Turn AROUND! (2 chronicles 33.1-13)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 27 viewsNotes
Transcript
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had pulled down, and erected altars to the Baals, made sacred poles, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.
He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.”
He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
He made his son pass through fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
The carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever;
I will never again remove the feet of Israel from the land that I appointed for your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.”
Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the people of Israel.
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they gave no heed.
Therefore the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh captive in manacles, bound him with fetters, and brought him to Babylon.
While he was in distress he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.
He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord indeed was God.
Intro:
Typically when we look at scripture we admire the characters in the text due to their exemplary faith.....
......we usually see them as heros and sheros
.......and quite naturally when we see them we imagine ourselves living out our lives by the examples that we see in the biblical text.
Moses - shows extraordinary leadership and faith in God to cross over the Red Sea.
Hannah - shows genuine faith and perseverance in seeking God for her need to bear a child.
David - shows us a valiant warrior who overcomes a giant with a sling shot and nothing else but his faith in God
(pause and expound)
But whenever we run across someone like “Manasseh” in the text........
Nobody wants to play Manasseh!!
(pause)
But the truth is...........
.........we have all probably played Manasseh at some point in our lives if we are not acting out his role currently.
(slight pause)
And Manasseh exposes the first U-turn that we studied this past tuesday night as we looked at Dr. Tony Evans book that deals with....
“Reversing the consequences of Idolatry”
He talks about how we must first recognize that every misguided path we take has an idol out front like the proverbial carrot before the donkey.
(slight pause)
And when I read that I thought to myself.......
If this is the case,
“What are we drawn to?”
Because......
........the only way you can get me to travel down a misguided path is if something that I am attracted to is drawing me in that direction!
(pause and expound)
And in today’s text this is where we find Manasseh.....
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
According to the text......
His reign as King of Jerusalem is directly connected to the evil that he did as King.
And the bible says that....
“He did what was evil”
The phrase He did in “Hb” means = To labour or to produce or create, or to work at something
In other words.......
He put his best foot forward at doing what was evil in the sight of God.
.......and the bible calls the results of his actions
.....abominable practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
(pause)
So this means......
........As King Manasseh spent his time and energy bringing back something that God spent God’s power getting rid of!
(pause)
Freedom........
Be careful that you’re not working to bring something back in to your life that God has driven out....
Now the key to this is the fact that......
God drives out all of these practices in order to prepare Jerusalem for them to take possesion.
.....which suggests that God is intentional about moving everything out of our way that will MISGUIDE us....
(pause)
Let’s watch Manasseh’s actions starting in verse 3....
For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had pulled down, and erected altars to the Baals, made sacred poles, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them.
According to the text......
“He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had pulled down”
He was developing.....
.........what his father Hezekiah
......had torn down
(slight pause)
Hezekiah is his ancestor, progenitor, or chief
This is the same Hezekiah who when the prophet Isaiah shared the Word of God to him that he had a limited amount of time remaining to live...
........turned his face to the wall and prayed to God so persistently that Isaiah had to turn back around and go back and let him know that his prayers were so effective to the point that God was adding more years to his life.
(pause)
Freedom......
........I want to make sure you know what’s behind the heart of a Hezekiah tearing down anything that tries to exalt itself equal or higher to...
Elohim - the living God.
(pause and expound)
[Hezekiah Barrel]
Freedom I don’t know if you were as blessed as I was.....
........but I was fortunate enough to experience growing up with a grandfather who was my Hezekiah.
....the person who showed my the way and discipled me in Christ.
The late Bishop D.L. Bright....
A farmer who sold produce all around North Florida
and simoultaneously.......
Served as General Bishop of the UAFWBC and Established a Church in Germany
Built a new church in Lakeland Florida where he also developed community and led socioeconomic uplift in the life of his congregation based on a faith in God that suggested complete well being!
(pause)
And whether you know it or not......
......we all have a Hezekiah.
......somebody who built something great for God
.....somebody who showed us what it’s supposed to look like to serve God
(pause and expound)
{Shift}
And now according to the text......
.......here comes Hezekiah’s son Manasseh
.......who is unbelievingly developing what his father tore down!
In other words....
......he is doing the very opposite of what his father has just accomplished.
(pause)
- He’s standing up altars to other gods who are not alive....
- He’s positioning stuff that had nothing to do with the reason his father was able to continue breathing as long as he did.
- A wooden image symbolic of the goddess Asherah was erected by the king.
(slight pause)
All of the things that God prompted his father Hezekiah to get rid of....
.....is now being tolerated again.
(slight pause)
And the text says that.....
they not only tolerated them but they,
worshipped and served them.....
because if we are not careful......
we began turning towards the wrong things when we are misguided!
(pause and optional expound)
Look at it now.....
He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.”
He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
The text says....
He developed altars to other gods in the outer and inner courts of God’s temple...
Stuff was happening in places it wasn’t supposed to be happening.
And it was misdirecting worship
.....and misplacing honor
(pause)
Freedom......
