King Hezekiah reminds us that a person’s spiritual direction does not have to be determined by family history. He inherited a deeply troubled legacy, but he chose to follow the Lord, remove what dishonored Him, and hold fast to His commands.
\nThe question is not simply whether you grew up Christian, attend church, or come from a family known for its faith. The deeper question is whether you are personally walking faithfully with God.
\nIt Stops With Me
\nLet’s open our Bibles this morning in the time that is before me. Let’s open our Bibles to the Old Testament. 2 Kings 18:3. 2 Kings 18:3. I’m going to read it here in a second. I’m going to give you a minute to to turn to it. [clears throat] 2 Kings 18:3. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as his father David did. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as his father David did. You know, these last few months, [clears throat] I am quickly progressing to my age 40. I’m a few months from 40 and I’m having kind of like a midlife reflection. Not midlife crisis, midlife reflection. I’m sitting back and thinking everything that I’ve learned all these years, everything that I grew up with, all the the scripture that was poured into me, all the everything that was I learned and values and traditions and everything. Am I at the point that I am pleasing the Lord? Have I truly understood the heart of God? Am I living in a way that I’m pleasing in the eyes of the Lord? See, it’s not just about where we’re going. It’s also where we’ve been, how we’ve lived, and the things that have shaped us. See, this verse that we read, the he in this verse is a king named Hezekiah. These last few weeks, I’ve been meditating on King Hezekiah and Second Kings. And I really felt led to speak on this subject this morning because there is something that’s deeply convicting about that line. the sight of the Lord. He did everything pleasing in the sight of the Lord. We live in a period in the world where there are so many things to please. There are so many people to please. The world has a say, people have a say, even things in the church have a say. But at some point you have to stop and ask yourself. Am I living according to things that I have inherited? Am I is my faith purely inherited? Or am I allowing God’s word to shape and examine my life? That’s what we’re going to learn about today.
\nSermon: The Life and Heritage of King Hezekiah
\nWho Was King Hezekiah?
\nSo before I go into this verse, I need us to understand and be all on the same page about who Hezekiah was. Sometimes, you know, he may be familiar to you, he may not be familiar to you. Whatever it is, whenever we have passages in the Bible that are familiar, we have to slow down and see what God has to teach us through the background of the person. Many times we forward to the good stuff. Yes, David killed Goliath. That’s the big stuff. But who was David in the back? Yes, Hezekiah. Everyone knows Hezekiah for several things. His victory over Sakarab and how God extended his life by uh 15 years because of an illness and God gave him healing. But who was Hezekiah? Because Hezekiah, he was a king of Judah. He became king at age 25 and he reigned for 29 years. The Bible tells us about Hezekiah in three parts in three different books in big detail. 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah. There’s actually very few kings in the Bible that get as much attention on the details of their life like Hezekiah does. So this is not some random person. Hezekiah is not just some random king. His leadership mattered. His decisions mattered and his faith mattered. But to understand who Hezekiah is, you have to first understand where he came from. Where you come from matters. It matters the people that influenced you. It matters the type of upbringing you had because that affects the choices that you make and then the person that you become.
\nInheritance and Family Heritage
\nSee, we inherit a lot of things from our families. Think about it. All of you have a name. You [clears throat] have a first name and you have a last name. Your name is unique. Your first name is uniquely yours. That identifies you as an individual. But your last name connects you to something bigger. Your last name has a story to it. It connects you to a family. It connects you to a heritage. It connects you to a history. Let’s take Caleb for example. See, when Caleb hears his last name, Sam Korti, it’s not just a name. It comes with the whole family history to it. It takes him back to his father, Dennis Jachin. And now, if you go even further back, it takes him back to his grandfather, Sam Corteno. Whether Caleb likes it or not, he is part of this story because he has that last name. And now because he has that last name, he is writing the next chapter of that story. He didn’t choose that last name. He inherited it because he was born into that family. See, some things we inherit biologically. You might get your father’s eyes. You might get your mother’s hair. You might get your grandfather’s height. And if you’re really blessed, your family genetics will make sure that you inherit certain medical conditions. Some of you have diabetes because it runs in your family. Some of you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol because it runs in your family. And I’ll tell you this, even beyond bio biology, when I sit with our youth on our our youth meetings, our equip meetings, and I have conversations with them, I see their mannerisms. I see the way they move their hands, the way they talk, and then I am reminded of their parents. without even realizing it. You carry a lot of the traits that your parents have. The way you talk, the way you gesture. In the same way, there are things that we inherit from our families that we never choose. There are things that shape us, influence us, and become a part of our story. And those things are things like values and traditions and beliefs that your family passes on to you. But here’s the thing about those things. While you may come from a family with many traditions and many values, you still have a choice on what you are going to carry forward. This is why the story of Hezekiah is so powerful.
