WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.419 So who are these people with funny names? 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:10.880 I'm willing to guess most of you probably haven't read 2 Chronicles recently. 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:12.000 ! Very few people do. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:20.179 I find it kind of fun when doing a one-off guest sermon to sometimes pick things that are a bit obscure. 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:27.219 Things that maybe we don't usually look at in our normal preaching through different sermon series. 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:30.799 And so I want us to look today at the story of King Hezekiah. 00:00:31.299 --> 00:00:32.960 And this is only the first bit of the story. 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:34.679 But why do I want us to look at that? 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:40.420 Well, because the writers of Chronicles is actually taking a look at the history of Israel. 00:00:41.019 --> 00:00:47.820 And as he's doing this overview, he's dealing with a very important question to the people of his day and his culture. 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:52.099 And the question is essentially, does what we worship really matter? 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:55.379 And that's a compelling question, isn't it? 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:57.880 Does what we worship really matter? 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.600 Does it matter who or what we worship? 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:08.120 I would guess that most of you or many of you in this room this afternoon would probably say yes to that question. 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:09.780 But are you really sure? 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:17.000 And the reason I ask you that is because the answer our culture would give to that question is a resounding no. 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:24.719 It doesn't really matter what you worship as long as you're satisfied with it. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:31.739 If it gives you some meaning, if it gives you some purpose, if it makes you feel better about your life, then it's a good thing. 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:40.640 Tim Farron, the now former leader of the Lib Dem Party, recently gave an interview where he said in his experience out on the campaign trail, 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:45.480 what he found was that generally people are happy with your faith. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.799 They're okay with it, especially if you have a nice building or you wear funny clothing. 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:53.060 You know, you're different, you're interesting. 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:54.920 Then that's a good thing. 00:01:55.640 --> 00:02:00.359 And it actually helps our credentials as a liberal society because we can say, you know, 00:02:00.420 --> 00:02:04.219 we get along with people of all different cultures and different faiths and different religions. 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:06.219 But here was his conclusion. 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:19.180 He said the moment that you actually assert that you believe a certain creed or that it actually impacts the way you live or the way you think or how you make decisions, 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:24.460 the instant that that faith actually does something to your life, transforms it in some way, 00:02:25.300 --> 00:02:27.180 well, that's the bit that we can't put up with. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:30.939 Does what we worship really matter? 00:02:30.939 --> 00:02:33.879 It's the question that's on the mind of the writer of Chronicles. 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:38.599 So the writer of Chronicles is writing to a group of people who had been in exile. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:43.000 They've been taken away from their homeland, their ancestral land. 00:02:43.259 --> 00:02:44.859 And now they're coming back. 00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:46.379 And it's a generation or two later. 00:02:47.099 --> 00:02:50.360 And they've in that time, they've been stripped of their cultural identity. 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:53.460 And so they're returning to the land of their forefathers. 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:58.639 And the question on their minds is, well, does it really matter what we worship? 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:01.819 Are we still the people of God? 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:04.159 Are we coming back to the land that he promised us? 00:03:04.299 --> 00:03:07.459 Does it does it make any difference what we worship? 00:03:08.339 --> 00:03:16.599 And here we are, twenty five hundred years later, with extremely different circumstances, but much the same question. 00:03:18.279 --> 00:03:24.039 So this afternoon, I want us to look at a little piece of this story, a little piece of the history of God's people. 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:29.199 It's the story of King Hezekiah and actually his father as well, King Ahaz. 00:03:29.799 --> 00:03:39.939 And what we're going to see in this time, I hope, is that behind a deeply flawed man, God works in a remarkable way. 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:41.719 Can we learn from this? 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:43.560 Can it impact our lives today? 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:44.939 Does it still resonate with us? 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:46.019 I believe it does. 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:49.259 What I want us to see in our time together are three things. 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:50.879 First of all, just the setting. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.840 What's the setting when Hezekiah comes to the throne? 