"Temple"

Good morning, brothers and sisters.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tyler.

! I'm one of the lay elders.

And it's a joy for me to bring you God's word this morning.

And with that, let's go to the Lord in prayer, and then we'll dive in together.

Father in heaven, what a comfort it is that you use vessels of weakness to accomplish your glorious purposes.

And Father, you spoke through Balaam's donkey, so surely you can speak through me this morning to your people.

And Father, I pray that my words would not be plausible words of wisdom, but your spirit would come in demonstration of your power.

Father, we lift this time to you.

Open our eyes to see wondrous things in your word, Father.

Would you be glorified in Jesus' name?

Amen.

Perhaps, one of the most common questions today is not whether Christianity is true, but is it good?

Is Christianity good for the world?

Is Christianity on the wrong side of history?

One person who thought so was the 4th century Roman Emperor Julian.

He hated Christianity.

Despite growing up in a Christian family, serving as an officer in the church and able to quote scripture, he threw off the faith.

And hence, he became known as Julian the Apostate.

And he didn't just want to throw Christianity off himself.

He wanted to throw it off of Rome.

Believing Christianity would lead to society's ruin,

He sought to reverse the clock on the spread of Christianity.

To return Rome to its prior glory.

The return to the Roman tradition.

The paganism.

The rituals.

The temples.

To Hercules, the ideal of the heroic man.

But it was not to be so.

Despite his rejection, Christianity triumphed.

At the end of his life, fatally wounded in battle, it is said, he gathered up a handful of dust.

And he raised his fist to the heavens.

And he cried out,

O Galilean, thou hast conquered.

The Galilean had won.

And sadly for him, Christianity continued to spread.

And this sentiment about Christianity is not confined to Roman emperors from long ago.

But it is the air we breathe today.

One poet seizes on Julian's last words and wrote these haunting words.

Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean, and the world has grown gray from thy breath.

Jesus is portrayed as ghostly, ghastly, gray, and pale.

And because of him, the world is now gray, joyless, stale.

Oppressing the human spirit.

Christianity represents the wrong turn in history.

Christianity.

This is common currency in the neighborhood and workplaces.

Christianity is a cosmic killjoy.

What a tragic mischaracterization.

Even more tragic is that it's even plausible in the first place.

As we open up this chapter in Chronicles, we see something very, very different.

We catch a vision of what life could be like if we lived under this Galilean's reign.

And this chapter is like the Netflix show, Stranger Things, but in reverse.

It's the opposite.

It's completely different.

When the upside-down world of God's kingdom breaks into the world, it doesn't produce darkness and decay and demogorgons.

No, it's full of joy, energetic praise, and generosity.

So let me invite you to turn to 2 Chronicles 29 as we see God's kingdom breaking forth into the world.

And you can find that on page 353 of the Pew Bible.

And it would be helpful for you to open up your Bibles.

And if you're not familiar with the Bible, the big numbers are the chapter numbers.

Smaller numbers are the verse numbers.

And the main point of this passage is that God will raise up Hezekiah to spark a reformation for the joy of his people.

And we'll look at this section in three parts.

Point number one will be the character of Hezekiah.

Point number two, the command for God's people to clean house.

And point number three, the Christian joy that is the result.

So let's pick up in verse 1, chapter 29, 2 Chronicles.

God's Word says this,

Hezekiah began to reign when he was 25 years old.

And he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem.

His mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened up the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.

He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square in the east and said to them,

Hear me, Levites, now consecrate yourselves and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers,

and carry out the filth from the holy place.

For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God.

They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs.

They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps,

and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem,

and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes.

For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword,

and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord,

the God of Israel,

in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us.

My sons, do not be negligent,

for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence,

to minister to him, and to be his ministers, and make offerings to him.

We'll stop there.

So, so far we've seen mostly bad kings, total failures.

Hezekiah is an exception.

He's not a perfect king, but he is a good one.

And verse 2 sets the stage for a spiritual reformation that will take place.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,

according to all that David his father had done.

God is raising up Hezekiah, and God will get all the credit.

Look down at verse 36.

Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced,

because God was the one who provided for the people.

Out of darkness, light begins to shine.

God will use Hezekiah to revive his people.

And Hezekiah, in many ways, is a portrait and a model.

To tell you something of his importance,

the chronicler gives him more airtime than any other king in the entire book.

Four chapters.

And coming out of the last chapter,

we saw his father, Ahaz, was a bad dude.

