Palm Sunday Message

Psalm 2

Introduction

The International Herald Tribune Reports that “European governments would be ready to cut (greenhouse gas)emissions by 2020 to 30 percent below 1990 levels, from a current pledge of 20 percent— but only if other heavy polluters joined in, said Sigmar Gabriel, the German environment minister who led a meeting in Brussels that formally endorsed the EU targets.

“Germany, the biggest European economy, already was prepared to cut its own emissions even further if there was a broader agreement, Gabriel said, pointing to the 40 percent target supported by the German Parliament.”

These decisions are based on a perception declared by many scientists that we are headed for an environmental disaster which we have caused and if we don’t change our habits soon, we will destroy the world as we know it. The question we ask about that perception is, “Is that perception reality?” All of the evidence of science is beyond doubt that we are experiencing global warming that is causing some alarming problems and the fear is that it will cause even greater problems. A recent meeting of scientists left no doubt about that. However, at the same meeting, they were only 90% certain that we are the cause. There are some scientists who are not sure at all that our actions are causing the current global warming. This leaves at least some doubt as to whether the perception is reality. This is a fairly important issue and if we are destroying our house, we should certainly do everything we can to clean it up. Wouldn’t it be great to have certainty about what is reality and what is perception so that we could agree and not merely operate from a perception?

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the day we recall the story of the Triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem.

This story creates a perception. It is a perception that Jesus is the king. But as we read what follows, it becomes evident that this is really all that it is. It creates a perception, but what is the reality? Immediately following this story, we see evidence of God’s kingdom when Jesus heals those who are blind and lame, but we also see evidence that He is not king. Within a few verses we read that the authority of Jesus was being questioned and within a few chapters we have the story of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Is the triumphal entry story of Jesus being king a perception or is it reality? The world has a perception about the reign of Jesus but what is the reality? How does the reality impact our lives? The reign of God is a story which is played out in all of Scripture. One of the passages which leaves no confusion about the reality of that reign is Psalm 2. This morning as we examine this Psalm, we want to be reminded that the eternal reign of God through His Messiah is reality, not merely our perception and in spite of the world’s contrary perception. We want to be encouraged by this message and we will also think about the warning to those who reject that reign.

Read Psalm 2

The World Perception

There is a perception among the people and the rulers of the world about the reign of Jesus. We see that perception described in verses 1-3.

The world, its leaders and people, is angry at God. Verse 1 speaks about the rage of the world against God. They do not like God.

The world plans rebellion against the reign of God. They meet together to see what they can do to work against God and against His anointed one. The people of the world plot against God. They stand together against God.

The leaders and people of the world refuse to follow God. In verse 3 they agree that they will do whatever they can to break what they perceive to be God’s hold on them. They feel bound by God and they reject that feeling.

The kingdom of God is rejected by the kingdom of this world. As I read this I was wondering whether people deliberately reject God’s reign or if they do so unknowingly. Do the leaders of Canada ignore God because they just don’t think he exists or are they deliberate in their rejection of God? They do not make decisions with a conscious desire to hear what God is saying. But do they make those decisions because they are knowingly and consciously saying “no” to Him or do they simply not think about God? The impression we get from what the world says is that they just don’t believe in Him and so make decisions without a conscious awareness of God. This text would suggest that it is a deliberate rejection. Romans 1 would also suggest that no one unknowingly rejects God. They reject all the evidence pointing to God and so are in rebellion against Him.

Whatever the case, the common perception of the people and the rulers of this world is that God doesn’t count, He is not to be taken seriously, He is ignored, He is rejected. The majority of people in the world do not live in a relationship with God in their lives.

The evidence of people’s rejection of God’s reign was evident in the Old Testament. The reign of God was present in the nation of Israel, but from the beginning, nations rejected God’s people and fought against them. When Gideon told his 300 soldiers to cry “For the Lord and for Gideon” it was because those who came against them came not only against the nation of Israel, but against the Lord.

In the New Testament, this Psalm is actually quoted in Acts 4 following the release of Peter and John to explain why the Jewish leaders were rejecting the followers of Jesus. In Acts 4:26-27 it says, "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed."

This opposition has continued throughout history. Several hundred years after the beginning of the church, Diocletian, a Roman emperor had a medal struck bearing the inscription, "The name of Christians being extinguished."

I read that James Dobson was invited to comment on sexual abstinence on a broadcast in New York. He took two days to participate in the filming and the final show aired 45 seconds of his interview. He writes, "I routinely turn down these kinds of network television `opportunities'...the deck is usually stacked against those of us with a Judeo-Christian point of view."

I also read this quote in The Humanist, "Do we need traditional Christianity?" "No!" "Once God was a big strong man with a beard, generally invisible, who ran the show...as human knowledge increased, such a God became less and less credible..."

I also read a story of a person who went into a jewellery story to purchase a cross. The sales clerk asked the person, “Do you want a plain one, or one with a little man on it?"

The perception of a majority of the world is that God isn’t or that He doesn’t count or He is to be rejected and opposed at all cost. But is that the ultimate reality of the universe?

God’s Reality

On the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, he was declaring reality. On that day, reality was not recognized, but that did not change what reality was. Psalm 2 declares what reality is and that is that God is the one enthroned in heaven. Revelation 4:2 affirms that reality when it says, "I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it."

