Sound Doctrine

Speaker 1: Need a little cleansing today? Here's Pastor Jeff.

Speaker 2: That's why Jesus shed his blood. There's power in the blood of the lamb. Cleansing power. Cleansing big time. If we confess our sins, he what? Faithful and just forgives us and cleanses us from what? All unrighteousness.

Speaker 1: Generally speaking, criminal law is designed to discourage behavior that society has deemed inappropriate. The law of God also has a purpose. And that is to reveal our sin and point us to Christ. If we look at God's laws as a set of rules to follow in order to get to heaven, we miss the point. We cannot obey the law perfectly. So we must turn to faith in Christ for our salvation. To day on sound doctrine, Pastor Jeff Johnson will elaborate as he continues his study of Galatians. We'll be in chapter 3 verses 23 through 29.

Speaker 3: Hezekiah, second to David. Okay, David's the top. Hezekiah is second to David. Now, David was a great the greatest king. Hezekiah was the second greatest king in Judah. And David, we know, he blew it, but he repented. He had a heart like God says that's my heart. What is God's heart? A heart of repentance. David repented. And God blessed him. He loved God with all of his heart. He's not like Solomon who loved with half of his heart. He loved God with all of his heart. And so we see this 11 chapters that are have been dedicated to Hezekiah throughout the Bible.

Actually, there's a number of them here in in Chronicles and Kings. And Isaiah has some chapters on Hezekiah. Why? Because he was a great king. And he did great things. Because after all that last three, four kings that we've had and we went through them, you get depressed after a while. You go, gosh, these guys started so well and then they ended so poorly. But then we got a hold of Ahaz and that was just everything. It was just a ruin. It from the beginning to the end. We watched the guy just, you know, explode and and he was taken out.

I mean, it's unbelievable. And and you get kind of depressed when you see how these kings, they had so much power and rule over the people and how they abused that or how it got to their their minds and their heart as far as being able to manipulate people and lord over them. And they did that. And they thought they could get away with anything. Well, God taught us you don't get away with nothing. He knows everything that you're doing and whatever you sow, you're going to read. You just that's it, man. That's the bottom line.

That's a truth if you're a Christian or you're not a Christian. What are you sowing to? Well, tonight we're sowing to the spirit. We're going to reap everlasting life. So this is a good night. This is going to be great time and we got revival. So this is what what is the beginning of revival? Is the question we want to answer tonight. So it says that Hezekiah chapter 29 began to reign when he was 5 and 25 years old. Young king and he reigned 9 and 20 years. In other words, 29 years he reigned. And remember, there was 15 years given to Hezekiah because he he was sick.

He was dying and he cried out to God and God healed him and gave him 15 more years. So we'll find out what that did, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing later on. But he had been blessed with with many years of ruling. Uh he reigned 920 years in Jerusalem and his mother's name was Abijah and the daughter was Zechariah of of Zechariah. Now, what's interesting to me is he hear the Chronicle mentions his mother's name and the daughter a grandmother and a a mother. So really Hezekiah was raised by these two women.

And there is another guy who was also raised by two women. And that is Timothy. And in 2 Timothy 1 verse 5 it says this about young pastor Timothy. It says when I call and Paul's talking to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in you, Timothy, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice. And I am persuaded that in thee also. So they raised him from a little pup into a man of God, two women. Evidently, Timothy's father was not born again Christian, did not know the Lord. He's not in this picture, but mom and grandma are hanging in there and they're praying for Timothy.

So moms, grandmas, steady on. You know, know what God's going to do and how he is going to answer your prayers and as you continue to just pour in to those kids. Then verse 2 and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that David, his father had done. So saying that David was his father. He he was going after David, the greatest king. And so he loved God very much with a full heart with intensity and fervency. And that's what David had. And consistency. They were consistently, you know, steady and on with eyes on him.

Now, there is a revival that breaks forth under Hezekiah. So Hezekiah is a reformer and he wants to bring everybody back to the worship of God. See they've been ripped off by Ahaz big time. Uh they were brought into captivity. They were beat up. They lost the battles. They they the you know, the door of the the temple was shut and it was left over to all of the idols and idolatry was throughout the land. Big time apostasy. Everybody was falling away. Nobody was following God. And you know, here's here's a time that we're seeing today where this needs to happen.

We need revival. The revival starts with each one of us in the church. So he, verse 3, in the first year of his reign, the first month right out of the shoot, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He says we got to get back to church, guys. We got to get back to temple. That's where it is. That's where it happens. We got to get into his presence. And so he immediately opened them up. Why? Because back in 2 Chronicles 28, look with me, in verse 24 Ahaz, it says gathered together the vessels of the house of the Lord and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of the Lord.