He had a PhD in idolatry.

But by God's grace,

Hezekiah was not condemned to follow the pattern of his father.

Well, how did he learn God and his word?

Well, we're not told directly,

but it's probably from the influence of his mother.

Look down at verse 1.

Abijah.

Her name literally means,

my father is the Lord.

God would use this woman's influence

to shape her son, Hezekiah.

So mothers, be encouraged.

Even if there's not a father in the house

who's a good spiritual role model for your children.

You may feel small,

but a small pebble can produce

a ripple effect far and wide.

So trust your labors to him.

Abijah's labors are unseen by us.

We don't know much about her,

but God saw her.

And God honors those who honor him.

Her name is here forever.

And the contrast between her son

and his father is night and day.

Ahaz, remember, shuttered the temple.

Darkness spreads over the land.

You see that in verse 7.

They shut the door of the enterway to the temple.

They put out the lamps.

The light of the world is now put under a basket.

The doors are shut.

The people were kept out from worship

under the old covenant.

Not only that, remember,

Ahaz defiled and desecrated God's house.

His evil was legendary.

He was the first Judean king

to sacrifice his son

in a pagan ritual.

He paraded idols in the city.

I wonder how Hezekiah's mother felt about that.

Probably wasn't an easy upbringing for him.

But now, God raised him up.

And Hezekiah is like lightning flashing

across the cold, gray sky.

Look at verse 3.

In the first year of his reign,

in the first month,

he opened the doors of the house.

The moment he gets in power,

no delay,

he immediately gets to work

to reverse the damage his father had done.

Now, this wisdom

is not coming from where you'd expect it.

He is 25 years old.

And this work of renewal

is not coming from the older generation,

but the younger.

It's one of the examples in history

where the younger generation

is calling the older generation

back to biblical faithfulness.

He's not a thermometer

basing his priorities

on the weather of the day.

No, he was a thermostat

and he burned with zeal

for God's glory.

To give you a sense of his zeal,

in 2 Kings 18,

if you turn back there,

we're told that the people

sank into a deep idolatry.

And you'll see in verse 4 of that chapter,

the people had erected a shrine

to the brass serpent

that Moses had made.

Remember that brass serpent in Numbers?

Moses lifted it high up in the air

and all who looked to it

would live.

But as is so often the case,

this relic became an object of worship.

The people began to pray

and began to offer incense to it.

The bronze figure was treated

as a piece of magic,

a talisman.

And so what does Hezekiah do?

He would have none of it.

He takes the very serpent,

a relic of antiquity,

he destroys it.

He smashes it to pieces,

grinds it to a powder.

And the author of 2 Kings

commends him for it

because he is obeying the law of Moses

in Deuteronomy chapter 12

Deuteronomy 12 · chapter mention

to tear the altars down,

smash them,

burn them up,

wipe them out from every place.

Show no mercy to idolatry.

In a few chapters,

we'll see Hezekiah,

a tiny king in a tiny kingdom,

defied a world emperor.

He had the courage

not to surrender to Assyria.

And he held fast

to the God of Israel

and the word.

His prayer went up

and God's help

powerfully came down.

You know, in fact,

Hezekiah is such a good king,

according to Orthodox Jewish tradition,

I had the opportunity

to speak to an Orthodox Jew

as I was preparing for the sermon.

For a minute,

some Jews thought

He was the Messiah.

This is the guy.

He's the worthy successor

of King David,

the one who's going to restore

the entire kingdom.

He almost made it to the end,

but it was not to be so.

Like all of us,

he had clay feet.

He stumbled later in life.

As the old adage goes,

the best of men

are men at best.

His love grew cold

and he began to walk around

like a self-righteous peacock.

You know, it seems to me

how rare it is

to see an older saint

with the same zeal

that Hezekiah had

as a young man.

I see it in my own life.

Older saint,

remember when you

were like Hezekiah,

burning for God's glory?

You were like a toy

without an off switch.

You couldn't stop

telling people about Jesus.

Now, granted,

your life in Christ

will look different.

There are different seasons.

Life with young kids,

life caring for an aging spouse

or an aging parent

will look different

than when you were in college.

But isn't it also true

that it is easy

to lose our first love?

We lose a passion

and a zeal for God's name.

The gospel becomes familiar.

We stop learning.

We no longer courageously

confront idolatry.

We're more likely

to fall into theological compromise.