00:03:54.299 --> 00:03:55.799 The second is the turn. 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:57.000 What does he change? 00:03:57.060 --> 00:03:58.139 How does he turn things around? 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:00.400 What does he do different from his father? 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:08.620 And then lastly, I want you to see the joy that comes from the worship of the true God of the universe. 00:04:09.800 --> 00:04:10.939 So first of all, the setting. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:14.719 And this is where we looked at in chapter 28. 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.939 The setting is dire circumstances. 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:26.560 So King Ahaz is the king of a tiny bit of the nation of Israel. 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:29.180 Israel at one point, they were the people of God. 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:30.219 They'd been brought out of Egypt. 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:31.860 They'd entered into the promised land. 00:04:32.579 --> 00:04:34.180 Here we are years later. 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:36.680 The kingdom has been split into two. 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:38.860 The southern kingdom is called Judah. 00:04:38.980 --> 00:04:40.439 That's the part that Ahaz rules. 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:43.579 The northern kingdom has been split multiple times. 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:46.240 They've been taken over by various other groups. 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:50.400 And now Judah sits surrounded by enemies. 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:52.060 Surrounded by smaller nations. 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.060 Some of them they have historic cultural ties to. 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.019 But many of them are nations that have invaded. 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:03.100 So the southern kingdom is there. 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:07.100 And Ahaz finds himself with enemies at the gate. 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:08.500 So what does he do? 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:13.019 Well, he decides to turn to other gods for help. 00:05:13.620 --> 00:05:14.519 Did you notice that? 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:22.600 In verse 23, he sacrificed to the gods Damascus. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:24.040 Which had defeated him. 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:27.379 And said, because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:29.300 I will sacrifice to them. 00:05:29.660 --> 00:05:31.660 That they may help me. 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:36.220 So Ahaz is faced with a major problem. 00:05:37.620 --> 00:05:40.620 He has these smaller kingdoms around them. 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:43.000 But then there's a much larger kingdom. 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:48.540 There's a superpower that's starting to systematically eat up each of these kingdoms. 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:49.700 They're called the Assyrians. 00:05:50.440 --> 00:05:52.420 And the Assyrians, if you want to know more about them, 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:55.500 you can go just up the road to the British Museum. 00:05:55.840 --> 00:05:58.400 They have a whole section on the Assyrians. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:00.340 And the superpower. 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:02.819 And so Ahaz looks at them. 00:06:03.479 --> 00:06:04.839 And he becomes afraid. 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:06.539 And so what does he do? 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.639 Well, first of all, he adopts their gods. 00:06:11.179 --> 00:06:16.199 But then secondly, he actually goes to the king of Assyria. 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:18.299 And he asks him for help. 00:06:18.799 --> 00:06:19.819 He goes to him and he says, 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:22.739 Look, I've got all these little kingdoms around me. 00:06:22.799 --> 00:06:24.299 They're causing me all kinds of trouble. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:28.919 Could you come and possibly help us out? 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:35.140 So he does this in order to maintain power, to maintain control. 00:06:35.140 --> 00:06:40.080 But he does it because he doesn't really think it matters what he worships. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:44.400 The gods of the Assyrians and the Assyrians have defeated him. 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:45.500 The gods of Damascus. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:50.459 So perhaps if we adopted those gods, if we took on a bit of the culture, 00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:57.300 then perhaps they could help us where the God of the universe could not. 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:04.000 See, his greatest ambition and his greatest hope is simple survival. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.800 See, at the heart of Ahaz's actions is a simple pragmatism, isn't it? 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:14.279 When he's faced with a dire situation, he wants the quickest and simplest way out. 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:17.740 He probably faces intense social pressure as well, doesn't he? 00:07:18.100 --> 00:07:19.459 He's the king. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.519 What do we do to our politicians when there's a problem? 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:24.339 What do we want them to do? 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:25.699 We want them to fix it, don't we? 00:07:26.139 --> 00:07:29.620 If they don't fix it, we'll boot them out and get somebody else in who we think will. 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:32.819 And when they don't fix it, we boot them out and get someone else in who we will. