All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn back to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles 30. I'm gonna just pick up right where
I left off. 2 Chronicles 30 verse 1 to 5,
and Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah wrote letters to Ephraim
and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lord
at Jerusalem to keep the Passover until the Lord God of Israel.
But the king had taken counsel and his princes and all the congregation
in Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month. But they
could not keep it at that time because the priests had not sanctified
themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves
together to Jerusalem and the thing pleased the king and all
the congregation. So they established a decree
to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even
to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover under the
Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not done it for
a long time in such sort as it was written. The people, as we
just studied, had become complacent in the punctual worship of God. Passover turned to Exodus, hold
your place, turned to Exodus 12. Passover was to be consistently
observed according to the Lord's timing. Exodus 12 is to be a
memorial to the Lord drawing them out of Egypt, delivering
them, a picture of being delivered from the bondage of sin, Exodus
12 verse 18. That's what scripture says. The
Lord gave Moses instruction in the first month, on the 14th
day of the month at even, you shall eat unleavened bread until
the one and 20th day of the month at even. And that's when it was
to be held, in that first month. But if a reason turned to numbers
nine, For reason of uncleanness, the scripture says, the Passover
could be observed at the appointed time. The law made a provision
to observe it in the second month. Numbers 9, verse 10 and 11. 9, 10, 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, You speak to the children of Israel, saying, If any man
of you, or your posterity, shall be unclean by reason of a dead
body, or in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover
unto the Lord the fourteenth day of the second month, that
even they shall keep it and eat it with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs. What mercy! Hezekiah, the scripture
says, back in 2 Chronicles 30, the king had taken counsel and
his princes and all the congregation in Jerusalem to keep the Passover
the second month. They couldn't keep it at that
time because priests did not sanctify themselves. So the Lord
allowed them, gave them mercy, grace, to take it and have it
in the second month. Verses six to nine. So the post,
Hezekiah said, I want you to go out. The remembrance of the
Passover, of what God has done for his people, When that blood
was shed, that sacrifice was made, the blood was applied on
the door post, top of the door, lentils. God passed through. He said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. Hezekiah said, we're going to remember
that. We're going to remember that. And God made provision
for us to have it in the second month. That's what we're going
to do. So he sent out the post. The runners were six to nine. So the post, went with the letters
from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah,
according to the commandment of the king, saying, You children
of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you that are escaped
out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be not like your
fathers, like your brethren which trespassed against the Lord of
his fathers. who therefore gave them up to desolation, as you
see. Be ye not stiff-necked, as your
fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into
His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your
God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. If you turn again unto the Lord,
your brethren, your children, shall find compassion before
them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again
unto this land, for the Lord your God is gracious, merciful. He will not turn away his face
from you if you return unto him." What a blessed spirit and desire
for faithfulness unto the Lord, which was found in the mouth,
in the heart of this king, Hezekiah. He admonished the people of Judah,
but he said he was a king of Judah, but also of Israel. Verse six, that's what it said.
The post went with the letters from the king throughout all
of Israel and Judah. Brethren, listen, we've all sinned.
We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. And the
Lord has a people. We don't know who they are. As
Kai said, you turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel. He'll return to the remnant of
you. This is the message. This is
the message that we preach. People accuse, I've said this
before, people accuse and say, you don't believe in whosoever
will. Oh, I beg your pardon. We absolutely believe that. Revelation
22, 17, the spirit and the bride say, come, let him that heareth
come, let him that is a third come, and whosoever will, let
him take the water of life freely. God's got a people, and here's
the problem. Man by nature don't want to come.
He don't want to. He don't want to. But if God's
given a man or woman a want to, I'm saying W-A-N-T, want. If he gives them a heart that
wants to come, it's because he made you willing in the day of
his power. Scripture declares in Micah 7, I'll read this to you, verse
18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth
by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth
not his anger forever because he delighteth in mercy. I'm so
glad, I'm so thankful we can read that. How many times have
I thought to myself, you that know him, you know what I'm saying
right here. Lord, why would you show mercy to somebody like me?
So unfaithful, just so wavering, like the sea waves, just no consistency. He delighteth in mercy. Lord,
show mercy to one like me. Back in 2 Chronicles 30, verse
10 and 11. And so the post passed from city
to city through the country of Ephraim, Manasseh, even into
Zebulun. but they laughed them to scorn
and mocked them. Nevertheless, divers of Asher
and Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Boy, how true we find this to
be with us. Many that hear the gospel of
God's free and sovereign grace. What do I mean when I say that?