Older saint,

let me encourage you

to spend some time

with younger Christians.

Christians who have a zeal

for God's glory

and His name in this world.

The younger generation

need your wisdom,

but you need them as well.

You need their burning zeal

and pray that God

would stir your affections

for Him once again.

Look at the one

who is greater than Hezekiah

who said,

zeal for your house

has consumed me.

And look at Hezekiah's zeal

in this chapter.

At verse 6,

he is honest.

Our fathers

have been unfaithful

and have done

what was evil

in the sight of the Lord,

our God.

He repeats that again

in verse 19.

He, that is,

Ahaz's father,

was faithless.

That is a specific word

packed with meaning.

A word that would have been

ringing in people's ears.

Unfaithful.

Broken covenant vows.

Adultery.

Rejecting the love

that God had shown to them.

And their faithlessness

is why in verse 8 to 9

they are now under

God's covenant curses.

Objects of wrath,

of horror,

astonishment,

of hissing.

They're living in a nightmare

because of their disobedience.

But after looking back

in verse 10,

he looks forward.

And he expresses

true repentance.

It is in my heart

to make a covenant

with the Lord.

He expresses a solemn oath

to put right

what is wrong.

And this leader

uses his authority

for the good of his people.

He addresses the Levites

as his sons.

He has affection

for the people of Israel.

Now to be in covenant

with God

is a profound thing.

It's weighty.

It's serious.

It's the opposite

of the modern notion

of being spiritual

but not religious.

When people say

they're spiritual

and not religious,

what they mean is

I want to have a relationship

but no outside authority.

No thank you.

I'll take the relationship

but I don't want anyone else

to tell me what I need to do

or what I need to believe.

God is whoever I want him to be.

A formless life force.

My inner sense

of subjective beauty.

But in the scriptures

all true personal relationships

with God

are covenantal.

It's the only kind

of relationship

with God there is.

So covenants

are unique blends

of law

and love.

I submit to you God

not out of duty

but of delight.

You know the word covenant

doesn't really capture

the meaning.

The word love in it

would be a much better word

to describe this kind

of relationship.

A deep and abiding commitment

to put ourselves

under God's authority

out of love.

I give you everything

God because I love you.

The closest approximation

is the covenant of marriage.

Right?

Each side saying

I give you everything

and I look for your good

because out of love.

And because Hezekiah

loves God

he is seeking

to fix what is wrong.

So what needs

to be fixed?

Well point number one

is the character

of Hezekiah.

Point number two

is the command

for God's people

to clean house.

Now in verses 4 to 19

Hezekiah will begin

to put what is wrong.

He calls the priests

and the Levites

to a special task

to restore temple worship

by consecrating

and cleansing

the temple.

Look down at verse 5.

He says,

Hear me Levites

now consecrate yourselves

and consecrate

the house of the Lord

the God of your fathers

and carry out the filth

from the holy place.

So he gathers the Levites

in verses 12 to 14.

Let's pick up in verse 15

through 19 as well.

They gathered their brothers

and consecrated themselves

and went in

as the king had commanded

by the word

of the Lord

to cleanse the house

of the Lord.

The priests went into

the innermost part

of the house

of the Lord

to cleanse it

and they brought out

all the uncleanness

that they found

in the temple of the Lord

into the court

of the house

of the Lord.

And the Levites

took it

and carried it out

to the brook Kidron.

They began to consecrate

on the first day

of the first month

and on the eighth day

of the month

they came to the vestibule

of the Lord.

Then for eight days

they consecrated

the house of the Lord.

And on the sixteenth day

of the first month

they finished.

Then they went into

Hezekiah the king

and said,

We have cleansed

all the house

of the Lord,

the altar of burnt offering

and all its utensils

and the table

for the showbread

and all its utensils.

All the utensils

that King Ahaz

discarded in his reign

when he was faithless

we have made ready

and consecrated

and behold

they are before

the altar

of the Lord.

To restore the temple

God commands the priest

to cleanse

and consecrate

the house of the Lord.

You see that

in verses 5 and 15.

Now what is consecration?

To consecrate

means to put

a reserve sticker

on an object

for God's special use.

And it might be hard

to wrap our minds

around this

in the 21st century

but this process

was vital.

for anything

and everything

in the temple.

And what was so special

about the temple

that caused the need

to consecrate

everything?

Well,

wasn't the beautiful

design of the architecture?

No.

Under the old covenant

the temple

is where God dwelt.

