Revival Begins in the Household of God

James Grossi

Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

2 Chronicles 30:1–31:1

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Introduction

Please turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles Chapter 30. We’re going to be looking at the whole chapter as well as the first verse of Ch. 31.

And as you’re making your way there this morning, I want you to consider the word “revival.” Revival is a pretty common word in Christian circles. It’s something that we think about and often pray about…

And when we think about revival, what comes to mind is a time of great spiritual awakening, where the Spirit of God is moving in a powerful and particular way, and people are coming to saving faith Christ in droves.

And when we think about revival in our nation’s history, two periods come to mind, both about a hundred years apart:

The Great Awakening, which was the first one, came about in the early 1700’s and The Second Great Awakening, which is the 2nd one, came about in the early 1800’s

In both of these periods, masses of people came to faith in Christ. In town, after town, after town, under the preaching of men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield, the Word of God went forth, and masses were converted.

And I know that for many Christians, we long for something like that to happen today... and rightfully so!

We talk about it... we pray about it... We ask God for His Spirit to move in mighty ways... but the thing I want you to think about this morning is this...

What does “revival” really mean? What does it mean to “revive” something? It means to take something that was alive, that had died, and breathe new life into it.

We “revive” it... we bring it back to life.

So the thing I want you to consider this morning is this... What if we prayed for revival to happen not only “out there”.... but what if we prayed for revival to begin in here? What if we prayed for revival to start with you... and with me?

What would happen? What would that look like?

Well, fortunately for us, we haven’t unhitched the Old Testament, and one of the ways in which the Old Testament is helpful to us is it provides us with an example... it was given to us for our instruction.

As we open up the Word of God this morning, we’re going to be looking one such time in Israel’s history where they went thorough a period of great revival.

During this period, God had ordained a king… who’s name was Hezekiah. And under the Lord’s call… unlike many of the kings that came before him, Hezekiah would “do what was right in the sight of the Lord.”

And because of this… because of his faithfulness… God would then move in the hearts of His people… v. 12 says,

2 Chronicles 30:12 ESV

The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

As the king went… so did the people… God, through Hezekiah, had stirred up revival among His people. He took something that was alive, but had died, and breathed new life into it.

Now, normally we would stand and read the passage together, but this morning I’m going to do something a little different… the reason is, we’re going to go through the entire chapter, and it’s pretty long… so for the sake of brevity, I’d just ask you to follow along with me in your Bibles as we go… but before we do that, let’s pray…

2 Chronicles 30:1–31:1 ESV

Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month— for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem— and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven. Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.

Prayer

Now to give you some background...

Now the time of Hezekiah was about 215 years after the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms.

This is about 215 years after the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms.Kingdom of Israel to the North, which consisted of 10 tribes and Judah to the South, which consisted of one tribe.

To the north you had Israel, which consisted of 10 tribes and to the south you had Judah, which consisted of 2… Judah and Benjamin .

And the two kingdoms were very different… Israel, for example, had 20 kings… but those 20 kings were from 9 different dynasties or families. And at the time of Hezekiah, the northern kingdom had fallen to Assyria. Some of them were taken into exile, but not everyone… And Assyria’s control over the north was very loose.

Now, like Israel, Judah also had 20 kings… but all 20 kings were from one dynasty - the house of David. The reason for this is because of the promise that God had made to king David, that his heir would sit on his throne forever.

Unlike Israel, Judah only had one family… the house of David. And from the house of David Judah also had 200 kings. The reason for this is because of the promise that God had made to king David, that there would always be an heir of David’s on the throne.

So in that way they were different… but another way that they were different is Israel’s kings, one after another, “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,” leading the people deeper and deeper into idolatry.

The Northern Kingdom was characterized by a line of kings, one after another who, who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, leading the people deeper and deeper into idolatry.However, the Southern Kingdom, who’s kings were all of the house of David, with some godly kings and occasional reforms. One such godly king was Hezekiah, and under Hezekiah’s reign Israel experienced of spiritual reformation... a period of revival, where the hearts of the people turned back to the Lord.

