But let me preface this sermon by saying that we have some VERY GOOD SERVANTS of the Lord in this church.
God knows who they are, and we who watch the fruit they bear also know.
God has blessed them in this life, and He will bless them in the life to come.
King Hezekiah was probably one of the most godly leaders a nation has ever had.
WHY DO WE SAY THAT?
Look at 2 Kings 18:1-6. We read, “Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.”
There is one verse in the scriptures that really explains why we say he was a great servant of the Lord.
Look at verse 5. We read, “HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL; SO THAT AFTER HIM WAS NONE LIKE HIM AMONG ALL THE KINGS OF JUDAH, NOR ANY THAT WERE BEFORE HIM. FOR HE CLAVE TO THE LORD, AND DEPARTED NOT FROM FOLLOWING HIM, BUT KEPT HIS COMMANDMENTS, WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES.”
Any man would be honored to have the Word of God say such great things about him. These verses tell us a great deal about this great man of God.
For example, in our text we can see at least THREE things about his life. First we see...
I. HIS SERVICE
Look at 2 Chronicles 31:21 again. We read, “And in every work that he began IN THE SERVICE OF THE HOUSE OF GOD...”
WHERE DID HE SERVE?
The Bible says, “...in the service of the house of God...”
King Hezekiah recognized the house of God as God’s institution, and we are told he chose to serve there.
I do not want to sound like I am mean when I say this, but we all know people who give a great deal of their time to serving organizations they have joined. But I am here to tell you that the greatest place that you can spend your life, is in the SERVICE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.
However, this is an age when it is difficult to get people to SERVE THE LORD.
It is not hard to get people in the church to accept a job, but it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get them TO DO THE JOB they have accepted.
This is not only a problem in the spiritual world, it is also a major problem we have in the secular world.
Illus: Corporations all over this country will tell you it is not difficult getting people to accept a job, but it is very difficult to get them to do the job once they are hired.
• They won’t come on time
• One child can be sick and the whole family stays home to blow his
nose
• They will call in sick when they are not sick
• They do not know how to produce when they are there
They have never been able to comprehend that if they cannot make the company that hired them some money, that company does not need them.
When it comes to the House of God, it does not get any better, in fact, it is probably a lot worse.
But before I get into that, let me say that there are some who have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. So we are not addressing these. THANK GOD FOR THESE!
We are addressing the leaders that are leaders in title only. That is, they wear the title in the church showing that they hold a certain leadership position, but they never do the job.
• When they should be in the house of God serving the Lord, they are serving some man made institution
• When they should be in the house of God serving the Lord, they are home watching the football game, or the car races
When the faithful stand before the Lord to give account of their service, THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE SURPRISED, AS THEY MUST GIVE ACCOUNT TO GOD FOR THEIR LACK OF DEDICATION.
And one excuse they cannot use is this; “THERE WAS NO PLACE TO SERVE!”
There is a place in every church where God’s people can serve. Many say they want to do something for the Lord, but they do not do anything for Him.
Illus: These remind us of the times we have driven through towns, and seen strong healthy men sitting under shade trees talking, when they should have been working.
They try to give you the impression there are NO JOBS!
What many of these people really mean, is that they can not find a job that will pay them fifteen dollars an hour for doing absolutely nothing.
But listen, there are people in the church who give the impression that they cannot find anything to do, while the fact is, they do not want a job serving God.
Illus: These remind us of what actor Marlon Brando said. “If I could get the movie industry to drop by my house a couple of times a year, and drop off a million dollars each time on my doorstep, I WOULD NEVER WORK AGAIN!”
The Bible tells us that Hezekiah did service in the house of God.
There are all kinds of organizations out there to join, and some are worthy causes, but the greatest place Christians can work and serve is IN THE HOUSE OF GOD.
The word “service” in verse 21 is translated from the Hebrew, “abodah,” which means: “Work of any kind, labourer.”
Notice, it means, “Work of ANY KIND!”
The church today needs men like King Hezekiah. Even though he was king, he was willing to serve in the house of God, and do ANY KIND OF WORK.
King Hezekiah was a busy king. He could have thought of all kinds of excuses for not having time to serve in God’s house, but he was not looking for an excuse. HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE.
King Hezekiah was a great king. We have looked at HIS SERVICE, but let us also look at...
II. HIS SEEKING
Look at the next part of this verse. We read in our text, “And in 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.…”
Notice, the Bible says that he searched the scriptures, seeking ways to please the God he served.