\nThe Evil Legacy of King Ahaz
\nBecause to appreciate the life of Hezekiah, you have to pause for a second and look at who his father was. Because if you read, if you know the story of Hezekiah, the easy assumption is, my God, Hezekiah must have grown up in a house with such a loving, God-fearing father. But that is actually far from it. That is not the case at all. We actually don’t know a whole lot about his mother. It that if you read verse one, it talks about who his mother was and who his mother’s father was, his grandfather. That’s it. That’s all we know. We don’t know if his mother was godly. She may have been. No idea. But we do know who his father was. And his father was a king named Ahaz. Now, Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, was not a man who made mistakes here and there. It wasn’t just, oh, I I messed up in this and I messed up in that. He was a king that intentionally wandered away from God. And not only did he wander away from God, he took the entire country away from God. Imagine that. Imagine it’s one thing to lead yourself into rebellion. But now imagine you are leading a whole country, your children, all the people, all of God’s people into rebellion. That is a new level of evil. Then there’s something even more horrific about Hezekiah’s father Ahaz. If you go to 2 Chronicles 28:3, you can read that little horrific detail about King Ahaz. 2 Chronicles 28:3. He burned sacrifices in the valley of Ben Henome and he sacrificed his children in the fire. So this is not a guy that just said, “Okay, we can worship idols.” He was an active participant in it. He passed his own children through the fire. What is the What does the verse say, by the way? The verse says, not child, children, plural, multiple children. Have you ever wondered how Hezekiah survived all that? If if this king burned his children in the fire, how did Hezekiah come out? The Bible doesn’t actually tell us how Hezekiah survived all that. But what we do know is that Hezekiah did. He survived. He was still there. And and that’s a truth I want you guys to recognize today. There are many times in your life you should have been done. Your story was done. You should have been consumed in that fire. You should have been drowned in that water. But you are still here. There are many times you should have been destroyed when everyone else was getting destroyed. But God’s ha God has a purpose for you that he has still kept you here. God brought you this far with a purpose. You are not here to simply inherit a faith and move along. So notice what happened here in this verse in in 2 Chronicles. [clears throat] This king Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, burns his children in this valley of Henome. Now valley of Benhinome is right outside the walls of Jerusalem. This is not some far away country. He didn’t go a far away. right outside Jerusalem where the temple of the Lord is in Jerusalem where the where David brought the ark of the covenant where the the glory of God came down on the temple. This man is burning his children under King Ahaz. The temple doors were closed. That’s what if you read Chronicles further on in the life of Ahaz, he took apart God’s temple. He cut it all up. He put a pagan altar in every corner of Jerusalem. Imagine being born into a family like this. Imagine having a father who burned your siblings in the fire. See, such horrific practices were part of the world that Hezekiah grew up in. This is the heritage he inherited. This is his family line. This is not where the father is just absent. The father didn’t have faith. This is a father that practice evil. This is a house that evil had a strong grip on.