Judah, however, had some kings that were godly, and when those kings would ascend the throne, they would bring reform… One such king was Hezekiah, and under Hezekiah’s reign, Judah experienced a period of spiritual reformation... a time of revival, where God’s grace was poured out in the hearts of the people and they turned back to the Lord, and it was a time of great joy and of blessedness, because they had drawn near to the Lord, and He to them.

Big Idea: Revival is the result of an outpouring of God’s grace that happens when the hearts of His people have turned toward Him. This turning can be observed in 5 ways:

We see it when God’s people are...

Obeying in faith (vv. 1-12)

Turning from idols (vv. 13-14)

Loving the brethren (vv. 15-18a)

Seeking the Lord (vv. 18b-20)

Rejoicing with praise (vv. 21-27)

And we see all of these things present here in our text. And as we examine each of them, I want you to think about how this would look here, today… how would it look if this started with you, and with me?

The first thing that we see is that God’s people are…

Obeying in Faith (vv. 1-12)

Look with me at vv. 1-5

2 Chronicles 30:1–5 ESV

2 Chronicles 1–5 ESV

Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great. Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness, was there. (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.) Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the Lord. And Solomon and the assembly sought it out. And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place. O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel. Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders would buy them from Kue for a price. They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself. And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them. And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me. Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel. The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided. Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful. I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.” Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.” Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself. “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father. Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants. And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.” Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600. Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work. Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign. These are Solomon’s measurements for building the house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold. The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold and made palms and chains on it. He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls. And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold. The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of wood and overlaid them with gold. The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub. The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave. And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it. In front of the house he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz. He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide and ten cubits high. Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Under it were figures of gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. Its thickness was a handbreadth. And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths. He also made ten basins in which to wash, and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in. And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold. He made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house. Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God: the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the 400 pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars. He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it. The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord. In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought. So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold. Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,” the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

So here’s what’s going on… Hezekiah, because of his zeal, decided that he wanted to re-unite the 12 tribes and keep the Passover in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 30:1–12 ESV

The problem was, at that time, they didn’t have enough priests who and consecrated themselves. Not only that, not even the people were ceremonially clean. So basically, they couldn’t keep the Passover without violating the Law.

So they put it off for a month hoping that these things would work out, because the Law allowed for an exception in certain cases, this being one of them…

But if they were going to do it, they had to do it in the second month. They couldn’t delay any longer, even if they weren’t ready… So they sent out the proclamation to all the tribes… look with me at vv. 6-9…

2 Chronicles 30:6–9 ESV

So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

Now… what I want you to see something… look at the warnings in this passage…

Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the Lord God, so that He made them a desolation, as you see.

Do not now be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord… Why?

So that His fierce anger may turn away from you…

I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty terrifying. But at the same time, Isreal was steeped in idolatry… they were worshiping other gods… false gods… the gods of the nations that surrounded them, that God had commanded to drive out.

Look at how they reacted… look with me at v. 10:

2 Chronicles 30:10 ESV

So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

2 chronicles 30:

Now, some of them reacted that way, but not all of them… v. 11

2 Chronicles 30:11 ESV

However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

1 chronicles 30:11

So why did some of them mock, and why did some of them humble themselves?

Obviously this was the Lord’s doing… we see in v. 12 that His power was at work in Judah to give them one heart, so I think it’s safe to say that He was also at work in Isreal…

But the thing I want us to notice here is how they responded… they humbled themselves and they obeyed in faith.

Now, if you’ve been coming to Sunday School, or if you were here back in November, you’ve heard me give a definition of faith that I think is really helpful. It goes,

“Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it, no matter how I feel, knowing that God promises a good result.”

Now, what do we notice these people doing? They believed the Word of God… and what does the Word of God say?

Look with me at v. 9...

2 Chronicles 30:9 ESV

For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

So they heard the Word of God and believed it… now, not only did they believe it, what else did they do? They acted upon it… look again with me at v. 11

2 Chronicles 30:11 ESV

However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

So they believed the Word of God and acted upon it… no matter how they felt. Well, how did they feel?

Well, we don’t really know for sure… the text doesn’t explicitly say, but what I want you to remember is that these people were steeped in idolatry. They were worshiping false gods… none of whom were able to deliver them…

And I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I’m wrapped up in a sin like pride, humbling myself doesn’t typically feel too good.