I mean I'm not offering you anything to be acted upon by your will.
I'm gonna tell you this is what God's gonna do. God's gonna save
his people. He's gonna save them. He laid
down his life. God, the Father, chose a people,
a people in Christ. Christ died for those people,
and the Spirit of God's gonna call those people. That's the
truth. Salvation is sure. It's sure. It's not iffy. It's not iffy. If it's left up to me or you,
it's iffy. What if I don't wanna come because
I don't want to? What if God wants to save me
and I don't want him to? You know what? Then he's not
God. He said, I do as I will. Some of them, they heard this,
they went out there, Hezekiah sent these posts, these runners,
he said, you go tell them that we're gonna worship God here.
You go tell them, you tell them to come, we're gonna have the
Passover in the second month. And they went there and some of them
mocked him. Oh, but there were some that didn't. There were
some that didn't. There were some that Almighty
God was pleased to call out. Look at verse 12. Also Judah,
the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment
of the king and the princess by the word of the Lord. How
beautiful. We read of the reason for those
that came. The reason they wanted to come.
Why was that again? Let me see why it was also in
verse 12. 2 Chronicles 30, 12, and in Judah, the hand of God
was to give them one heart to do the commandments, the commandment
of the king and the princess by the word of the Lord. God
gave them a heart. You that came today because you
wanted to come today. Why'd you come? You say, I wanted
to. Who gave you the want to? Scripture says, The hand of God
gave him a heart to want to come. If you wanted to come today,
it's by the grace of God Almighty. Verse 13, 14. And there assembled
at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread
in the second month, a very great congregation. And they arose
and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem. All the altars
of incense took they away and cast them into the brook Kidron. People who believed, they assembled
themselves together and they physically, did what is set forth,
but you know, that's just like we looked at last time. They
took away all those false altars and they cast them into the brook. Kidron, you know, how many of
us that know the Lord see in us and desire to see those things
in us that Paul said he warred against? He said, I see in me,
I see in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. Oh, wretched man,
who shall deliver me from the body of this death? All of us
have things that we desire to be cast into Kidron, cast upon
the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the debt of them. Look at verse
15 to 20. Then they killed the Passover on the 14th day of the
second month. The priests and the Levites were
shamed and sanctified themselves and brought in the burnt offerings
into the house of the Lord. And they stood in their place
after their manner according to the law of Moses, the man
of God. The priests sprinkled the blood which they received
of the hand of the Levites. There were many in the congregation
that were not sanctified. Therefore, the Levites had the
charge of killing of the Passover for everyone that was not clean
to sanctify them under the Lord for a multitude of the people,
even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, had not cleansed
themselves, and yet did they eat the Passover otherwise than
it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them,
saying, The good Lord, pardon everyone that prepareth his heart,
seek God, and the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not
cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the Lord
hearkened to Hezekiah, Heal the people. There were people there
that had not cleansed themselves according to the commands of
the law. And they took the Passover. Hezekiah
prayed for them. Lord, forgive them. Lord, forgive
them. And the Lord Jesus Christ was
hanging on that cross. And there was people there, and
they were railing on him. wagging their heads. He said,
yeah, he healed others. He can't heal himself. Come down. If you be the son
of God, come down. Mocked him. What did the Lord
say? Remember what he said? Father,
forgive them for they know not what they do. Now I got a question. Turn to John 17. Who was he praying
for? When He said, Father, forgive
them, they know not what they do. There were some in there
that were just railing and mocking and laughing at Him. John 17,
9. Here's the Lord praying His high
priestly prayer. I'm going to read verses 7, 8,
and 9. They have known. I have manifested thy name unto
the men that thou gavest me out of the world. Okay, I know that
God's given him some people out of the world. Thine they were,
thou gavest them me, they've kept thy word. Now they have
known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee,
and I've given unto them. Who, who now? Those that the
Lord gave him out of the world. I've given unto them the words
that thou gavest me, they've received them, they have that
known surely that I came out from thee, they have believed
that thou didst send me. I pray for them, I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they
are thine. Now, when the Lord Jesus Christ
prayed at Calvary, Father, forgive them. They know not what they
do. For whom was he praying according
to John 17? Those that the Father had given
him out of the world. Are you telling me that there were some
people there were mocking him, that were given him by the Father? Yes, that's exactly what I'm
saying. Why were they mocking him? He hadn't revealed himself
to them yet. He would, and he was praying
for them, because he said, I don't pray for the world. I pray for
those you've given me out of the world. So here, the scripture
sets forth. Back in 2 Chronicles 30, 18 to
20 again, many for a multitude of the people, Ephraim, Manasseh,
Issachar, Zebulun had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat
the Passover. Otherwise, it is as it was written.