One thing

have I desired

to be

in the house

of the Lord.

The temple

was a meeting place

between God

and His people.

The temple

was the heartbeat

of Israel's faith.

The temple

is where God

was to be approached.

He was to be approached

above the mercy seat

on His throne.

The one and only

true God,

the God who speaks,

the God who has

no rivals,

who demands

that there be

no other gods

before Him,

who is personal,

who hears

His people's prayers.

this God

was to be approached

in the temple.

And because God

is holy,

the temple

needed to be holy.

Now holiness

means God

is totally separate

from His creation.

God is light

and in Him

there is

no darkness.

And to illustrate

this for His people,

God commanded

that when they built

the temple

that there would be

two cherubim

statues

to be placed

in the innermost

part of the temple.

And these statues

had their wings

spread over their eyes.

So even the cherubim,

heavenly creatures

without sin,

could not look

directly upon the king

in His incomprehensible,

all-consuming holiness.

And at the center

of the temple

in the Holy of Holies

was the Ark.

And in the Ark

was the Ten Commandments,

God's law.

And God's law

uniquely reflected

God's character

of holiness.

God is good,

just,

and righteous

in every single way.

And His law

reflected that.

And because God

is holy,

the temple

was to be holy,

set apart,

consecrated.

And so to that end,

you have the process

of consecration.

And consecration

consists of a few parts

as we see here.

First is the cleansing,

then the consecrating,

and then third,

the sacrificing.

So first,

let's look at the cleansing

in verse 5.

In verse 5,

we see the problem,

don't we?

There is now filth

inside the holy place.

God is dwelling

in a garbage dump,

a junkyard

filled with idols.

And verse 17

shows the extent

of the filth.

Because how long

did it take

to clean out the garbage?

garbage.

You see,

it took 16 days.

On the 16th day,

they finally cleaned

out all the garbage

in the holy place.

Friend,

imagine the amount

of garbage

that needed

to be hauled out.

This was a storage closet

filled with trash.

The temple

is in a shocking

state of neglect.

neglect.

But you know,

the condition

of the temple

mirrored the spiritual

condition of the people.

While preparing

the sermon,

I had a conversation

with a college friend.

He's a pastor

of a local church plant

in Massachusetts.

and his congregation

had been praying

and looking

for a meeting place.

And a building

was offered

by a dying congregation.

And one side

of the building

was in complete

disrepair.

Mold,

water damage,

leaky roof,

filled with junk,

you name it.

He said,

you know,

it's probably

going to be cheaper

to knock the whole

thing down.

Why doesn't God

just knock the whole

thing down here?

Well,

we might do that

to a building,

but friend,

God is committed

to his people.

His faithfulness

to his promises

is the skeleton

that prevents

the whole structure

from collapsing

onto itself.

Now,

in the new covenant,

we don't worship

in a place,

but through a person,

through Christ Jesus.

But he is still

faithful to his promises,

brother and sister.

And after the cleansing,

there's the consecration.

Now,

as we see in this chapter,

there's a moral consecration

and there's a ritual

consecration.

You see that

the ritual consecration

with a process

of consecrating

the objects.

For example,

the altar in verse 17.

In verse 18,

the utensils,

the table,

the showbread,

everything had to be

consecrated.

Nothing was off limits.

People,

places,

and things.

Everything that came

into contact

with God

must be set apart

and consecrated.

Now,

brothers and sisters,

we don't consecrate

ourselves

through rituals

any longer.

But as we heard earlier,

we are to be set apart.

You know,

in fact,

the word saint,

which is used

to describe

all true Christians,

is derived

from the word

one who is set apart.

But by virtue

of being in Christ,

every Christian

has been consecrated,

has been set apart

for God's special use.

And being a Christian

is not just showing up

once a week

to a worship service.

It's not just a good habit.

It's not a way

to instill morals

into your children.

No,

to be a Christian

is to be completely

set apart

for God's special use.

And God now calls

our entire life

to be put on the altar

for His praise.

In the New Covenant,

we give ourselves,

we give all of it.

So this charge,

the Levites,

to cleanse

and to consecrate

applies to you,

brother and sister.

Church,

what are you

but a royal priesthood?

You see,

while Israel

had a priesthood,

church,

you are a priesthood.

1 Peter 1.9,

as we read earlier,

says this,

but you are

a chosen race,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

a people

for His own possession.

This is the priesthood

of all believers.

