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Reviving God’s People 2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-31

Reviving God’s People 2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-31. Christians can go through a period of spiritual lifelessness. It can be personal or corporate

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Reviving God’s People 2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-31

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  1. Reviving God’s People2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-31 • Christians can go through a period of spiritual lifelessness. • It can be personal or corporate • 2 Kings 18:5–6 (NIV) 5 …trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah…6 He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. • King Hezekiah brings revival to the nation of Judah.

  2. Review Israel’s history: • David; King Solomon reigned over a united kingdom of Israel (12 tribes). • 10 northern tribes rebelled - Jeroboam • 2 remaining tribes became the nation of Judah – King Rehoboam • Many evil kings - led the people into idolatry • Some of the kings of Judah were faithful to the Lord

  3. King Hezekiah didn’t come from a godly family (2 Chronicles 28:22–25) • King Ahaz shut down all worship of God in Judah. • King Hezekiah sees that things need to change. • With God’s help, anyone can break free from the destructive cycle of making bad choices. • Hezekiah’s personal revival spurred him to lead his nation in a great spiritual revival.

  4. 1. Celebration of Genuine Worship • King Hezekiah restores worship of God. • 2 Chronicles 29:3–5 (NIV) 3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.

  5. Old Testament: the worship of God was directly connected with the Temple. • For revival to take place in the hearts of the people Hezekiah needed to restore temple worship. • He also reinstated the celebration of the Passover Feast. • 2 Chronicles 30:1 (NIV) - Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.

  6. Passover was a picture of God’s salvation. • The people had forgotten about God’s deliverance. • Revival begins with a return to genuine worship. • Living in the period of the NT, we no longer worship God in a temple. • 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

  7. 2 Chronicles 30:18–20 (NIV) 18 Although most of the many people who came …had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. • Hezekiah prayed that God would pardon the people because they came with pure hearts.

  8. Psalm 51:16–17 (NIV) You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. • Genuine worship is our response to God for his saving act of grace. • All worship must be centered on the cross. • Romans 12:1 (NIV) - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

  9. Being a sacrifice is about GIVING of yourself. • Psalm 27:6 (NIV) Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. • As the body of Christ, we gather together to GIVE of ourselves to worship God in our singing; our fellowship; our offerings; our listening. • The first priority of worship is to bring glory to God. • Our corporate worship also needs to be directed towards edifying others.

  10. The people responded to Hezekiah’s reforms with joy • 2 Chronicles 30:21,23 (NIV) 21 The Israelites … celebrated the Feast …for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord’s instruments of praise… 23 The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. • Revival is characterized by a celebration of genuine worship to God.

  11. 2. Conviction Leading To Repentance • The celebrations continued and the excitement grew (2 Chronicles 30:26,27) • 2 Chronicles 31:1 (NIV) - When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars…After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.

  12. With their heart refocused back on God the people realized their sin and repented. • We all want to see a renewed spiritual awakening in our church. • Revival begins with God’s people doing business with him ourselvesfirst. • Revival involves a personal conviction of our own sin and the need to repent. • Revival began in the heart of Hezekiah and then it spread to the nation.

  13. 3. Commitment to Generous Giving • 2 Chronicles 31:5 (NIV) 5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. • After celebration and repentance, the people responded with generous giving to the work of God in the Temple. • 2 Chronicles 31:12 (NIV) 12 Then they faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts.

  14. The faithful giving to the work of God is a true mark of spiritual revival in the hearts of God’s people. • God calls us to persevere: • Hebrews 10:35–36 (NIV) 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. • Revival comes when God moves in a miraculous way with his Spirit

  15. Revival requires God’s people to have open hearts and clean hands. • prepared to offer ourselves as living sacrifices • celebrating God’s gift of salvation with genuine worship • willing to examine ourselves to let God’s Spirit convict us, then follow up with genuine repentance. • willing to give to the ministry of God’s work

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