12 Step # Step 4

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2nd Kings is where we're going 2nd Kings 18. So one of the first examples of this inventory kind of thing that goes on as in Hezekiah Hezekiah is the 13th king after Solomon a lot of kings of come and gone in Israel Judah and left quite a mess. And by the time has a kaya comes along it says it's about him Hezekiah 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. He remain faithful to the Lord and everything and he carefully obeyed all the commands. The Lord had given Moses obedience is a big part of our walk with God. He really is Jesus said I will know them because they will obey my commands.

Actually is to love God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself, you get those two down when you get confused about something just go back to that and that'll set your your back to the Northern Star. So the Lord was with him and Hezekiah was successful in everything. You did hear about it against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. So what's interesting if you read about Hezekiah in 2nd Chronicles 28, there's two parts in King's they talk about Hezekiah and and Chronicles. These are two books in the Old Testament. They talk about the story in the history of Hezekiah and what he did. Is he open the temple door? That's a first

Like it was sitting there any they've been shot by all these Kings? He restored the priesthood I mean there was no more what you and I would call Church going on. It was a mess. And he destroyed all the idols that were in the land and it was a huge what was interesting when I was in Jerusalem. There's a part of Jerusalem you can walk and talks about Hezekiah building up the exterior walls of Jerusalem and then one part in the Jewish section of Jerusalem, they dug down and they left it open where you can actually see the wall that has acai built like it's really amazing. You're just looking like wow like there it is, right. You can also walk in the tunnel that he built for the water to go through so they would have water coming into Jerusalem if they were besieged that the spring wouldn't be cut off so they just dug through and what you know, it's amazing. This is miraculous. They started in Jerusalem in the temple area, which is way up in the hill. It's like being on the top of Citadel Hill and they burrowed all the way down to what would probably be the end of the commons and they started at one end and at this end and they met together.

With no technology, no radar no GPS nothing and you can walk it. It's still the water is still flowing through their into the temple. It's and it's amazing really is amazing. So all this stuff after 13 Kings, everything is gone to pot and it was a mess. And so Hezekiah did huge renewal and Revival and got the people to look at their lives and get rid of the idols in their lives and all these kinds of things and if you want to read about that that it's really amazing to to read about what happened there, but then to Kings came after Hezekiah and it was Manasseh and Eamon they came and it goes to Pieces again. So then Josiah shows up, he's only 8 years old, but I'll read it here 2nd Chronicles. Josiah was 8 years old when he became king.

And he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and follow the ways of his father David not turning aside to the right or to the left and in the eighth year of his rain. So he was 16 years old. This kid is 16. Bollywood still young he began to seek the god of his father David. He had a conversion experience. He all of a sudden woke up to the true God. And in his 12th year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of its high places all there a sheriff pulls and idles. This is crazy that this kid comes along and all of a sudden wakes it up never underestimate what a teenager might be able to do. If they get a hold of God and God gets ahold of them. But what's amazing is after Hezekiah is amazing renewal and bringing Israel back completely to God.

Only 76 years later Josiah has to come along and do the whole thing again 76 years. No, this is something we need to think about right? That's not a long time. Some of us are 76 years old or more right? I mean a lot of us don't get to live for Jesus for 76 years, but none-the-less a good part of it. 2nd Chronicles cuz it's odd to say in the 18th year of Josiah's Reign. He was 26 years old. The purify the land in the temple. He sent chef and Son of Azalea and whatever that is the ruler of the city with Joe. Our son of Joe has the recorder to repair. The Temple of the Lord is God. So he started at 16. He got the vision at 16. And then a 26 he actually started doing some major changes. Which you know kind of tells us something it's hard to turn the ship around when it's going in the wrong direction boy turn in this Old Ship around sometimes it's a hard thing and sometimes turning ourselves around is a hard thing. It takes time to get us turned around in the right direction. It goes on to say in verse 11. They also gave money to the Carpenters and Builders to purchase dress Stone and Timber for Joyce and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had a loud the fall into ruin. They allowed it to happen. The devil don't take nothing from us that we don't give them. Time doesn't take anything from us that we don't give it. And it is because people choose to let go of the fervor of God. They choose to let go of the commitments they choose to let go of that determination and that energy with God and something's going to come in like if Jesus moved over if the right is here and in Jesus in your life moves here just for the devil goes Right there. He'll get his clothes as he can write, whatever we give them space for. And our thing is to stay centered and to make sure we're looking at the cross everyday that were thinking spiritual priorities and we're hearing God in our life that were seeking God in her life because as time as told as it don't take very long for it to all just turn mediocre mediocre and all the sudden you find yourself out of the face. The king's after Hezekiah had slowly allowed the old ways to creep in bleeders failed. And you ever notice that it's really really scares me some of the great leaders of our faith in the last 100 years started out. So great. You know what they're just powerful and they're doing incredible things and as they get older some of them not all of them that are still on TV or sent you Circle and they're saying crazy things and they're doing weird things and they're starting to become like I'm machree to the face instead of and I don't know how that happens. But it always spoke to me said please keep your ear close to the ground and we need to do it also because we can get off and tangents we can get off and weird believe we can start listening to other voices and there's all kinds of voices. That are coming and I mean ideally the enemies desire in our life is too of course take us away from Jesus and so he knows that's not what he can. Kind of diverted a bit and start getting us looking in other directions and start getting us seeing other things and that's what happened over time in this case 76 years stuff started to creep in.