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:34.480 And then the problem is going to get... 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.819 But Ahaz probably felt that social pressure. 00:07:37.340 --> 00:07:38.079 Fix the problem. 00:07:38.300 --> 00:07:39.180 Well, how do we fix the problem? 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:42.780 Well, we'll go ask the enemy for help and then we'll take on their gods. 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:47.519 And if they see that we're really serious, then, you know, everything will be just fine. 00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:53.420 See, spiritually and culturally, we live in a time not so similar to that of Ahaz. 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:56.699 We may not be faced with enemies at the gate, 00:07:56.699 --> 00:08:03.039 but we're faced with intense social pressure to conform, 00:08:04.339 --> 00:08:09.120 to simply accept everything that culture gives us 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:11.360 and just kind of live with that. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:16.719 I believe that Tim Ferriss' quote that I mentioned earlier actually nails our society. 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:20.939 We're a deeply religious society as long as our religion isn't deep. 00:08:20.939 --> 00:08:25.560 And the reason why this is relevant to our discussion 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:29.860 is because every single person in this room, in one way or another, 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:31.939 has been impacted by this view of faith. 00:08:31.939 --> 00:08:36.399 So the story that our culture tells us 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:39.620 and that most of us have probably bought into 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:44.379 is that the greatest desire and the greatest happiness in life 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:48.220 is to look within yourself and to find the true you. 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:51.559 To find just whatever might work for you. 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:56.419 And that's the promise that Ahaz had believed in as well. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:00.519 We just need to find what's going to work for us. 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:03.359 We need to protect ourselves from our enemies. 00:09:03.699 --> 00:09:04.619 What's going to work? 00:09:05.619 --> 00:09:06.699 Perhaps idolatry. 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:09.459 Perhaps just being nice. 00:09:10.959 --> 00:09:14.059 But do the promises of Ahaz's idols work? 00:09:14.719 --> 00:09:17.239 And do the promises of the idols of our day work? 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:24.240 Look at verse 23. 00:09:25.019 --> 00:09:25.220 No. 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:26.840 Yeah, 23. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:27.680 The second bit. 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:30.940 But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:32.840 Did they work for Ahaz? 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:34.060 No, they didn't. 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:38.500 And what you get a sense of is the desperation of Ahaz. 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:40.200 He's looking for that thing that's going to work. 00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:41.980 But he finds only disappointment. 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:45.659 And we see in the end that he dies a broken man. 00:09:45.659 --> 00:09:51.339 They don't even bother burying him with the other kings of Judah and Israel. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.219 But they bury him in the city in Jerusalem. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.719 This is a way of saying basically he was a broken man. 00:09:58.839 --> 00:09:59.980 He was a disgraced king. 00:10:00.699 --> 00:10:04.480 And he was set to the side and largely forgotten. 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:07.319 And the question I have for you this afternoon is, 00:10:07.439 --> 00:10:09.039 what leaves you feeling empty? 00:10:10.319 --> 00:10:11.620 What leaves you broken? 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:14.079 Oftentimes when we talk about idolatry, 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.060 we ask, what's the thing that you desire the most? 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:18.900 And that's one way of looking at it. 00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:20.580 But my question for you is, 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:23.180 what's the thing that you desire most in life 00:10:23.180 --> 00:10:25.820 that ultimately leaves you feeling empty? 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:28.280 That's our idols. 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:30.740 And what generally happens is, 00:10:30.900 --> 00:10:32.980 as those things disappoint us, 00:10:33.060 --> 00:10:35.360 we move on to the next thing and the next thing. 00:10:36.060 --> 00:10:37.820 Ahaz didn't have that luxury. 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:41.680 He dies a broken man with his enemies on the plains of this country, 00:10:42.140 --> 00:10:44.640 bearing down on his capital city. 00:10:45.520 --> 00:10:47.540 And he leaves his son to clean up the mess. 00:10:48.680 --> 00:10:50.660 And it's quite a mess that they're in too, isn't it? 00:10:51.020 --> 00:10:52.560 So what does Hezekiah do? 00:10:53.160 --> 00:10:55.379 Is he going to continue to do the same thing as his father? 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:58.879 Is he going to continue to just try and find what works? 00:11:00.040 --> 00:11:01.620 Well, here's where we see the turn. 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:02.420 What did he do? 00:11:02.880 --> 00:11:04.920 He actually does the opposite of what his father did, 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:05.740 doesn't he? 00:11:06.719 --> 00:11:09.979 He turns and moves everything in a different direction. 