So,

brother and sister,

where are we

impoverished

as a people?

We're consecrated

once for all,

but we need to put

our whole life

onto the altar

and remove the garbage.

Where do we need

to cleanse

and consecrate

our lives

in service to God?

We know

Orthodox theology

does not guarantee

true worship.

We know this.

And as a church,

it's easy to play

the comparison game,

isn't it?

You know,

you see the church

over there

teaching the prosperity gospel

who have compromised

on Christian ethics.

And we say,

well,

at least we're not

like that church.

But,

friend,

we must bring

the whole of our lives

under God's word.

So,

where do we need

to be consecrated?

You know,

perhaps

in an increasingly

angry

and hostile world,

do we find

ourselves like that?

The controversy meter

always going

from 1 to 11

overnight,

always outraged,

viewing others

with suspicion.

Friends,

2 Timothy 1,

2 Timothy 1:7

verse 7,

Paul writes,

God has not given us

a spirit of fear,

but of power,

love,

and self-control.

Perhaps

for some of us,

we are so consumed

in looking at our devices,

checking social media,

checking the news,

checking our emails.

We want to be efficient.

And so,

we can be in the same room

with someone else,

but be a world apart.

Robbing you of fellowship

with other Christians.

Robbing you parents

of spending time

with your children

and instructing them.

Spending what little time

God has given you

with them.

Not giving them

your undivided attention.

We need to take off

our dirty clothes

and put on

resurrection attire

that God has given us.

Paul writes to the church

in Colossus,

in chapter 3,

he writes,

put to death,

therefore,

what is earthly in you,

sexual immorality,

impurity,

passion,

evil desire,

and covetousness,

which is idolatry.

Church,

put that all away.

Cleanse the garbage

out from the holy place.

Brothers and sisters,

immerse,

we must bring everything

to God.

Immersing ourselves

in the scripture,

we cry out to God,

let us not be conformed

to this age.

We pray,

would your word

transform us?

Show us your good,

pleasing,

and acceptable will,

oh God.

Show us what is acceptable

in your sight.

We're constantly praying,

Lord,

make us more like Jesus.

Friend,

if we want to have

the true joy

this chapter we'll speak of,

we cannot skip this step.

However,

before we can stand

as a priest before God

and rejoicing,

there's an additional cleansing

that needs to take place

because we need to be

cleansed from our guilt

because there's a cleansing,

the consecrating,

there's also the sacrificing

in verse 20.

So once the temple is ready,

Hezekiah doesn't sit around

wondering what he's going

to do next.

He rose early,

and he hastens

to perform the sacrifices.

It's as if Hezekiah is saying,

I delivered to you

what was of first importance

in verses 28 to 24.

Look down,

it reads,

Then Hezekiah the king

rose early

and gathered the officials

of the city

and went up to the house

of the Lord.

And they brought seven bulls

and seven rams,

seven lambs,

and seven male goats

for a sin offering

for the kingdom

and for the sanctuary

and for Judah.

And he commanded the priests,

the sons of Aaron,

to offer them

on the altar of the Lord.

So they slaughtered the bulls

and the priests received

the blood

and threw it against the altar.

And they slaughtered the lambs

and their blood

was thrown against the altar.

Then the goats

for the sin offerings

were brought to the king

and the assembly

and they laid their hands

on them.

And the priests slaughtered them

and made a sin offering

with their blood

on the altar

to make atonement

for all Israel.

For the king commanded

that the burnt offering

and the sin offering

should be made

for all Israel.

Now what in the world

does this mean?

I mean the priests

are like butchers

cutting up bulls

and goats and lambs.

This seems like

a foreign language.

But there is a certain grammar

of the Levitical world.

And if you were to go back

to Leviticus,

you would discover

that King Hezekiah

is carefully following

the instructions

that God gave

through Moses.

There is a sin offering

in verses 21 and following

and that highlights

matters of sin

and atonement.

Our need for our sin

to be covered

before a thrice holy God.

There is a burnt offering

in verses 27 to 28

highlighting matters

of wholehearted service

to God.

There is a peace offering

in verse 35

if you look down

and it highlights

their fellowship

with one another.

And finally,

there is a drink offering

in verse 35

highlighting this was

not a duty

but a delight,

a joy in making

the sacrifices to God.

And each of these

are picked up

in the New Testament

to describe

the church's worship.

For example,

Paul would say

his life

is a drink offering

to the church

at Philippi

highlighting his joy

in serving them.