The presentation of this reality in Psalm 2 is quite amazing. God laughs at the violent rebellion of those who oppose Him. God’s laughter was already seen in the Old Testament when the deliverer of Israel was raised in the house of Pharaoh. Just think about it. Moses was the one who would destroy Egypt and lead a slave nation out of that country. Pharaoh did not know that he who was raised in his royal house would destroy his people, but God knew and in that knowing was laughing at their rebellion against Him. He mocks their feeble attempts to overthrow Him. In his mocking he is saying to their feeble rebellion, “you can’t be serious!”

He not only laughs, he also rebukes them for their unwise rebellion. He causes His fear to enter their hearts because He is angry at their rebellion. In his rebuke He is saying to them, “you are dead wrong.” God is King and that is reality.

The kingship of God is declared and established on earth through His Son whom He has appointed King. Already in II Samuel 7:8-16, God had declared that a son of David would forever sit on the throne reigning His people. This is where the triumphal entry story and this Psalm connect. It was on the occasion of the triumphal entry that the world was able to see reality. Reality is that Jesus is the king who has come into this world. He is the one who was presented as King and became King when he ascended to the right hand of the Father following His death and resurrection. He is the one who will reign over all the nations of the earth.

Jesus is the one who will receive all nations as His inheritance. It was customary for kings to grant large gifts to people who were highly favoured. To Esther the king said, in Esther 5:6, "Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted." In Psalm 2:8, God, the King, promises that His Son, His anointed one will receive all nations as an inheritance in answer to His request.

He is also the one who will break down all rebellion against God. Psalm 2:9 is repeated in Revelation 12:5 where we read, “She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” It is also repeated in 19:15 which says, “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” His reign is further described in Revelation 18 where we see the vivid imagery describing the destruction of Babylon, the symbol of all nations rebellion against God. These are the truths of reality.

Scott Hoesee says, “You see, just based on the gospels, there seems to be virtually no hook-up between Psalm 2 and Jesus' actual life. But maybe that's because we're making the same mistake as the Babylonians and others made about ancient Israel: namely, we're looking only at the surface of history. Perhaps if our vision could penetrate deeper, we would see that everything Psalm 2 says about God's mighty anointed King applies to Jesus and then some. Perhaps if we could peek behind the scenes of history we'd see Jesus smashing the forces of darkness with something far firmer than even an iron sceptre: we'd see him defeating death itself through the unlikely weapon of his own cross.”

Responses To God’s Reality

What response is there to this reality?

Warning

Earlier I talked about the perception that we are headed for an environmental disaster. Those who perceive this to be reality warn us that we need to respond to this danger and make immediate changes in our lifestyle. They warn that if we do not, we will see more violent weather, extinction of certain animal species like the polar bear and increased flooding on coastal communities.

The perception of the world is that God is irrelevant. But, as we have seen, that is not reality. Reality is that God is King of all. Since that is reality, rulers and indeed all people need to take warning. This warning comes in Psalm 2:10-12.

God warns the kings to be wise and respond appropriately to the reality and not to their perception. All people, not only kings need to reckon with the reality that God is King.

God warns them that they should serve the Lord with fear. Recognizing His power and His ability to destroy all rebellion, they should rather serve God. In the musical “The King and I” the king sings a song about the difficulty of ruling and what is wise and what kind of alliances will serve the country best. He asks himself, “Shall I join with other nations in alliance. If allies are weak am I the best of all. If allies are strong with power to protect me, might they not protect me out of my own home.” Because God is King, a wise choice for any ruler is to serve God, to make a firm alliance with Him. For anyone, it is wise to make a relationship with God and to serve Him.

But please note what the text says, we need to serve Him with fear, for He is a ruler, He is a King, He is not merely a good buddy.

God further warns that they should rejoice with trembling. Recently Carla and I watched two movies which revealed some significant injustices which have happened in history. One contained a story of the horrible massacre of native Americans in the 1800’s. We normally think about Americans and Canadians as a just society, but what they have done to the native population is not just. The other movie told the story of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Once again the injustice and corruption of some in power was very evident. How thankful I am that God is not like that. This week I was reading Psalm 10 & 11 in my devotions. In these Psalms there is a powerful impression that God is a righteous King. He always does what is just and is always loving. Therefore we can rejoice before Him. All kings and indeed all people are encouraged to rejoice. But once again to do so with trembling recognizing His sovereign power.

The third response called for by the rulers and by all people on earth is to “kiss the Son.” To kiss is a sign of homage and submission. To kiss the Son is to acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord of all the earth. Today we have a picture of Jesus as meek and mild. In Matthew 12:20, we read that He is gentle and will not break a bruised reed. This is the present invitation to follow Jesus which comes today through the preaching of the gospel. But the reality is that He is also the King who in the end will punish all who reject Him. Now is the time to “kiss the Son” and recognize that He is the Lord of all and that all need to bow before Him.

If you are among those who have rejected the sovereign power of Jesus, be warned. This is not only for rulers, but also for all people.

Encouragement

This reality confronts the false perception. The false perception of the world is that God doesn’t count. The reality is that God is king. The triumphal entry presents Jesus as God’s anointed ruler. The end will leave no doubt. As Philippians 2:10 says, at that time every knee will bow in recognition of the reality.

How do we who have already perceived the reality and accepted it respond to this truth? How do we respond to those who have not accepted the reality?

