LIFE SAVING XX Hezekiah

2 Kings 17 “This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God…they build for themselves high places in all their towns… they served idols…yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet…but they would not listen…they followed the nations that were around them…they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God…they burned their sons and daughters as offerings…So Israel was exiled from their own land to Assyria…

Hezekiah Became king of Judah when he was 25 Israel falls to Assyria in 722 BC In a world/community/people bent on doing things their own way, ignoring God, and worshipping every false god imaginable, Hezekiah begins to make some LIFE SAVING DECISIONS

Kings 18:3-7 “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD…he removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it…He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. The LORD was with him and he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him.

Hezekiah Removes The high places The idols The bronze serpent AND would not serve the king of Assyria

Cleaned House – Now Rebuilds “Ahaz shut up the doors of the temple” – 2 Chron 28:24 “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them.” – 2 Chronicles 29:3 They have a “Temple Work Day” A successful foundation starts with God

Restart the Sacrifices and Holidays Sacrifices resume at the temple – 2 Chronicles 29:21 “Make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the LORD…for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. - 2 Chronicles 30:5

The Passover Celebration of Freedom from Egyptian Slavery When they were reborn as a nation under God By forgetting the Passover the people had forgotten who they belonged to Crucial we never forget who we belong to

What a Revival! “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” – 2 Chronicles 30:26

Hezekiah’s Great Choices Reopened the Temple Brought back the Passover Removed all false gods and religions But then… “After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.” – 2 Chronicles 32:1

2 Kings 19:10-12 “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, devoting them to destruction. And you shall be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them? If you are Hezekiah, this is a terrifying message

Lachish has been Taken 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem 2nd in importance to Jerusalem Built to protect them from enemies to the south

What Will Hezekiah Do? LIFE SAVING DECISION “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.” – 2 Kings 19:14 “God there is nothing I can do, I need YOU” LIFE SAVING DECISION

Hezekiah Then Prays “O, LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib which has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands… So now, O LORD our God, save us, please…” - 2 Kings 19:15-19

Hezekiah Takes Action Doesn’t ask Isaiah to pray Hezekiah takes ownership and prays himself We must take ownership of our faith It is not the preachers faith, the elders faith, your parents faith, your children’s faith, your spouses faith, or even grandmas faith, it is YOUR FAITH God responds to true faith

2 Kings 19:32-34 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mount against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” 185,000 soldiers were killed in their sleep by God

Why? Hezekiah’s Life Saving Choices Reopened the Temple Brought back the Passover Removed all false gods and religions Showed Faith over Fear Used Prayer as his weapon of choice

4 Lessons Clean House Restore Godly Ways When Trouble Comes – PRAY Remove the idols and sin from your life Restore Godly Ways Renew your prayer life, Bible study, worship habits When Trouble Comes – PRAY The greatest weapon you have is prayer Don’t Give Up When it Looks Hopeless We serve a “Friday-Sunday” God