\nHezekiah’s Choice: Stopping the Cycle
\nBut this is what makes Hezekiah’s story so significant. See, when Hezekiah became king, he had every opportunity to carry on what his father did because the excuse is too easy. This is how I was raised. This is all I saw. This is normal in my family. But Hezekiah chose a different direction. See, he couldn’t change the family he was born into. He couldn’t undo what his father did. He could not rewrite his upbringing. But he made a decision. It stops here. It stops with me. The Bible tells us he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. At 25 years of age, Hezekiah made a decision that not only changed his spiritual direction, but changed the spiritual direction of an entire country. He couldn’t change the past, but he decided he was going to change what came after him. And I believe this is something that speaks to all of us today. There are things in our families that we didn’t ask for. There is things that you have been exposed to that you did not ask for. There is family dysfunction. There is anger. There is bitterness. There is addiction. You have grown up in houses where God has God was rejected. Maybe faith was absent. But maybe you were blessed. Maybe that isn’t you. Maybe you were blessed with godly parents. Maybe you were blessed with faithful families and a strong Christian upbringing. That’s wonderful. That’s a precious gift. But whether you grew up in a dysfunctional house, whether you grew up in a religious house with religious traditions, your upbringing can shape the way you think, the choices that you make, but it does not have to define your future. Even if you were raised in a Christian house with believing parents, you still have to decide for yourself that what you were taught. Are you going to carry through with that? You have to make a personal choice on your faith yourself because faith cannot be simply inherited. It has to be personal. It has to be individual. You cannot live your parents’ faith or someone else’s faith and just go like that. You have to believe it for yourself. You cannot come to church and say, “I come to church cuz my dad comes to church. My mom comes to church.” That’s just what we do. Let me tell you this. You can come to church every Sunday, sing all the songs, be a part of things, serve in the church, but all that means is what? You’re a traditional Christian. You actually have to have your own personal faith. Church, we can inherit a Christian environment, but we cannot inherit a relationship with God. That is something you have to do yourself.
\nPersonal Faith vs. Inherited Religion
\nMaybe you were raised in a godly home. Maybe you come from a family that has served God for generations. Maybe you have a last name, a family name that is well known in church circles. But you know what? It doesn’t matter to God. It doesn’t matter. You know, Indians are famous for this. You go to India, you’ll see this a lot. Someone gets arrested by the police. The first thing they do is, “Do you know who I know?” I know the politician. I know the MLM. I’m going to call them. I have their number on my phone. That’s a big I do. You know who I know? Even here in America, there are people that have pulled that line. Do you know who my dad is? Do you know Do you know who I am? But that doesn’t work with God. You cannot get into heaven and say, “Do you know my family name?” You cannot say, “Oh, did you know my dad?” When you’re standing in front of God, you cannot say, “Did you know my dad was a pastor? Did you know my grandfather was a pastor?” It doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter at all. Your family history doesn’t matter at all because God is looking at you. You’re not standing up. The Lucos family is not standing together at the judgment seat. It’s you individually. So you have to answer for yourself. Your parents, they can pray for you. They’re there. They’re there to encourage you. Your grandparents can pray for you. They can encourage you. Your pastors can preach and point you in the direction. These are all good examples of faith in your life. But no one can make that decision to follow Jesus on your behalf. And parents, this is very scary for you because especially Indian parents, they like to make the decisions on everything for their kids. They want to decide what their profession is, what degree to get in school, who to marry. But the one thing you can’t decide for them is their faith. You can’t. Your job is to pour into them. But they have to make that decision. We want them to follow God. We want them to make wise decisions. We want them to avoid the mistakes that we made. But as much as we love them, when it comes to faith, you can give them all your inheritance. You can give them your full bank. You can give them everything in your house, but they have to have their own personal faith. That you cannot pass on. Our responsibility is not to simply raise children to follow rules. This is where I’m seeing the struggle with parents and children. Parents, please fight the urge to just put rules on your children. If you’re going to put rules on your children, have a why to it. This is why I’m doing it. Our job is to point our children to a savior and to equip them with sound scripture and the truth of the scripture so one day they will follow God for themselves. Not because they’re your puppet. It’s very easy to be a puppet. I know a lot of kids that are good rule followers, but they have no personal relationship with God. You can be a good rule follower. Daddy said this. Mommy said this. Do all of this. They wanted me to do this job. Get this degree. Good. Wonderful. But that has nothing to do with your relationship with God.