The burnt offerings

are picked up

in Romans chapter 12

Romans 12:1

verse 1

as Paul instructs us

to put our whole lives

on the altar

as a pleasing sacrifice

before God.

But the priority here

is the sin offering.

This is of first importance.

You see that in verse 21.

Hezekiah rises early

and that's the first thing

he does.

He gives it special attention.

Why?

Well, in verse 24

it says it results

in atonement for Israel.

Okay, what is sin

and why do we need

atonement?

You know,

in our modern society

sin is a word

that we don't like to use.

But we tend to be

very quick

in recognizing it

in others.

When it comes to ourselves

we think,

I just made a mistake.

My bad.

That's not me.

No one's perfect, right?

But we want God

to care about sin

out there.

I mean,

Holocaust

and terrorists.

The worst of the worst.

But we don't want God

to care about the sin

in our own lives.

In our own hearts.

But friend,

you cannot have it both ways.

According to scripture,

sin is rebellion.

A crime,

an offense.

Crossing a forbidden boundary.

And verse 8

is very clear.

It provokes

God's

white hot

anger

and wrath.

God will punish

sin.

He will make the people

objects of horror,

of astonishment,

of hissing.

If that is

the disease,

the sin offering

is the cure.

Because you see,

the sin offering

is a picture

of the gospel,

is it not?

So the gospel says

God made

you

and I.

And because

he made you,

he has authority

over you

and I.

You and I

were meant to live

lives of honor

and praise.

Our lives

were meant to be

a temple.

Serving him

all of our days.

But the sad

reality is this,

that we pursue

the profane.

We pursue

the filthy.

And God

sees it.

He sees our sin.

He sees our wickedness.

We've been

unfaithful

and false.

You know,

he knows

what you and I do

when no one is around.

There's no

private browser

to keep God

from seeing

your thoughts

and your minds.

He doesn't need

your passcode

to get inside

your phone.

And how you

feel about that,

friend,

how you feel

about God

knowing everything

tells you

something about

what you already

know about yourself.

Does not your

conscience tell you

that you need

a mediator

before a holy God,

a priest,

and a sacrifice?

One to stand

before you

in this thrice

holy God.

But friend,

the sin offering

is a picture

of that great

love

that God

has shown us.

Because God

provides

a substitute,

one who takes

on the punishment

that we deserve.

Here we see

a shadow

of this substitute,

a goat,

in verse 23.

Now we know,

friends,

that these animals

cannot actually

bring about

the forgiveness

of sins.

In Hebrews 10,

the writer says,

it is impossible

for the blood

of bulls and goats

to take away sins.

No,

this sacrifice

foreshadowed

a greater one.

You see,

the Father

in His great love

sent Jesus,

fully God

and fully man,

as the sin-bearing

offering,

a substitute,

a sacrifice.

You see,

we are faithless

and false,

but friend,

He is the one

who is called

faithful and true.

He is the blessed God

who forever belongs

in mortality

and glory.

And unlike Hezekiah,

He lives the perfect

life of obedience

to the very end.

And He uses

His authority

for the glory of God

and the good

of His people

because He voluntarily

lays down His life.

And the God man's flesh

was cut open,

blood poured out.

To what ends?

Well,

He accomplishes

what verse 24

calls atonement.

God's wrath

being turned away.

He took it on Himself.

God's wrath

was assuaged

because of the substitutes.

There was a price

to be paid.

Jesus paid it.

There was a cup

of God's wrath

to drink,

friend,

and He drank it

to the dregs.

For who?

We see,

for all who would

lay their hands

on Him.

You see the special

significance

of the laying on

of hands

in verse 23.

You see,

the hand isn't merely

placed onto the sacrifice.

No,

the Israelite

was to lean

on the head

and apply pressure.

What does that mean?

Well,

it's understood

as a transfer

of guilt.

It's identification,

putting your weight

upon the sacrifice.

The same is true today.

Your hands of faith

and trust

must be placed

upon the perfect sacrifice.

Oh, friends,

a weak faith

can still rest

on the perfect sacrifice.

But you must

apply your pressure,

your weight

on the sacrifice.

And He came

for those

who have put

their weight

upon Him.

And on the third day,

He rose

from the dead.

He now lives

to be our

great high priest

making intercession

for His people.

See,

Jesus finished

what Hezekiah started.

The door

of God's presence

is opened

wide

and all

are welcome.

