one son of promise named Jacob or Israel, and he had 12 sons. And because of a famine in Palestine, 00:20:19.600 --> 00:20:24.900 they moved to Egypt and were miraculously delivered. This is the story of the end of Genesis, 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:31.140 if you want to go back and read it. But they ended up staying in Egypt, and over 400 years, 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:39.680 they became enslaved to the nation of Egypt. And the Pharaoh treated them poorly and oppressed them. 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:45.540 And they cried out to God for deliverance because they couldn't worship Him as they ought to, 00:20:45.800 --> 00:20:49.880 and because they couldn't be who they're meant to be, and because they were suffering. 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:57.960 And so, this is the famous story of Moses. God raises up Moses, and Moses comes to warn Egypt 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:03.759 of God's judgment. He brings the 10 plagues. And when we go through all nine… the first nine of them, 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:11.600 then we get to the 10th one. And the 10th one is… God says, I will kill the firstborn of every family 00:21:11.600 --> 00:21:19.440 in Egypt. And then He turns to His people, and He says, except for you, because I'm going to give you 00:21:19.440 --> 00:21:27.380 instructions. I'm going to give you instructions to take a lamb, an unblemished lamb, a perfect lamb, 00:21:27.380 --> 00:21:33.640 and you're to take that lamb, and you're to sacrifice it. And when you sacrifice it, you're to eat the food, 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:40.540 but you're to take the blood, and you're to paint it on the lintel and on the doorposts of your home. 00:21:41.060 --> 00:21:48.080 Because on that night, I will come and bring this judgment. And every household that doesn't have that 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:54.859 blood on the doorstep, they will receive my judgment. But every household that is covered by 00:21:54.859 --> 00:22:01.419 this blood, the blood of a slaughtered lamb, will be delivered and saved. 00:22:04.179 --> 00:22:06.439 So, in Exodus 12, it says this, 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:12.920 The blood shall be a sign for you in the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:21.680 over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:27.519 be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:39.559 as a statute forever. You shall keep it as a feast. Hezekiah is remembering this call and remembering 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:46.940 this work. This work which is at the very heart of it, the most important work of redemption in the 00:22:46.940 --> 00:22:54.539 Old Testament. This is God's delivering of His people, His work of salvation in the Old Testament. 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:57.680 Right? And how did He do it? He did it through 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:00.940 sacrificing a lamb. What's the logic of this? 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:03.720 This feels very weird and Old Testament-y and 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:06.700 sort of pagan, right? But it's not. 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:10.039 Because the logic in the Bible is this. 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:13.000 Because of sin, 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:17.059 death came into the world. And death is a proper judgment 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:21.819 upon our sin, our rejection and rebellion against the God of life. 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:27.779 And the only way to remove that judgment was for there to be a substitute. 00:23:29.619 --> 00:23:38.099 Right? God must judge sin, but there could be a substitute. And so for this, the lamb served as a 00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:46.500 substitute. The lamb died, and His blood, the blood of the lamb represented His death. And so that death 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:56.380 then satisfied God's judgment. And those who were covered by that sacrifice then would not receive 00:23:56.380 --> 00:24:02.980 that judgment themselves. Because it had already been satisfied through the sacrifice. 00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:12.059 This is the fundamental work. And Hezekiah called them back to remember. Do you remember how God has saved us? 00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:19.019 How God has saved us as a people through sacrifice? Return to this. Remember this. 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:25.059 And they do. And they come back. 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:29.139 And they worship God. And they observe the Passover. 00:24:29.619 --> 00:24:32.079 And what does it produce in them? Verse 4. 