One thing is certain, we must not respond with arrogance. We must not present ourselves to those who reject Jesus as those who are better than they are. We are sometimes tempted to respond in this way. We know the truth. We know how history is going to end. We know what is going to happen to those who reject Jesus. But Jesus knew all these things even better than we do and did not respond with arrogance or mocking. God laughs, but that does not give us the right to laugh. Rather, we must be humble.

At the same time, we can rejoice with tremendous encouragement. When the enemies of God seem so strong. When from the world’s perspective what we know as reality seems like just a perception and when their perception seems like the reality by all the things that are happening in our world, we are sometimes discouraged. We get tired of always having to explain, always being tempted to answer with a certain shame that we follow Jesus. The perception is that Jesus is a loser and all who follow Him are losers. It is in times like that that we need to remember what is perception and what is reality. It is the world’s perception that Jesus is nothing, but that is not reality. Reality is that Jesus is Lord. That God is the King over all and that in the end it is His kingdom that will be eternally established and it is His righteous and loving reign that will stand. Because that is reality, we can rejoice. The final line of Psalm 2 tells us, “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

This is encouragement. It tells us that as we continue to hope and trust in God we will experience blessing. It encourages us that we can take refuge, that is we can trust and we can put all our confidence in God. If we ever doubt, a reading of this Psalm or a reading of a fuller description found in Revelation 1:5; 2:27; 4:2; 6:17; 12:5; 19:5. is an encouragement.

Understanding this reality is also a challenge. It challenges us to be faithful because it is worth keeping on in our relationship with God because it will result in blessing.

Conclusion

Scott Hoesee writes, “In the Epilogue to one of his books Lewis Smedes tells about Siauliai, a city in Lithuania. Just outside the city is the Hill of Crosses: a cemetery commemorating a host of loved ones and so, a hill so thick with crosses you can hardly see the ground because of them. That is an actual picture of it. When the Russians came in 1940, the Soviet Army made sure to mow down those crosses the way a farmer mows a wheat field. They then passed a law against any further cross-planting as an offence against the atheist state.

“But the Lithuanian villagers paid the law no mind and kept sneaking back in the night to replace the crosses the Russians took. For over 40 years a tug-o-war between the Soviets and the villagers continued until finally, by 1988, the Soviet Empire had enough other problems to occupy its fevered brain and so they left the Hill of Crosses in peace. And then the Soviet Empire died.

“Now those crosses have new meaning for the people of Siauliai. Now the people gather there to remember not only their loved ones but the wonderful way by which the cross of Jesus beat back the hammer and sickle emblazoned on those Russian bulldozers. For them, the Hill of Crosses has become a Hill of Hope--hope in God's Anointed One who alone will emerge the Victor in and through and over history's every conflict. Or as Psalm 2 puts it in conclusion, "Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Indeed. Amen."

Hezekiah: Extreme Makeover, Heart Edition

II Chronicles 29-32

Introduction

I suspect that a number of you enjoy watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I believe that of all the reality shows, this one is the best because it shows genuine caring for needy people. The people who are helped are often in some very difficult situations and often the changes are quite radical.

The first part of the show introduces us to the desperate need for a makeover. Someone has applied to have the makeover done, either a member of the family living there or a friend or neighbour. Often a makeover is needed because the house is falling apart or someone is handicapped or is caring for a family that is larger than the house can hold or some other such need. So the show begins by establishing why a makeover is necessary.

The next part of the show usually shows a demolition, sometimes certain sections of the house and sometimes the whole house is destroyed. The mess is removed and then the building begins and everything is made new from the inside to the outside and often even the landscaping.

What brings us to the place where we know that we need a makeover in our spiritual life? What steps need to be taken to bring about a spiritual makeover in our hearts? Amazingly the process is not much different.

This morning, we will examine a spiritual makeover which took place in Judah when Hezekiah was king. The story is introduced by demonstrating the desperate need for spiritual renewal and then proceeds to demonstrate the removal of the mess and the establishment of a new relationship with God. The story is found in II Chronicles 29-32 and I invite you to read it sometime. As we examine the parts of the story this morning, we want to think not only of the ancient story, but also about what might be needed in our own lives to bring about an extreme makeover: heart edition.

The Impetus For Renewal

Before Hezekiah became king, his father, Ahaz had been king but as II Chronicles 28:1 says, “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” Some of his evil was that he did not trust in God, but, as verse 16 says, he “sent to the king of Assyria for help.” The result, as verse 20 indicates, was that “he gave him trouble instead of help.”

The spiritual climate of his reign was also not faithful to God. He reasoned, as we see in verse 23, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” Then in the next verse we read that “He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem.”

The other thing we need to be aware of is that during this time, Assyria was the most powerful nation around and had already conquered many nations including the northern ten tribes of Israel. Because of their extreme wickedness these brothers of Judah had already been destroyed and scattered by the Assyrians. A few people were left in outlying areas, but the capital city of Samaria had been destroyed and the people taken away.

This was the situation which existed when Hezekiah became king in 716 BC. Assyria had destroyed the northern tribes 6 years earlier in 722 BC. Judah was in political trouble with Assyria threatening them as well and the example and leadership of Ahaz had not helped the people look to God for help.

