SERMON TITLE: BEING RIGHTLY RELATED TO A RIGHTEOUS GOD

SERMON TEXT: 2 Kings 18:1-8

SERMON THESIS: "A right relationship to God is the basis for success in human endeavors." - Disciple's Study Bible

INTRODUCTION: Human relationships are extremely important. The way in which a husband relates to his wife, and the wife to her husband. The same is true of sibling relationships, friends with friends, etc. While all of us would agree that human relationships are important, I believe that we would, likewise, agree that our relationship with God is the most important relationship of all. You see, unlike our relationship on a human level, God cannot be unfair in His relationship with us, nor is He ever wrong. In fact, God wanted to get so intimately involved with us that He opened the door of heaven and manifested Himself to us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Therefore since the righteous God has taken all the initiative to have an intimate relationship with us humans, the question is this, How can I be rightly related to a righteous God?

In this message, I will attempt to answer this most important question based on 2 Kings 18:1-8, and from the context of chapters 18-19. Being rightly related to a righteous God...

I. BEGINS WITH TRUST

"He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; µso that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him" (2 Kings 18:5).

Trust is the key to all relationships–especially our relationship with God. On writer said,"Hezekiah was unique in his trust in God." His unique trust in God, as we will see, lead him, like Caleb, to follow His God fully. The Bible says...

"He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow Him..." (v. 6).

Even though he was faced with overwhelming odds by the King of Assyria, he would not succumb to this bully, nor would he give in to his threats. Although he did at first yield to the Assyrian king, according to verses 13-14, which reads...

"Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold" (2 Kings 18:13-14).

...and after which the king was not appeased and demanded unconditional surrender of Jerusalem, King Hezekiah rebelled and would not budge. Like Martin Luther, who lead the Protestant Reformation against the powers that be, when told to recant, in essence he said, "By the grace of God, here I stand and I can do no other." How could he do it? It was his trust in God that enabled him to stand firm against all odds.

You and I can do likewise if we are rightly related with our righteous God, as was Hezekiah. It was the writer of Proverbs who admonishes us with these words...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and µdo not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Herein, we find the basis for all successful human endeavors. Our part is trust, lean not, acknowledge, and He (God) will direct our paths. It was simple faith in God that brought King Hezekiah ultimate victory. It was the Psalmist who said...

"Those who know your name will trust in You, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:10).

This, my friends, is a promise you can take to the bank. Being rightly related to a righteous God begins with TRUST, and...

II. INCLUDES AN ACTIVE FAITH - Hezekiah's faith was an active faith. His simple faith in God lead him to take the following steps when threatened by the King of Assyria. His

actions tells us what to do when faced with insurmountable problems.

1. He went straight to the house of the Lord ...

"And when King Hezekiah heard it, he µtore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD" (2 Kings 19:1).

It was in the house of the Lord that he found sanctuary. I was the pastor of Indian Heights Baptist Church in Kokomo, Indiana, when Desert Storm broke out in 1991. Our people went immediately to the house of the Lord. It was during a personal crisis in my life that I went to that same sanctuary in the early morning hours to find forgiveness and relief. This is where the Psalmist went when burdened down with problems...

"If I had said, "I will speak thus," Behold, I would have betrayed the µgeneration of Your children. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God..." (Psalm 73:15-17a).

It was in the "sanctuary of the Lord," that his burden was lifted. Like, Hezekiah, he found, comfort, strength, and protection in the "house of the Lord."

2. He turned to a man of God...

"And when King Hezekiah heard it, he µtore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver" (2 Kings 19:1-3).

After going to the house of God, Hezekiah turned to a prophet of God–Isaiah. In times of national crises, US presidents have turned to men of God. It was during Desert Storm, I have been told, that former President Bush called Dr. Billy Graham to the White House to pray with him. President Bush, like Hezekiah, was not hesitant in calling along side them a man of God. "It is a good thing," a woman said, "to have a minister to whom to turn; for one never knows what may happen." Many times that late night phone call has broken the silence in our bedroom with the words, "Pastor can you come..." As a servant of Christ, it is my privilege and blessing to come along side those who are hurting.

Hezekiah's active faith caused him to turn to a man of God during his time of need. Is your faith an active faith?

3. He took his concerns to the Lord in prayer ...

"Then µHezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands" (2 Kings 19:14-17).

About Hezekiah's prayer, one writer wrote, "Here is expressed faith in the intercessory prayer of one whose heart was right with God." Do you know what the answer to Hezekiah's prayer was? "Do not be afraid" (v. 6).

"So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD, "Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me" (2 Kings 19:5-6).

What was Hezekiah's response? He went right back to the house of the Lord, spread everything out before the Lord. His response was adoration, supplication, and intercession. His active faith had taken him full circle. How active is your faith? And in whom, or in what, have you placed your faith? Being rightly related to a righteous God includes and active faith. Not only that, being rightly related to a righteous God...

III. REQUIRES UNCONDITIONAL OBEDIENCE - Now let us go back to our text for a moment...

"For he µclung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses" (2 Kings 18:6).

Simply put, Hezekiah was successful in all his endeavors because he obeyed God. See what he did at the onset of his kingship...

"He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan" (2 Kings 18:3-4).

Being rightly related to a righteous God leaves no room for idols in one's life. The Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, still hold true. Hear again the second commandment...

"You shall not make for yourself µan idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4).

One writer said, "As a result of Hezekiah's faith, he obeyed the Mosaic Law and never ceased to follow God." He was a dedicated leader who followed his God fully.

Being rightly related to a righteous God requires unconditional obedience. Someone has said, "Partial obedience to God is disobedience." Are you following Him fully?

Fourth, and finally, we ask the question ...

IV. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS? What are the results for the one who follows God fully in trust, faith, and obedience?

1. The Lord's Presence - Hezekiah was blessed with God's presence. The words, "Do not be afraid," assured him of God's presence in the midst of his troubles. We, too, are promised that we will have His presence always...

"And those who µknow Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:10).

2. A Successful Life - As we have already seen, "A right relationship to God is the basis of all human endeavors." Not success in the way in which the world measures success. Success, in a spiritual sense, may come in the form of material blessings, a long healthy life, etc. Hezekiah's success was as follows...

"For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and µout of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the LORD will perform this. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, "He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city," declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake." Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead" (2 Kings 19:31-35).

3. Eternal Rewards

CONCLUSION: Are you rightly related to a righteous God? A right relationship begins with simple faith. Have you trusted Jesus as your personal Savior? If not, you can begin your walk of faith today. Will you?