THE TEST OF SUCCESS
A newly elected politician was visiting Washington, D.C., to get acquainted. He was visiting in the home of one of the ranking senators who was trying to interpret the bizarre wonder of the capitol. As they stood looking out over the Potomac River, an old deteriorating log floated by in view on the river. The old-timer said, "This city is like that log out there." The fledgling politician asked, "How's that?" The senator came back, "Well, there are probably more than one hundred thousand grubs, termites, bugs and critters in that old log as it floats down the river. And I imagine every one of them thinks that he's steering it."
When most people think of tests they think of trials. They think of something painful to be endured. However, often God does not test us in through trials but through triumph. Not through pain but through pleasure. Let me ask you this morning, how do you handle success?
This story that we are looking at today is recorded in the Bible three times – once in 2 Kings, once in 2 Chronicles and once in Isaiah. Hezekiah was tested by God in 3 different ways:
The first was the test of SECURITY. The king of Assyria named Sennacherib had come and laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. He had sent a letter to Hezekiah saying that God was unable to save him and that the city would fall. Instead of panicking and giving up, Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed and God sent an angel to kill 185,000 enemy soldiers. Sennacherib returned to Assyria in disgrace and his sons killed him while he was in the temple there.
The second was the test of SICKNESS. After seeing God defeat the Assyrians Hezekiah became ill and was told by Isaiah that his sickness would lead to death. He wept bitterly about this and God saw his tears and had mercy on him and added 15 years to his life.
The third test is what I want to look at today. It was the test of SUCCESS. Hezekiah had seen the miracle of the Assyrians defeat. He had gone through sickness and had been given more years to live. He had been a very successful king and he had many riches. Envoys then came from Babylon to meet Hezekiah and see the great things that God had done for Israel:
2 Chr 32:27 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. 28 He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. 29 He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches. 30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. 31 But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.
A turtle wanted to spend the winter in Florida, but he knew he could never walk that far. He convinced a couple of geese to help him, each taking one end of a piece of rope, while he clamped his vise-like jaws in the center. The flight went fine until someone on the ground looked up in admiration and asked, "Who in the world thought of that?" Unable to resist the chance to take credit, the turtle opened his mouth to shout, "I did …"
1. GOD’S RICHES – provision
The envoys came from Babylon to see Hezekiah. In says in this passage that this was a test. Instead of using this as an opportunity to tell of what God had done in his life, he takes them on a tour of Jerusalem to show them all the wealth that he had accumulated over the years.
Is 39:1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. 2 Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses -- the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
Why did Hezekiah show off his storehouses filled with silver and gold? Pride. Instead of recognizing that these riches were given him as a trust and using this opportunity to point to the goodness of God he points to the riches as being his possessions. Have you ever done that?
A little girl received a watch and perfume for her birthday. She was so excited that she pestered everyone all day to look at her watch and smell her perfume. At dinner her mother said, "Honey, I know you're proud of your gifts, but please don't mention them while we eat." All through dinner she sat silently although she sniffed audibly at times and often raised her wrist to listen to her watch. As the meal came to an end, she blurted out, "I know I'm not supposed to mention it, but if anyone hears anything or smells anything, it's me."
I think we are all like that sometimes. We take the gifts that God has graciously given us and we turn them into a source of pride. Notice this passage says that “God had given him very great riches”. The things he possessed were a gift from God. All that we have belongs to Him.
Luke 12:16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18 "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Be careful about holding too tightly to your possessions. They are a trust from the Lord and He expects us to use them for building up his kingdom and not just our own. Rose Greenhow was a confederate spy during the American civil war who tried to hide her gold by sewing it into her dress. She took her money and fled to Europe. On the way the ship that she was on sank. Her gold laden dress was too heavy for the life preserver so she sank with her money. You can't take money with you but it can take you with it!
2. GOD’S RESULTS – power
Not only had Hezekiah accumulated for himself a great deal of wealth but he also had the reputation of doing some great accomplishments. He had constructed and built up many things during his reign as king. It says in this passage he had blocked up springs and built villages. If you walked around Jerusalem you could see many monuments to Hezekiah.
Sometimes we are like Hezekiah in that we see our accomplishments as something that we have done in our own strength and they become a source of pride in our lives. We boast in our works.
Muhammad Ali was in his prime, and as he was about to take off on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded him to fasten his seat belt. He came back brashly, "Superman don't need no seat belt." The stewardess quickly came back, "Superman don't need no airplane, either." Ali fastened his belt.
For some their boast may not be in their physical strength but in their great education, or their family history/heritage or their race/nationality. Some can even allow their own relationship with Christ and their spiritual gifts to become a source of pride in their lives.
Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace. -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon
A young woman called Mary went to her pastor one day and said, "Pastor, I have a besetting sin, and I want your help. When I come to church on Sunday I can't help thinking I'm the prettiest girl in the whole congregation. I know I ought not think that, but I can't help it. I want you to help me with it." The pastor replied, "Mary, don't worry about it. In your case it's not a sin. It's just a horrible mistake."
All that we have and all that we are is by grace. None of the things that we have built or done in life will last except those things which were done for Christ.
1 Cor 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
3. GOD’S REPUTATION – purpose
Ultimately it was how Hezekiah responded to God’s goodness in his life that destroyed him. Instead of recognizing his strength and supply was from God he took the credit himself and began to think he was better than everyone else.
1 Chr 32:24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD's wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
This pride made him fail the test of success. In showing off his treasures he had given them away. Even when Isaiah finally confronts Hezekiah and pronounces God’s judgment on his pride he does not seem to care. He is so wrapped up in himself that he misses the point:
Is 39:3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did those men say, and where did they come from?" "From a distant land," Hezekiah replied. "They came to me from Babylon." 4 The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?" "They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them." 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." 8 "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
God says here that everything he had would be taken away. Everything he had built would be destroyed. Even his own descendants would be taken into captivity by Babylon and still Hezekiah did not care. It did not concern him because it would not happen in his lifetime. In other words, as long as it does not affect ME – no problem.
How about you this morning? Is it all about you? I don’t know about you but I want to work for things that will last the test of time. I want to spend my life on eternal things and not on towers or toys that will be lost to the next generation.
Christ sends none away empty but those who are full of themselves. -- Donald Gray Barnhouse
Are you full of the Lord or full of yourself this morning? Would you have passed this test of success? Recognize that the things you own and the honors you hold belong to another. We have died with Christ and we no longer live but Jesus lives in us.
A newspaper reporter was interviewing an old rancher and asked him to what he would attribute his success as a rancher. With a twinkle in his eye the man replied, "It's been about 50 percent weather, 50 percent good luck, and the rest is brains."
2 Cor 12:9 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
What you have and who you are all a gift. As we come to the communion table this morning let’s come with thankful hearts and humble spirits.
A pastor was asked to speak for a certain charitable organization. After the meeting the program chairman handed the pastor a check. "Oh, I couldn't take this," the pastor said with some embarrassment. "I appreciate the honor of being asked to speak. You have better uses for this money. You apply it to one of those uses." The program chairman asked, "Well, do you mind if we put it into our Special Fund?" The pastor replied, "Of course not. What is the special fund for?" The chairman answered, "It's so we can get a better speaker next year.
A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you. -- C. S. Lewis
