1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,680 I now ask you to meet me in Second Kings Chapter 18 because 2 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,240 we begin our study in one of the most prominent and highly 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,800 praised kings in the history of the Kingdom of Judah. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,920 The fact that three extensive chapters are dedicated to this 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,680 one man highlights the significance of his story. 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,520 And that doesn't even count what is said of him in Second 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,400 Chronicles. That doesn't count what is 8 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:33,120 included in the book of Isaiah. This leader is significant. 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,720 Some even consider him to be a second David because this very 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,400 chapter that we're going to study tonight celebrates his 11 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,320 emulation of the man after God's own heart. 12 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:48,320 And he who I speak of tonight goes by the name of Hezekiah. 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,360 His name means Yahweh strengthens. 14 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,760 As we come to this text, we are going to witness a unique 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:02,120 strengthening in the Kingdom of Judah because of one man's firm 16 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,320 devotion to the true God. And I trust that after all we've 17 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:09,960 been through in Second Kings thus far, we will know great 18 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:13,680 refreshment from Hezekiah's walk with God. 19 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,280 And so this is going to be a little bit of an Oasis for us as 20 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,280 we have traversed through this book faithfully. 21 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,200 Now we come to receive much encouragement of what it means, 22 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,760 what it looks like to really serve the Lord when you have 23 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,600 every reason in your personal life, in your culture that would 24 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:35,320 encourage you otherwise. So there's much to glean from in 25 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:38,400 these verses tonight. We'll consider the 1st 12 of 26 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,000 them in this chapter, but let's begin now looking at the first 3 27 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,800 verses. Second Kings 18 verse one. 28 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,160 In the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, 29 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,680 Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 30 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,600 He was 25 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 31 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,040 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abby, the 32 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:09,440 daughter of Zechariah, and he did what was right in the eyes 33 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,880 of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 34 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:21,440 We've often reflected on the remarkable truth that children 35 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:26,480 of unrighteous parents are still able to develop a sincere and 36 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:31,760 vibrant walk with God even with the absence of a godly role 37 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,320 model. And that inspiration can be 38 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,560 found here with righteous Hezekiah because we are reminded 39 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,240 right away of his wicked father, A has. 40 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,240 We've studied a has in depth in previous weeks. 41 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,520 So I don't want to revisit that point because we've touched on 42 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,680 on many occasions in the study of second Kings. 43 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:54,160 But I do want to look at a unique aspect of Hezekiah's 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,240 upbringing that I trust will provide a deeper sense of hope. 45 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:03,200 Because if you remember studying A has, we not only confirm that 46 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,640 he was an unrighteous king, we also came to the conclusion that 47 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:13,000 he was a monstrous father. If there's any hesitation to 48 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,840 believe that, may I remind you one of the greatest atrocities 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:21,720 that he committed as recorded in Second Chronicles chapter 28. 50 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:24,440 Let me read this to you from verse three of Second Chronicles 51 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:27,240 28. And he being a has. 52 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:31,800 And he made offerings in the valley of the son of Henom, and 53 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:36,640 burned his sons as an offering according to the abominations of 54 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,360 the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 55 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:48,360 Oh, I have so many questions with this horrendous insight and 56 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,840 how it connects with the story of Hezekiah, but if there was 57 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,640 one, I would want to ask and find an answer for it. 58 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,440 Is this. How did Hezekiah survive in a 59 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,520 household where the father slaughtered his sons with 60 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,880 religious conviction? If we're told here that he has 61 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:13,760 burned his sons, plural, how did Hezekiah escape? 62 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:16,760 That's a legitimate question, wouldn't you say? 63 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,240 Did he grow up before his father became more depraved and adopted 64 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,120 the abominable practices of the nations? 65 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,720 Could it be that unlike his siblings, Hezekiah was spared 66 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,520 for succession and so he became the protected heir? 67 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:40,280 We are not given the exact reason for his survival, for his 68 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,320 preservation, but one thing that we can say with absolute 69 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,560 certainty is that this this man was born and raised in a brutal, 70 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,920 unpredictable, frightening environment. 71 00:04:54,080 --> 00:05:00,520 And that is the story of many. That their childhood isn't just 72 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:06,320 defined by a void of moral compass, a void of godly 73 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,200 guidance, but that they were also subject to the parents 74 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,440 despicable neglect and abusive behavior. 75 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,520 And for many of those people, their future tends to be 76 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:22,240 predictable according to statistics, where they inherit a 77 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:28,240 vulnerability, profound instability, because the father 78 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,280 or the mother who was called to protect them and nurture them 79 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,800 instead became the means to inflict various wounds upon 80 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:43,600 them. And for some, the way they cope 81 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:48,080 with that is that they themselves choose a path of self 82 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,560 destruction, sin, in order to try to manage the trauma that 83 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:57,080 they endured from a young age. Not Hezekiah. 84 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:04,240 But it read in Second Kings that he did what was right in the 85 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:09,480 eyes of the Lord, against all odds and statistics if you will. 86 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:12,440 There are two important words with that statement. 87 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,720 You can miss it very easily. He did. 88 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,880 It was a personal choice that he made at the age of 25. 