But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, Good Lord, pardon everyone
that prepares his heart. Seek God, the Lord God of his
fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification
of the sanctuary. And the Lord hearkened. Hezekiah, yeah, who
is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest.
He hearkened to him, and he healed the people. Oh, I'm so thankful
that we have one that prays for us. Whoever liveth to make intercession
for us, I need praying for. Verse 20 to 27, 21, 27, the children
of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened
bread seven days with great gladness. And the Levites and the priests
praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments
unto the Lord. And Hezekiah speak comfortably
unto all the Levites that taught good knowledge of the Lord. And
they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings
and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers. And
the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days. They
kept other seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah, king of Judah,
did give to the congregation 1,000 bullocks and 7,000 sheep.
And the princes gave to the congregation 1,000 bullocks and 10,000 sheep. And a great number of priests
sanctified themselves And all the congregation of Judah and
the priest and the Levites, all the congregation that came out
of Israel and the strangers came out of the land of Israel that
dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. So there was a great day. So there was great joy, I'm sorry,
in Jerusalem for since the time of Solomon, the son of David,
king of Israel, there was not alike in Jerusalem. Then the
priest, the Levites rose and blessed the people and their
voice was heard. Their prayer came up. to his holy dwelling
place, even unto heaven. Reading these last verses of
that scripture right there, the believer in the Lord Jesus can
truly, by faith, enter to the joy that was expressed there
in Jerusalem. And the Lord was pleased to revive
his own, to restore, as David prayed, restore unto me the joy
of thy salvation. are prone to be complacent. And we need a stirring up, a
stirring up. Stir up, that's what Paul said.
Stir up the gift that's in you. 2 Chronicles 31, now when all
this was finished, all Israel at present went out to the cities
of Judah and break the images in pieces and cut down the groves
and threw down the high places, the altars out of the Judah and
Benjamin and Ephraim until they had utterly destroyed them all,
then all the children of Israel returned every man to his possession
into his own cities." Now here we come to briefly consider this
last chapter for today, and it's refreshing just to behold the
evidence of the Lord stirring the hearts of his people, their
spirits, and moved the spirit of God, moved the psalmist in
Psalm 85, six, will thou not revive us again? Will thou not
quicken us and recover us and restore to life or health that
thy people may rejoice in thee? The people had been prepared
of God, they exhibited that the mercy and compassion that had
been shown them, they went out into the cities and they just
started tearing down the rest of all the remains of that idolatry
and those things that were precious to the carnal heart, and they
possessed the same heart that Paul the Apostle said. He said,
I considered everything that I trusted in as dung. And then
in verses 2 to 19 of 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah appointed the courses
of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man
according to his service, the priests and the Levites for burnt
offerings and peace offerings to minister and give thanks to
the praise in the gates, the tents of the Lord. And he appointed
also the king's portion, substance, for the burnt offerings, to wit,
for the morning and evening burnt offerings and the burnt offerings
and the Sabbaths for the new moons for the set feast. As is written in the law, of
the Lord. Moreover, he commanded the people
that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priest and
the Levites that they might be encouraged in the law of the
Lord. What he's saying right there, he commanded them, he
said, these priests and these Levites that had been complacent,
that had been embarrassed by the way that they had been so
lax, he said, I want them taken care of. And he said, verse five,
and as soon as the commandment Came abroad, the children of
Israel brought in abundance of the firstfruits of corn, wine,
oil, honey, all the increase of the field, and the tithe of
all things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of
Israel and Judah that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also
brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep and the tithe of holy
things, and they were consecrated unto the Lord God and laid them
by heaps, by sheaves. They started stacking it all
up. And the third month they began to lay the foundation of
the heaps and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah
and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord
and his people of Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned the
priest and the Levites concerning the heaps, and they brought in
so much. And Azariah, the chief priest
of the house of Zadok, answered him and said, Since the people
began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we
have had enough to eat and have left plenty. For the Lord had
blessed his people, and that which is left is this great store.
Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare the chambers in the house of
the Lord, and they prepared them. They brought in the offerings,
and the tithes, and dedicated things faithfully, over which
Conaniah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the
next, and Jehiel, and Azariah, and Nathan, and Azahel, and Jeremoth,
and Jezebad, and Elial, and Ishmahiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were
overseers under the hand of Kononiah and Shimei, his brother, at the
commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the
house of God, and Korah the son of Onah, the Levite, the porter
toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of the Lord
of God to distribute the oblations of the Lord and the most holy
things, and next to him was Eden, and Menahem, Jeshua, Shem, Amariah, and Shekiniah
in the cities of the priests in their set office to set their
brethren by courses as well. to the great as well to the small,
beside their genealogy of males from three years old and upward,
even unto everyone that entered into the house of the Lord, his
daily portion for their servants, in their charges according to
their courses, both to the genealogy of the priest by the house of
their fathers, the Levites, 20 years old and upward, in their
charges by their courses to the genealogy of all the little ones,
their wives, their sons, their daughters, throughout all the
congregation in their set office, they sanctify themselves in holiness,
Also, the sons of Aaron, the priests, were in the fields,
the suburbs of their cities. in every several city, guarded
city, by the men that were expressed by name to give portions to all
the males among the priest and to all that were reckoned by
genealogies among the Levite. What the Lord did, he told them,
he said, I want you to start, I've commissioned these men,
I've called them, these are the Levites, these are the priests,
to do the work that I've called them to. And I want you to bring
in, I want you to take care of, This is what God's called them
to do. And you take care of them. And Hezekiah came in, they started
bringing stuff in, and Hezekiah said, what is all this stuff?
And the priest told him, he said, since you sent out that commission,
he said, this is what's been brought in. This is everything
that we've gotten. It's more abundant than anything
that you could possibly imagine. And all this stuff here, and
it was enough for all of them. And so they're the ministers.
were taken care of, and then the scripture says, in the last, all had been done before, when
Ahaz, I'm gonna wrap it up right here. Ahaz, Hezekiah's father,
he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. He did
not that which was right. That's what scripture said. There
was a failure to preach the gospel. There was a failure to proclaim
the glorious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. the way that God
had set forth that it would be done. Hezekiah came in, and God
gave him a heart. You know that, that's the only
reason he did what he did. He did that which was right.
There was no difference in Hezekiah and Ahaz, his daddy, but for
the grace of God. He had a heart, and he said,
this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna worship God. Just
like Joshua said, you choose you this day what you gonna do.
For me and my family, we're gonna worship God. That's not the resolve
of a carnal man. That's the resolve of a man that
God's given a new heart. Hezekiah said, just what we're
going to do. We're going to keep the Passover just like God told
us to do. And he sent those posts out.
Some people rejected them and laughed them to scorn, but some
didn't. By the grace of God, they came in. They all came together
to observe the Passover, the remembrance of the deliverance
of God. And this is what we do every
time we come together. We're going to proclaim the gospel.
There's going to be a remembrance of the deliverance of God's people
out of the bondage of sin, darkness, unbelief. And he told them, he
said, you take care of these guys. They did, they started
bringing more stuff. They had stuff, they had food,
and they had everything for everybody. 20 and 21, and thus did Hezekiah
throughout all Judah and wrought that which was good and right
and truth before the Lord his God. Every work that he began
in the service of the house of God and in the law and in the
commandments to seek his God, he did it with all his heart
and he prospered. He prospered. According to his
word, his faithfulness to his father, this was the heart of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, my meat, my meat. my desire, what I feast on. My
meat is to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work. The scripture says that Hezekiah prospered. He prospered. Scripture says concerning the
Lord, he shall not fail. How do we know that he prospered
in all that he did when he hung on the cross, cried with a loud voice, it is
finished. Bowed his head and he gave up
the ghost. I pray that the Lord bless the
preaching of the gospel, bless it to the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the calling out and the encouragement of His people.