My Sermons 2017-Jun-18 - Hezekiah

    Hezekiah means ¡°The Lord Has Strengthened.  He was one of the great Kings that ruled Israel.

    Bible Says that there was no king like him before in Judah!

    The question, though, is what made Hezekiah great?

    • It wasn’t his father, Ahaz -  Ahaz was a wicked man - II Kings 16:2-4
    2 Kings 16:2-4 NKJV
    Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. [3] But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel. [4] And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

    • He wasn't like his son either - Manasseh
    2 Kings 21:1-2,4-6 NKJV
    Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. [2] And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. [4] He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put My name." [5] And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. [6] Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.







    Lessons from Hezekiah include the lessons of 1) Restoration, 2) Prayer, 3) Pride.



    Overview:

    1) Hezekiah was one of the few good kings of Israel.
    2) The story of the good king Hezekiah is told in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32, and Isaiah 36-39.
    3) He was twenty-five years old

    2 Chronicles 29:1 NKJV
    Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah.

    4) Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Micah were all prophets that prophesied during this king’s reign.
    Isaiah also played a very significant role in the life of Hezekiah - being the kings close counselor


    5) Hezekiah tore down the high places in the land where idolatry was practiced (2 Kings 18:4).
    2 Kings 18:4 NKJV
    He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

    6) The Bible says “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.” David (2 Kings 18:3).
    2 Chronicles 29:2 NKJV
    And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.




    1. Restoration:
      1. Temple Worship Restored
    2 Chronicles 29:3-5 NKJV
    In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. [4] Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, [5] and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.

    2 Chronicles 29:18-19 NKJV
    Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. [19] Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the LORD."

    2 Chronicles 29:28-29 NKJV
    So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. [29] And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped.

    1. Passover Observance was restored:
    2 Chronicles 30:1-3 NKJV
    And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. [2] For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. [3] For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem.

    2 Chronicles 30:13-16 NKJV
    Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. [14] They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron. [15] Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. [16] They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites.

    • How did Hezekiah know all these things??? To Worship and to observe the Passover, having such a wicked Father and Wicked Son

    • They Went to the Word of God
      • [16] They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites.

    • God can truly restore our Church if we listen to His word today
      • Luke 8:11 NKJV -  "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.


    1 Peter 1:22-25 NKJV
    Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, [23] having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, [24] because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, [25] But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.


    Many of us have a very sad Bible reading Habit:
    1. Calendar 2. Lottery 3. SMS / Whats app etc.  .. But the Lord wants to teach us and give us Wholesome food to nourish our Souls.

    If you and I are not feeding on God's word. We are in very great danger, very vulnerable to the attack of the Devil and Fail to understand the Will of God in our life!  And Getting out Life Destroyed!!! Yes the Bible says that Without the knowledge of God, we are destroyed!!!!

    Hosea 4:6 NKJV
    My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.


    Isaiah 40:8 NKJV
    The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."

    Here's how Jesus responded to those who did not know the Scriptures:
    Matthew 22:23-32 NKJV
    The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, [24] saying: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. [25] Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. [26] Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. [27] Last of all the woman died also. [28] Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." [29] Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. [30] For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. [31] But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, [32] 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."


    Jesus Even Rebuked His disciples for not knowing the Scripture:

    Luke 24:23-27 NKJV
    When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. [24] And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see." [25] Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" [27] And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

    John 20:9-10 NKJV
    For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. [10] Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.



    1. Prayer

    1. Sennacherib: The King of Assyria  He undertook many military campaigns to the west. In his own inscriptions he boasts of having taken many of Judah¡¯s cities

    2 Chronicles 32:9-19 NKJV
    After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, [10] "Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: 'In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? [11] Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria"? [12] Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, "You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it"? [13] Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? [14] Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? [15] Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?'" [16] Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. [17] He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, "As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand." [18] Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. [19] And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth-the work of men's hands.

    Since Hezekiah was rooted in the Word of God , he Encourages his people, as he has put his trust in the God of the Bible:
    2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NKJV
    "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. [8] With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

    Hezekiah & Isaiah Prays:
    2 Kings 19:14-19 NKJV
    And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. [15] Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: "O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. [16] Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. [17] Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, [18] and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands-wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. [19] Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone."

    2 Chronicles 32:20-23 NKJV
    Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. [21] Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there. [22] Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. [23] And many brought gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.



    1. His Sickness:
      1. Isaiah Told him that he would die:
    2 Kings 20:1 NKJV
    In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'"


    But Hezekiah prayed to the Lord for deliverance and he was restored to health.

    2 Kings 20:2-7 NKJV
    [2] Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, [3] "Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. [4] And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, [5] "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. [6] And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David."'" [7] Then Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs." So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

    From Hezekiah, we can learn that PRAYER CAN DEFINITELY CHANGE THINGS!

    This is what the Bible says in the book for James:

    James 5:13-18 NKJV
    Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. [16] Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. [17] Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.


    1 John 3:22 NKJV
    And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

    1 John 5:14-15 NKJV
    Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. [15] And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

    Psalm 33:18-22 NKJV
    Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, [19] To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. [20] Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. [21] For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. [22] Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

    Psalm 34:15 NKJV
    The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.


    Job 36:7 NKJV
    He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, For He has seated them forever, And they are exalted.


    1. His PRIDE:
      1. Hezekiah also displayed a measure of pride in his life as a king.
      2. We find that after Sennacherib left that he began to glory in the riches of Jerusalem.

    2 Chronicles 32:27-30 NKJV
    Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; [28] storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks. [29] Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. [30] This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

    1. One of the sons of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and Hezekiah showed him all of their wealth.

    Isaiah 39:1-2 NKJV
    At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. [2] And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures-the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory-all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.


    God wanted to test the Heart of Hezekiah:
    2 Chronicles 32:31 NKJV
    However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.


    1. We’ve all got to be careful with the problem of pride. Because Hezekiah had Pride in his heart about his Possession and Riches here's what god tells him through the Prophet Isaiah:

    Isaiah 39:3-4 NKJV
    Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?" So Hezekiah said, "They came to me from a far country, from Babylon." [4] And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."\


    Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”

     Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

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