89 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,160 I will choose to follow the Lord. 90 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,240 Imagine having a conversation with Hezekiah, 25. 91 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,440 Imagine interviewing him as a new king, asking about his 92 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:38,360 family background and asking about his siblings, for example. 93 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,600 He says yeah, my, my siblings, most of them are not here 94 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:41,320 anymore. Why? 95 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:46,600 My dad gave him up to the fire. You want to talk about trauma, 96 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:53,320 You want to talk about horrors. This man knew it. 97 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,840 And sometimes we just have to sit long enough in a passage of 98 00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:58,400 Scripture and consider the implications. 99 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,440 These are real people. These are not characters of a 100 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,480 moral story. This is an historical account. 101 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:11,640 And Hezekiah here chooses not to resign himself to dysfunction, 102 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,800 justifying it by the damage that he knew from a young age. 103 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,280 Many people do, though. Instead, what you find here is, 104 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,680 is this man's testimony revealing that faith in the 105 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:26,320 grace of God can help us overcome any past relational 106 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:33,920 disadvantage, even if even if it came with unspeakable abuse. 107 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:40,320 It's OK, People are just coming. I truly wonder if the same man 108 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:44,480 who said of him that he walked in the ways of David imitated 109 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:47,720 David's faith in this particular area. 110 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,040 Do you remember what he said in Psalm 27, verse 10? 111 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,760 For my father and my mother have forsaken me. 112 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:55,360 Does anybody know the rest of it? 113 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,920 But the Lord will take me in. But the Lord will take me in. 114 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,320 What a revelation. Think about that. 115 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:10,960 David is singing about how God's love is more dependable than the 116 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:17,880 love of his parents, more secure, more available. 117 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,560 And I, and I like to think that Hezekiah, believe the same. 118 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:30,000 Do you? As important as human bond is, 119 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,280 as important as a mother's touches and a father's 120 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:37,520 affirmation may be, do you have the faith in your heart to 121 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:42,080 believe that God's love for you can make you more whole than 122 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,760 anything else? A lot of people get themselves 123 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:51,680 into great mess, patterns of dysfunction and relational 124 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:56,000 issues because they failed to build their identity upon that 125 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:01,160 foundation. My mom and my dad, if they 126 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,920 forsake me, yes, they might have forsaken me. 127 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,280 But let me tell you, the Lord brought me in. 128 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:13,320 Do you think that's just a theological checkbox and David's 129 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:15,600 profession of faith, or did he experience that? 130 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,200 I experienced that, so much so that he wrote about it. 131 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,040 And so we see here that Hezekiah had a bright future ahead of him 132 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,920 because he chose to walk in the ways of the Lord. 133 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaking of David, we learned that Hezekiah, yes, walked in 134 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,000 the ways of that wonderful man of God. 135 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,120 Don't we see you there in verse three of Second Kings 18? 136 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,120 And there are a couple of other kings that we've already studied 137 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,560 that did the same, but Hezekiah was different. 138 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:48,920 And we are immediately told how, look at verse four. 139 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:53,240 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down 140 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:57,200 the ashra, and he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that 141 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,520 Moses had made for until those days the people of Israel had 142 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:03,560 made offerings to it. It was called Nehushtan. 143 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,360 Look at the first few verses. He removed the high places. 144 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:12,920 This is the first recorded king of Judah who took that bold step 145 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,160 and dismantled those places of worship. 146 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:22,560 Up to this point, for the longest time, these stations of 147 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:25,960 worship were considered convenient and even harmless, 148 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,760 even by good kings. And when it comes down to 149 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,640 Hezekiah, we learned that he did not concern himself with what 150 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:40,880 other leaders did. No, instead he knew that God's 151 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:45,720 Word demanded A singular, central place of worship, and he 152 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,880 determined to dismantle anything that would distract from it. 153 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:52,680 What a word of encouragement for many. 154 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:58,520 Christians listen very carefully who establish what they believe 155 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:02,640 and how they live for Christ, primarily based on what a 156 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:07,520 prominent pastor or leader might believe about a certain doctrine 157 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,200 or truth. I've heard over the years of 158 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,080 people who are willing to overlook some things or even 159 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,840 ignore clear passage of Scripture or misinterpret it. 160 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:18,920 Why? Well, because so and so taught 161 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:22,560 it this way, or because so and so views this in a different 162 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:28,640 light, and they put too much trust in the interpretation of 163 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,800 another. And if that's your temptation, 164 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,960 learn from Hezekiah. The Word of God was his sole 165 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,240 authority. Not what a particular branch, 166 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:39,800 not what a particular denomination or a particular man 167 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,720 of God, a commentator or teacher or a wonderful preacher. 168 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,080 What does God's Word have to say and are you willing to abide by 169 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,360 God's Word even though spiritual heroes may not view with that 170 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:56,200 kind of importance If he just went with the trend, Well, you 171 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,640 know, King ASA didn't take him down, so I just leave him. 172 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,200 Jehoshaphat didn't really think it was a big deal, so I won't do 173 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:02,960 it. No, no, no, God's Word said one 174 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:04,760 place to worship. I'm going to listen to God. 175 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,960 Unfortunately for some people, it's no, no, it's doctor so and 176 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,240 so said this pastor so and so said that. 177 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:13,960 OK, great. Does it agree with God's Word? 178 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,000 Didn't John tell us that we've all been anointed with the Holy 179 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,920 Spirit to teach us? Yes, we do receive from teachers 180 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:27,120 and God has gifted certain people to explain truths, but 181 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:28,880 not with things that are clear and obvious. 