00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:12.339 He moves in a different direction from his father, 00:11:12.459 --> 00:11:13.259 from his culture. 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:17.620 And the calling of faith in the God of the Bible 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:20.839 is actually a calling to be radically counter-cultural. 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:22.759 It's a calling to believe differently. 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:24.000 It's a calling to act differently. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:25.699 It's a calling to live differently. 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:27.860 But does it work? 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:31.199 Well, let's find out together. 00:11:31.339 --> 00:11:34.199 I want us to look at five things that Hezekiah does here. 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:36.040 We're going to go through these very quickly here. 00:11:36.520 --> 00:11:38.300 There's more than five things that we can point out, 00:11:38.420 --> 00:11:41.580 but these are the five that I think we should really see here. 00:11:41.800 --> 00:11:44.660 First of all, look at verse 2 of chapter 29. 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:47.460 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, 00:11:47.820 --> 00:11:50.800 according to all that David, his father, had done. 00:11:51.020 --> 00:11:54.879 The first thing that Hezekiah does is he believes differently. 00:11:54.879 --> 00:12:02.639 He doesn't believe that religion is just a thing to get him through the day, 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:06.519 but he actually believes in something deeper than that. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:08.759 He believes in the God of the universe. 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:10.899 This young king doesn't do what his father does, 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:13.320 but he wants to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:16.899 See, clearly Hezekiah recognizes the emptiness 00:12:16.899 --> 00:12:19.860 of the promises of his father's idols. 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:23.159 His father looked at other gods and he saw opportunity. 00:12:23.860 --> 00:12:28.759 Hezekiah looks and he sees only need and he sees brokenness. 00:12:29.639 --> 00:12:30.800 And so he, like David, 00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:33.740 who is one of the greatest kings in the history of Israel, 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:36.240 looked to someone different. 00:12:36.659 --> 00:12:39.399 He looked to the Lord and he saw true hope. 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.399 What I want to suggest to you today 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:45.940 is that most of us are probably like Hezekiah 00:12:45.940 --> 00:12:47.379 in one way or another. 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:49.299 Most of us are probably desperate. 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:53.519 We're desperate to find some meaning and some hope. 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:57.899 And sometimes we even think we have it, 00:12:57.980 --> 00:12:59.360 but it fades away over time. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:02.439 But the calling of the gospel is to believe differently. 00:13:03.240 --> 00:13:07.200 To place our hope in someone far more solid 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:09.500 and far more real and far more powerful 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:11.940 than the gods of our lives. 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:14.240 To look outside of ourselves 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:16.320 and to find a solid hope in the greater God, 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:17.400 the God of the universe. 00:13:17.800 --> 00:13:19.120 And the beauty of the gospel is that 00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.780 you today can believe in that same God. 00:13:22.040 --> 00:13:25.060 The same God that Hezekiah believed in 2,500 years ago. 00:13:25.560 --> 00:13:27.480 We can put our faith in today. 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:32.120 The second thing we see Hezekiah do, 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:34.379 the first thing he does is he believes. 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:37.680 The second thing we see is he actually turns. 00:13:38.260 --> 00:13:41.380 He makes a change in his life and in his kingdom. 00:13:41.640 --> 00:13:43.380 Believing differently causes him 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:45.480 to turn from his father's ways. 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:47.720 To change the momentum of his kingdom. 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:51.259 And turn to something else. 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.279 We see in verse 3 a powerful statement of this. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:54.439 In the first year of his reign, 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:55.580 in the first month, 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:57.360 he opened the doors of the house of the Lord 00:13:57.360 --> 00:13:58.559 and repaired them. 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:00.419 So what does that mean? 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:05.100 So the first month of the first year of his reign 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:08.759 is fancy biblical language for right away. 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:12.860 Immediately, he does something different. 00:14:13.819 --> 00:14:15.319 He opens the doors of the house of the Lord. 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:17.500 The very doors that we saw in chapter 28, 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:18.600 his father closed. 00:14:19.059 --> 00:14:22.460 The very same temple that we saw his father steal from. 00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:25.279 Those are the doors that he opens. 