\nSermon: Following David’s Pattern and Confronting Sin
\nChoosing David as a Spiritual Father
\nAnd that brings us back to Hezekiah. See, there’s something interesting in this verse I want you to notice. Let’s go to the the verse the first verse that we read uh verse two 18:2. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Oh, sorry, verse three. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. And look at that last part. According to what his father David did. So who is his father? We just said his father was who? Ahaz. How did David become the father in all of this? [clears throat] David wasn’t Hezekiah’s father. They were biologically related. But why does the Bible point Hezekiah to David instead of pointing Hezekiah to his actual biological father? Hezekiah had a decision to make on which pattern he was going to follow. See, David lived 10 generations before Hezekiah. 10 generations, 300 years before Hezekiah even came. And David left a legacy of devotion and faithfulness to God. Hezekiah could have looked at his father and said, “You know what? I only see one direction. I only see one way to do it.” Um but then Hezekiah turned and and saw David. He saw a way of walking with God. Ahaz was the father Hezekiah grew up with. But David was the father whose example he could follow. See, David wasn’t perfect. [clears throat] Scripture does not hide his failures. If you remember our message from last week, we heard very colorfully about the mistakes of David. He wasn’t perfect. David did not leave a pattern of perfection, but he left a pattern of pursuing God. When he failed, he came back to God. When he sinned, he humbled himself before God. When he faced a battle, he learned to depend on God. When he was going through tragedy, he found comfort in God. And that’s important for some of us. See, you may have grown up in a home where faith was not modeled for you. You may you may have grown up in a very broken home, in a very dysfunctional home. Maybe you grew up in a home where everything was compromised. All the values were compromised. Maybe it’s hard for you to understand what a life surrendered to God looks like. But maybe your parents were okay. Maybe it’s not your parents. Maybe you had a great family. But some of you have been negatively influenced by your friends. Some of you were negatively influ influenced by the culture around you, by social media, by the general media, by entertainment. But listen to me. The people that influenced you negatively in the past do not have to be the only examples that your future is about. See, look around you. Find people who have walked with God. Find spiritual mentors that just don’t talk about their faith, but they actually model it for you. Sometimes when you grow up around dysfunction, you need to be able to see that there is another way that I can live. You have to see what it looks like to live. to live out forgiveness, to live out walking in love, to live out obedience, and what it means to genuinely follow Jesus.
\nThe Importance of Godly Community and Mentors
\nThis is why church matters. This is why church is so important. See, this body of believers we have here is not about traditional Christians coming together. The problem right now, if you go to a church of traditional Christians, they are living whatever way they want. They come from in the bar, they come straight into the pew. They’re living very immoral lifestyles. That’s you’ll find that in a traditional church. That’s why faith is not inherited. There’s tons of traditional churches. There’s plenty. If you want a traditional church, there are ton of those. You can sit with people who have grown up in the tradition of church. They have no active faith. They have no individual faith. They’re just there because their dad did it, their grandfather did it, so they’re doing it. Find people in a godly community. Find spiritual mentors. Surround yourself with people that you can model a genuine walk with Christ and they point you back to God’s word. Don’t walk Christian life alone. Maybe you didn’t get the example you needed at school, at work, at home. But you can make the decision to seek out godly examples. You don’t have to repeat the patterns that you saw growing up. And that’s what Hezekiah did. See, David lived 300 years before Hezekiah. and David is called the father of Hezekiah. Could you imagine 300 years from now someone says, “Oh,” they say your name and they’re like, “That’s my mother. That’s my father.” 300 years. You most of us will be lucky if we see someone 60 years from now, 50 years from now. But 300 years from now, that is the impact of a godly legacy. See, the Bible still measures Hezekiah’s walk based on David’s pattern. You don’t know how far the influence of your faith has, whose life you will reach generations later. So don’t underestimate the power of walking in faith, walking simply, walking with God. Your pattern, your life can be something for another generation to follow. Hezekiah did not just look at David with admiration. You know, sometimes we look at people like, “Oh, that’s what an awesome life.” We admire it, but we don’t want to do anything with it. Hezekiah actually made choices and did the pattern that David set. What did he do?
