Reclaiming The Kingdom

Reclaiming The Kingdom

2 Kings 18:1-7

Intro: "Granny" Parker always had trouble with that rooster! Granny was in her mid-70’s. She’d lived all her life on just two farms -- her father’s, and the one she and her husband worked. She had given the two acres our church was built upon. She was a Godly woman who can "pray heaven down."

. Like anyone, Granny has had her share of sorrows and pain. If you "set a spell" on the front porch she will talk with you all day about life, financial "doings" and the like. In all, her life has been ordinary and wonderful, hard work and family. She felt that she had had a good life, that is Until that rooster came! She had been known to say that that rooster was as mean as Satan himself.

. It seems that this bird had decided that Granny didn’t belong in the yard with all "his" hens. Whenever she ventured too close to the hen house, he’d come flying at her with spurs thrashing and slashing. He got her a few times. one Wednesday night in particular, Granny had just come into the church for Prayer Meeting. She was bleeding from her leg and arm. Everybody was asking what had happened. "Blame rooster done it again!" Had that bird been a human, he would’ve been arrested for disturbing the peace on Parker Road for all the ruckus he had done that day.

. But, he was a rooster, so one afternoon, Granny ventured out the back door toward the hen house, calling, "Here chick-chick. Here, chick." The hens knew what that meant, and they all came on the dead run for chow. That old rooster came too. He was bent on protecting his territory, but he made a slight miscalculation. You see, over seventy years of handling problems, weather, crop failures, depression and stubborn barnyard animals, made Granny a formidable foe with a hoe. She watched out of the corner of her eye as that whirling-dervish of a rooster came squawking and flapping his wings, brandishing those spurs like Freddie Krueger.

. At the last second, Granny "Make-My-Day" Parker side-stepped the leaping rooster and swung the hoe like a Ninja sword. R.I.P., bird! The rooster was enjoyed by all the next Sunday at the dinner on the grounds.

. Granny’s territory, her kingdom per se had been overtaken and she needed to take it back.

. As I have watched the election process over the last few weeks, I have been struck by some of the phrases.

. Some slogans that the candidates are using

. Mitt Romney: Believe In America

. John Huntsman: Country First

. Newt Gingrich: Restore America

. Rick Santorum: Fighting To Make America, America again

. Ron Paul: I really couldn’t find one that made any sense to me.

. All of these men are calling for a renewal of our country.

. A change in direction, a repentance if you will.

. I agree that we as a nation and as a people need a new direction but I don’t believe that they really have the answers.

. What our nation, Our people, we as individuals need is a reclaiming of what made our nation so prosperous and blessed.

. We need Hope and Change alright.

. We need the hope that is only found in trusting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the change that is brought about by living Godly lives.

. As I was studying this week I read in 2Kings the story of King Hezekiah and how he led the country of Judah into a revival that blessed and prospered them.

. Basically it was the story of God using Hezekiah to Reclaim The Kingdom.

. If these men running for office and if we as Christians and citizens of this country want to know how to reclaim our country and our communities, all we need to do is look in God’s word and follow the example of Hezekiah.

. 2 Kings 18:1-7;” 1Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel.2He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.3He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.4He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.

5Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.6He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses.7So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did…”