They returned it. What did they do? They return to old ways. They return to Old Idols not trusting God to take care of them started trusting other beliefs and Lifestyles and you know what it can happen very easily to us. We have to be so careful and I understand that sometimes because we pray for things and it doesn't happen. Right we pray for somebody be healed and they're not healed. You think the devil's not going to try to make some fodder out of that try to make something out of that to try to get you to stop being like for someone in really thought they're going to be healed. I don't know about you, but I've had it twice. I thought that I thought that I knew that I knew that this person was going to be healed and then they going down on you. And the first thing that comes to your your mind is to say I'm not going to pray for her that anymore. I'm not feeling anymore James got his head cut off in the New Testament Peter got delivered from jail. We don't know how God works. We just know that he's true. No devil. That's a lie. True know I can trust God. He's true. We have to keep on shooting back to those vital first principles that we know about God turn to the ancient paths. Return to what? It was the first spoke to us and we talked about this last week when you first get saved Jesus tell you to jump off the bridge and do it. So there's got to be that willingness to be obedient and then Ezra comes along. Josiah's been there and had this revival and then Ezra comes along. So what's interesting is that the X-Files, you know, Israel disobeyed and jehoiakim was the last king finally they come they take them to Babylon done silver. And what's interesting about that. A lot of them didn't come back. After so many years are just became home to them only a few only two tribes returned when we hear about the grade in filling this talked about in Prophecy. It's yet to happen like only to it when we say all the Jews are coming back to Israel. Oh no, no, no. No that hasn't happened yet. You'll know it when that happens. But in 537 BC. They come back to rebuild the Temple. They are released by The King and they come back and so they come back and they're starting the temple and they have a whole Revival go on.

57 or 79 years. It depends because there's conflicting dates with all of this stuff. But as your shows up in Jerusalem, and the whole thing is a sham. It's a mess. And here's what he finds again only somewhere between 59 and 7070 years. This is what happens when these things have been done. The Jewish leaders came to me and said many of the people of Israel and even some of the priests and Levites. Have not kept themselves separate from the other people's living in the land. They have taken up the detestable practices of the Canaanites. The Hittites / is a jebusite Gemini small bites Egyptians and writes for the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages, were she at the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage. It's unbelievable. I mean like 50 years previous. They were dedicating the temple all valuing to return to God. God had brought them from bondage release them brought them back gave the money to build their Temple again.

It's Nots when I heard this I tore my cloak in my shirt pulled hair from my head. And beers that someone who's in some pretty severe severe repentance. I don't know what that looks like, but pulling hair from my head and beard.

And sat down at early shocked then all who tremble that the words of the god of Israel came and sat with me because of this Oak Ridge committed by the returning returned axles and I sat there are totally appalled until the time of the evening sacrifice. I said God, please give us that kind of repentance. I don't say I don't say that lightly and I don't say we should all be running around doing this, but I think there are moments in our life where we have to sit down a pole. If not with ourselves with the way things are going. You know, we have to sit down and be appalled. At the time of the sacrifice. I stood out from where I had sat in the morning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lift my hands to the Lord my God and I prayed. Oh my God, I am utterly ashamed I blush the lift up my face to you for our sins are piled higher than our heads and our guilt is reach to the heavens unbelievable. And and I have like I'm not going on look at them. They're so pathetic. This is Humanity. This is you and I this happened to them it can happen to us. There's no there's no shame or blame here because we're all in the same boat. And in 57 to 79 years, whatever it is, the passionate dedication to living for God was permeated with their own ideas and their own behaviors. The fourth step of AA said that we should make a fearless and moral inventory of ourselves. And you know, I didn't know those time frames and still I did until I started doing the research. I thought between Ezra and Nehemiah and all those I thought there was like hundreds of years, but it wasn't and you can see when you read the old kings that one king would come along turn everybody to God he died and they go right back.