182 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:31,760 Do you ignore them just because you take somebody's word for it? 183 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,800 Hezekiah is early on showing that he is willing to stand 184 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,960 alone, even if it's countercultural, even if it's 185 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:46,200 counter Christian culture. Now the extent of this man's 186 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:51,960 reform reaches areas and items that we didn't even know about. 187 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,360 Look at verse 4 again. He broke in pieces the bronze 188 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,960 serpent that Moses had made for until those days, the people of 189 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:04,080 Israel had made offerings to it. We haven't seen this since 190 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:09,240 Numbers chapter 21, this particular relic, and some 191 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:13,240 believe it's been 800 years since the people of God 192 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:16,360 originally engaged with this thing. 193 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,520 And yet clearly it's been preserved since the days of 194 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:21,200 Moses, since the days of the wilderness. 195 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,480 And we hopefully recall the testimony behind this, that when 196 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,120 the people of God, at a later point in their journey through 197 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,840 the wilderness, yet again did not believe the word of the 198 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:37,720 Lord, the Lord released fiery serpents to bite them, to punish 199 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:39,480 them, to discipline them because of their sin. 200 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,280 And yet it's because of a man's intercession. 201 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:47,240 The Lord instructed Moses to create a bronze serpent, to 202 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:50,120 raise it up on a pole, and to call all the people to simply 203 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,480 look upon it, and they would know their healing. 204 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,520 The Lord Jesus, when he was approached by Nicodemus at 205 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:03,040 night, taught him that that pole pointed to his work on the 206 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,440 cross, did he not? And that the simple look of 207 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,880 faith, the eyes of the heart, that gaze upon the one who was 208 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:16,920 lifted up, is enough to receive healing from spiritual poison. 209 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:21,240 Is that what he said in John 314 to 15? 210 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,640 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so 211 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:27,040 must the Son of Man be lifted up. 212 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:32,000 And whoever believes in him will have eternal life. 213 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:35,880 Whoever would believe in him may have eternal life. 214 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,080 It's amazing how many things in the Old Testament point to 215 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,600 Christ, things that we might not consider. 216 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,760 But Jesus in this case is not only the fulfillment of that 217 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,640 miracle. Like any other thing, any other 218 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,680 foreshadowing, He is the greater fulfillment of it. 219 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,200 In what way is the Lord Jesus greater than what that bronze 220 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,120 serpent was able to do for the people of God? 221 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:02,320 Well, there are many explanations. 222 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:07,640 Let me give you a major one. The healing virtue that flowed 223 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,760 from the faith of the people connecting with what God 224 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,160 instructed concerning that bronze serpent only lasted that 225 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:18,400 day. Only on that awful day did it 226 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,880 not. So no matter how many offerings 227 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:24,400 as we read here that the people gave to this bronze serpent, no 228 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,080 matter how long they stared at it, it could do nothing for the 229 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,640 people. The best that I can offer is a 230 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:33,160 memory of what God has done in the past. 231 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:40,240 Now consider Jesus when he was lifted up 2000 years ago 232 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:45,000 according to our calendar. The Sinner can still look upon 233 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,120 that truth with the eyes of faith and know and receive 234 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,000 healing. Unlike the bronze serpent, 235 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:55,520 century after century after century, it was just a statue. 236 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,520 But Jesus said that points to me being lifted up, and here we are 237 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,960 2000 years later, and on May 18th we're going to hear a few 238 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,760 testimonies of those that I looked upon him and I received 239 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:08,520 my healing. It reminds me of that hymn. 240 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:10,160 The blood will never lose its power. 241 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,520 It reaches to the highest mountain, it flows to the lowest 242 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,760 valley, and that blood that gives me strength from 243 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,000 day-to-day will never lose its power. 244 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,680 Does anybody know the other reference in the New Testament 245 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,480 that brings us back to the bronze serpent? 246 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:34,080 If you know the answer, you can answer. 247 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:39,000 You can say it out loud. Most people know John 314 and 248 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,480 15. I'll wait, no rush. 249 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,600 Anybody know where else is the Holy Spirit bring up the 250 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:55,040 incident of the fiery serpents in the wilderness in Numbers 21? 251 00:16:57,680 --> 00:16:59,440 Hebrews is a good guess, but that's not what I'm thinking 252 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:04,560 about. It's one of Paul's writings. 253 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:10,640 You can make a case that Paul wrote Hebrews, First 254 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,240 Corinthians. Let's turn that together. 255 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:20,839 First Corinthians chapter 10 and let's look at verse 9. 256 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:36,000 We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and 257 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,840 were destroyed by serpents. Now what's the context? 258 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,480 He is again pointing to the wilderness journey and drying 259 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,520 out principles for practical holiness. 260 00:17:48,360 --> 00:17:52,320 And Paul says here that they put Christ to the test. 261 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,800 So listen, not only does that account point to Jesus and his 262 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,680 finished work on the cross, it also is a reminder that Christ 263 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,800 himself was the one that they did not believe in. 264 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:07,400 What does that teach us? Well two things at least. 