I have to imagine that was probably true for many of them… But regardless of how they felt, they heard the Word of the Lord and acted upon it.

They came to Jerusalem because they had purposed in their hearts to turn to the Lord, because they knew that God promised a good result… namely, that He would not turn away His face from them.

Remember, these people were afflicted. The northern kingdom had fallen to Assyria under God’s hand of judgement. And many of them, as a result, fell deeper and deeper into idolatry.

So their hearts were extremely hard… for them to cast this aside required faith… now, the measure of faith that they required to obey came from the Lord… His hand was moving and His power was at work…

And as God’s people responded… and as they began to obey in faith, something miraculous started to happen.

So the question I want us to ask ourselves is this… as we’re praying for revival, are we considering whether or not our lives are reflecting faithful obedience?

Are we believing the Word of God and acting upon it, no matter how we feel, knowing that God promises a good result?

Now, our situation is a little bit different from theirs…

We live on the other side of the cross… and that has many and great implications… one of them being, if we are in Christ, if we are united to Him by faith, God has already been incredibly gracious and merciful to us.

His fierce anger has already turned away from us because Christ stood in our place… so while we can take solace in that fact and we should, it should compel us all the more to walk in faithful obedience. Why?

Romans 5:5 ESV

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Because of love…

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:3–5 ESV

Romans 5:3–12 ESV

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

And not only that… if we’re in Christ, God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us ()

Because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us ()

Think about that image of pouring… when you think about water being poured out, do you think of it going drip… drip… drip… no!

You think of water flowing freely… that’s the image that we get of God’s love… but it’s not poured from a pitcher that’s going to eventually run dry but it’s poured from an ocean that’s more vast than we can comprehend… How do we know?

Brothers and sisters, if you’re in Christ, the Spirit of Christ dwells in you…

Ephesians says that the love of Christ surpasses knowledge… and this love has been poured out through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, who indwells you and gives life to your mortal bodies… who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Think about the love of God… think about what God, in Christ, has done for you… The fact that He’s already raised Jesus from the dead means that He is faithful to His promises…

Beloved, our motivation to believe the Word of God and act upon it, now matter how we feel, knowing that God promises a good result… is our response to the immeasurable love of God that has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirt who has been given to us…

And if we want to see revival, we need to respond to that love in faithful obedience… but we can’t stop there…

Beloved, we can believe the Word of God and act upon it, now matter how we feel, knowing that God promises a good result… and if we want to see revival, that’s where we need to start…

Revival began with God’s people obeying in faith… but what’s the result? We see them…

Turning from Idols (vv. 13-14)

Look with me at verse 13-14...

2 Chronicles 30:13–14 ESV

And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron.

As God’s people began to gather… as they humbled themselves… as they turned to the Lord and began to obey in faith, something had to be done about all of the altars that had been set up in Jerusalem by king Ahaz.

Ahaz was Hezekiah’s father, and he was one of Judah’s kings who did what was evil… Listen to what the text says…

says,

2 Chronicles 28:1–4 ESV

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

2 Chronicles 28:

Idolatry is a wicked… wicked thing… and if we allow idols to captivate our hearts and consume us, we ultimately head down the road of despair and eventually, apostasy… and that’s exactly what was happening to Judah under the reign of king Ahaz.

The Lord afflicted Ahaz and Juda severely… Judah was defeated by nation after nation, and instead of turning to the Lord, Ahaz turned to other nations for help…

He began worshiping their gods… the more he was distressed, the more unfaithful he became to the Lord… he began sacrificing to the gods of Damascus… and the text says, “But they were the ruin of him and all of Israel...” these idols…

Eventually Israel let Ahaz and the people of Judah go, and then they were attacked by the Edomites, and instead of turning to the Lord, Ahaz turned to the king of Assyria for help… and the king of Assyria came against him instead of helping him…

So what did Ahaz do? He took a portion from the house of the Lord and gave it to the king fo Assyria as a tribute… and of course, that didn’t help…

And as time went on, he became more and more distressed, and as he became more distressed, he became more unfaithful to the Lord… he began sacrificing to the gods of Damascus that defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.”

