Sermon: Blessed Hope Amid Crisis
Text: Isaiah 38:1-8 “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down."
Introduction: No one invites crisis in life, yet they always come. A crisis is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in human or environmental affairs, especially when they occur abruptly, with little or no warning. Have you ever been caught in a crisis? A child of God caught in crisis may be a difficult subject to address because of todays’ social climate. With so many Gospels being preached, many followers of Christ seem confused about how to respond and how to act. Some believe godly living, great faith and positive thinking will exempt them from trials. Yet, in our text, Hezekiah, a godly king of Judah and Jerusalem finds himself in a dilemma. The prophet Isaiah for many years had approached the kings of Judah with the word of God, proclaiming God’s call to repentance. The nation was encouraged to seek God’s forgiveness that the nation might be spared. Isaiah pleads were rejected, now the prophet received a new message for the nation. Isaiah comes with the judicial sentence, dooming the nation to exile and the land to desolation. While this was righteous retribution, it was a measure of mercy as well. Although Isaiah pronounced judgment, he knew that holy love, devoted zeal, and sincere repentance would restore God’s mercy and blessing.
In response to the prophet, King Hezekiah and his people turned to God with repentance, and uprightness. God intervened; the nation of Assyria was not allowed to invade Judah. This was a crisis of danger! When the nation of Judah seemed without hope, Isaiah became their intercessor as the prophet Moses of old, and God granted deliverance to Judah and Jerusalem. Hezekiah was a great and good king, who followed in the way of his great-grand father King Uzziah. Hezekiah abolished idolatry, and even destroyed the brazen serpent which Moses had built. He brought about a great reformation during his reign of Judah.
Hezekiah’s trouble began when he refused to pay the tribute which his father had paid and rebelled against the king of Assyria. The enemies of life will not allow you to leave without a fight. Whenever you are trying to break the yoke of bondage, expect a fight! Hezekiah’s act of rebellion led to the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib and his army. The Assyrian army took 40 cities of Judah and besieged the Holy city, Jerusalem itself. Finally, Hezekiah yielded to the demands of the Assyrian king and agreed to pay him 300 talents of Silver and 30 talents of Gold. Sennacherib dealt treacherously with Hezekiah and chose to invade Judah again two years later.
Even before the situation with Sennacherib had been settle, Hezekiah had become very ill. In his weaken condition, Hezekiah received this unsettling message from God’s prophet, Isaiah. Isaiah 38:1 “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live."
Although Hezekiah was highly favored of God, he was not exempt from sickness and disease. Hezekiah finds himself sick unto death when he is middle age. His father died at 38 and he is only 40 years old. Death is the common lot of all, regardless of age. Isaiah brought a pertinent message, “set your house in order.” This text reminds us that it is our duty to prepare for death, before it approaches, to provide for it, by a settling all our worldly affairs, and more especially by dying daily to the flesh, the world and sin. The day of our departure will come and maybe soon. There are some lessons we can learn as we see how other saints, disciples of God faced crisis. This week, I received calls for prayer concerning a cancer diagnosis, a grandchild nearly beat his grandparents to death after ram shacking their home looking for valuables, two hospitalized with gunshot wounds in a domestic situation, it left me feeling shocked and awe. I even remember the chorus from the Old Hee-Haw TX show, “Gloom, despair, and agony on me Deep, dark depression, excessive misery, If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me. “I really should not have been surprised because I’m living in a hostile world that is full of trouble. Things happen. So, first, Don’t be surprised.
1. Don’t Be Surprised by Crisis. Hezekiah seems to remember the positive methods overcomes he had used in the past to cope in difficult situations. In the past, he had talked about what was happening with other people. He had listen to his close advisers and made the best decision he could. Hezekiah understood crisis come to all! “A man born of woman has a few days and they are full of trouble. Job said, “in the midst of life, we are in death.” Trouble comes to all.
Don’t be surprised or think it strange was crisis come into your life. Why? The simple answer is because crisis is used by both God and Satan. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroyed; Satan uses crisis to discourage us. God uses trials to perfect us. God allows crisis because we need them to grow.
James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” We can count it all joy if we know this!
2. Expect God to Send A Word in Crisis. Hezekiah finds himself sick and surrounded by his enemy, yet God knows where he is, what he is going through, how he feels, so God sends him a message. Expect God to send you a word in your Crisis, and when He does appreciate the gift of God’s Word. Isaiah had often been God’s messenger of Good news. Yet, in this case God sends Hezekiah a heads up concerning his death. It is wonderful to find, Isaiah speaking clearly for God and only what God has said. I am amazed at how Hezekiah received it. His only word to the prophet was thank you! We should not expect to receive anything from the prophet other than what the prophet has received from the Lord. We must welcome God’s word whether it be pleasing or not. God will not abandon his people in a crisis. He sends his word. 2Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
3. Use Crisis as a Platform for Prayer. In every situation, sickness, affliction, or even temptation, prayer is a great relief. Prayer eases the heart as lift our prayers to God. So, don’t stop praying. Prayer will bring comfort in every crisis, and joy in the hour of death. It is a great consolation when our conscience bears witness in the Holy Ghost that we have walked upright. It is a blessing when our hearts are open, full of godly sincerity, conduct is righteous, and lifestyle is pleasing to God. We have an assurance that God will hear our prayer. Not only that, maybe you have not been so righteous, I want you to know that God regards every prayer and every tear which falls from the eye of his children and will give them sooner or later the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Prayer is our hope for “Divine Intervention!”
1John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” We should faithfully endure the crisis until God intervenes. Then expect God to reward your faithfulness. Don’t Be Surprised by Crisis. They come to all, “if it isn’t one thing, it’s another!” Expect God to Send A Word in Crisis. God will not abandon His Children in trouble. Use Crisis as a Platform for Prayer and don’t stop praying. Finally, expect God to reward you. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. God will reward you.
4. Expect God to Reward You.
Isaiah 38:4-8 “Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
God knows how to make you perfect and complete, wanting nothing. Hezekiah is praying that God would spare his life, Yet God sends prosperity to Zion. God did more than Hezekiah asked. Hezekiah’s received the restoration of his health, deliverance for his city, and peace for his people. Finally, God gave him a miracle to serve as confirmation for Hezekiah’s faith.
2Chronicles 16:9a “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”
1Peter 3:12-13 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? Yes, crises are hard to deal with, and we need a plan of action. So, Don’t Be Surprised by Crisis. They come to all, “if it isn’t one thing, it’s another!” Expect God to Send A Word in Crisis. God will not abandon His Children in trouble. Use Crisis as a Platform for Prayer and don’t stop praying. Finally, expect God to reward you. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