\nRemoving Idols: Taking Away vs. Adding
\nLet’s look at 2 Kings 18:es 3 and 4. 2 Kings 18:e 3 and 4. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. So what did he do that was right? Verse four, he removed the high places. He smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the asherupoles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made. For up to that time, the Israelites had been burning incense to it. That’s a lot in one verse. We’re just going to focus on the first half. Maybe at another time, we can talk about the second half. But at age 25, Hezekiah realized something that most people never realized. To truly worship God, more than adding something, you have to take away something. Let me repeat that. To truly worship God more than addition, more than adding more programs, you have to take away something. So let me let me explain this verse to you. The all these things, these high places, these sacred stones, these aeropoles, these are all part of idol worship. His father Ahaz put them all over Jerusalem and they were everywhere. And not only his father, the these a lot of these idols had been in Jerusalem for generations. They had been in the surrounding region for generations. And his father made even more of them. They were part of normal society. It was so normal to see an idol. This is God’s people we’re talking about. But there was idols everywhere. It was so familiar and so normal. Let me illustrate it to you this way. All of you have smoke detectors in your home. So, what happens when the smoke detector’s battery runs low? It starts to beep. Makes a chirp. Every five minutes there’s a noise. A little chirp. Now, the first time you hear that chirp, you get annoyed, right? You’re annoyed. You’re like, “What is that noise? Oh, it’s a smoke detector. Let me change the battery. Oh, I don’t have the ladder right now. Um, maybe I’ll do it at another time. I’m busy right now. I’ll do it another day. [clears throat] Day two comes, you’re busy. You hear it, but you’re not as annoyed. By day three, day four, day five, what happens? That noise becomes part of the noise in the house. You’re not going to change it. You’re not going to change that battery because that noise is now just part of all the noise in the house. Not until someone else comes into the house and says, “What’s that noise?” Then you realize, “Oh, that’s the battery I need to change.
\nThe Danger of Normalizing Compromise
\nI’ve just never done it.” This is what happens to us spiritually. There are compromises. There are attitudes. There are practices that once troubled us, that once convicted us, that once bothered us, that once annoyed us. They did not agree with God’s word. But we when we ignore them long enough, it becomes normal. It’s part of normal every day. The warning is still there. That chirp is still there. Just because you ignore it doesn’t mean it’s not there. That chirp that the battery is low is still there. God’s warning is still there. You just ignore it. Because you know why you ignore it? Because you’ve normalized it. This is what Hezekiah had to face. There were high places. They were sacred stones. There were gods and pagan images all over this city that he had to deal with that were normal part of society. They’ve been there for hundreds of years. People were used to it. But Hezekiah remembered one thing in his head. Ex Exodus 20:3, you shall have no other gods before me. Hezekiah realized that just because it was normal, just because people were familiar doesn’t mean we leave it. He removed it. Just dear church, just cuz you are comfortable with something, just because the previous generation did it, we shouldn’t get comfortable with it. Just because the previous generation did it doesn’t mean God has approved of it. This is why it’s very important. Don’t misunderstand me. There are good traditions, but there are also very bad traditions that have to be sifted through the word of God. And this is where Hezekiah’s example, his life challenges each one of us. He could have continued to do what his father did. It was easier to do that. It’s just easier to leave it there. Why are you taking it down? It’s been there for generations. Look at the language. Look at the language that is used in verse four. He removed it. He smashed it. He cut it down. Some translations say he broke it. That’s very confrontational language. Being confrontational about sin is hard. If you’re someone that doesn’t like to hurt people, that’s a hard thing to do to be confrontational because most of us would look at this and be like, “Okay, this has been there for generations. Let’s keep the peace. Let’s just cover it. Maybe no one will see it. That’s easier. Why are we breaking it? Why are we smashing it? Let let let let it stay there. Just cover it. Put a cloth over it. No, he dealt with idolatry directly. He dealt with sin directly.