00:24:32.139 --> 00:24:35.359 What's the product of this call? It is joyful worship. 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:38.359 Did you see the end of the passage? Verse 21. 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:46.519 The people who were present, they worshiped with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests praised 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:53.079 the Lord day by day, singing with all their might. Because they remembered, God has saved us. 00:24:53.339 --> 00:25:00.759 God has rescued us. God has made us His own. What a great God we serve. He is worthy of all of our praise. 00:25:00.959 --> 00:25:07.699 And what joy it brings to our hearts. And we… They did it so much, they said, let's do it again. 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:15.420 So after seven days, they said, let's do seven more. And the kings led and the princes led in providing the sacrifices. 00:25:15.860 --> 00:25:22.200 So seven more days, there was praise and glory and honor. And it was all of Israel. 00:25:22.620 --> 00:25:27.660 So in verse 25, remember what it said, the whole assembly of Judah and the priests and the Levites 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:32.660 and all that came out of Israel and the sojourners that came out of the land of Israel and the sojourners 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:41.960 who lived in Judah, they all rejoiced together. And there was great joy in Jerusalem for the first time 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:49.920 since Solomon, the son of David, the king. There had been nothing like this. 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:57.100 Because there had been this division, because there had been this disunification of the people 00:25:57.099 --> 00:26:01.419 and this scattering and this pattern of unfaithfulness and idolatry. 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:06.240 But Hezekiah's call brought them back together. 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:09.939 And the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people. 00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:13.379 And their prayers were heard in heaven. 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:22.660 And this is the story of Hezekiah bringing renewal to his people. 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:29.180 Not by doing something new, but by going back to what is old and what is known. 00:26:29.260 --> 00:26:33.540 By going back to the very essence of what it meant to be God's people. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:40.540 Those who were delivered and saved by his gracious hand through the blood of the Lamb. 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:48.099 How does this apply to us today as a church? 00:26:50.899 --> 00:26:54.220 Well, I said this at the beginning and I'll say it again. 00:26:54.619 --> 00:27:01.119 It's easy for us as a church to think what we need to be renewed is renovation. 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.319 We need new programs. 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:07.079 We need a new structure. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:09.799 We need better systems. 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:11.639 We need better resources. 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:14.139 We need better facilities. 00:27:14.399 --> 00:27:15.579 We need better training. 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:16.639 There are all sorts of things. 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:17.279 And here's the thing. 00:27:17.399 --> 00:27:19.240 None of those things are bad things, right? 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:20.079 None of the… 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.779 I'm not demonizing those. 00:27:21.980 --> 00:27:25.440 But what I want you to see is that is not the core. 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:32.639 That is not the heart of what will bring renewal to our church and to our lives. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:41.540 Because we here at Trinity believe that it's a returning to the gospel over and over and over again. 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:43.000 Remembering it. 00:27:43.560 --> 00:27:49.860 This is what will bring renewal in our lives individually and our lives corporately as a body. 00:27:50.360 --> 00:27:55.100 And not only in this church but even more broadly in the church widely. 00:27:55.099 --> 00:28:00.859 And like Hezekiah, this is a gospel call for all people. 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:05.179 It is a people from every tribe and tongue and nation. 00:28:05.179 --> 00:28:09.259 Not just the 12 tribes of Israel but all the peoples of the world. 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:15.440 It is a call for all people to come, return to their Creator. 00:28:16.779 --> 00:28:18.500 And it is a call to sinners. 