And friend,

why would you

give your heart

to another?

This is the one

who offers

true forgiveness

and freedom

by grace

and unearned gift.

He gave it all

to us

and so, friend,

we give it all

back to Him

in worship.

And what effect

does this produce?

Well,

point number three

is Christian joy

and generosity.

A bunch of prodigals

begin to praise

loudly and joyously

and exuberantly.

Let's read verses

25 and 30 together.

He,

that is Hezekiah,

stationed the Levites

in the house

of the Lord

with cymbals

and harps

and lyres

according to the

commandment of David

and of Gad,

the king's overseer

and of Nathan,

the prophet.

For the commandment

was from the Lord

through His prophets.

The Levites stood

with the instruments

of David

and the priests

with the trumpets.

And then Hezekiah

commanded that the

burnt offering

be offered on the altar.

And when the burnt

offering began,

the song of the Lord

began also.

And the trumpets

accompanied by the

instruments of David,

king of Israel.

The whole assembly

worshipped,

and the singers

sang,

and the trumpeters

sounded.

All this continued

until the burnt

offering was finished.

And when the offering

was finished,

the king and all

who were present

with him

bowed themselves

and worshipped.

And Hezekiah,

the king,

and the officials

commanded the Levites

to sing praises

to the Lord

with the words

of David

and of Asaph,

the seer.

And they sang

praises

with gladness.

And they bowed

down and worshipped.

You know,

there are certain

places where

bitterness and anger

are just out of place.

A wedding is one.

Another is

skipping down

the street.

Have you ever

tried to skip

down the street

while you're angry?

You know,

it just doesn't

go together.

You need a little

bit of joy

when you're skipping.

Worship is like that.

You need

just a little

bit of joy

when you're

in the presence

of God

in worship.

And when there's

true worship,

there's complete

joy.

Verse 25,

the cymbals,

the harps,

the lyres are playing.

Verse 26,

the trumpets

are blasting.

Verse 28,

there is unity.

The whole assembly

is worshipping

with one voice.

The singers

are singing.

Someone definitely

is clapping their hands

in this assembly.

But look at

the end of verse 30.

They sang praises

with gladness.

This is like

a field of flowers

after wintertime

receiving the beams

of the sun

and they're blossoming.

Their hearts

and their minds

are enraptured.

They're caught up

in the greatness

of God.

And their joy

is expressed

in music.

Friend,

do you know

that God loves music?

He loves

energetic music.

Music that you

can dance to.

Psalm 150.

Praise him

with the trumpet sound.

Praise him

with the lute

and harp.

And get this.

Praise him

with the tambourine

and the dance.

Church,

praise God

with your dance moves.

He loves music

that you can dance to.

Energetic music.

He loves jazz

and orchestral music.

He loves the joy

that radiates

from Bach.

The joy's

heavenly anthem

of Handel's

Hallelujah Chorus

and the Messiah.

He loves the

passionate poetic

preaching of Christian

hip-hop.

He loves vocal music.

Singing to the Lord

a new song.

God,

you are my exceeding

joy.

He might love

other music,

but that's the kind

of music I like.

He doesn't,

of course,

God doesn't love

every music.

He doesn't love music

that lies about him.

But for he loves

all music

that reflects

the glory

and majesty

of his great name.

Music that is

a Philippians 4.8

product.

Something that's true

and lovely

and commendable.

But no,

this was not

a free-for-all.

You know,

people running around

the sanctuary

running wild.

Look at their

physical postures

in verse 29.

They worship

by bowing down.

They're kneeling.

We glory in God

even as we tremble

before his greatness.

That's a picture

of reverence.

You know,

many divorce

sound theology

and spiritual experience.

But what God

has joined together,

let no one separate.

True doctrine

and doxology

are inseparable lovers.

But notice

something very important.

Some of the people

missed out

on this joyous assembly.

Look down

at verse 34

at the end.

Some of the priests

were absent.

They didn't

consecrate themselves

and they were absent

from this joyous occasion.

Friend,

joy comes

in the obedience

to God.

I'm going to repeat that.

Joy comes

in the obedience

to God.

You see here,

joy comes

during the burnt offering.

In other words,

joy comes out

when you're

wholeheartedly

serving God.

Joy comes

when your time,

your talents,

your influence.

All of it

is in wholehearted

service to God.

Oh, friends,

brothers and sisters,

consecrate

everything

to Him.

God's

is a living

fountain

of joy.