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:30.039 See, it's not enough to simply believe. 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:32.080 But that belief has to take action. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:34.659 And that action is to reverse the wrongs 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:35.279 that have been done. 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:38.559 Christianity isn't a call to keep going 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:39.500 as we have before. 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:42.059 It isn't a bit of inspiration 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:44.000 for our day-to-day lives. 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.959 If you want to just think more positively, 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:47.600 there's cat posters for that. 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:49.799 You can get them at the corner shop. 00:14:51.079 --> 00:14:55.120 Christianity is a calling to a radical change 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:58.959 and a radical new direction and momentum 00:14:58.959 --> 00:15:01.039 in your day-to-day life. 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:02.799 And this is a change 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:04.339 that you don't work out for yourself. 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:06.899 But you have the blessing of God's Word. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.420 You have the blessing of the Holy Spirit. 00:15:12.940 --> 00:15:15.399 And you have the blessing of the fellowship 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:16.300 of the local church. 00:15:16.420 --> 00:15:17.340 If you're with us this morning 00:15:17.340 --> 00:15:19.440 and you're not involved in a local church, 00:15:19.980 --> 00:15:21.560 speak to one of us afterwards 00:15:21.560 --> 00:15:23.360 because we want to get you involved. 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:27.240 The church is there to walk alongside you. 00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:29.060 If you're walking the journey of faith alone, 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:33.039 stop and get with people 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:35.399 who can help you along the way. 00:15:36.099 --> 00:15:37.199 The third thing we see 00:15:37.199 --> 00:15:39.779 is that Hezekiah is obedient. 00:15:40.319 --> 00:15:41.399 Verses 4 and 5. 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:43.319 It isn't enough to simply believe 00:15:43.319 --> 00:15:44.379 and it wasn't enough simply 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:46.699 to stop doing what was wrong. 00:15:47.099 --> 00:15:48.659 But he became actively obedient 00:15:48.659 --> 00:15:49.699 to the law of God. 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:52.000 When he calls together 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.300 the priests and the Levites, 00:15:53.520 --> 00:15:54.800 what does he tell them to do? 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.900 He tells them to go and cleanse themselves, 00:15:57.980 --> 00:15:59.120 to consecrate themselves 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.300 in line with the Old Testament, 00:16:01.300 --> 00:16:03.720 the law of Moses 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.620 that God had given to him. 00:16:06.180 --> 00:16:07.740 So it was spelled out very clearly 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:08.580 in the law of God 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:10.379 how they were to approach God. 00:16:10.780 --> 00:16:11.879 It was spelled out very clearly 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:12.640 in the law of God 00:16:12.640 --> 00:16:14.360 how they were to worship God. 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:15.540 And they hadn't been doing 00:16:15.540 --> 00:16:16.400 any of those things. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.240 And so the first thing that he does 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.699 is that he calls the priests in 00:16:20.699 --> 00:16:21.340 and he says, 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:23.819 let's get our worship right. 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:25.539 How do we do that? 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:28.120 We do that by obeying the law of God. 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:29.720 And this is the biggest difference 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:33.779 between God and our culture. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:35.279 See, our culture says 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:36.120 it's all about you. 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:37.399 It's about how you feel. 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:39.299 It's about what you're getting out of this. 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:40.039 But Scripture says 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:41.639 it's all about God. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.360 Our focus is to turn 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:46.120 and approach God 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:47.419 as he calls us to 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:48.419 in his word. 00:16:48.899 --> 00:16:50.340 We tend to think of the law 00:16:50.340 --> 00:16:52.820 as something that's prohibitive 00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:56.139 that keeps us from being able 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:57.419 to do the things that we want. 00:16:58.060 --> 00:16:58.799 But the law of God 00:16:58.799 --> 00:16:59.500 is actually intended 00:16:59.500 --> 00:17:01.120 to speak deeply to our humanity. 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:02.740 To reveal to us 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:04.380 who our creator is. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:06.180 What his character is like. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:08.220 And to show us who we are 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:09.900 and what we're like. 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:11.279 And to show us 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:13.500 the expanse between us 00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:15.500 and to call us back to God. 00:17:15.500 --> 00:17:17.220 It's meant to bring us 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:18.319 in line 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:20.299 with who we were created to be. 00:17:24.059 --> 00:17:25.299 So what's the next thing 00:17:25.299 --> 00:17:27.079 that we see Hezekiah do? 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:28.559 The next thing, 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:29.240 the fourth thing, 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:32.140 is that Hezekiah confessed. 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:34.980 So he believed, 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:37.140 he turned, 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:38.039 he became obedient, 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:39.480 and then he confessed. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:40.980 Look at verse 6. 00:17:42.079 --> 00:17:43.639 Our fathers have been unfaithful 00:17:43.639 --> 00:17:44.619 and have done 00:17:44.619 --> 00:17:46.180 what was evil 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:47.579 in the sight of the Lord our God. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:49.059 They have forsaken Him 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:50.659 and have turned away their faces 00:17:50.659 --> 00:17:52.099 from the habitation of the Lord 00:17:52.099 --> 00:17:53.559 and turned their backs. 00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:55.680 In Hezekiah's day, 00:17:56.339 --> 00:17:58.180 the king represented 00:17:58.180 --> 00:17:59.019 the entire people. 00:17:59.399 --> 00:18:01.220 He represented the entire nation. 00:18:01.379 --> 00:18:02.039 And so his sin 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:03.740 was the nation's sin. 00:18:04.339 --> 00:18:05.559 And so Hezekiah openly 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.500 acknowledges that. 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:08.279 He openly admits that. 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:09.919 He openly faces that. 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:11.359 There was no reason to hide it. 00:18:11.819 --> 00:18:12.539 There was no reason 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:13.720 to be polite about it. 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:15.359 Oftentimes after someone has died, 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.179 they become 00:18:17.179 --> 00:18:18.519 an absolutely perfect person, 00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:18.940 don't they? 00:18:19.339 --> 00:18:21.000 We don't speak ill of anyone, 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.159 no matter how terrible 00:18:23.159 --> 00:18:23.919 they might have been. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:27.919 But Hezekiah actually 00:18:27.919 --> 00:18:29.159 is honest about 00:18:29.159 --> 00:18:30.359 the sins of his father 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:31.359 and therefore 00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:32.359 the sins of his nation. 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:33.659 There's no reason 00:18:33.660 --> 00:18:35.220 to overlook it. 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.000 When you come to know God, 00:18:37.340 --> 00:18:38.620 you can't help but be honest 00:18:38.620 --> 00:18:39.040 with Him 00:18:39.040 --> 00:18:41.000 about your wrongs. 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:43.720 So are you broken? 00:18:44.300 --> 00:18:45.740 It's okay to admit that. 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:47.640 Have you done things 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:49.080 that you're ashamed of? 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:50.080 Have you done things 00:18:50.080 --> 00:18:51.320 that you know are wrong? 00:18:51.380 --> 00:18:52.980 It's okay to tell that to God. 00:18:54.140 --> 00:18:55.279 He invites us to do that. 00:18:55.340 --> 00:18:56.400 He calls us to do that. 00:18:56.740 --> 00:18:57.680 He doesn't want us to hide 00:18:57.680 --> 00:18:59.220 behind a smiling facade. 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:00.700 He doesn't want us to hide 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:01.500 behind just saying 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:02.460 everything's okay. 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:03.799 But He calls us to 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:04.700 an honesty 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:06.620 that Hezekiah embraced. 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:07.779 Finally, the last thing 00:19:07.779 --> 00:19:08.799 that we see Hezekiah do 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:10.840 is we see repentance. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.299 And we see that worked out 00:19:12.299 --> 00:19:13.240 in these other verses 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:13.759 you can see, 00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:14.600 20-25. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.340 What does Hezekiah do? 00:19:16.600 --> 00:19:18.019 Once the priests 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:19.079 have consecrated themselves, 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:20.420 once they have set themselves apart, 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.559 they come to Hezekiah 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:26.440 and He calls them 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:27.579 to offer sacrifices. 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:30.599 So He sought atonement 00:19:30.599 --> 00:19:31.439 for His sins 00:19:31.439 --> 00:19:32.859 and the sins of His people. 