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:21.379 You may be sitting here this morning and think, 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:23.299 God doesn't want me. 00:28:23.660 --> 00:28:24.779 I know what I've done. 00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:26.779 I know what kind of person I am. 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:29.579 God's not interested in me. 00:28:29.579 --> 00:28:36.599 But this story reminds us that it's not the clean but the unclean who need a Redeemer. 00:28:36.919 --> 00:28:42.319 It is not those who are perfect but those who know their unrighteousness who need a Savior. 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:48.279 And this is what Jesus has come to be for us. 00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:57.179 Some of you this morning are here and you haven't yet known the redeeming power of Christ in your lives. 00:28:57.180 --> 00:28:59.640 You haven't put your faith in Him. 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:00.779 You're exploring this. 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:05.180 Maybe you've seen something in the church that you like, an ethic or a community. 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:14.740 Maybe you're searching for meaning or for hope or for forgiveness or for something beyond just a natural world. 00:29:16.100 --> 00:29:22.700 Today God is calling you to this gospel, to the gospel of Jesus. 00:29:22.700 --> 00:29:27.600 Some of you have been at church for a long time. 00:29:29.539 --> 00:29:32.279 And the gospel call is for you as well. 00:29:32.340 --> 00:29:34.480 Because you need renewal as well. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:37.920 Because though sin has been dealt with at the cross, 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:39.980 it is still a part of our lives. 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:42.200 And how easily we forget God. 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:46.019 And how easily we fall into the patterns of unfaithfulness. 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:48.100 And distrusting God. 00:29:48.380 --> 00:29:50.220 And living independently of Him. 00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:56.120 And so we need the gospel regularly and all the time to renew our hearts, 00:29:56.220 --> 00:30:01.319 to clarify our thinking, and to refresh us in our worship of God. 00:30:01.559 --> 00:30:09.059 And so this call is for everyone to return to Jesus. 00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:17.279 Bethany read earlier, Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. 00:30:17.879 --> 00:30:26.460 For what happened in Egypt long ago, and what was celebrated by Hezekiah and the people of God, 00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:33.079 all prefigured what God would do in His final and full act of redemption. 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:36.460 It pictured what Jesus would do. 00:30:36.460 --> 00:30:38.240 Because Jesus came. 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:42.279 And remember John the Baptist, when he saw Him, he said, 00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:46.679 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:52.639 And Jesus would willingly go and be that sacrifice for us. 00:30:53.099 --> 00:30:59.699 He would taste death so that we would no longer be under the judgment of death for our sin. 00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:04.759 And He would rise to new life so that we could be His people. 00:31:05.600 --> 00:31:08.580 And know the joy of forgiveness of sin. 00:31:08.840 --> 00:31:10.779 And of new life with Him. 00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:15.500 This is the good news of the gospel. 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:24.559 And just to bring it home a little bit more, remember what the writer of Hebrews tells us about the sacrifice. 00:31:24.799 --> 00:31:25.059 It says, 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:27.220 Jesus entered once for all. 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:29.880 This is Hebrews 9, 12 and following. 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:33.519 He, Jesus entered once for all into the holy places, 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.059 not by means of the blood of goats or calves, 00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:38.359 but by means of His own blood, 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:41.400 thus securing an eternal redemption. 00:31:41.400 --> 00:31:47.700 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer 00:31:47.700 --> 00:31:50.680 sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:52.620 that is, in the Old Testament law, 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:54.780 it allowed them to come and worship God, 00:31:55.060 --> 00:31:57.920 how much more will the blood of Christ, 00:31:58.280 --> 00:32:02.560 who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:08.920 purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:15.320 Friends, this is what it means to be a gospel-centered church. 