265 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,200 One, that the New Testament over and over again confirms the pre 266 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,880 existence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 267 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,040 Don't we see it here? What does he say? 268 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,960 We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and 269 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:24,600 were destroyed by serpents. Who do they not believe in 270 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:28,200 according to Paul's words? Not just God, not just Yahweh, 271 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,440 Jesus Christ. Paul says let's not do the same. 272 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,840 Let's not do the same. And here's the second lesson 273 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:42,320 that through Jesus and the apostles teachings and the 274 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,880 writings, we are encouraged to know how to engage with the 275 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,360 Hebrew Scriptures. If I take what Christ says in 276 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,040 Nicodemus in John chapter 3 and what Paul says here in First 277 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,800 Corinthians 10, then I learned the dual purpose of my study of 278 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,720 the Old Testament. I'm looking for Christ and I'm 279 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,560 also looking for what he asks of me as a follower of him. 280 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,520 So we should always, as we come to the Hebrew Scriptures, look 281 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,360 for Jesus predictions and foreshadowings, but we should 282 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:16,040 also look for principles and illustrations of what it means 283 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,680 to live for him. That's how the New Testament 284 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,920 handles the Old Testament Jesus as it points to me and what I 285 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:28,960 did nothing you can do to imitate it, but also points to 286 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,920 what you can do after you put your faith and trust in me, what 287 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:33,400 it looks like to live for my glory. 288 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,880 That's what we endeavor to do every Friday that that's what 289 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,840 we're doing here tonight as we study this man, Hezekiah. 290 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,040 So let's return to it in second Kings 18. 291 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,320 Unfortunately, what was originally meant to be an 292 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,920 instrument of good turned into an object of worship. 293 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,280 Not only did they venerate this item, they began to make 294 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:59,760 offerings to it. So what's, what's the lesson 295 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:00,920 here? The lesson is very clear, is it 296 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:07,120 not, that humanity has the tendency to exalt God's means of 297 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:13,440 grace beyond their purpose? And we are very good at turning 298 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:19,360 things into idols rather than channels bringing us and 299 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:24,480 pointing us back to Him. So let's not limit this 300 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,040 applications to the millions of people who are fixated on 301 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:35,720 shrouds or the bones of Saints or other relics. 302 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:45,160 We too are capable of looking at past movements, past ministers, 303 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,960 current movements, current ministries, current ministers 304 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:53,280 and making them more than they ought to be, failing to see that 305 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:57,720 their channels of grace and actually making them the object 306 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,200 of our affection. And now they compete with 307 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:07,680 Christ. It's debated who labeled the 308 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:13,240 bronze serpent with the name Nehushtan because translations 309 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:19,240 depicted differently. But contextually, especially 310 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:23,040 when you know what this name means, there is greater evidence 311 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,120 that Hezekiah was the one who named it. 312 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:27,640 This especially you have the King James Version in your hand 313 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:30,840 because it will read there the last part of verse 4, and he 314 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,600 called it Nehushtan. You won't find that in the ESV. 315 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,600 It's a little bit more clear in the Hebrew. 316 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:45,240 What does Nehushtan mean? A thing of brass, In other 317 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,480 words, a piece of metal. Understanding that, it makes 318 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,120 sense, then, for Hezekiah to be the one who labels it in this 319 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:54,160 way. Why? 320 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,560 Because that's pretty degrading for an object of worship, isn't 321 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,800 it? A thing of brass? 322 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,480 That's the point. Because this man of God is 323 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,080 reminding the people of God. This is just an instrument. 324 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,680 It can't offer anything to you. It's lifeless and apart from 325 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,680 God's animating work, it's void of purpose. 326 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:18,640 It offers you absolutely nothing. 327 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,880 And listen, a true man of God will remind himself and others 328 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:28,680 that any means of God's goodness is simply an instrument in his 329 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,680 hand. Hello, Paul says to the 330 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,080 Corinthians. What is Apollo's? 331 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,520 Who is Paul? Servants through whom you have 332 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,360 believed as a Lord assigned to each. 333 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:46,520 We're nothing To view yourself that way will keep you from much 334 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,640 trouble. And from time to time to let 335 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,600 people know also that you are only human and to remind 336 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,360 yourself that others that you're being blessed by, they're only 337 00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,560 human. They put on their pants one leg 338 00:22:55,560 --> 00:23:01,520 at a time like you. It's got through them, it's got 339 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:05,040 in them. And this man is doing that. 340 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:10,480 In this case, I just can imagine the reaction of the people when 341 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,520 he took this thing and crush it into pieces. 342 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:18,320 It was around for centuries. It was normalized. 343 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,800 It was ingrained in their system and in their culture. 344 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,960 He could care less the high places. 345 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:30,640 He just was sniffing for anything that rivalled God's 346 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:36,720 word and he dealt with it. This is a true reformer, and 347 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,120 we're only beginning to learn from him. 348 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:44,840 Let's read from verse 5 down to verse 7, Second Kings 18, verse 349 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:48,480 five. He trusted in the Lord, the God 350 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,360 of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the 351 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:54,800 kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. 