And the text says, “But they were the ruin of him and all of Israel...” these idols.

At one point, Ahaz, “ gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.”

gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

How often, in times of distress, do we turn to other things for help rather than to the Lord? How often do we rely on the flesh, rather than trust in the Lord?

You see, for us… we don’t worship idols made of wood and metal…

Our idolatry is much more covert… but it’s no less real.

You see, we become distressed when there’s something that we want that we’re not getting… and what do we do in response?

Oftentimes, this thing that we want, we want it so badly that we’re w

When the pressures of life come… when people and circumstances cause us distress and are too much to bear, we turn to worldly solutions… we trust in our flesh rather than than trust in the Lord…

Why? Because in that moment, the solution to our problems that the world and the flesh have to offer is more real to us than than the love of God in Christ.

Why? Because in that moment, whatever that thing is that we want is more real to us than the love of Christ. And because it’s more real to us, we think it will satisfy our desires so we bow down to and serve it.

For example, how do we respond when someone offends us? How do we respond when someone doesn’t give us something that we think we deserve or that we’re entitled to, like respect? How about when they humiliate us?

When we’re trusting in the flesh, when we’re trusting in idols rather than the Lord, our response is to bear thorns… we respond in ways that are ungodly…

Not realizing that the thing we’re worshiping… the thing that we’re putting our trust in and looking to for help, is now controlling us. It controls the way we think, it controls the way we speak, it controls the way we act…

How? Think about it… let’s say we desire something and we don’t get it… it can even be something good like, wanting our children to obey us.

It controls us because we’ve bowed down to it and serve it, and ultimately, if not dealt with through repentance, it leads us to despair… it will leave you in ruins just like it did to Ahaz.

Let’s say we find ourselves in a situation where they don’t… so what do we do? We typically try and exert some control over the situation and exert our will… and when they don’t respond to that, we try an exert some more control until finally we lash out in anger…

And in the short-run that may seem like it get some results… but do you see what’s happening?

Your desire for control has caused you to lose control and to think, act and speak in ways that are evil… and in the long run, the results are devastating. Why?

Because the god of control that you’re worshiping is no god at all but an idol… a false god that will leave you in ruins like it did to Ahaz.

So what did God’s people do in response to the altars set up by Ahaz? Repentance…

It began with changing their minds… and that change of mind led to godly sorrow and it caused them to humble themselves.

And as they humbled themselves, they began to believe the Word of God… and act upon it. Look with me at v. 14…

2 Chronicles 30:14 ESV

They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron.

2 Chronicles

Now, this is no insignificant thing… they didn’t mealy take them away… they took them away and threw them into the brook Kidron, also known as the Kidron Valley.

The Kidron Valley was a burial ground for commoners… it was a place of death... it was also known as the “Valley of Jehoshaphat,” which is the scene of the judgment of the nations at the last day ().

And 700 years later, on His way to His own death and ultimately, His victory over sin, Jesus and His disciples would cross over the brook Kidron, the very place where centuries earlier, the people of Judah had cast their idols… and that’s the final time the Kidron is mentioned in the Bible…

It was also a place that Jesus crossed over with his disciples on the night He was betrayed, and this was the final time that Kidron is mentioned in the Bible…

Jesus, on His way to His own death, and ultimately, His victory over sin, walked over the very place where 700 years earlier, the people of Judah had cast their idols.

See, if we want to see revival, not only do we have to turn away from idols… we have to put them to death and bury them!

We have to submit every area of our lives to the Lordship of Christ, who is the King…

We have to look to Him to satisfy the desires of our hearts… because He’s the only one who can… and He will!

So in this period of revival, we see God’s people obeying in faith… we see them turning from idols… and next we see them…

Loving the brethren (vv. 15-18a)

Look with me at verses 15 through the beginning of verse 18… it says,

2 Chronicles 30:15–18a ESV

And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 30:15–18a ESV

“15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed.”

Now, what’s important to notice here is that after the people got done removing the altars, as they turned away from their idols... it created such a zeal for the Lord that they began to kill the Passover lamb...