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:18.440 We come back week after week after week 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:21.779 to be reminded that Jesus is the Lamb of God 00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:23.740 who has taken away the sin of the world. 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:27.640 That Jesus is the Passover Lamb sacrificed for us 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:30.220 so that because we are covered by His blood 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:31.620 when we put our faith in Him, 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:33.580 we no longer experience judgment, 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:37.500 but instead mercy and grace to return to God 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:39.019 and to be His people. 00:32:41.419 --> 00:32:45.419 And friends, this is my greatest hope and desire for this church, 00:32:45.419 --> 00:32:50.439 is that we would truly be a gospel-centered church, 00:32:50.439 --> 00:32:53.779 that the gospel of Christ would capture our hearts 00:32:53.779 --> 00:32:55.899 and change our lives, 00:32:55.899 --> 00:32:58.819 that we would meditate and dwell on 00:32:58.819 --> 00:33:02.579 and grow in our understanding of all that He has done 00:33:02.579 --> 00:33:05.779 so that we would exult in the depths of our salvation, 00:33:06.379 --> 00:33:12.119 that we would remember that we are saved from judgment 00:33:12.119 --> 00:33:14.480 and have received mercy instead, 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:16.419 that we are forgiven of our sins 00:33:16.419 --> 00:33:18.099 and graciously embraced, 00:33:18.279 --> 00:33:20.859 that we are given a right standing before God, 00:33:20.919 --> 00:33:22.519 no longer under condemnation, 00:33:22.639 --> 00:33:24.659 that we are no longer God's adversaries, 00:33:24.659 --> 00:33:26.299 but we are reconciled to Him, 00:33:26.539 --> 00:33:28.579 that we are brought from spiritual life to… 00:33:29.179 --> 00:33:31.720 from spiritual death to spiritual life, 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:34.839 that we have gone from being aliens and enemies 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:36.500 to being God's children, 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:37.940 His sons and His daughters, 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:40.880 that we are being transformed 00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:43.559 so that we can live distinctive lives 00:33:43.559 --> 00:33:46.900 that display the gospel of grace in our lives 00:33:46.900 --> 00:33:50.380 to a world that is dying and longing for hope. 00:33:52.360 --> 00:33:54.140 And we are brought into a body, 00:33:54.380 --> 00:33:55.220 a new family, 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:57.559 the people of God that we will know 00:33:57.559 --> 00:33:59.519 and worship forever. 00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:02.460 Not… 00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:03.500 Let me rephrase that. 00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:04.460 We will… 00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:07.960 God gathers us into a body of people 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:12.119 who will know and worship Jesus forever 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:16.559 as we gather because of what He has done. 00:34:16.779 --> 00:34:18.400 This is what Christ has done. 00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:22.480 This is what His Passover death does for us. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:23.920 And friend, 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:25.940 when we see these things 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:28.119 and when we treasure Christ 00:34:28.119 --> 00:34:29.780 because of all that He has done, 00:34:30.760 --> 00:34:32.639 it does change us. 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:34.460 When we treasure Christ, 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:37.039 we see our desire for sin wither. 00:34:37.380 --> 00:34:38.740 When we treasure Christ, 00:34:38.880 --> 00:34:41.559 we forsake our idols of money and power 00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:43.400 and pleasure as being empty 00:34:43.400 --> 00:34:44.980 and worthless and unable. 00:34:45.740 --> 00:34:46.159 We… 00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:47.420 When we treasure Christ, 00:34:47.559 --> 00:34:49.599 we are able to humble ourselves 00:34:49.599 --> 00:34:51.579 and to serve other people. 00:34:51.579 --> 00:34:53.079 When we treasure Christ, 00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:55.759 we love to gather with His people. 