Set Thine House in Order

What if you were diagnosed with a terminal disease. A sickness from which there was no hope of a cure?

What if you knew you only had six months to a year to live, what about a day? A minute? Not something we always enjoy thinking about.

Most prophets were expected to give a message of Hope, of encouragement - I don't find any here - Isaiah the prophet comes to King Hezekiah and says, "Thus sayeth the Lord, You will die - there is no hope to live.."

A Miserable Message - Thou shalt die and not live

How would you like that message preached to you? Actually it is a fact that unless the Lord raptures us we will all face that time called death. Mankind also has a terminal disease called SIN!! The wages of sin is DEATH!

Hezekiah was given a miserable message and a Chaffing Challenge.

A Chaffing Challenge - Set thine house in order

Set thine house in order - refers mostly to Hezekiah's need to choose a successor and to make sure his will was up to date

It's possible that Hezekiah also needed to defeat the enemy that was at the gates of his kingdom. Some unfinished business. One commentator wrote that the phrase in verse 1 "In those days" refers to the general period of his reign but that it also takes in chapter 18-19 meaning that His illness would have occurred before or around Sennacherib's invasion. People go to great lengths to prepare for this time in their lives materially and phsyically and that is good and necessary at times

Man on NPR the other day in the mushroom suite. Chadwick Clifton's tribute to Brother Tommy Wade.

I also want us to know this morning that there is a spiritual aspect to setting your house in order I want to talk about.

Maybe there is that enemy of sin still lurking about the heart. Maybe the works of the flesh are still present eating away at you like a cancer bringing death

Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Is your house in order? Do you have what it takes to meet death? What will happen when you die?

A New Opportunity

Hezekiah was a man of prayer and faith - Sennecherib's taunts and threats no doubt bothered him, but what did he do - he took the letter to God in prayer and let God fight his battles. When he received word that he was going to die - he turned his face to the wall and begin to pray - it wasn't a prayer of self-righteousness but rather a prayer like that of David - I have been obedient to you - deliver me. Isaiah had barely made it out of his room when God spoke - Go tell Hezekiah I will give him 15 more years. An amazing sign 10-11

Now this sign happened by Isaiah crying to God (It took prayer) that is for another message but it happened

The dial of Ahaz means steps of ascent. It is possible that Hezekiah could look out his bedroom window and see the shadow of the Sun as it began to go backward and his heart filled with hope and joy and peace - it's going to be ok. I'm going to live what a miracle. You think the sun going backward was a mighty miracle, and believe me it was, there was another greater miracle where the sun didn't go backwards, rather the SON arose, came out of the tomb.

If your house isn't in order, if there is still sin present, I want you to know that even though there is the sentence of death, that doesn't have to be the end of the story,

the Bible tells us in 1 John 2:1 if we sin we have an advocate with the Father and in another place 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins …. This is a tremendous promise - this promise tells us that if we confess our sins to God, that Jesus is duty bound, already committed, required due to his promise, to forgive those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This morning If your house needs some attention - I want you to know that God is here to help you put things in order. The he wants to help you, but you have to let Him.

Sing (Would you live for Jesus) Find song #