352 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,720 For he felt help fast the Lord. He did not depart from following 353 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,560 him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses, 354 00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:05,000 and the Lord was with him. Wherever he went out, he 355 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,360 prospered. He rebeled against the king of 356 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:12,440 Assyria and would not serve him. Look at the beginning of verse 7 357 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,800 again. And the Lord was with him, a 358 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,520 statement rarely made about the kings of either Israel or Judah, 359 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,560 but it's said of him. But what was rare in the days of 360 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:29,280 the kings does not have to be uncommon for us, because we are 361 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:33,600 granted, in those very verses that we just read, a formula to 362 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,760 secure the Lord being with us. Now hold on. 363 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,920 I know it is true that in a general sense we are promised 364 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:43,480 God's unbroken companionship as his children. 365 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,800 But it is unrealistic and dishonest to say that each of us 366 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:51,760 experienced the Lord's fellowship in the same way. 367 00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:55,800 You can't tell me that a worldly Christian will know the same 368 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:58,840 blessings as the one who chooses to walk closely with Christ. 369 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:03,120 Impossible. So is there anything here that 370 00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:08,560 can grant us the assurance or the recipe to be able to secure 371 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,720 this wonderful, prosperous way of life of the Lord being with 372 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,000 us wherever we go? Absolutely. 373 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,040 It's found in the preceding verses. 374 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,000 Look at the beginning of verse 5 again. 375 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:25,640 He trusted in the Lord #1 Now look at the beginning of verse 376 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:30,760 6. For he held fast to the Lord and 377 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,200 look at it again in verse 7. And the Lord was with him. 378 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,640 You see the formula? He trusted in the Lord, He held 379 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,120 fast to the Lord. So let's consider those things 380 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,680 separately. He trusted in the Lord. 381 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:45,520 What does it mean to truly trust the Lord? 382 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,520 This is synonymous with having faith in the Lord. 383 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:53,040 But is there anything that can give us confirmation? 384 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:55,200 Is there any definition, anything that we can work with 385 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,080 that can give us greater clarity or, or the ability to measure 386 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,640 the trust that God asked of us that pleases him? 387 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:08,280 And I'll never forget a New Testament passage that removed 388 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:12,840 any fogginess, any confusion around this area of a faith that 389 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:17,400 pleases Lord, a mature faith. And it's in the place where Paul 390 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:22,960 teaches about Abraham's faith and how he exercised his faith 391 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,720 and how he became a model of faith for believers even today. 392 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:30,880 So let's turn to Romans chapter 4 and let's look at a couple of 393 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,760 verses here that I hope will bless you as much as it blessed 394 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,600 me. Romans 4 beginning in verse 20, 395 00:26:44,850 --> 00:26:48,850 it says here, no unbelief made him waver concerning the promise 396 00:26:48,850 --> 00:26:54,210 of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to 397 00:26:54,210 --> 00:26:58,200 God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had 398 00:26:58,200 --> 00:26:59,920 promised. Look again at the words, the 2 399 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:03,800 words beginning in verse 21, fully convinced. 400 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:08,320 Can I ask you a personal question? 401 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:10,840 Does it ever disappoint you? When you assess something, you 402 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,680 analyze something, you explain something to someone and they 403 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,320 don't trust you. Does it bother you? 404 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,680 And we're fallible. We have a tendency of 405 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,880 exaggerating. We have the ability to forget. 406 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:29,960 So how much more the one who is perfectly knowledge, who never 407 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,240 blows things out of proportion, who has never ever been accused 408 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:38,120 of being inaccurate, what does it do to his heart when we don't 409 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:42,400 fully trust him? Nobody here would settle. 410 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,800 No husband here would settle for their wives to partially trust 411 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,560 them and vice versa. We we wouldn't settle for that 412 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,720 in a friendship level. It would irk us, it would bother 413 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:59,440 us, it would disturb us. So again, how much more that the 414 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:01,240 one who is perfect in all of his ways. 415 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:05,000 And yet we see here that the faith that blesses God is when 416 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,600 we were totally persuaded that he's able to accomplish anything 417 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,520 that he has said, that's Abraham. 418 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,160 He was fully convinced, fully convinced. 419 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,840 So one way for you to know the strength of your faith is to 420 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,600 simply ask, am I completely persuaded by the word of God 421 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,160 where God said something? Do I say I trust you completely? 422 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:36,760 And if we can say that we're fully convinced, then there is 423 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,200 much room for growth. And that's in fact how we know 424 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,240 we're growing in faith. Look back at verse 20, the 425 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:44,720 middle of it. But he grew strong in his faith. 426 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:47,480 He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. 427 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,760 And then it's followed by fully convinced that God was able to 428 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,240 do what He had promised. So the way I can determine 429 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:58,280 growth in my trust is that I become more and more convinced 430 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:01,680 that whenever I come to God's Word, whenever I hear a truth 431 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,480 concerning him, what He's able to do, who He is in my heart, it 432 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,320 has this unshakable ability to rely on that you know that 433 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:11,920 you're growing and you know that you're maturing in faith. 434 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:16,440 I believe Hezekiah had that kind of faith. 435 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,040 He trusted in the Lord and it's proven here the courage that 436 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,200 this man had. He removed the high places. 437 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:28,040 He destroyed something that was recognized by everyone as a 438 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:30,000 harmless thing worthy of devotion. 439 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:33,840 He goes no, so that there's no question here. 440 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:36,800 That verse five and second Kings 18 where it says he trusts in 441 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:39,840 the Lord is the secret to his boldness. 