It would have been easy for Hezekiah to follow in the footsteps of his father and blame the Assyrians for their trouble, or attempt to make an alliance with another nation so that they could together defeat the Assyrians or find some gods to worship who were more powerful than the gods of the Assyrians. He did not do that, however. For a long time the prophets had warned that destruction would happen and Hezekiah believed these prophets. He perceived that the political problems that they were experiencing came because of the spiritual problems which they had. He indicated to the people in 29:6-8, “Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him…they shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps…Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem.”

The need for renewal came because of the desperate state of the nation. They were in serious trouble. Assyria was threatening and they needed a way of redemption from that threat. Hezekiah was a man after God’s heart who knew that the problem was spiritual and so he encouraged the spiritual renewal which took place during his reign.

What brings us to see our need for spiritual renewal? For some people it is a recognition of the mess in their lives. Not everyone recognizes the mess and realizes that it is a spiritual problem that has brought about the mess, but often when we get ourselves in trouble our hearts get to the place where we know that we need help and we are more willing to be open to spiritual renewal. Hezekiah got it and became the motivator for spiritual renewal in the nation. For the nation, it was the encouragement of Hezekiah which prompted the spiritual renewal in others, as we will see in a moment. Often it is some message or the example of a friend which can motivate us to see the need for a heart makeover. Our need for renewal can also come through a recognition of God’s grace as we understand His promises or are reminded of His salvation or as we read something in Scripture. Is there something happening in your life – a difficulty, someone’s encouragement, a promise in God’s word - which may be prompting you to see the need for a spiritual renewal in your heart?

The Path To Renewal

When we recognize a need for renewal, how does renewal come about?

Dedication

The first step which Hezekiah took was to gather the priests and Levites and say to them, in 29:5, “consecrate yourselves now.” Later, in 29:10, we see the heart of Hezekiah when he says, “Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel…” This first step was a step in which he changed direction from what had been before. As we noted earlier, his father and the people previously had worshipped other gods and made alliances with other nations. Hezekiah wanted to make a covenant with God and invited the religious leaders to consecrate themselves to God as well.

Renewal begins with a decision in our hearts in which we make a commitment to God. It is a step of turning from the path we have been taking and deciding in our hearts that we will follow God.

I remember when such a commitment happened to me in my teens. I had made a commitment to Christ when I was 9 years old and continued to grow in my faith. But when I was about 14 years old, it became more important to me to be popular and belong to the “in” crowd than to follow God. For a few years I lived a double life. I was still attending church and even involved in youth, but at the same time the value of being “cool” was more important to me. One Sunday I was sitting in church, in the balcony, playing dots and not consciously listening to the message, but God was still speaking to me and I knew that if I continued in that path that it would not be a good thing. On that Sunday morning, I made a commitment in my heart to follow God. I didn’t go forward during an altar call, I didn’t wave a banner, but I changed direction in my heart. I dedicated myself to God and I decided that my covenant would be with him.

Perhaps you are sitting here this morning knowing that not everything is right in your life. Perhaps you know that it is time for a spiritual renewal. I invite you to make that decision in your heart to consecrate yourself to God, to make a covenant with Him.

Repentance & Cleansing

After inviting the heart change, Hezekiah instructed the priests and Levites on the first thing that needed to be done. He told them, in 29:5b, “Remove all the defilement from the sanctuary.” Since the worship of God was centred in the temple, and the doors of the temple had been closed by Ahaz, the first step was to reopen the doors of the temple and clean it up and consecrate it for use again. In verse 3 we read that Hezekiah “opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them.” Then in 29:16, we read that “They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple…and carried it out to the Kidron Valley.”

The second step of renewal is the step of repentance. We need to get rid of those things which we know are hindering our walk with the Lord. One of the symbols of being “in” when I was a teenager was smoking. Around the time when I made the dedication to the Lord, a friend and I had been attending a car show at the arena in Winnipeg. We had bought a package of cigarettes and as we walked and talked, we both agreed that this was not what we wanted in our life. I took the package of cigarettes and ripped them in half and threw them into a trash can. It was more than an impulsive act, it was an act of repentance by which I was symbolically declaring that I wanted to clean up what was a mess and what was not pleasing to God in my life.

We cannot dedicate ourselves to the Lord and keep on doing those things which are a part of the defilement in our lives. As God convicts our hearts, we need to respond with obedience to His call in our lives and repent of those things which are sin – whether they be an attitude, a habit or a thought pattern. Repentance and cleansing are an important second step towards spiritual renewal.

Establishing Habits Of Worship

But Jesus warns us that cleansing is not the only step. In Matthew 12:43ff, Jesus speaks about someone who has a demon removed from them, but the space in their heart is not replaced by anything. After a while, the demon comes back and brings more demons and the last condition of the person is worse than the first.

Hezekiah did not only clean out the temple, he also established the worship of God once again. The priests and Levites consecrated themselves. Then they consecrated the temple, that is made holy, fit for worship. When the consecration was completed, we read in 29:20ff that Hezekiah brought animals for sacrifice and the whole nation could once again offer sin offerings and other offerings to God in this place. We read further, in 29:27ff that the worship of God with trumpets and other instruments was begun again. Second Chronicles 29:35 says, “So the service of the temple of the Lord was re-established.”

A heart renewal begins with a decision in our heart, becomes real by repentance and is built by establishing habits of worship and a relationship with God. As we dedicate ourselves and repent, we also need to once again establish the habits that will allow us to maintain and keep on building a relationship with God. These are habits of reading His word, praying, worshipping Him and meeting together with His people. If your heart is inclined towards renewal, don’t stop short of this step.