We got to make sure that we are not developing altars into our lifestyle that causes our heart to offer a sacrifce to something that is unworthy...
We’re giving too much to stuff that aint did nothing for us.
......Watch this
........We’re rewarding potential that aint gonna ever produce.
(pause)
But.........
..........what we need to be doing is Honoring what has been performing BEFORE our lives....INTO our lives........and will still be going strong AFTER our lives.....
(pause and expound)
Look at it now.....
He made his son pass through fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom, practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.
The bible says that he......
......not only misguided his actions
......but he also misguided the actions of his son
Meaning.....
..........he is misleading the next generation away from God!
(slight pause)
And if that was not enough......
......he began using the things that were completely opposite of God as his compass and life guide.
....he elevated wizards into positions of Counsel
....and made his decisions on the recommendations of those who call up the dead called mediums.
(slight pause)
He’s dibbling and dabbling in all kinds of stuff..........
(pause)
And I know you may be saying to yourself.....
Pastor.......
........I have never done anything this extreme to live an idolatrous life.
But make sure you remember that........
.........anything we put into a position that is reserved,
“God only”
...........has become our Idol!!
.....and as far as God is concerned it must be TORN DOWN!
(pause)
Because according to the text it says....
“It provoked God to anger!”
And while I am sure that all of Manassehs actions in verse 1-5.....
.....are playing a role in God’s anger
The writer of the text does not mention God’s anger until the end of verse 6....
........after we see how Manasseh is leading his sons down the wrong path!
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination I hear God saying..........
It’s beyond time to “TURN AROUND” when you start chauffering your children away from me!
Now something’s got to change!!!
(pause and expound)
Watch the text......
......because in verse 7-10 God continues the indictment against Mannesseh
The carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever;
I will never again remove the feet of Israel from the land that I appointed for your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the ordinances given through Moses.”
Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that they did more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the people of Israel.
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they gave no heed.
And what the author of the text is sharing with us is the fact that.......
Manasseh is now...
Ignoring what God had promised to David and Solomon
Replacing God with the carved image
Leading Judah into rebellion against God
(pause)
And whenever we choose to go on MISGUIDED tours in our lives.....we take the chance of.....
Ignoring what God has promised us
Replacing God with our ineffective substitutes
Leading our families into rebellion against God
(pause and expound)
And the bible says in verse 10 something powerful happened....
(slight pause)
That when the Lord saw this happening
......God spoke to the king
(slight pause)
You would think that after all of this........
God wouldn’t say NOTHING
But God is SO FAITHFUL........
.......that even when we are on the wrong track
.......even when we are being MISGUIDED
Instead of being quiet and letting us hit a train wreck.....
God will SPEAK UP into our lives!
(pause)
Freedom ..........
look at somebody and say God is still speaking!
(pause and expound)
Listen.......
.....according to the text
even with God sending the prophets to speak to the King and the people
the bible says......
“They refused to pay attention”
(pause)
And because noone would pay attention.....
…the bible says in verse 11 that God had to take things to another level!
Therefore the Lord brought against them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh captive in manacles, bound him with fetters, and brought him to Babylon.
And so because Manasseh and the people refused to pay attention
.......here he is being dragged into Babylon with hooks in his nose and shackles on his hands and feet to humiliate him.
(pause)
And all I hear God saying is,
“Turn Around!”
I’m trying to get your attention......
(pause)
And according to verse 12.....
......A turn is getting ready to happen
While he was in distress he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.
The bible says the first thing we need to know is that.........
The TURN is POSSIBLE
......and I don’t care how much you have developed to get on the same level as God in your life.
......it doesn’t matter to me how much you have moved into your life to push God out little bit by little bit
God is showing us that.......
The Turn is Possible!
(pause)
The text says.....
“While he was in distress.......”
See Freedom........
You don’t have to wait to TURN......
(pause)
You don’t have to try to hide the consequences in order to TURN...
Because the text says......
.......with a hook in his nose
......and with shackles on his hands and feet
Manasseh humbed himself and said..........
God I know I look a mess right now........
......but this aint ME
.........I don’t like how things are going and I’m ready to,
“TURN......AROUND!”
(pause and expound)
And the bible says in verse 13 that he continued his TURN!
He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord indeed was God.
Cont’d Actions to make the Turn
Go to God in prayer - “He prayed to Him”
- Face God and Face our wrongs
Ask for God’s mercy - “Plea”
Receive Mercy - God heard his plea
Receive Restoration - “and God restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.”
Realize that God is God - “Then Manasseh knew that the Lord indeed was God”
(pause)
And according to the text.......
Manasseh has figured out that the only thing that’s going to help him is the same thing that helped his father!
(pause)
And I don’t know who I’m preaching to......
.........but somebody needs to be reminded that it aint no NEW TRICKS
(slight pause)
.....and not only that but you’ve been REPLACING God when God is IRREPLACEABLE!
(pause)
But the GOOD NEWS is.........
all we have to do is.........
“TURN AROUND!”