442 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,720 He didn't fear what would happen to him by his own kinsmen. 443 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:47,400 It didn't worry him at all because he trusted in the Lord 444 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:53,840 and this pleased God. But not only that, it says here 445 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:58,080 that he held fast to the Lord. All this means is that Hezekiah 446 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:00,280 was consistent with his consecrated life. 447 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:06,040 It says that in the same verse, and this principle applies to 448 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:10,000 all men, even kings, that there are certain blessings that are 449 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:15,040 reserved for those who are consistent, who are consistent, 450 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:18,640 who determine I will never depart from the Lord. 451 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,920 I will continually submit to what is Word asks for me in all 452 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:26,720 seasons. There's something there for such 453 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,000 a person who remains in longevity with the Master. 454 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,880 Yes, He is faithful to bring us back when we veer. 455 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,840 Yes, He is faithful to restore us when we run away. 456 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,200 Absolutely. But there's something for those 457 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:44,040 who remain steadfast. Another way of saying it is as 458 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,480 long as you stay close to the Lord, God will stay close to 459 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:48,240 you. OK, maybe you don't believe me, 460 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,920 so let me show you what the Lord says to another king in Second 461 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:52,800 Chronicles. Let's turn that together in 462 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,560 Second Chronicles chapter 15, verse one. 463 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,360 This is what the Lord says through Azariah to ASA. 464 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,760 The Spirit of God came upon Azariah, the son of Oded, and he 465 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,080 went out to meet ASA and said to him, Hear me, ASA and all Judah 466 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:17,080 and Benjamin, the Lord is with you while you are aware you are 467 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:21,880 with Him. If you seek Him, He will be 468 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,000 found by you, but if you forsake him, He will forsake you. 469 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:31,440 It's very simple. Do we find the same truth in the 470 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:33,520 New Testament? What did James tell the 471 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:37,920 believers? Draw near to God and what He'll 472 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,720 draw near to you. So the Lord doesn't go anywhere. 473 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:43,960 He's constant. He remains. 474 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,720 We're the ones that take different routes. 475 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:49,440 We're the ones who delay when he moves forward. 476 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,720 We're the one who go goes ahead when He remains. 477 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,360 So as much as this is a warning, it's a wonderful promise that as 478 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:58,880 long as you seek him, he'll, he'll let you find Him. 479 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:05,480 And if you want to remain under the current of his blessings, 480 00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:12,720 just stay close to him. How do you stay consistent over 481 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,240 all these years? Where else am I going to go? 482 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:16,720 Like, is it that much of A mystery? 483 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:19,200 What else does this world have to offer me? 484 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,600 So like Peter, you have the words of eternal life. 485 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,200 I can't go anywhere. There's no other option. 486 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,360 So Hezekiah, he held fast to the Lord and as long as he held fast 487 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,400 to the Lord, the Lord made him prosper wherever he went. 488 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,600 Include the Lord and everything, walk with the Lord and 489 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:37,840 everything and you will know perpetual blessing. 490 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:40,400 And we're told here back in Second Kings 18, two ways that 491 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,040 Hezekiah was prosperous. Let's come back to it in verse 492 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:44,520 7. The second part of verse 7, 493 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:47,800 something very important. It says here, let's just read 494 00:32:47,800 --> 00:32:49,160 the whole verse. And the Lord was with him 495 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:53,480 wherever he went, he prospered. There's a new covenant version 496 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,880 of spiritual prosperity. But notice this. 497 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,440 He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. 498 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:08,920 Why is that significant? Do we remember how Judah got 499 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,600 into the mess with Assyria to begin with? 500 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,520 Why was Assyria oppressing these people? 501 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:19,040 Because of Hezekiah's father? What did Ahaz say to Assyria 502 00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:23,720 when he was threatened by Syria? Just go back a couple chapters. 503 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,120 Look at chapter 16, Look at verse 7. 504 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,840 So it has sent messengers to Tillglath Pilizer, king of 505 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,840 Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son. 506 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,480 Remember we covered that. I am your servant and your son. 507 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:41,720 Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and 508 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,400 from the hand of the king of Israel who are attacking me. 509 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,160 And here's now the son of A has and he goes, I'm not your 510 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:52,040 servant, nor am I your son. I'm his servant and I'm his son. 511 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:59,440 Just again, another wonderful encouragement for us that we can 512 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:03,040 shake free from generational patterns. 513 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,400 Just because you saw your father, your mother and older 514 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,320 sibling or your friends walking in a certain way, it doesn't 515 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:11,520 mean that you have to submit to that blueprint for life. 516 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:15,159 You can make the choice to say, actually, I'm not going to 517 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:16,719 worship you. I'm not going to serve you. 518 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:18,520 My allegiance is to the Lord himself. 519 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:23,480 Counseling would look a lot different if we believe that 520 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:32,080 instead of allowing people to sit in their trouble and their 521 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:36,520 disorientation, No. Give people hope and pull them 522 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,639 out of that. Don't let that person remain a 523 00:34:39,639 --> 00:34:43,120 victim. Is it true that people are 524 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:46,480 victims of people's sins? Yes, but they can no victory. 