00:19:33.699 --> 00:19:34.319 And it was good for them 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:35.759 to confess their sin, 00:19:35.960 --> 00:19:36.460 wasn't it? 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.220 But a simple admission of guilt 00:19:39.220 --> 00:19:40.339 wasn't enough. 00:19:41.079 --> 00:19:41.859 There had to be something 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:42.819 done for that. 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:44.220 There had to be atonement 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:46.119 made for that guilt. 00:19:46.899 --> 00:19:47.439 And so Hezekiah 00:19:47.439 --> 00:19:50.159 took sin against God seriously. 00:19:50.699 --> 00:19:51.859 Because he knew that God 00:19:51.859 --> 00:19:53.759 took sin against him seriously. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.599 And so when everything 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:56.859 had been prepared, 00:19:57.420 --> 00:19:58.420 they made sacrifice 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:00.039 for their sin. 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:01.019 See, true repentance 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:02.339 requires atonement for sin. 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:04.279 And so where do we find that? 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:05.200 In Hezekiah's day, 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:06.619 they made sacrifice. 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:08.519 Lots and lots and lots 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:09.119 of sacrifice. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:10.759 If you go back and look 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:11.940 at this passage in your Bible, 00:20:12.059 --> 00:20:14.059 you see even going into 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:14.879 the next chapter 00:20:14.879 --> 00:20:16.140 where they were sacrificing 00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:17.539 thousands and thousands 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:18.920 and thousands of sheep 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:20.859 and goats and bulls. 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:23.579 Just tons and tons and tons. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:25.519 of animal sacrifice. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:27.740 See, in Hezekiah's day, 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:28.859 they made lots and lots 00:20:28.859 --> 00:20:29.460 of sacrifice. 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:31.420 But these were just a picture. 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:33.960 They were a signpost 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:35.119 that was pointing forward 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:36.579 to something greater. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:37.900 They were in anticipation 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:39.599 of a greater atonement 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:40.519 that would be made 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:41.879 by a greater king 00:20:41.879 --> 00:20:43.059 than Hezekiah. 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:45.119 See, at the appointed time 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:45.539 in history, 00:20:45.660 --> 00:20:46.619 God would send His Son, 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:47.599 Jesus Christ, 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:48.980 to make atonement 00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:50.379 and to be the ultimate 00:20:50.379 --> 00:20:51.500 and perfect sacrifice 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:52.220 for our sin. 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:53.680 And if we look to Christ 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:54.480 by faith, 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:58.000 we find forgiveness 00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:59.140 of sin. 00:21:00.120 --> 00:21:00.820 And you'll receive 00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:01.600 the full measure 00:21:01.600 --> 00:21:02.580 of atonement. 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:05.279 So very finally, 00:21:05.860 --> 00:21:06.680 what's the result 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:07.400 of all of this? 00:21:07.840 --> 00:21:08.680 What's the result 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.320 of the faith of Hezekiah? 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:11.980 What's the result 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:13.779 of our faith in Christ? 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:15.880 Look down at verse 36 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:17.400 of chapter 29. 00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:18.100 It's on your sheets. 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:19.379 And Hezekiah and all 00:21:19.379 --> 00:21:20.519 the people rejoiced 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:21.879 because God had prepared 00:21:21.879 --> 00:21:22.619 for the people 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:24.240 for the thing came about 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:25.059 suddenly. 00:21:26.639 --> 00:21:27.719 Notice the contrast 00:21:27.719 --> 00:21:29.159 between the story of Ahaz 00:21:29.159 --> 00:21:31.659 and the story of Hezekiah. 00:21:32.659 --> 00:21:34.099 Where did Ahaz's pursuits 00:21:34.099 --> 00:21:34.679 leave him? 00:21:35.679 --> 00:21:36.240 Broken 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.980 and undone 00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:42.200 and dead. 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:45.120 But where does Hezekiah's 00:21:45.120 --> 00:21:45.620 pursuits 00:21:45.620 --> 00:21:46.680 lead him 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:47.400 and his people 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:48.579 to joy? 00:21:49.579 --> 00:21:50.559 Verse 36 says, 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:51.619 they rejoiced 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:53.819 because God had done 00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:55.599 a great work in them. