THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS
II Chronicles 32:1-9, 22-23
The character of Hezekiah
was developed before He became King
He had to straighten out
a mess that his father, Ahaz created
While he was king. Ahaz
had an idol god addiction.
Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father was king in
Jerusalem for 16 years.
He did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Ahaz worshipped Baal, set
up altars to idol gods throughout Jerusalem.
He made a deal with the
Assyrian King, taking furnishing from the Temple To pay him off.
When that didn’t work, Ahaz
offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus. He shut the doors of the Temple and
removed the Levite priest.
He set up altars to idol
gods on every street corner of Jerusalem.
In every town in Judah,
King Ahaz set up high places and burned
Sacrifices to idol gods.
How did Hezekiah get his
love for the Lord? He certainly didn’t
Get it from his father. His
mother's name was Abijah which means
Father of Jehovah. He was also influenced by the prophet Isaiah.
When Hezekiah became king
after his father’s death, he made
His priority to clean up
Judah and Jerusalem.
Hezekiah did not follow
in the footsteps of his father.
When God selects you for
a job, he prepares your mind for
The task. He puts counselors in place to guide you.
Hezekiah tore down all
the idol altars and reestablished
The Levite priest service
in the Temple.
He invited all of Judah
to come to celebrate the Passover
And bring sacrifices to the Temple.
WHY DOES
GOD ALLOW THE FAITHFUL TO BE TROUBLED?
V:1, After
all, that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and
invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them
for himself.
TROUBLE
MOTIVATES US TO GET RIGHT BEFORE THE LORD
A. When facing the enemy, the first
thing you ought to do is get your house in
In order before the Lord.
1. Clean up all unrighteousness.
2. Tear down any walls against the Lord.
a. Walls of hatred
b. Walls of envy
c. Walls of jealously
d. Walls of anger
e. Walls of disobedience
B. When Hezekiah became king, he had to
clean up the mess his father created.
1. Hezekiah reestablished worship of the
Lord in the Temple.
2. He tore down all the altars to idol
gods.
3. He invited Judah and other Israeli
cities to join in the celebration of Passover.
4. He put the Levite priest back to
their duties in the Temple.
5. We must establish true worship in our
hearts.
C. You would think God was pleased with
Hezekiah.
1. He got rid of all the idols.
2. He repaired the Temple.
3. He caused a revival in his kingdom.
D. Why didn’t God get rid of the Assyrian
threat?
1. Hezekiah had a problem with pride.
2. He was so proud of his work. He lacked
trust in the Lord.
3. We must remember He became king when
he was 25 years old.
4. He showed all the gold in his
treasury and the
Riches of Jerusalem to
the Ambassadors of Babylon.
He was scolded by the
prophet Isaiah.
Hezekiah was plagued with
sickness by God
As a result, he paid the Assyrian
king 300 talents of silver
And 30 talents of silver to
prevent an attack on Judah.
The Assyrian king was ruthless
and want all of Judah.
Hezekiah learned His lesson
TROUBLE
MOTIVATES US TO SEEK SOLUTIONS
V:2. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had
come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his
officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs
outside the city, and they helped him. 4 A large force of men assembled, and
they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land.
"Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" they
said.
FIND THE
WEAKNESS OF THE ENEMY
A. When you trust God, you do not need
to fear the enemy, or pay ransom
For your freedom.
1. As leaders of the House, we should
take courage that God is in control of
Any situation against us.
2. Take measures to defend what God has
put you in charge of.
3. No matter how strong the enemy may
seem, there are always areas of weakness.
4. Hezekiah realized that a large army
needed a supply of water to survive.
The City of David was
built on a hill of hard limestone, in which underground water
created karstic caves. The Gihon Spring, the only source of water of the city,
emerges in the Kidron Valley, east of the City of David. It is mentioned many
times in the Bible, e.g., its location in
the valley east of the city (II Chronicles 33:14); the anointing of Solomon as
King of Israel (I Kings 1:35, 45). It made the founding of the City of David
possible, and sustained its existence for thousands of years.
1.
The water flowed through the city and collected in pools
and was allowed to Flow into the valley.
2.
By plugging the flow outside the city walls a large army could not survive
for long.
TROUBLE MOTIVATES US TO BUILD UP OUR DEFENSES
V:5 Then he
worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers
on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting
terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and
shields.
A. We have to maintain that which God
has given us,
1. God gives us wisdom to get prepared
for the enemy.
2. Like maintaining a house. If
something is broken, repair it.
3. The walls around the city were
repaired and reinforced.
B. We have to get prepared for the
battle.
1. Hezekiah made weapons of war for all
His men.
Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your
stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
What is the armor of God?
It’s in Ephesians 6:14-18 FIVE STEPS
a. Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with
the breastplate of righteousness in
place,
b. and with your feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the
gospel of peace.
c. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
d. Take the helmet of salvation and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
e. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with
all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep
on praying for all the saints.
TROUBLE
MOTIVATES US TO GET ORGANIZED FOR BATTLE
V:6 He
appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in
the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7 "Be strong and courageous.
A. An organized, well-trained military
is key to the defense of the city.
1. People work better when there is a
strong organization.
2. Leaders must organize people with
specific responsibilities.
B. It is the job of the leader to
encourage his troops.
1. Words prepare the mind.
2. Training prepares the body.
3. Encouragement rallies the troops.
TROUBLE
MOTIVATE US TO TRUST GOD WITH THE VICTORY
V:7b. Do not be afraid or discouraged because
of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power
with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the
Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained
confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.
A. Rely on God for your strength.
1. I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.
2. The Assyrians had an army of 185000 troops.
3. Those who rely on the Lord have an
unseen army.
4. Those who rely on the Lord have an
unseen power.
5. Those who rely on the Lord have an
unseen shield.
6. Those who rely on the Lord have
unseen resources.
B. You and God outnumber the biggest
army.
1. Man has limited strengthen, but God
is unlimited.
2. Man has limited knowledge, but God
can confuse that knowledge.
3. Man has many ideas, but God can
render them useless.
4. Man knows what He can do, but no one
knows what God will do.
C. People don’t need to hear what we can
do, they need to know
God can do more than necessary.
1. People are encouraged when we give
out testimonies of what
God has done in our
lives.
2. Our confidence grows when we talk about
what God promised.
TROUBLE
MOTIVATES US TO PRAY FOR VICTORY
2
Chronicles 32:20-21
20 King
Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about
this. 21 And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and
the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to
his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of
his sons cut him down with the sword.
PRAYER IS
A WEAPON AGAINST THE ENEMY
God can
eliminate any threat you face.
V:22. So the
Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib
king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every
side. 23 Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts
for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on, he was highly regarded by all the
nations.
A. When we rely on the Lord, victory is
certain.
1. God allows trouble in our lives to
test our faith.
2. God allows trouble in our lives to
grow our faith.
3. God allows trouble in our lives to give
us a testimony to His goodness.
4. God allows trouble in our lives to prove
victory over the enemy.
5. God allows trouble in our lives to
build our confidence.
6. Good allows trouble in our lives to
get us prepared for the next battle.
TROUBLE
MOTIVATES US TO BRING AN OFFERING TO GOD
B. We owe a sacrificial offering to the
Lord to show our love for Him.
1. We owe a sacrificial offering to the
Lord in obedience to His commands.
2. We owe a sacrificial offering to the
Lord to prove His promise.
Malachi 3:10-11
Bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me
in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not
throw open the
floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that
you will not
have room enough for it.
3. We owe an offering to God for victories
won.
GOD
ALLOWS TRIALS SO HE CAN BLESS US WITH HIS GLORY
AMEN
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