Taught to Depend on the Lord Alone

Mike Jimenez

Restoring the Temple • Sermon • Submitted a month ago • Presented a month ago

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When the work of rebuilding the temple is progressing we must ensure our dependency remains in the God of our victory.

Notes

Transcript

2 Chronicles 31:20–21 ESV

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.

Pray

The work of restoring order to the house of the Lord was not an easy task

It was more than the work of the building

It was more than just making people ready

total restoration of worship to the Lord

The work had three imperative qualifiers:

Good - pleasant and desirable to the Lord

Right - true; straight and moral

Faithful - constant, durable

Everything he did for the Lord was done with all his heart; seeking his God

This is why it was caused to thrive

This does not mean the work is done nor does it mean you will never face adversity rather you have seen the victory and are beginning to prosper you cannot forget who has caused you to prosper.

When the work of rebuilding the temple is progressing we must ensure our dependency remains in the God of our victory.

Aligned Ministers Bless the House

2 Chronicles 30:27–31:1 ESV

Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven. Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

Contending for the priest to arrive that all the congregation would be blessed

Aligned ministers provoke the body to change - they willingly teardown the high places and altars

Then restoration happened within the people

Under Siege Even When Obeying

Challenged even when everything you were doing is what the Lord desires

Sennacherib intended on conquering the land that had been overcome

He wanted to take command of the city of Peace (Jerusalem)

2 Chronicles 32:1 ESV

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself.

Sennacherib handed Northern Kingdom an embarrassing defeat

Special note while Northern Israel was faithless and was the reason for their defeat; Judah because of Hezekiah had been acted faithfully

not every trial and tribulation is because you are wrong, or bad

proofing

testing

and yes at times can be because of disobedience

Stand firm in the face of adversity

v. 2-8 Priests of the house you cannot throttle down and your gaze must be on the Lord

As the shepherd goes so does the flock

Commands given

Be strong and courageous

Do not be afraid or dismayed before the enemy

There are more with us than with the enemy

The Lord our God is with us.

This is where the enemy will work harder to provoke the people to lose faith and return to the slavery they have escaped from

v.8 The people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah.

Provoked to Abandon the Restoration

Its easy to speak brave words but when the assault is threatening everything now your work is being proofed to see if it is longstanding

2 Kings 18:13–14 ESV

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.” And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

the enemy had him surrounded even after Hezekiah planned on strategy

The pitfall in the adversity

You checked in with the enemy not the Living God on how you should proceed.

There is a cost to service

fallacy in believing that if I do not step into the Lord to serve Him I wont see trouble…

there is a cost to serve the Living God as there is a cost to serve the kingdom of darkness…

these are your only option

v.14-15 Hezekiah gave the enemy all the silver from the house of the Lord and then stripped the gold from the temple

sad condition that we unfortunately turn to when in fear…

The Enemy Leads to Confusion

2 Chronicles 32:11–12 ESV

Is not Hezekiah misleading you, that he may give you over to die by famine and by thirst, when he tells you, “The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”?

The enemy will sow discord in the camp to bring you into confusion and turn to division

The enemy will cause you to enter into despair by causing you to lose vision

The enemy turns you against the the ones leading you into what was deemed good before the Lord

vv.13-19 The blasphemies they speak against the Lord and what He is doing will continue however this is why we must keep our eyes on the Lord and Depend on Him alone…

“they spoke of God as one of the gods of the people…”

The Lord is Our Victory

2 Chronicles 32:21–22 ESV

And the Lord sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side.

There is a tendency to lean on our understanding and effort but as noted we can bankrupt the house of the Lord in pursuit of doing it “my way”

The king and prophet aligned in heart to seek the Lord

Here the Lord stepped in and slayed 185,000

routed the enemy

embarrassed the enemy

sent the enemy to be judged

He provided for them on every side.

As we progress with the edification and restoration of the church it is imperative we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. Our dependency must be in the Lord alone even when the enemy is raging and speaking blasphemies about the God we serve

The Lord is our victory, the Lord is our sufficiency, The Lord is our defender, the Lord is our provider.

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