But the problem was, they began doing this before they had been ceremonially cleansed... which is what the Law of God demanded.

And that put the priests and the Levites to shame, because it was their job to offer the ritual sacrifices for cleansing... so what did they do in response?

It says, “they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the Lord....” and then they began slaughtering the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the Lord.

Now, it was the people’s job to slaughter their own Passover lamb, and then give the blood to the priests. But because the majority of them were unclean, the Levites did it for them...

Now, this is a huge deal... the Law demanded that the people be clean before they partook in the Passover, and each household was supposed to kill their own lamb... but because they were unclean, they weren’t able to do it...

So rather than allowing this to prevent the people from celebrating the Passover, the Levites took up the task on their behalf. Now, imagine what this must have looked...

You had people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun... the majority of them ceremonially unclean... each household needing a lamb to be slaughtered for them.

But the people’s zeal for the Lord was so contagious that it inspired the priests and the Levites to act... and they did for the people what the people could not do for themselves.

Now... think about that for a moment... the priests and the Levites showed love for the brethren by doing something for them that they could not do for themselves.

What kind of sacrificial love does that display? What does that ultimately point to? It points us to the love of Christ...

You see, in laying aside His glory... in laying aside all of His rights and privileges as God... the Son of God thought equality with God a thing not to be grasped, and and He emptied Himself... He took on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men... and He humbled Himself... by becoming obedient to the point of death... even on a cross...

And by dying on the cross... in dying the death that we deserve to die in our place, Jesus saved His people from their sin. He did for us that which we could never do for ourselves.

That’s the kind of sacrificial love that we’re called to... we’re called to lay down our lives for one another… to love one another as Christ loved us...

And what motivates us to do this? Love for Christ... and why do we love? Because He first loved us... our love for the Lord and for others is our response to God’s love for us.

Look with me again at v. 9... it says, “The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heat to do what the king and the principal commanded but the word of the LORD.”

The CSB renders the verse this way... “Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them to carry out the command o the king and his officials by the word of the LORD.”

And when we respond to God’s love for us with our minds, and our wills and our affections... when we’re seeking Him with our whole heart and have turned our affections toward Him... our love for the Lord grows... and as our love for the Lord grows, so does our love for others... so does our love for the brethren.

And when we love the brethren... when we love for one another sacrificially, we become the visible image of the invisible God...

And the love that we display for one another doesn’t stay here… it extends to the watching world… and as our love for God and for the brethren grows, so does our love for our neighbors… so does our love for those in need… for the downcast, for the marginalized… for the least of these…

When our love grows in this way, we display Christ to the world and bring glory to our Savior, who is blessed forever.

This kind of love is a supernatural work of the Lord...

So do you want to see revival? Do you want to see it begin with you and with me? Then we need to ask ourselves if we’re responding to God’s love for us by loving one another as Christ did?

Are we loving one another sacrificially? Are we laying aside our wants and desires and preferences... are we bearing each other’s burdens and bearing with the weak... are we doing for others what they’re not able to do for themselves?

This is the love displayed by the people in Israel during his period of revival... it’s the same love that Christ displayed for us... the same love that Christ our King has called us to...

You see, in this passage from the Old Testament, we see a type and a shadow of things to come... in doing for the people what they could not do for themselves because of their sinful state... the Levites were acting as a type of Christ...

As we stand on this side of the cross, we see clearly how it casts a shadow over all of redemptive history. We see clearly what not even Jesus’ disciples could see on the road to Emmaus, until Christ opened their eyes and allowed them to see it.

But it doesn’t stop there... God’s people are obeying in faith, they’re turning from idols, they’re loving the brethren, and now we se them…

Seeking the Lord (vv. 18b-20)

Look with me at vv. 18-20… it says,

“For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.”

The CSB renders it this way, “But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.”

Up to this point, you may have been asking yourselves... “how is it possible that God allowed them to partake in the Passover while they were unclean?”

That’s a good question! After all, they were breaking the Law, weren’t they? And that’s a very serious matter... they kept the Passover, yes... they were seeking to honor the Lord... but they weren’t doing it how the Law prescribed... they weren’t doing it perfectly. God had every right to punish them for their sin.