525 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:52,040 A lot of the counseling today people are offering is not real 526 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:54,639 counsel. It just numbs people and keeps 527 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:58,720 them in defeat. But notice here a very important 528 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:03,720 sequence. Hezekiah could not break free 529 00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:09,680 from Assyria until he first fully trusted and committed 530 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:14,560 himself to the Lord. Did he rebel against Assyria 531 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:18,000 before he trusted and gave himself to the Lord? 532 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,440 No, it came after. The confidence, came after the 533 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,840 promise came after the blessing of being free came after. 534 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:33,120 And the same is true in our relationship with sin, our 535 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:34,800 relationship with anybody for that matter. 536 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:43,080 You can't know the blessing that God has for your personal life 537 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:47,080 and for your relationship with others until you establish your 538 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:50,480 relationship with Him. And there are many people 539 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,200 around, even philosophers and psychologist and pundits and 540 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,720 gurus that are trying to fix this whole mess in our world. 541 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,720 How do we establish peace? How do we create harmony? 542 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:08,280 How do we flourish injustice? Have you ever thought how the 10 543 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:13,600 commandments were organized? You have the first four that 544 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:18,840 deal with obedience and worship to God alone, and the final six 545 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:20,560 deal with our relationship with others. 546 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:26,040 That's not an accident. You want to avoid murder and 547 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:28,080 theft and adultery and covetousness. 548 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:30,520 You can't skip the first four steps. 549 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:34,360 You have to be rightly related to God if you're going to know 550 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:36,960 any kind of hope with your relationship with others and 551 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:40,280 vice versa. But everybody wants to skip 552 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:45,120 that. Everybody wants a level of 553 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,120 righteousness, but they don't want to be right with God. 554 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,640 No, no. We see it throughout Scripture 555 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:57,440 that it first begins with submission to Him before we know 556 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:02,920 any kind of sweetness in any other area. 557 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:06,680 Verse 8 is another way that He prospered. 558 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:11,480 Says here that he struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza 559 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:15,480 and its territory from watchtower to fortified city. 560 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:18,520 So in a way, here we have a subtle reference to how Hezekiah 561 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,120 is imitating David in another way. 562 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:25,400 In the same way that David chased off the Philistines a new 563 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:29,960 victory over them, Hezekiah is also walking in his steps. 564 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:35,120 That's why people recognize him as a second David, even in the 565 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,240 way that he worshipped Hezekiah, wrote a song to the Lord. 566 00:37:37,240 --> 00:37:41,720 If you go to Isaiah, let's come to the final verses of our 567 00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:43,320 study. This is quite interesting how it 568 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:46,440 ends, at least this section, verse 9. 569 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:47,920 Let's read the last three verses together. 570 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:52,480 In the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the 7th year 571 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:56,400 of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, shamaniser, king of 572 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,400 Assyria, came up against Samaria and besieged it. 573 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:03,720 And at the end of three years he took it in the sixth year of 574 00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:06,880 Hezekiah, which was the 9th year of Hosea, king of Israel. 575 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:09,800 Samaria was taken the king of Assyria. 576 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,520 Carry the Israelites away to Assyria, and put them in Hella, 577 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:16,320 and on the high bar the river of Gozen, and in the cities of the 578 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:18,600 Medes. Because they did not obey the 579 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,120 voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant. 580 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,360 Even all that Moses the servant the Lord commanded, they neither 581 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:30,200 listened nor obeyed. Is there any reason why these 582 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:36,720 verses should stand out to us? Think about previous studies, a 583 00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:40,280 very recent study like the last two weeks. 584 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,440 It's not as deep as you think, it's just an observation. 585 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,000 Is this a review of what happened to the northern Kingdom 586 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:53,720 of Israel? It is right, but we already 587 00:38:53,720 --> 00:38:56,200 covered this extensively in Second King 17. 588 00:38:56,960 --> 00:38:59,680 So then why is the historian repeating it? 589 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,280 Why are we reviewing this again? I thought we were moving on. 590 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:05,000 I thought we're dealing with the Kingdom of Judah. 591 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,880 Why are we getting a flashback? It seems out of place. 592 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,360 But read carefully, look again at verse nine in the fourth year 593 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,160 of King Hezekiah, which was the 7th year of Hosea, son of Ela, 594 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,320 king of Israel, who was the Last King of Israel. 595 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,720 So the reason why this is being brought up again is because we 596 00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:31,120 are to see that the Syrian exile, that the conquest of the 597 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:35,000 people of Israel took place during the reign of Hezekiah. 598 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:41,320 So that's the focus here. Hezekiah was fully aware of what 599 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:47,200 happened to his neighbors, and this was to highlight the risk 600 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,040 that Hezekiah took and rebelling against Assyria. 601 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:55,640 If Assyria was successful in dominating a much larger Kingdom 602 00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:59,720 in Israel, what would take place? 603 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:02,440 For Judah, now that they revolted. 604 00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:06,640 So in a sense, we're left here with suspense. 605 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:12,880 What's going to happen now? You turned your back on Assyria, 606 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:18,400 and it wasn't too long ago where the Syrians took over the nation 607 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:21,360 of Israel, namely the Kingdom of Israel up north. 608 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:26,760 At the same time, we're minded here that Israel did not lose 609 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:30,800 because they disobeyed Assyria, but they disobeyed who? 610 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:33,960 God. That's why they were given into 611 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:38,240 the hands of Assyria. So the additional lesson is 612 00:40:38,240 --> 00:40:46,280 this, As frightening as obedience may be, there is no 613 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,520 safer place. And to live in full obedience to 614 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:54,160 God, there's no safer place. And Hezekiah is about to learn 615 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:58,400 that in the rest of this chapter, he's going to anger 616 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,960 Assyria. He's going to actually invite 617 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:05,080 the wrath of Assyria. And as we're reading this, we're 618 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:06,760 thinking, what's going to happen? 