And I I read that and I don't and I kind of feel a little bit Hardy like a stupid. No, that's you. You could do that in a minute. Spinosad hard or crouching waiting for us to let it in. I heard an English preacher. Say the other day. We're only we're all only a rear end kick this in.

I said yeah, that's about it. But I mean today what we're talking about. Is that the Fearless inventory? That we need to take for ourselves limitation says instead. Let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. I will guarantee you that in your life. And in my life, there is somewhere God is saying return to me with this issue with this Behavior with this Thoughts with this disappointment with this hurt with this Brokenness 2nd Corinthians, 13 examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. That's kind of weird. That's a little bit funky. We can examine ourselves to find out if we're in the faith test yourselves Shirley. You know that Jesus Christ is among you if not, you have failed the test of genuine Faith pretty powerful statement there. It's a are you really following Jesus? I mean we can ask God that's a scary question sit down and Quiet Moments a God. Damn. I really following you. Cuz he'll tell you. I'll tell you I've been shocked at how honest God has been with me at times. I'm journaling and I'm going wow. Okay, I didn't eat that much truth, but it's done in love. Always. Does it in love? He never does it to condemn us. He never does. He never sent it to the woodpile. God never does that never sends to our room. So to speak he'll go with us to our room. 1st Corinthians, that is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup, you know that and we looked at that situation that talking about are we truly the family of God are we treating each other like brothers and sisters true brothers and sisters are we really doing that? And in this case as you know, some people died because they were coming up taking the communion with a really reflecting or repenting. That's what's he saying searching yourself repenting and saying, you know, I'm not treating my brothers and sisters. It's not talk about the world is talking about the brothers and sisters are we truly the family of God? so and you don't and for somebody who doesn't know Jesus the same thing as needing to be done. We look at Peter in the second chapter of Acts. Peter and will end with this Peter stands up after the tongues come down on everybody the tongues of fire. That must have been an astounding moment. Imagine if you're sitting in this room and all of a sudden you're seeing what looks like it wasn't but it looks like who knows what it really was coming down on each of us tongues of fire. And when it would hit us people would start speaking and prophesying and speaking in tongue. It must have been an app. That was a hundred and thirty people. Must have been a crazy time. And we don't know how long that went on Before Peter spoke, but he got up and he spoke and it's the first great sermon of Peters. And inverse 36 says to let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucify him. I love that. He throws it in their right? He's not going to miss a chance to give a dick that you crucified. To be both Lord and Messiah Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other Apostles Brothers. What should we do? Peter reply to each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the holy spirit. So they all of a sudden and we don't know how long Peter was talking you might been talking for an hour and we were just given excerpts in scripture people. What did they do? They did an inventory of themselves and they said we are lacking what what do we do? And we do the same thing there that you and I do today we go to God and say God here I am. Please forgive me. I Repent of my sins I decide to come to you I decide to follow you and with that in mind I printed of these. Thanks. For you, it's called heart cleansing for personal renewal now. If you want one of these. It's going to be a pretty kind of cleansing for you. You have to be honest with yourself. You don't have to tell anyone about this. You don't have to pass it in you don't have this is between you and God. And what's hear our whole bunch of different categories? And things like have you been holding a grudge against anyone? Have you been Desiring Revenge?

In what in these are just a few in what areas of your life have you failed to put God first? Are you lazy or undisciplined? Have you failed to trust God with the disappointments of your life? Do you get angry easily and blow up or Pope? Let me know. What potent is the big old boo left, right? Are you ever harsh or unkind unteachable sarcastic? There's a whole bunch of them in here. I just heard of putting a few of mine when only happens. But what it is is an opportunity for you and I to take a Fearless inventory of our life. And then what you do if you want you can get somebody with you that you trust and just say I want to pray and ask forgiveness for this and this and this. Will you agree with me on this? And will you you know believe that God is going to help me with this or you can just take it yourself before God and say and laid in front of God and say father, but you got a name them name is no good, unless your name. No because you know, what each of these represent a spirit.