In fact, He had done it in the past… think of Nadab and Abihu when they presented unauthorized fire before the Lord…

Why did God kill them and not these people? Was the problem with their sacrifice?

Think of Nadab and Abihu, who didn’t follow what the Law prescribed in offering sacrifices... the presented unauthorized sacrifices before the Lord, which He didn’t command them to do... and what happened?

It says, “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

Your see, their unahorized sacrifice was on offense to the holiness of God... and because of that they died... But was the problem with their sacrifice?

I don’t think so… I think that the problem was with their heart. Nadab and Abihu failed to treat the Lord as holy, but these people had…

says, “Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.”

So the question we have to ask is, “Why did God kill Nadab and Abihu and not the Israelites under Hezekiah?” After all, both had offered sacrifices before the Lord in a way other than was prescribed...

So why did God kill one and not the other? I think we see two reasons:

Set their whole heart on seeking Him.

What that means is, they had a singular purpose. Their thoughts, their desires, their intentions, their will, their emotions... their entire inward disposition was set on seeking the Lord.

What that means is, they had a singular purpose. Their thoughts, their desires, their intentions, their will, their emotions... their entire inward disposition was set on seeking the God.

They had already turned from their idols... they had cast them off... and now every fiber of their being was set on seeking the Lord.

And this is what God desires... He desires the heart.

They had already turned from their idols... they had cast them off... and now every fiber of their being was set on seeking the Lord. And this is what God desires...

Listen to what David writes in his great prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba... this is from

He desires the heart.

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

Listen to what David writes in his great prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba... this is from

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Is David saying that God had no regard for the sacrificial system that He had put in place? No... he’s saying that sacrifice without a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart are worthless to God...

For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Is David saying that God had no regard for the sacrificial system that He had put in place? No... he’s saying that sacrifice without a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart are worthless to God...Isaiah writes something similar... God was so fed up with Israel’s idolatry that He basically tells the, “enough!!!” Listen to what Isaiah writes regarding Israel’s sacrifices... “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats... “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.God said that in response to a people who saw sacrifice and worship as a way of manipulating God while they continue to live in sin. So their offerings are “meaningless,” and their assemblies are “worthless.”Like Nadab and Abihu, their hearts were far from the Lord, so their sacrifices meant nothing... worse than that, they were an offense. That’s the first thing... the second thing is,

Isaiah writes something similar... God was so fed up with Israel’s idolatry that He basically tells the, “enough!!!”

Listen to what Isaiah writes regarding Israel’s sacrifices...

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats...

“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

God said that in response to a people who saw sacrifice and worship as a way of manipulating God while they continue to live in sin. So their offerings are “meaningless,” and their assemblies are “worthless.”

Like Nadab and Abihu, their hearts were far from the Lord, so their sacrifices meant nothing... worse than that, they were an offense. And the second thing that these people had was…

Someone interceding on their behalf.

Look with me at v. 19

The CSB says, “But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”

And what does it say next? So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.”

See, Hezekiah stood in the gap between God and the people... he interceded for them... he asked God to pardon them for their sin... and God heard his prayer, and He healed them.

What a beautiful picture of the grace and mercy of God... what a beautiful picture of gospel...

Because what do we see in Hezekiah but another type... another another shadow... And this one couldn’t be any more clear...

You see, 700 years later... long after Hezekiah was dead and buried, another King would stand in the gap and intercede for His people...

And this would be no mere creaturely king, but the King of kings...

Like Hezekiah He would die, but unlike Hezekiah He would rise from the grave 3 days later...

Like Hezekiah He would pray, but unlike Hezekiah, His prayers aren’t merely heard...

Pastor and theologian Mark Jones put it this way, “Praying reverentially, on His knees, Jesus must have stunned heaven into silence as He poured out His soul in a state close to death (). Angels would have trembled to speak when the Son of God was making these petitions. For when the King speaks, let all remain silent.”

Unlike Hezekiah, He wouldn’t ask God to provide an atonement because He was the atonement that God had so graciously provided.

Unlike Hezekiah, He wouldn’t ask God to pardon His people’s sins because He bore the sins of His people and by His wounds the people... are… healed...