Acknowledging God’s Grace

In chapter 30 we read an extensive description of another step which they took and that was to celebrate the Passover.

The Passover was very much like our celebration of the Lord’s supper. It was a reminder of the greatest act of deliverance the people of God had ever seen. It reminded them all of the time when God had taken them out of Egypt. They had been a slave nation and were permitted to leave Egypt and travel to the promised land and become the nation they had now become. Never before and never until Jesus came to redeem all people from the slavery of sin had anyone seen anything like the powerful act of deliverance which God had brought to them. They were to celebrate it annually as a reminder of God’s grace and His great act on their behalf. But for many years they had not done so and, consequently, they had forgotten about God’s goodness.

Hezekiah sent letters to all the people of the nation inviting them to come to Jerusalem in order to celebrate together. He even sent invitations to the towns of Israel where a few people were left who had not been taken captive by the Assyrians. We read in 30:10-12, “The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and ridiculed them. ^11 Nevertheless, some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. ^12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.”

The pattern was that they would celebrate the Passover for one day and then celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days afterwards. They had such a great celebration that they decided to go on celebrating for another seven days. In other words, they had a 14 day party in the presence of the Lord to thank and praise Him for His grace and deliverance. The celebration of God’s goodness to them was so significant that when the party was over and before they went home, we read in 31:1 that, they went around the country and destroyed the symbols of idol worship.

The fourth part of spiritual renewal is to recognize and celebrate what God has done for us. Spiritual renewal comes because God is at work in our lives. The possibility of spiritual renewal is based on the grace of God who forgives our sins and redeems us from sin and trouble. It is very important to recognize and celebrate what God is doing and has done in our lives. When we observe the Lord’s supper, the primary point of that supper is a celebration of what God has done in forgiving our sins and giving us eternal life. That is why it is such a great thing to celebrate it together. It is not, however, the only way to celebrate God’s salvation. Whenever we sing songs of praise, whenever we shout to the Lord, whenever we read God’s Word and are reminded and our heart cries out in praise, we celebrate His great work in our lives. May we rejoice and celebrate what God has done as we embrace spiritual renewal.

So Hezekiah lead the nation in a time of spiritual renewal. They began by dedicating themselves, repented of their wickedness, restored the worship of God and celebrated what God had done.

The Results Of Renewal

What were the results of this time of spiritual renewal?

Worship

The first result was a genuine worship of God. Praise was in the air! Please note all the times that praise and worship is mentioned. We read in 29:28, “the whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang…” in 29:30, “they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped” in 30:22, “For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the Lord.”

When we see God at work and when our hearts are brought back into a renewed relationship with Him, worship will naturally follow. It will be worship which comes from the bottom of our hearts, a genuine worship directed towards God.

Joy

The genuineness of this worship was also marked by the joy which filled their hearts. Please note how this is described in a number of passages: 29:30 says, “they sang praises with gladness;” 29:36, “all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about;” 30:21, they “celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing;” 30:23, “for another seven days they celebrated joyfully;” 30:25, “The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced…” 30:26, There was great joy in Jerusalem.”

When God is at work and we see Him bring spiritual renewal and all the blessing that comes with that renewal, the response will be joy.

Generosity

II Chronicles 31 describes a further result of the renewal. Since the temple worship had been established once again, it was necessary to pay for the upkeep of the temple and the priests. Hezekiah began by contributing to the fund and ordered the people living in Jerusalem to also participate by giving a portion of their produce to the work of the temple of God. The response was amazing. People brought more than was needed. The lead priest indicates in 31:9, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed His people, and this great amount is left over.”

Simply put, what happened was that the people had hearts turned towards God. They gladly responded to God with generosity and God prospered them so that they could have an even greater generosity. When God is truly at work in our hearts, He provides for us and if our hearts are turned towards Him and we are willing to be generous towards Him, He will prosper us so that we can be even more generous.

Faith

So everything was going great. The people returned to God, God prospered them and everything was wonderful. But remember that the motivation which drove the renewal was fear. It was the recognition that the Assyrians were threatening because of their sinful ways. So since they turned to the Lord, did the threat of an enemy invasion disappear? Did everything go perfectly without any more danger? Well, in reality it did not. II Chronicles 32 tells us that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria came anyway and began attacking the cities of Judah and had his eyes set on Jerusalem. In 32:9ff, we have a copy of a letter which Sennacherib sent in order to weaken the hearts of the people of Jerusalem. He threatened that no other nation had been able to stand in his way. He warned them that his gods had proved more powerful than any other gods. He attacked the authority of Hezekiah and invited the people to revolt. We read part of the letter in 32:15, “Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been 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!”

Such an attack is not a surprising or unusual thing. Whenever there is spiritual renewal, there is also an increased threat from the enemy. Satan hates it when people turn to God and following a time of spiritual renewal, there is often a time of attack, doubt and questioning.

Two things happened at this time. First of all, Hezekiah encouraged the people with the reality of the power of God. In 32:7 he said, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” When you become discouraged because of an enemy attack at any time and particularly following a spiritual renewal, remember this promise. It is renewed in the New Testament in I John 4:4, “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

The other thing which Hezekiah did, as recorded in 32:20 is, “King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this.” God heard their prayer and defeated Assyria so that they were never again a threat to Jerusalem.