If your life

is governed

by God,

living under

God's rule,

under God's reign,

that is a complete

life

of joy.

joy.

You know,

how many people

have comfort

and convenience

at their fingertips

but have not

for one second

felt true,

actual joy?

Friend,

this is a bread

that will feed

a perishing world.

Friend,

let us not water

down the truth,

give the world

what they want

and dress up

in religious terminology.

No,

joy comes

in obedience

to God's commands.

friends.

Friend,

this joy is held

out to you today.

This joy is only

available in the gospel,

living your life

in wholehearted

obedience to Him.

He doesn't want

your lips.

He doesn't want

your actions.

He wants your hearts,

my friends.

And joy is not

just an emotion.

It is a joy

that is available

in dark places,

no matter

their circumstance.

The Bible says

there is always

a reason

to be rejoicing.

The ascended Christ

says,

I will be with you

always.

There is more joy

in His presence

than all the world

has to offer.

We rejoice

a little now,

but Jesus says,

I tell you,

your joy then

will be full.

Full joy,

all sorrows

removed.

And the greatest

sadness for us

is that we have

hardships,

the biggest trials

that we're away

from our beloved.

Paul says

to live is Christ

and to die is gain.

It is far better

to be with Him.

And not just joy,

but generosity.

In verse 34,

there's a picture

of overflowing

generosity

in their offerings.

Out of thanksgiving,

they gave

more than enough.

Isn't this the witness

of Christians

throughout the ages?

Overflowing

generosity.

Hospitals,

orphanages,

taking care of the sick

and the lepers.

Friend,

this is the history

of this church.

Overflowing generosity.

And you know what?

The more we give,

that's the paradox

of the kingdom,

the more we have.

Didn't Jesus say,

give your life to me

and you will gain it?

Friend,

is this what the world sees?

Is this the impression

that non-Christians

get of the church?

of a group of people

with one voice

singing,

hearts liberated,

free to give everything away

because we have

this treasure

in jars of clay.

Oh, friend,

this is not a pale

Galilean

that creates

a stale life.

This Galilean

sends his spirit

to give life.

He is a divine

defibrillator

that brings something dead

and gives it

new life

to be truly alive.

His spirit

animates his artists

and his musicians

to sing his praise.

And being a Christian

does not mean

you lose

your humanity.

It is, in fact,

the best way

to be human.

The second century

pastor,

Irenaeus,

says this,

the glory of God

is a human

that is fully alive

and that life

consists in

beholding God.

What he's saying

is that

true freedom

is when we

behold God

in the face

of Jesus Christ.

That helps us

to be fully alive.

Now, one illustration

you can think about

this is

Kobe Bryant,

the basketball player.

You know,

Mamba mentality.

I don't know if you've

read about Kobe Bryant.

Think about

his life.

He was completely

mastered by the game

of basketball.

And if that were true

of me,

if I disciplined

my body

in my mind,

unwavering commitment,

relentless,

and wholehearted

service to God,

if I give myself

to learn to dribble

and pass

and shoot,

soon,

every move

on the basketball

court will become

effortless.

At that point,

who's the freest

person on the court?

I know what some

of you are thinking,

that's a really

realistic illustration,

Tyler,

after I've seen

you play basketball.

You would be

the freest person

on the courts

if you disciplined

your body.

Aaron is saying,

behold Jesus

in his glory,

and if he becomes

your master,

and you give your

life to all,

you give your life

for him,

he,

you become

more free.

We fail,

and we will fail,

but we are secure,

brother and sister.

You are a dearly

beloved child of God,

so please your Father

in all things.

let him be the

master of your life.

To conclude,

you know,

it's a practice of mine

when I go to a wedding,

and the bride

begins her procession.

All eyes are on

the bride.

What I love to do

is I like to turn around

and look in the groom's eyes.

I love to see the joy

as the groom recognizes

his bride.

Friend,

do you look at Jesus

like that?

Can you say

with the hymnal,

the hymnal,

my Jesus,

I love thee.

I know thou art mine.

For thee,

all the follies

of sin

I resign.

My gracious

redeemer,

my savior,

thou art.

If ever

I love thee,

my Jesus

tis now.

Let's pray.

Father in heaven,

Lord,

we pray that we

would put our whole life

to you

in obedience.

God,

you are sufficient

for our joy.

God,

would you visit us

again?

Revive

your people

so that we would live

lives for your honor

and praise.