Right. That's not God's spirit. That's making you hold a grudge and hate somebody that's no God Spirit. That's the human Spirit. What invades the human Spirit. Jesus said you're either with me or against me. So it is the enemy that inhabits the human Spirit and the only way to get the holy spirit in our human spirit is to repent and ask him to come in Peter said and you will receive the Holy Spirit, right? How many have as much of the Holy Spirit as they want? I don't think we want more. And all of us want those areas of our life that maybe aren't as strong as we want them to be. We want to sanctify this and I guarantee when you do this. You will get a reward Jesus always rewards God always rewards his kids when we are honest with them when we are transparent with them when we trust them because going in front of him with this is trust and especially if you do it with somebody else and you trust him and he saying imagine your child coming to you. and saying I stole $5 from your wallet.

What are you going to do if your child comes and says that all by them self and say I want to I want to say, I'm sorry. Are you going to whack them?

Not going to whack them you're going to applaud them. You know at that point I'd say here's 10 for being honest. right And he'll remember that right so that God's the same way. We're bringing him our stuff and we're saying dad. I trust you enough. I trust your love for me enough that I'm going to be able to tell you this cuz he knows it anyway, right? But I'm going to tell you. And I'm going to trust that you are going to love me in spite of it and we're going to carry on well. And imagine even more so if you know your kids told $5. And you don't say anything and watch them come to you that must be an even greater thing. And because what that means if you been a good parent, they trust you you show them enough love that they can, they can trust you and you know, what happens later in their life and we need this we need this collateral with our kids because when they turn 14 to 21 and you want to be able to have a bridge with your children that they can trust you and come in and say they may not do it right away, but they might they will eventually if they trust you and you showing them love Doesn't mean you accept everything they do and that you don't discipline them. That's not love that's laziness. But when you show them love through discipline and through grace and mercy sooner, they'll come back and see Mom Dad I did this or can you help me with this or you know, and I'm sure many of you can recall phone calls with your children or they're telling you stopping you go. Wow, but they trusted you this is amazing. And that's what we want. I'd much rather have my kids, you know, if they're going to go off the track, I would much rather have them go off the track of their own kind of doing and just learning and tripping but be able to come back and tell me about it. That's what I want. I'd rather have that than have them be perfect because they're scared to death right because eventually that's going to break out. Eventually that's going to be if you're only following Jesus because you're scared of them. Eventually that will turn into resentment. It's got to be because we love them and we want to follow them and we don't understand everything but we trust them. That's what brings Freedom. So anyway, if you want one of these I'm going to put them up here and you just grab one and you can take that home or you can sit in with somebody and go through that and just allow the Holy Spirit to gift you. With awareness about your state and where you are and just Rejoice that you have a god. Whose will listen if I'm Muslim red. A Muslim had to answer that they have no one to go to. They just go I guess I got to get this all together because I'm doing all these things. I'm not going to happen. Like and they don't have anyone who's forgiven them for these things. They don't have a merciful god who sang? I love you. Anyway, they don't have that. They just have honestly you put this in front of them and it would kill them. That's why the grace of God is so incredible. What we have is such a gift that we can look at this and know that in spite of it our God loves us if we're willing to come to him and repent and give it to him and trust him and he's going to make us more like him through this crazy. You can't lose you can't lose. Father we thank you for the grace that we are sharing. Thank you. For some reason father. You allowed us to understand your grace. You've allowed us to come into relationship with you. You plucked this father God from that path that was going to the Miry clay father you pluck this from it and you somehow showed us your Amazing Grace and we're even learning as at our age and your faith father were still learning about how high and how wide and how deep your love for us. It's unmeasurable. The word says that you have for us in Christ Jesus. So as we go through this process father we go through it knowing that you are a loving God and we'll maybe cry your tears and we'll have our Soros about it, but father we know that your arm is around or shoulder and you are grieving with us and you are lifting us up off our knees to walk stronger and better and more fully and you Because you will finish what you have be gone in Christ Jesus. Amen. Amen. God is good a amen. So how does coffee and tea at the back?