Whatever challenge we are facing, we need to pray and ask God to give us victory.

Conclusion

Do you need renewal? Is God prompting you through this encouragement, through His Word or through the difficulty of your circumstances? I invite you to renewal. I invite you to make a decision in your heart to turn to God. I invite you to repent and cleanse out anything which is in the way of heart renewal. I invite you to renew habits which will build a relationship with God and I encourage you to be reminded of the great act of God’s salvation which He has done in Jesus Christ.

I invite you according to Psalm 34:8 to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Jehoiada: The Power of a Godly Example

II Chronicles 22-24

Introduction

Queen Elizabeth II was 25 when she became queen of England on February 6, 1952. She has reigned from that time to the present which is 55 years. She will be 81 on April 21. In my whole lifetime, there has only been one British monarch. How much longer will she be queen? Her successor is Prince Charles who is already 58 years old. If and when he becomes king, he will not reign as long as his mother did and it is very likely that many of us, particularly those who are younger will see a queen and two kings in our lifetime.

We have been studying the kings in Chronicles and often we also have records of their age at ascension to the throne and how long they reigned. For example, last week we talked about Jehoshaphat who was 35 years old when he began to reign and reigned 25 years, which means that he was about 60 when he died. His son, Jehoram, was 32 years old when he began to reign, but only reigned 8 years, which means that he was 40 when he died. Ahaziah succeeded him at the age of 22 years, but reigned only 1 year. After him, his mother Athaliah took the throne, even though she had no right to it, and reigned for 6 years. Following her, Joash was put on the throne at 7 years old. He reigned for 40 years, which would make him about 47 at his death.

The story we will look at today is the story which takes place during the reign of Ahaziah, Athaliah and Joash. In a period of only 8 years there was 1 queen and 2 kings. Why such a quick succession? Some have suggested that, for the most part, those kings who followed God ruled much longer than those who were wicked. How was God at work at this time? What can we learn from this story?

Someone mentioned to me that they were enjoying the series on II Chronicles because the stories are like “Lord of the Rings” or something like that. They are stories of kings, battles, intrigue, defending what is right, victory of the right and defeat of what is evil. Our text for today is II Chronicles 22-24 and has to do with these kind of things, particularly things like defending what is right. Although it is a story which has to do with these three royals, it is primarily about a priest who served God in those days.

The Story of Jehoiada.

So let us look at the story in these chapters.

You may recall from last week that Jehoram followed Jehoshaphat as king and that he died, as we noted, “to no one’s regret.” After his death, Ahaziah became king. He was the youngest son of Jehoram and would not normally have been king, but because all of his brothers had been killed in a battle with the Philistines and Arabs, he was the next in line.

His mother was Athaliah and so he was of the family of Ahab who had been the ungodly king of Israel. In 22:3 it says that “He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.” That is not what we would normally expect of a mother, but this was a different mother. She had much of her parent’s evil influence in her and so also influenced her son in the same godless direction. One of the things which he did wrong was to join Joram, king of Israel, in a battle with Ramoth Gilead, the same mistake his grandfather had made. It was at this time that God had appointed a man by the name of Jehu to kill all the descendants of Ahab because of their great evil. Because Ahaziah was also of the family of Ahab and because he had gone to join Joram in Samaria, he was also killed after only one year on the throne. You can read more of that story in II Kings 8-12.

After his death, his mother Athaliah took the throne. In order to consolidate her position, she killed the whole royal family. One son of Ahaziah, however, was only one year old and his aunt, the sister of Ahaziah whose name was Jehosheba hid him, some suggest in a room where mattresses were stored. This aunt was married to a man by the name of Jehoiada who was high priest in the temple of God. When the coast was clear, they moved this little child to their apartment in the temple and hid him there. He was named Joash and was now the only true heir to the throne. I can imagine that hiding a child, especially as he got older, must have been a difficult thing to do. They were able to hide him for 6 years and when he was 7 years old, Jehoiada, the priest, thought that it was time for a coup against Athaliah and to proclaim Joash as king. After one Sabbath, he kept all the priests who were going off duty at the temple a little longer. Those who were coming on duty were also there. He also invited some members of the royal guard to come to the temple without their weapons. There were weapons stored in the temple which had been put there many years before when David was king. These men took these weapons, surrounded the temple and then within the temple surrounded Joash and proclaimed him king. We read in 23:11 that they “brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king.”

When Athaliah became aware of what was happened she screamed “Treason, Treason!” Jehoiada had told the guards that anyone who followed her should be killed and if she tried to come into the temple they should kill her before she got there because they should not kill her in the temple. This is what happened. They went out and killed her and all the people were glad that she was dead and that Joash was now king.

After this, there was a change. We read in 23:16 that “Jehoiada made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the Lord’s people.” It was a time of spiritual renewal and restoration of the way God intended things to be. We read further that they destroyed the temple of Baal and killed the priest of Baal.

Although he was young, Joash was a good king because Jehoiada helped him reign. It was his passion to restore the temple building. It had been many years since it had been built and so was in need of repairs and under Joash those repairs were carried out. Under Joash, and because of Jehoiada’s influence, temple worship was regular and continued throughout that time.