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:56.839 God had prepared it 00:21:56.839 --> 00:21:58.019 and God had executed it. 00:21:58.700 --> 00:21:59.599 It wasn't because of anything 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:00.940 special that they had done. 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:02.759 It wasn't because they were 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:04.599 doing all these great works. 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:06.019 But it was because God 00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:06.960 had prepared that work 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:07.500 to be done. 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:09.059 God had placed it 00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:10.220 on the heart of Hezekiah 00:22:10.220 --> 00:22:11.299 and his people 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:13.259 to turn from their sin 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:14.240 to God. 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:16.159 If you get one thing 00:22:16.159 --> 00:22:17.159 out of this this afternoon, 00:22:17.399 --> 00:22:17.779 get this. 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:20.639 If you've zoned out 00:22:20.639 --> 00:22:22.379 for the last 20 minutes, 00:22:22.539 --> 00:22:23.859 I don't blame you. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:26.119 It's okay. 00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:26.980 But get this. 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.839 The scriptures are 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.099 ultimately about 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:31.440 God. 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:33.359 And every story 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:34.160 in the scripture 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:35.500 tells us something 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:36.460 about his character. 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:38.259 And what we see 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.259 in the life 00:22:39.259 --> 00:22:40.299 of Hezekiah 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:41.660 in the story 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:42.420 of God's people 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:43.619 is that 00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:45.039 the God of the Bible 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:46.099 is a God 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:46.899 who saves. 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:48.839 He's a God 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:49.700 who saves 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:50.539 His people. 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:51.059 He's a God 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:51.819 who gives hope 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:52.899 where there is none. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:53.619 He's a God 00:22:53.619 --> 00:22:54.279 who calls us 00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:54.839 to be human 00:22:54.839 --> 00:22:55.720 by knowing Him 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:57.200 and glorifying Him. 00:22:57.619 --> 00:22:58.180 To this day, 00:22:58.240 --> 00:22:59.099 the greatest hope 00:22:59.099 --> 00:23:00.539 for our world 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:01.700 is to look 00:23:01.700 --> 00:23:02.700 to the same God 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:04.139 who Hezekiah 00:23:04.139 --> 00:23:05.200 looks to for salvation. 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:07.160 Because what He offers us 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:08.399 is a better hope 00:23:08.399 --> 00:23:09.379 and a better story 00:23:09.379 --> 00:23:10.359 than the gods 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:11.059 of our world. 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:12.359 He offers us 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:13.079 much more than 00:23:13.079 --> 00:23:14.279 a nice religion 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:15.379 or a great philosophy, 00:23:15.380 --> 00:23:17.380 a happy approach 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:18.400 to life. 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:20.200 So our world 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:20.900 offers you fulfillment 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:22.500 by finding your true self. 00:23:23.060 --> 00:23:23.700 But what the God 00:23:23.700 --> 00:23:24.260 of the Bible 00:23:24.260 --> 00:23:25.120 offers you 00:23:25.120 --> 00:23:27.020 is your true self. 00:23:28.380 --> 00:23:29.580 When you place yourself 00:23:29.580 --> 00:23:30.200 under the reign 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:31.340 of the King of creation, 00:23:32.100 --> 00:23:33.060 when you place yourself 00:23:33.060 --> 00:23:33.880 in the hands 00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:34.720 of Christ Jesus, 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:37.560 you find joy 00:23:37.560 --> 00:23:38.340 amidst sorrow. 00:23:39.060 --> 00:23:39.740 You find hope 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:40.460 amidst fear. 00:23:40.460 --> 00:23:43.279 Do you want to experience 00:23:43.279 --> 00:23:45.400 the peace of God, 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:46.700 peace amidst chaos 00:23:46.700 --> 00:23:47.360 of our world, 00:23:48.059 --> 00:23:48.740 and look with faith 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:49.279 to God 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:50.660 and know His grace 00:23:50.660 --> 00:23:51.519 through His Son, 00:23:51.600 --> 00:23:52.279 Jesus Christ? 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:53.539 Please pray with me.