619 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:09,200 But we're also offered hope because we're told in this 620 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:12,400 commentary, yes, Israel, they didn't listen or obey Moses, who 621 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,640 represented God, but Hezekiah has been obeying God. 622 00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:18,120 So how's this going to turn out? What's going to happen to this 623 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,360 man and his Kingdom? Because they have been obeying. 624 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,040 And I think this is a wonderful place to finish our study 625 00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:26,120 tonight. Do you know why? 626 00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,680 Because when we consider the times that we're living in, how 627 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:37,360 the entire world seems to be on edge, let's recall where the 628 00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:41,600 safest place, where the safest place is to be. 629 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:48,800 I'm reminded of the words of Isaiah, who very descriptively 630 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:52,480 predicted the judgement of Judah and Jerusalem and Isaiah chapter 631 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,600 3, and you know this very well. I've quoted this verse many 632 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:57,680 times. I'm not ashamed to quote it 633 00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:01,000 again in Isaiah 310. Tell the righteous that it will 634 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:07,160 be well with them. Interestingly enough, Isaiah is 635 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,520 going to come alongside Hezekiah as they're going to be tested 636 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:14,240 with the appearance of Assyria on the front step, and he is 637 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:19,000 going to bring much assurance to him and the people of Judah. 638 00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:26,840 And let me offer to you as the people of Jesus Christ, no 639 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,440 matter what you see on the news, no matter what conspiracy 640 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:31,160 theories are out there, no matter what the market looks 641 00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:37,960 like, the vacillation of our culture, of our politics, don't 642 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:41,000 put your hope in any investment. Don't put your hope in any 643 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,960 location that you have to move your family to ultimately put 644 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:49,480 your trust in Christ, dwell in the shelter of the Most High, 645 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:52,920 and abide in the shadow of the Almighty, and you have nothing 646 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:54,880 to fear. That's something that we're 647 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:56,800 going to see in more than one lesson as we continue in our 648 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:00,080 study of Second Kings. But for now, let's digest 649 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:22,240 together. I just encourage you now to 650 00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:29,040 genuinely take a short amount of time to engage with the Lord, to 651 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:35,400 fellowship with the Lord, to respond to the Bible study. 652 00:43:54,920 --> 00:44:02,040 Well, we thank you that You've reminded us what it means to you 653 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:04,000 for us to trust in you, to cling to you. 654 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:09,600 We want that for our lives. We want you to be with us. 655 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:16,160 And whatever we do, wherever we go, we thank You that you 656 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:18,320 promised us that you'll never forsake us. 657 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,240 But Lord, it is US who forsake you. 658 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:25,880 So we pray that even now, if anybody knows that they are not 659 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:29,320 walking with you the way that they should be walking with you, 660 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:34,440 that they would see the promise, they would see the prosperity 661 00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:37,120 that's available, and they would abandoned anything that is 662 00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:38,720 trying to take them away from you. 663 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:44,960 Lord, remind us that there is nothing more fulfilling than 664 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:49,000 fellowship with you, that there's nothing that can offer 665 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:53,360 the comfort and the hope and the joy that a real, vibrant 666 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:58,400 relationship with you offers. And Lord, from the bottom of our 667 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:01,640 hearts, we even ask that if there's anybody here who is not 668 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:06,920 taking that step of faith by planting their eyes on Calvary 669 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:09,680 and understanding the significance of your sacrifice 670 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:11,080 and applying it to their own lives. 671 00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:14,600 Lord, may tonight be the night. May tonight be the night where 672 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:18,200 people will cross from death to life by understanding the 673 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:22,120 simplicity of the gospel. That you've come to die for us 674 00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:25,080 and that it's our sin that put you on the cross. 675 00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:28,040 And that on that cross you've paid our debt and that we can 676 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:31,760 receive a clearance if we but trust that that's what you did 677 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,840 for us. And so for any person who is 678 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:39,160 outside of the Lord Jesus this evening, may they look upon you 679 00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:44,960 now, and may they receive the healing, the restoration, the 680 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:53,520 salvation that only you provide. May we look to no other, Lord, 681 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:59,320 we pray that if there are any high places in our lives, maybe 682 00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:06,000 even an object, a ministry and minister, a beloved Christian, 683 00:46:06,600 --> 00:46:11,360 and we have elevated them and we adore them and we're relying on 684 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:14,400 them more than you. May those things break into 685 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:20,280 pieces even now. Help us, Lord, place you above 686 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:24,720 all things, to extol and exalt you above all men or all women. 687 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:29,520 Take preeminence, Lord, and our affections and our meditations 688 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:35,760 may be Christ and Christ alone. Lord, we now sing to you and 689 00:46:35,760 --> 00:46:38,880 rejoice that You are the true king of our lives. 690 00:46:40,840 --> 00:46:42,920 This Bible study can only go so far. 691 00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:47,120 It must be the work of Your Holy Spirit to groove these things in 692 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:52,520 US, to surgically deal with the issues of our souls. 693 00:46:53,080 --> 00:46:55,760 And yes, Lord, even for those who might have had a traumatic 694 00:46:55,760 --> 00:47:01,160 past, may they trust that Your grace is able to rescue them and 695 00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:05,120 set them on a path of true joy and victory where they can offer 696 00:47:05,120 --> 00:47:06,840 hope and healing to others in Your name. 697 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:10,640 So any person here who has convinced themselves that they 698 00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:14,880 are a permanent victim, oh, in Christ, may they know victory. 699 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:18,320 Only you can do it and we give you glory for all the things 700 00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:22,000 that you can do in our lives. In Jesus name we pray. 701 00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:24,360 Amen. Let's stand and worship the 702 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:25,120 living Christ.