After many years, Jehoiada died and after that Joash did not do so well. He listened to his officials and began to abandon the temple worship and the nation began to worship the Asherah poles and also idols. God’s anger rose up against the people and he sent prophets to warn them about the evil of what they were doing. One of those prophets was Zechariah who was Jehoiada’s son. When he warned them, they arrested him and at the orders of Joash, the king, he was put to death. Because of this, God sent the army of Aram, an army much smaller than that of Judah, against them and they defeated the army of Judah because God was not with them. In this battle, Joash was wounded. When a number of his officials saw him wounded, they conspired against him and killed him.

The Power Of A Godly Example

What happened in this story? Why the change in Joash? What can we learn about faithfulness to God from this story?

A Godly Leader

There are several verses in II Chronicles 24 which strike me. The first is 24:2 where it says, “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.”

During that time, there were two particular signs of faithfulness to God. One was the energy which Joash put into restoring the temple. His passion was the restoration of the temple, which speaks of a desire to see the purpose of the temple upheld. The temple was to be a place to meet God and it had been built by Solomon for this purpose. The other thing we notice is that during this whole time the sacrifices in the temple were regularly observed, as God had intended them to be. We read in 24:14, “…As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.”

What is quite clear, however, is that it was the influence of Jehoiada which made the difference in the behavior of Joash. Jehoiada had saved him from death by snatching him from his cradle and hiding him. It was Jehoiada who had influenced him powerfully in his early years and turned him towards God. Both II Chronicles 24:2, 14 show us that this influence continued as long as Jehoiada was around.

This brings us to the first lesson which this passage teaches and that is the power of a godly influence. Jehoiada was a man who was faithful to God and because he was so closely connected with Joash, he was able to influence him for good.

We need such godly people – both men and women - in the church as well. There will always be people who are weak in faith and struggle and as long as they are influenced by people who are godly, they will remain true to God. People of godly influence are very important to our Christian walk and also to the life of the church.

Characteristics Of A Godly Leader

What are the characteristics of such a godly leader? We see several important characteristics in the life of Jehoiada.

One was that he had a zeal for God’s will to be done. The reason that Jehosheba hid Joash, the reason that Jehoiada supported hiding Joash and the reason that he later led the coup to make Joash king was because he knew that it was God’s will that a descendant of David should be king over Judah. At the time when he made the covenant to set Joash up as king, he said in 23:3, “The kings son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.”

So today also those who will be godly leaders and examples of faith will need to be people who have a zeal for God’s will to be done. They will be people who have a zeal for holiness, a zeal that God’s name will be glorified and that it will be made known in all the earth.

Can you imagine the upheaval and fear which must have prevailed during the time when Athaliah was killing all the royal descendants? Can you imagine the power Athaliah had as she continued to reign. For Jehoiada to go against her by hiding Joash and later making a covenant to make Joash king must have taken tremendous courage. Even so today the person who will be a godly leader must have courage to stand up for God in the face of a world which opposes God and to remain true in a context in which even God’s people are sometimes lukewarm.

As Jehoiada made the covenant to put Joash on the throne, it must have taken some significant planning to know how to do it so that it would not fail. Of course, they did have God’s will behind them, but we can also see wisdom in the planning. So also in our day, those who are godly leaders will need to be people who are filled with the wisdom of God. Proverbs teaches us how we can be people of wisdom.

Another characteristic of a godly leader is that he must remain faithful to God. We see such faithfulness in Jehoiada as well in 23:16 where we read, “Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the Lord’s people.” His faithfulness arose out of his own heart, but was also communicated to the people around him and it was his heart’s desire to encourage others to faithfulness.

Finally, we see in Jehoiada a faithfulness to God’s word. In 23:11, when Joash was proclaimed king, he was given “…a copy of the covenant…” Jehoiada knew that if Joash was to be a good king he would have to spend time in the Word of God. Nothing has changed and today those who will be godly leaders will also need to be people who know that God has spoken to us in His word and that it is His word that is the primary means by which we learn and discern the will of God.

Application

It is my joy to realize that many of you here today are such godly leaders. You are people who love the Lord, are faithful to Him, love His word and have the will and courage to stand for God’s way. You are valuable people in this church. Your influence is powerful. As others, particularly young people, watch you and see how you live, you encourage them with your faithfulness. Others are watching and following, so remain faithful! If you see one of these faithful godly leaders who has been an encouragement in your faith, let them know. We need such people and their influence in the church. We need to appreciate their influence.

I would like to challenge others of you to aspire to be such examples. It doesn’t matter whether you are in a position of influence or not. It certainly doesn’t matter whether you are perfect or not because none of us are. Being an example is about letting God mold you into His image. As the life of God fills your life, it will spill over into the lives of others. If you are satisfied to coast and live at a minimum level, you will never have the joy of influencing others towards God. Are you willing to let God use you? What a powerful influence you could have!

Some of you, especially young people, need to observe and follow such leaders. I would encourage you to find someone who has the characteristics mentioned above and follow them. Ask them to be a mentor or guide to you in your spiritual life. Observe how they live. Ask them how they live and why they live this way. If you do, God will bless you with strong spiritual growth.

The influence of a godly example is significant!

Failing To Follow

I used to think that if you got a teenager through high school without serious rebellion, they would be OK. Now I know that it is actually the first or second year out of high school in which young people are most vulnerable. They are on their own without the direct influence of their parents. It is a time when decisions are made about life’s direction. It is at this point that some reject their parent’s faith.

It seems to me that, although it happened much later in life, a similar thing happened to Joash. It was when the influence of Jehoiada was not in Joash’s life that he rejected God’s way.