Did you know that the Bible is filled with things we can do to please the Lord?
The Bible tells us...
• The kinds of thoughts we are supposed to think
• The kind of people we should associate with
• What we should eat and drink
• The way we are to raise our children
The Bible tells us everything we need to know, to be able to live a life pleasing to the Lord. All we have to do is study it, and seek ways to please Him.
YOU CAN TELL A GREAT DEAL ABOUT A FELLOW BY WHAT HE SEEKS IN THIS LIFE.
For example, there are many gods men seek after. America is the land of idolatry.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GODS WE SERVE?
There are many, but we will mention just two.
1. THE GOD OF RECREATION
The reason many people will not attend church, is because they serve the god of pleasure, and it occupies God’s day.
Many churches are so filled with this kind of worshippers, they have turned the house of God into a place of recreation.
Do not misunderstand me, there is nothing sinful about godly recreation. But there is something wrong when the thrust of the church is built around recreation.
Illus: We have parents who are leaving Bible-preaching churches, because their children want to go to some church that has more recreation than the Bible-preaching church they attend.
They are making their decision about where they will attend church, not based on what is being preached from God’s Word, but based on what kind of recreation the church has to offer.
Listen, these people should not join a church, they ought to join the YMCA.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GOOD PARENTS that would sit down, and explain to their children that the thrust of the church is to WORSHIP GOD ALMIGHTY, NOT A PLACE OF RECREATION?
Many have made the GOD OF RECREATION the god they serve.
Illus: I remember when a Christian man and his wife worked all year long, then in the summer they would take a break, and take the family on a vacation.
Listen, there is nothing wrong with that. A family can do that, and still find a church where God’s Word is preached, to go to while they are on vacation. But many will not do that today. People worship the GOD OF RECREATION so much, that even professing Christians do not take one, but many, mini vacations all through the year. They repeatedly take God’s day and serve their god of recreation, instead of attending God’s house.
Instead of taking a day off from work to serve their god, they take the day the Lord asked us to set aside for His worship. God gives them six days a week to do other things. He asks that only on one day, the Lord’s day, we cease from other things to worship Him. Instead, people now take the Lord’s day to go to the mountains, beaches, fishing, hunting, and camping throughout the whole year.
People who do this are teaching their children that THE GOD OF RECREATION comes first, and THE GOD OF THIS BIBLE can be shoved aside until it is more convenient to serve Him. WHAT A TERRIBLE SIGNAL WE ARE SENDING TO OUR CHILDREN.
Many people seek the god of pleasure. It is obvious that this god comes first in their lives.
2. THE GOD OF SPORTS
Listen, participating in a sport can be a fun thing, but it should concern us that today, sports have become probably the number one god of America.
Illus: All over this nation, people pack into the largest stadiums and coliseums to watch paid athletes play a game. They will pay much money to get in. They will sit in the freezing cold to watch the events. Why, if those same people were asked to give a hundred dollars to visit a lovely church building, and sit on a padded pew, and listen to God’s Word being expounded, they would think you were crazy for making such a request! Why? Because they love their god of sports. They do not love the God of this Bible!
Illus: Some who profess to know the Lord, show their real allegiance is to the GOD OF SPORTS when Super Bowl Sunday comes around, as they put this god ahead of the God of this Bible.
You can tell a great deal about a man by what he seeks, and the Bible tells us that Hezekiah sought how he could please the Lord...
• IN EVERY WORK
• IN THE LAW
• IN THE COMMANDMENTS
No wonder the Lord had all those nice things to say about him in 2 Kings 18.
Because of HIS SERVICE and because of HIS SEEKING, let us see how God let him know He was pleased. Look at...
III. HIS STAMINA
Look at the third part of this verse. We read in our text, “And in 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 PROSPERED.”
Notice, this passage of scripture states two things.
(1) HE DID IT WITH ALL HIS HEART
Almost every church loves to sing that familiar song, “Showers of Blessings!” But, even more than that, every Christian loves to receive those showers of blessings from God.
Hezekiah faithfully sought ways he could serve the Lord. And when he found a way, the Bible said HE DID IT WITH ALL HIS HEART.
(2) HE…PROSPERED
The Bible tells us that Hezekiah did all these things, “...WITH ALL HIS HEART, and PROSPERED.”
Conclusion:
How do we measure up? Are we seeking God with all our hearts? Hezekiah’s example is clear.
I. HIS SERVICE
II. HIS SEEKING
III. HIS STAMINA