What else? He shut up the doors of the house of the Lord. He was so corrupt. He said we don't need this stuff. We don't need God. What a mess. But now Hezekiah says no way. We need the Lord. If there's going to be revival, we got to get back with the Lord. So we open the doors back to basics, you know, fellowship with God. Uh there's a scripture over in Proverbs chapter 8 verse 17. Proverbs 8:17. He says I love them that love me. I love this verse. And those that seek me early shall find me.

Do you love the Lord? Then seek him and you will find him. Yes, he's he's hanging out right now. And you feel far from God. You moved. Move in. Tonight's a good start. Move close. And you will find me, God said. How we need him. So in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 verse 24 Ahaz shuts the door, tries to do his own thing. But yet you know, this is where it happens, folks. This is where it takes place. It's in Bible study. It's when people gather together like this and go through the scriptures and understand that this is what God is saying to us personally, individually.

We take it to heart and it changes us. And so what does Hebrews 10:25 say? There's don't forsake yourselves gathering together as the manner of some is tonight. But even more so as you see the day approaching, we need to be gathering together more. We need to be building ourselves up in the faith. We need to be getting stronger and brighter in in our light towards the Lord so we can be used of him. And that 's why we're here tonight. Hopefully that's why you're here to get stronger in him. Remember Psalm 73 in verse 17 and David was coveting after the rich and and he he said I almost threw the towel and almost gave up because those guys are always happy.

They never get sick. You know, they're always having parties and stuff. How come I don't get the win the lottery? You know, how come I don't get or get a break? You need a break, go to McDonald's. You deserve a break today. No, listen. David he got his eyes and coveted what the rich had. And he thought you know, I have done all this stuff seeking the Lord for nothing. And then he said this in Psalm 73:17 until I went into the house of the Lord. When I went into the house of the Lord, all of a sudden I got clarity and I realized that these people that are pushing God away out of their lives are in a slippery slope and they're in a dangerous place and in a moment they could be taken out into total devastation.

Brain aneurysm. Boom, you're out of here. And you didn't get it right. And there you were in church that night and the gospel was shared and you said nah, not going to I'm not going for it. And you turned him away in slippery places. And once that's done, once it's over, it's over. And David realized that. And so instead of coveting after them, he pitied them. He began to pray for them as we should be and intercede for them. So revival according to Revelation chapter 2 and you might want to jot this down because we're asking the question you know, the the starting of revival.

Where is it? In Revelation 2:4 it says nevertheless Jesus is speaking to his church. I have somewhat against you because you have left your first love. You see at one time you were revived. You were in love with Jesus and then slowly but surely you left your first love. Spiritual things aren't first now in your life. You got a whole bunch of things that kind of fell in front of you. And there's what's important instead of just fellowship with God through his son. And then he says in verse 5 of Revelation 2 remember therefore from whence you have fallen and repent.

Turn the way you've been going. Do your first works over again. Get back to your first love. Or he says else I will come unto you and I will remove the candlestick out of his place except you repent. Wow, that's from the Lord himself. I'll just take my light out of you. And you can walk in darkness. Is that is that what you want? Or you can repent and come back and and just fall in love with him all over again. Hopefully this communion will help you tonight as we have break the bread. So back to that first love, repentance, humility.

After Ahaz was on the scene, there seemed to be no more hope. It seems like God is done with Judah totally for the whole nation. There's no resources. They've all been depleted. They're totally defeated in war. The enemy's all around them. They were betrayed by Assyria. That was what we talked about last week. And you'd think they're done. Put a fork in them. They're done. But no. No help for them because they did those things. No, there's help. And I love that Psalm Psalm 1 21. Listen to what the psalmist says. I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.

My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth. There's hope. There's help. It's eyes on him, eyes on God. You're encouraged then to steady on and not give it up. You get back to God. And I love that scripture in Ephesians. Just jot it down. Ephesians chapter 2 starting with verse 18 2:18. He says for through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father. Now, therefore, you are not strangers anymore, or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. And you are built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom all the building fitly joined together grows up unto the holy temple of the Lord in whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the spirit.

So God wants to inhabit us, bless us as we just open up to him and bind us together to serve him. So revival begins when we get back to our first love. And then it kicks off from there. Notice verse 4. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, gathered them together unto the street. So revival starts with now we're going to see it cleansing. He says and he said unto them when you bring in the priests and you bring in the Levites, that means they're going to be interceding. That means there's going to be sacrifice.

That means there's going to be cleansing. And he said to them, hear me, ye Levites, sanctify yourselves. Sanctify the house of the Lord for your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the place. So it 's time to be cleansed. Remember what Isaiah said. Isaiah chapter 6 when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and the Lord spoke to him and he and and he said, oh man, I see that I'm an unclean man. He got convicted. And I dwell in a in a in a in a in the midst of an unclean people and and my mouth is filthy.

And he cried out to the Lord. He was he was convicted and then he not only was convicted, he confessed his sin. He said I have to confess I'm unclean. And the Lord forgave him and cleansed him. And then he consecrated his life to the Lord. After cleansing, he could hear then from the Lord. You see God needs cleansing. That's why Jesus shed his blood. There's power in the blood of the lamb. Cleansing power. Cleansing big time. If we confess our sins, he what? Faithful and just forgives us and cleanses us from what? All unrighteousness.