We see this spiritual rebellion in II Chronicles 24:17,18 where it says, “After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.” Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. We read of that judgment in II Chronicles 24:24 which says, “Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.”

How did this spiritual failure happen to a man who seemed to be doing so well?

Influenced By The Culture

The first thing we notice is that soon after Jehoiada had died, Joash began to listen to his officials. These officials represented the culture of the people around Judah, the culture of pagans, the culture of the northern tribes of Israel. They flattered him and he became intrigued by their flattery and their influence and sadly, as it says in 24:17, “he listened to them.”

Although we would be accurate in criticizing Joash for being weak willed, we have to be aware that we too could easily be influenced by the culture around us. The culture in which we live has a much more powerful influence on us that we sometimes want to admit. I am not saying that we should reject the culture or hide from the culture, but we do need to be aware of the influence of the culture around us. If we are not aware that we are being motivated to sexual promiscuity, desire for more or marginalizing God, then we will be in danger of being seduced by the culture. We need to be aware and critical of the culture in the sense that we need to know it’s seductive power and reject that influence by a deep commitment to God.

I would speak particularly to the young people. I would challenge you to be fully aware of the different ways in which you are being shaped by the culture around you and evaluate and reject the destructive parts of that influence.

Rejecting The Worship Of God

The second step in the path towards destruction was the rejection of the worship of God. In verse 18 we read that they “abandoned the temple of the Lord.” Remember that the temple had been built as a place to meet God and to worship God. By abandoning the temple, they were abandoning God. Joash forgot all that he had learned about God in this place. He forgot all the kindnesses which Jehoiada had shown him. This was a rather huge step away from following God.

I would suggest to you that we can fall into the same trap today. Some people are seduced by culture to the extent that they don’t have time for church any more. Whatever reason people have for not going to church, it is a significant step away from God. My heart goes out to those of you young people who move into the city. It is hard for you to find a church to attend. You don’t know people and some of the churches are too large and you get lost or too small and you get smothered. Yet not finding a church in which to worship God is a dangerous step that could be a path away from God.

Last week we saw the importance of worship as a weapon to defeat Satan. If you don’t go to church, you miss an opportunity to join with others in gaining victory through corporate worship.

Neglecting God’s Word.

In the story of Joash we see another step which was involved in his rebellion against God. In 23:11, we noted that when he was made king at age 7, God’s word was given to him. Throughout most of his life and reign, he had followed it. But now, he rejected it. When the prophets began to speak God’s word of warning to him, he did not listen. Even worse, when Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, gave a prophetic word from God, we read in 24:19-21 that Joash gave the orders to have Zechariah killed. We read in 24:22, “King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, ‘May the Lord see this and call you to account.’”

Today there are so many forms of entertainment and it is very tempting to fill our lives with them. Sometimes it is hard to spend time reading the Word of God and it seems like a boring thing to do. Yet there is no other book in all the world that is God’s Word to us. Other books, other forms of media may be entertaining, but only God’s word can give us life. In spite of all the proliferation of media from ipod to DVD to magazines, it is still God’s Word that is the world’s best-seller every year. If we neglect the Word of God, we place ourselves in great danger of falling away from our faith. That is why I encourage young people to attend Bible school after high school. That is why all of us must take time daily to read and even study the Word of God!

The Consequences

The consequence of allowing himself to adapt to the culture, of neglecting the worship of God and abandoning the Word of God and so rejecting God was serious. God’s judgment came upon him. The text specifically says that the Aramean army was a much smaller military force, yet they defeated Judah. What was the reason for this defeat? II Chronicles 24:24 gives the answer. God was against them and did not help them and in fact helped the enemy to defeat them.

The Bible talks about enjoying the “pleasures of sin for a short time” in Hebrews 11:25. Sometimes the ways of our world look so attractive, but the word “short time” in this verse in Hebrews is real. Sin is only pleasurable for a “short time.” The rejection by Joash of the way of God resulted in his premature death under the judgment of God. Rejecting God, living in ways of rebellion against God, always, I will say it again, always leads to death. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira it led to immediate physical death. That does not often happen but it still always leads to death. Often that “death” is in the form of difficulty and trouble and brokenness. Always, the wages of sin is eternal death as it says in Romans 6:23.

Instead, let us learn the lesson from the life of Joash. Let us be aware of the potential influence of the culture around us. Let us give ourselves to worship and never neglect it. Let us fill ourselves with the word of God.

We may think that these warnings are relevant to the young people of this church and they certainly are, but remember, at this time Joash was not a young man any more. So the warning is to all of us. The call is to faithfulness!

Conclusion

Where do you find yourself?

If you have made it your life’s goal to be a faithful follower of God, and even if you know that you have not done it perfectly, but it has been and is your heart’s desire, be encouraged by the significance and importance of being a godly example. Keep on in faithfulness because God is using you to bless others.

Perhaps you feel weak and you know that you are susceptible to temptation and struggle. Then I would encourage you to find one of these godly examples and spend time with them and allow their lives, their conversations, their encouragements to feed you and strengthen you in your faith walk.

If you have slipped away from God or know that you easily could, be aware of the steps which lead in that direction and avoid them. Do not let the world squeeze you into it’s mold. Keep on worshipping and keep on studying God’s word. The path of rebellion is not worth it, it always leads to destruction.

May God help us to walk in faithfulness!