00:34:56.219 --> 00:34:57.619 When we treasure Christ, 00:34:57.699 --> 00:34:59.400 we submit all of our plans 00:34:59.400 --> 00:35:00.619 and all of our possessions 00:35:00.619 --> 00:35:01.440 and say, 00:35:01.639 --> 00:35:02.539 Hear my Lord. 00:35:02.759 --> 00:35:03.559 Send me. 00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:06.039 Use all that I am for Your good. 00:35:06.360 --> 00:35:07.779 When we treasure Christ, 00:35:07.880 --> 00:35:09.619 we care for the vulnerable 00:35:09.619 --> 00:35:11.139 and the weak and the needy 00:35:11.139 --> 00:35:11.840 as He did. 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:13.279 When we treasure Christ, 00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:14.519 we hunger and thirst 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:16.539 for more and more of God. 00:35:16.619 --> 00:35:18.079 And so we seek His Word 00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:20.139 and we feed on it regularly. 00:35:20.139 --> 00:35:21.799 When we treasure Christ, 00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:23.500 we love one another 00:35:23.500 --> 00:35:25.719 as He laid down His life for us. 00:35:25.819 --> 00:35:27.460 And when we treasure Christ, 00:35:29.019 --> 00:35:31.579 we recognize that what He's done 00:35:31.579 --> 00:35:32.719 is so amazing. 00:35:33.259 --> 00:35:34.879 We can't stop talking about it. 00:35:35.219 --> 00:35:36.739 And our friends and our neighbors 00:35:36.739 --> 00:35:37.719 and our co-workers 00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:38.739 and our family 00:35:38.739 --> 00:35:40.339 and our children. 00:35:41.199 --> 00:35:41.599 No! 00:35:42.399 --> 00:35:44.739 Because Jesus is so great 00:35:44.739 --> 00:35:45.939 in our hearts. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:50.879 And friends, 00:35:50.980 --> 00:35:52.299 I say this to you 00:35:52.299 --> 00:35:54.599 knowing that I need this renewal 00:35:54.599 --> 00:35:56.639 as much as any of us. 00:35:56.639 --> 00:36:00.920 I need to be captivated anew 00:36:00.920 --> 00:36:02.779 by this Christ. 00:36:04.420 --> 00:36:06.799 But this is what we've come to do. 00:36:07.139 --> 00:36:08.519 This is why we gather. 00:36:09.000 --> 00:36:11.119 This is what this church is here for. 00:36:14.639 --> 00:36:16.379 May God have mercy on us 00:36:16.379 --> 00:36:17.619 and may this be true 00:36:17.619 --> 00:36:20.019 in increasing measure for us. 00:36:20.099 --> 00:36:20.559 Let's pray. 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:23.480 May God have mercy on us 00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:25.299 and may this be true 00:36:25.299 --> 00:36:25.759 in our hearts. 00:36:26.799 --> 00:36:27.799 Oh, Lord. 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:35.840 By Your Spirit, 00:36:36.059 --> 00:36:37.079 do work in our hearts. 00:36:39.900 --> 00:36:41.159 Bring this renewal 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:43.639 that is a restoration. 00:36:46.679 --> 00:36:48.139 Lord, help us to come 00:36:48.139 --> 00:36:49.219 to the foot of the cross 00:36:49.219 --> 00:36:51.219 and behold Your glory 00:36:51.219 --> 00:36:52.699 in Your death. 00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:00.539 And Lord, change us. 00:37:03.219 --> 00:37:04.839 Help us to turn away 00:37:04.839 --> 00:37:05.299 from 00:37:05.299 --> 00:37:11.119 all the things, Lord, 00:37:11.299 --> 00:37:13.000 in our lives 00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:13.559 that we 00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:16.259 cling to 00:37:16.259 --> 00:37:17.559 and allow to clutter 00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:18.400 our lives 00:37:18.400 --> 00:37:19.739 in ways 00:37:19.739 --> 00:37:21.679 that obscure You. 00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:25.420 Lord, help us instead 00:37:25.420 --> 00:37:27.299 to see all of those things 00:37:27.299 --> 00:37:28.279 in light of You. 00:37:30.279 --> 00:37:31.960 Help us to treasure You 00:37:31.960 --> 00:37:32.659 above all 00:37:32.659 --> 00:37:34.820 and to return 00:37:34.820 --> 00:37:35.719 to this gospel 00:37:35.719 --> 00:37:36.440 of grace. 00:37:38.219 --> 00:37:39.159 Forgive us 00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:40.019 of our sin. 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:42.799 Renew a right spirit 00:37:42.799 --> 00:37:43.360 in us. 00:37:44.799 --> 00:37:45.559 Lord, we pray 00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:46.920 for this individually. 00:37:47.679 --> 00:37:48.480 We pray 00:37:48.480 --> 00:37:49.340 for this 00:37:49.340 --> 00:37:50.079 as a church 00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:51.900 that we would be 00:37:51.900 --> 00:37:52.400 a church 00:37:52.400 --> 00:37:53.159 where the gospel 00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:53.779 of grace 00:37:53.779 --> 00:37:55.179 rings out 00:37:55.179 --> 00:37:56.840 because of what 00:37:56.840 --> 00:37:57.659 You have done. 00:37:58.820 --> 00:37:59.820 We pray this 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:00.659 in Jesus' name. 00:38:01.420 --> 00:38:01.679 Amen.