So this is needed. Ahaz allowed the holy place to be totally desecrated and defiled. The scripture in the New Testament says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 that our bodies are the temple of the living God. When you receive Christ, he comes to live inside of you. We're walking in holy places. That's the truth. Jesus dwells within us. He goes on to talk about that in 2 Corinthians also. So there's a cleansing that needs to happen here. Over in 2 Kings chapter 18 you don't have to turn there, but just write it down. 2 Kings 18 verse 4 it says Hezekiah and this is really the chapter that backs up what we're studying tonight.

Put it down. 2 Kings 18 you can read it later on. But he removed Hezekiah removed the high places, broke the images, cut down the groves, broken pieces, noticed the brazen serpent that Moses had made. Remember what happened in the wilderness? Moses made this brazen serpent. Lord said put it on a pole and hold it high. Serpent speaks of sin. And and remember Jesus in the New Testament said if I be lifted up, you know, I will draw all men unto myself. In other words, look and live, he told the children of Israel. Why? They were being bitten by vipers and they were dying.

But when that serpent went up, man, and they looked at that serpent, they lived. So if I be lifted up, Jesus said, I will draw all men to myself. Powerful thing the cross is. The cross is such an incredible image of God's love that he would allow his son to go through that. We'll talk about it during communion. It was incredible. So he he's cleaning the place out. And what did the children of Israel do? They he said for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it. And he called it It means it means a thing of brass.

They began to worship the serpent that Moses used on that pole. They somehow kept it for many years and began to bow down to it as an image. And then it says Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him was none like him among the kings of Judah. He stood his ground, you know, and he he probably got it from Isaiah chapter 26 verse 2 or Isaiah says trust in the Lord with all your heart. Isaiah 26 verse 2 thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose what? Mind is stayed on thee.

Why? Because he trusts in thee. You see Hezekiah had that perfect peace. He heard from Isaiah. He said, man, I'm going to keep my eyes on the Lord. I need perfect peace. You know, I I have a big responsibility that God has given to me and I need to keep my eyes on him so he can lead me and do this in me and through me. Cuz then it's going to get done right. Then I'm my flesh is not going to start touching stuff and I'm going to start wigging out and getting a big head and stuff.

And that's so important cuz we watched Ahaz and just ruined him. So he's really cleansed, sanctified, set aside. What is revival? It's you set yourself and you give yourself to the Lord and you your life is then set aside for him and him alone. He's very jealous for us, too. It's like these communion trays right here. These have been set aside for communion and communion only. So they're they've been sanctified, haven't they? Set aside. God wants to set us aside, take us out of the world and cause us to be different. He says I've called you forth.

Don't touch the unclean thing. Come and follow me. Separate yourself from the things of the world. That's what's going on here. Then he says and the and he carry forth the filthiness. The filthiness is not just the the stuff that was laying all over the place, the bottles and the the the the just the junk that they were doing in there. Uh it's a lot of it. I mean, there it was let go big time. The doors are shut and yet they also had many idols in there, many weird stuff going on in there. So they had to scrub it down.

But a lot of it was the idols and the just the junk that they had got their eyes on. He says verse 6 for our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and have forsaken him. Our fathers, our forefathers, they just left the Lord. And now we're paying and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. So instead of getting on their faces to the Lord and seeking him, they just turned their back on him and did their own thing.

Over in 2 Chronicles 15 verse 2 he says at the end of that verse well, I'll read the whole verse. He says the Lord is with you while you are with him. And if you seek him, he will be found of you. But if you forsake him, if you turn your back on him, he will forsake you. And rightly so. I mean, you don't want to be his friend? You don't want to walk with God? He goes okay. Then walk with the other guy. See how it works out. And how let me ask you right now, how is it working out?

Are you experiencing the peace of God that passes understanding, the joy of the Lord, unspeakable and full of glory? No. You turn your back, then he says I'll forsake you. Notice verse 7. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch. So everything was shut up and put out the lamps that have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. This is all about their worship. This is all about how they would come in and and re and do the sacrifices, do the burning of incense, the prayers of God's people and everything is pointing towards New Testament reality, everything in the temple.

Speaker 1: We'll pause here for today, but be sure to join us next time here on sound doctrine as Pastor Jeff Johnson brings us the conclusion of his message in Galatians chapter 3. You've been listening to a study in the book of Galatians here on sound doctrine with Pastor Jeff Johnson. We pray you've been blessed by what you've heard today. Galatians is filled with challenging insights for Christian living. And if you'd like to hear this study again, simply go to sounddoctrineradio.org sounddoctrineradio.org or listen through the sound doctrine podcast app. You can also hear sound doctrine on oneplace.com and wherever you enjoy podcasts including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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