Don't Be Negligent Now! (Pt.1) Series

Don’t Be Negligent Now! (Pt.1)

“The temple worship remembered”

2Chronicles 29:1-11

1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 4Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, 5and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8Therefore the wrath of the LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

10"Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense."

1) 1) Background:

Our focus this morning will be verse 11...

"Don’t be negligent now!"

To understand the magnitude of these words we must understand the magnitude of the man who spoke them --and the perilous time in which he lived.

we do not have time to read the whole story so please allow me to summarize it.

-Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz a very evil hearted king who turned the hearts of Judah away from the lord.

-Under Ahaz many of Judah’s treasures were given away as bribes to nations the Lord detested.

-Under Ahaz the Southern kingdom slipped deep into physical and spiritual poverty.

-By the time of Hezekiah’s reign as king of Judah, the northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrian army.

-His father Ahaz had left him a spoiled inheritance

-It seemed apparent to the world that Judah would be next to fall to Assyria.

- Judah was out of wealth - no more bribes could be given.

-Judah’s princes were out of wisdom they had no more wise counsel to give.

- Neither could the army of Judah be a real threat to Assyria.

What a time to inherit a kingdom!

-A nation in economic Crisis

-A nation with an unbeatable enemy force

pressing at its boarders

-A nation doomed to failure and placed in the

hands of a 25 year old leader named Hezekiah.

This must have been a fearful time for Hezekiah but it must have been a hopeless time for the people of Judah!

-It is a good thing Judah did not have a stock market because it would have fell through the bottom – a nation in a hopless situation with an inexperienced 25 year old as their king!

·It would have been okay if Hezekiah would have given up the kingdom and surrendered to Assyria.

·It would not have be a surprise if Hez. Would have thrown in the towel.

·Most people felt hopeless anyway

-History would not have blamed Hezekiah for his inherited circumstances.

But Hezekiah was not a quitter!

· He was an idealistic & over zealous 25yr old!

· He was young but he had a burning passion in

his heart!

His words ring out across the generations with a historic fluorish of Pious zeal...

"Don’t be negligent now!"- The Lord has chosen you!

*Hezekiah knew that it was not the time to quit – but the time to turn back to God!!!

2) Hezekiah recognized the real problem in Judah was

sin.

*Hezekiah recognized that Judah’s real problem was not...

-a political problem

-a economic problem

-a military problem

But rather, a sin problem - a loss of dedication, and consecration to God!

*Hezekiah was a prophetically visionary leader who could see beyond the felt need of his people to their real need.

-The people of Judah had separated themselves from God!

-They had Neglected the worship of the Holy One!

-They had forgotten the Holy Place of God!