\nConfronting Sin vs. Covering It Up
\nThis is another danger for us. Sometimes we want to cover up what needs to be fixed, thinking that if we cover it, it will be better. Let me give you another illustration on this so you understand. A few weeks ago, a young man came into the office and his his right hand was swollen. It nearly doubled the size. [cough and clears throat] So I asked him what, you know, what the problem is. He took his bandage off and he had a cut. It happened two weeks ago, but he didn’t want to get stitches at that time. He’s like, “Ah, let me just put a bandage on it. Maybe if I don’t have to see it, it won’t be a problem. If I just cover it, it’ll be okay.” He’ll take the bandage off, put a new bandage. So, everyone that sees him sees, “Oh, it’s covered. I can’t see it.” But the problem is still underneath. The cut is still there. And now by covering it with the bandage, the wound had gotten to the point that it actually had to go to the operating room and get cleaned out. Let me tell you a simple truth, church. A fresh bandage can change what people see, but it doesn’t change anything what’s happening underneath. Covering a problem is not the same thing as treating a problem. Listen to what Solomon says in Proverbs. Proverbs 28. Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper. The one who confesses and renounces finds mercy. Listen to Psalm 32. I acknowledged my sin to you. I did not cover up my iniquity and then you forgave the guilt of my sin. We are very good at covering things up. When God calls us to confront something, we just want to cover it because it’s too much work to remove it. Instead, we’ll put a new name on it. We’ll rebrand it. We’ll repackage it. We’ll give it a new name. That’s just easier. Church, if we are in this behavior, we are just protecting sin. Let me give you some examples. These days, we call pride as having a standard. These days we call bitterness as protecting our space. These days we call gossip prayer requests all in the name of prayer requests. That’s gossip. Let’s talk about everyone’s problems. We call compromise being relevant with culture. This is what culture is doing. We have to stay in this area. After a while, like that smoke detector example I gave you, after a while, these things become normal. And instead of surrendering to God, we defend our own behavior. Making something acceptable to people does not make it acceptable to God. Changing the nature of something does not change its nature. Putting a band-aid over a cut doesn’t change the fact of a wound. Hezekiah’s life teaches us that there is a time we have to stop making excuses for what God calls us to confront. We cannot experience spiritual revival. We cannot expect spiritual renewal if you are protecting the things that are pulling you away from God. The issue is not about what others are seeing on the outside. The issue is what are we not addressing in our heart, the place where people can’t see. Just like an untreated infection, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness will affect your relationships, will affect your decisions, will affect your worship. Hezekiah did not hide the idols. He did not cover the idols. He removed them. He broke them. He smashed them. Just because the previous generation tolerated something, that doesn’t mean God is calling you to tolerate it.
\nSermon Conclusion and Call to Obedience
\nSincere Worship vs. Religious Activity
\nLet’s ask ourselves as a church this morning. Am I truly worshiping God from the sincerity of my heart? Or am I simply looking right on the outside and I have some deep hidden issues, deep hidden sins, deep hidden wounds on the inside. God is not asking you to give him the most presentable version of yourself. He is calling you to complete repentance, complete obedience, complete faith. Because sin affects your relationship with God. This is why this concept of hiding sin is all over the Bible. Man commits a sin from the Garden of Eden. He committed a sin and the first thing they want to do is what? Hide. Because ultimately the issue, dear children, dear church, when sin takes the place of worship, ultimately we’re taking our worship away from God. Then what are you doing? who who has your worship. This is why God calls his people to repentance. This is why it’s very important. Let me tell you something. You can come to church. You can sing all the songs. You can hear the message. You can you can do everything guys. But if if sin is hidden in your heart, if there are unresolved wounds in your heart, your worship stops there. It doesn’t go anywhere. God does not accept it. Period. That’s what he said in Amos chapter 5. Listen to this verse from Amos 5 21 and then we’re going to close. God said, “I despise your festivals. I despise your assembly. It is a stench to me. I will not accept your burnt offering. I will not accept your grain offering. I don’t want the noise of your songs.” Why? Because the people were disobedient. They had the songs, they had the music, they had the messages, they had the setup, they had the building, they had it all, but they were disobedient. And it every they were hoping the the music and everything would cover all of that like a bandage. And it doesn’t. God is not looking for your religious activity to cover up your life. God is not looking for the way for for you to cover up your secret life by doing religious things, by serving in the church. Our your worship has to come from a heart that is willing to be corrected that is willing to remove things and surrender to him.