You see, Christ is the true and better Hezekiah... Christ is the true and better Priesthood. And there is grace and mercy for the one who set’s his whole heart on seeking Him...

Jesus says, “come to me all who labor and are heaven-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and I will give you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

And what I want you to realize is this… if you are His, even now the Son of God is interceding for you by praying for you…

I think of the time that He prayed for Peter on the night of His betrayal…

He was talking with His disciples... and knowing that later that night, Peter would deny Him He said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

I want you to realize something… if you’re His… if you have turned to Jesus in repentance and faith, the Son of God is praying for you, that Nadab and Abihu failed to treat the Lord as holy, but these people had… faith may not fail...

That’s the Son of God interceding for us… even now.

So do you want to see revival? Do you want to see it begin with you and with me? Then we need to ask ourselves if we’re setting our whole hearts on seeking the Lord?

Are we making it our aim to please Him, or, are we just offering up empty sacrifices so that we can try to manipulate Him into giving us what we want? Are we setting our whole hearts on Christ, or are we just going through the motions in a life marked by empty religion?

If it’s the latter… we need to repent and seek the Lord…

So in this time of revival, the next thing we see is that God’s people are...

So in this time of revival, we see God’s people obeying in faith… turning from idols… loving the brethren… seeking the Lord and finally, we see them…

Rejoicing with praise (vv. 21-17)

Look with me at vv. 21-27… they say…

2 Chronicles 30:21–27 ESV

And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord. And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

2 Chronicles

So what stands out to us here?

The people who were present kept the Feast with great gladness...

They praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord...

Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the Lord…

They sacrificed peace offerings and gave thanks to the Lord…

They all agreed to extend the feast by 7 days… and they did so with gladness.

Everyone rejoiced, and there was great joy…

So much so that it says that there was such great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Isreal there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem…

This was a massive celebration when all was said and done…

Just to give you an idea of how big this was, the term “whole assembly” was used was used only four times… in connection with David, Solomon, Joash and Hezekiah… and the last time there was an extended celebration was in the days of Solomon at the original dedication of the temple.

And finally, the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy habitation in heaven.

in connection with David, Solomon, Joash and Hezekiah… and the last time there was an extended celebration was in the days of Solomon at the original dedication of the temple.

During this celebration, the zeal of the people was so great and so contagious that more priests consecrated themselves, and even the sojourners in the land rejoiced!

What a beautiful way to characterize the people of God! A people so overcome by His goodness that they were filled with great gladness, who praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might, encouraging one another, and giving thanks to the Lord?

Conclusion

Could you imagine that?

And when they finished, everyone present went out into the surrounding cities and broke into pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all…

The question we have to ask ourselves is this - do we realize it?

That would be like revival beginning in the household of God…

Conclusion

Could you imagine that? What would that be like?

When the people of God humbled themselves and obeyed in faith… when they turned from idols, when they loved the brethren… when they sought the Lord with their whole hearts…

When they’re full of great gladness… when they’re praising the Lord day by day, singing with all their might… encouraging one another… giving thanks… and rejoicing with great joy!

What would that be like?

It would be like revival beginning the household of God… it would be like a foretaste of heaven!

Let’s pray…

And these people did this from the other side of the cross…

What they had was a mere type and shadow of the reality that we have. What we have is so much greater…

There was a time when Jesus was walking through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck the heads of the grain to eat.

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

And if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

And 700 years later, long after Hezekiah was dead and buried, another King would stand in the gap and intercede for His people...”

Revival in Israel was a supernatural work of God that began with one man... one man ordained by God to “do what was right in the sight of the Lord.” At the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the people’s hearts had turned toward Him, still covered in their guilt and shame, they gathered together to worship, and he interceded for them... and the Lord heard his prayer and saw the hearts of His people, and He healed them. And the people rejoiced with great joy…

It was always about the heart… empty religion, without the heart, is worthless… if we want to see revival, we can’t just go through the motions… we have to humble ourselves, we have to obey in faith, we have to love the brethren, we have to seek the Lord, and we have to rejoice with praise.

And we can do this because Christ has come… something greater than the temple is here, and He’s ours… right now!