\nHezekiah’s Success through Removal
\nLet me close with this verse for you [clears throat] from 2 kings about Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:5. So the very next verse right after it says he broke the asher poles. He he smashed the sacred stones. He removed the idols. Then what does it say of Hezekiah? There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah. Either before him or after him. There was no one like him. Guys, if you look at Hezekiah’s life, he had a father that burned their his siblings, his own children. There is no reason in our earthly sense for Hezekiah to be a righteous king. But Hezekiah made a decision. I’m not going to follow what I have inherited. I am going to remove what is displeasing to God. He didn’t just talk about it. He did it. And listen to verse 6 and 7. He held fast to the Lord and he did not stop following him. He kept the commands of the Lord that the Lord had given Moses. And listen to this. The Lord was with him. He was successful in whatever he did. This is the progression. Why does the Bible say there’s no king like him? Because he held fast to the Lord. He didn’t stop following him. And because of that, he was successful in everything that he did. See, when you think about success and prospering, we are always thinking, what can I add to my life? What can I add? How can I be successful? Let me get a new investment. Let me buy a new house. Let me get another job. We think about adding things constantly. But the success of Hezekiah was not what he added. It was what he removed. He removed the high places. He smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the asher bowls. He did not begin by adding more programs. He began what was rem He began by removing things that displeased the Lord.
\nChallenge to the Church and Parents
\nLet us stand this morning. Sometimes the things that will open that door of blessing in your life, open that door of healing in your life is not the things that you need to add on. It is things that you need to remove. We want God to bless us. We want God, we want healing. We want a door of opening. We want revival. But are you willing to remove the things that dishonor God? parents, you want your future generation blessed, but are you willing to take the trouble to remove the negative influences in their life? Are you willing to take that pain? Do you think it was easy for Hezekiah to break things that generations had passed down? It took a lot of pain for a 25year-old to do that. Raising a godly generation doesn’t happen automatically. It takes some pain. It takes some pain of removing things, cutting things out, destroying things, smashing things. Hezekiah did not grow up in a god-fearing home, but he chose a different path. And he built his life on his on the trust of the word of God. Obedience to the word. Dear church, something I’ve been discussing with our youth groups is obedience to the word. after you’re all gone from this earth, they have to grow in the faith. They have to make that decision. I can fill this church up with traditional Christians. That’s nice. But God is not going to move there. It’s very easy to do that. I don’t want a church of traditional Christians. We want a church that is growing in active faith, in individual faith. So when we look at the life of Hezekiah, let that be our testimony. Let us hold fast to God. Do not compromise in the word and remove anything that competes with him in our hearts. Hezekiah knew if he left one idol behind in Jerusalem, there will be one person, there will be a child that walks by and sees it for that minute. So he destroyed all of it. Because at the end of your life, let me tell you something. At the end of your life, all that’s going to matter is not whether you inherited the traditions or what others thought of you. All that’s going to matter is did you walk faithfully in the eyes of the Lord.
\nClosing Altar Call and Reflection
\nAs we worship God this morning, let let every eye be closed this morning in the house of God. We’re going to close our service. You all are going to go back to your work week, your school week, go back to your friends, go back to your influences, go back to your lifestyles. But I need each of you children and adults to look at your life. Are there things hidden in your life that take the place of God in worship? Are there things in your life you need to remove? Are there things in your life you need to break? Are you coming to church because you’ve inherited it? Are you coming to church because you truly want a relationship with God? That is the question you have to answer. Parents, I want you to pour into your children, but I want you to understand the decision is theirs. All you can do is guide them. Show them God’s word. When you see things in their life that needs to be removed, as long as they’re under your house, remove that for them. But at the end of the day, the decision when they get older is theirs. But it is our job to empower and equip our children to face things. Listen, I and I tell the youth all this all the time. I don’t have answers for everything. The challenges you guys face, maybe things I did not face, but we always have the word of God, the discerner of spirits. The discerner even the the word of God discerns even to the joint, even to the marrow. That’s the only thing you can lean on. There is no parent self-help book. There is no motivational speaker other than the word of God. There is no culture. There is no tradition to lean on other than the word of God<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"