2 Chronicles 23-24

 

Intro: We left off Wicked Queen Athaliah had taken the throne in Judah

Killed all her grand kids or so she thought.

A) Spiritual Darkness in the land – Promised heirs cut off

 

B) Child hidden in the temple – for 6 yrs –

1) Safe place because Athaliah didn’t go there – no heart for God

 

C) Special priest and his wife – hid the boy – Joash

 

RDV.1-3

 

Jehoiada was a godly man who was concerned with restoring the throne of David to the line of David, and taking it away from this daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

A) He was also the husband of Jehoshabeath, the woman who hid the young boy Joash and protected him from the Athaliah’s massacre.

 

B) “The easiest thing for Jehoiada would have been to shut himself up in the temple, and leave things to take their course.

1) The noble thing was to come forth, and boldly confront the rampant, evil of his time.”

 

So  all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. Declared  Behold, the king’s son shall reign:

A) This was a dramatic moment. For six years everyone believed there were no more surviving heirs of David’s royal line and there was no legitimate ruler to displace the wicked Athaliah.

 

B) The secret had to be secure, because the king’s son would be immediately killed if his existence were revealed.

1) The captains must have been shocked by the sight of this six-year old heir to the throne.

 

C) Also a moment of faith – Behold the kings son shall reign – a 7yrold

1) Most 7yr olds can’t rule their room ….. a kingdom

 

D) Sometimes what God calls us to do doesn’t make sense to us!

1) The last thing that makes sense is his word

 

Peter Luke 5 fished all night – Jesus borrows his boat – pulpit

A) Graveyard shift and he can’t go home –

 

B) Home to sleep get up again – do it all over

1) Jesus says lets fish- launch out in the deep

 

C) Wrong time morning – wrong place –

1) Nets clean and mended – Never the less at ….

Note: One reason Athaliah was able to reign for six years was that no one knew any alternative.

A) Many people live under the reign of Satan because they don’t really know there is a legitimate king ready to take reign in their life.

 

B) Promised Child – grew man – Victory

 

C) Believe His word!

 

RD V.4-10 Divides the Priest into 3rds

A) Wisdom – He had a plan here

 

B) Weapons from the temple

 

C) It would have been too tricky if these priests had  showed up bringing their own weapons from home. 1) It would have aroused suspicion. Show up packing

Shootout at the OK Corral

 

D) Weapons in the temple – Trophies – David’s victories – God’s Past faithfulness

1) Trophies in our lives – God’s Past faithfulness

    WILDA

 

E) Another generation will now be victorious using the trophies that David won in battle.

1) That means that the Lord will use my battles to help my children and other believers to help them win battles.

 

APP: God has given to us many victories and these victories need to be mounted in the Temple of the Lord, so to speak.

A) The glory needs to go to the Lord for every victory we have received.

 

B) Those trophies need to be mounted. Glory given to the Lord.

1) Testimonies are like these battle trophies of David. We are saying: “This is the victory that that the Lord has done in my life.”

 

C) It brings glory to God

1) TWO - It arms the people of God.

 

D) They can grab those weapons themselves to fight their battles.

1) They can be encouraged by what God has done for YOU... “YOU had victory in that situation......God used YOU in that insurmountable situation and now I can believe God for the same.”

 

E) Bob Caldwell – Sharing like Jehoshaphat – Lord no power resources – all we have is you.

1) Hey we were there – hang in there. – God is faithful

 

So everyone is in place here – it is quite a showing

Of Priest and Levites  RDV.  10-11

A) Make a few points

 

First the king’s son had to be revealed. Then they brought out the king’s son

B) No one could support him and he could not take his rightful throne until he was brought out before the people.

 

C) Next the king’s son had to be crowned. Put the crown on him This was the public and official recognition of him as king.

 

The king’s son had to come with the Word of God. Gave him the Testimony Joash appeared before the people holding the scrolls of God’s Word.

A) Deuteronomy 17:18 says that the king should have his own copy of the Scriptures.

 

B) “This is the basis for the British custom of presenting the monarch with a copy of the Bible during the coronation service.”

 

C) Next The king’s son had to be received. And made him king.

1) He had the royal right to impose his reign, but he instead allowed his rule to be received.

 

D) They Anointed him: The king’s son could never fulfill his office without a divine anointing.

 

E) And said, “Long live the king!” The king’s son received praise once he was recognized as their king.

 

F) We can and should follow the same pattern in our reception of Jesus Christ, the true king’s son.

Verse 12-15

A) This is unbelievable – the woman who Killed all of her grandkids is yelling treason

 

B) Human nature: We can act horribly toward others and justify it –

1) Someone wrongs us – we get all upset

 

C) What you measure out is what is going to be given back to you – Judgment – Judgment

1) Grace – Grace

 

RD V.16-20

 

After 6 years of this woman’s reign of wickedness the people are reaffirming their commitment to the Lord

A) Sweeping reforms

 

B) 3 Basic things that happen to rebuild – good description of what should happen in our lives

1) Sometimes things get out of whack

 

C) For 6yrs the Kingdom was out of whack – wickedness

 

D) Maybe our lives are not marked so much by wickedness – but things are not right

1) Out of whack – off center spiritually –

 

 

Note what they did:

#1 V.16 He restored their relationship with God

That they should be the pp of God

 

A) Listen: I don’t know what you think might be the real problem – but it is going to be rooted in your relationship with God.

 

B) Heart of the problem is a heart problem

1) The thing the Lord cares about the most is our hearts { Our relationship with Him

 

C) That was made right!

 

#2 V.17 Then they deal with the Sin ! Tore down the temple of Baal – Idolatry

 

#3 Then they started doing the right things again

 

Ephesus first love: Remember / repent / return do the first things again.

 

V.21 The Result

21 So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword.

 

REJOICING AND PEACE

 

CH.24 RD V.1-4

 

CH. 24   Jehoiada – Impact – Man of influence

 

VERSES 1-4

 

Joash set his heart toward repairing the temple

A) Special place in his heart – 6yrs lived there – gratitude for God’s house

 

B) Reared and nurtured there – Affection for God’s house –

1) Reared here – His word –

 

C) Motivation for Giving and serving – What God has done – thankful

 

D) So He is going to set a plan in motion to fix it

1) Guess what they need provision – things don’t change

 

E) Good Motive: Wrong Plan – RD V. 5-7

 

He sends the Priest out to collect – Not God’s plan

Not what Moses instituted –

 

Moses instituted when the pp come to worship as part of their worship – they give

The Lord does NOT need your money. We are the ones that NEED to give. It is our giving that wipes out selfishness.   Makes us like Him

                                                    New plan v8-10

Joash made a big “agape box” and the gifts were placed in it.

A) 2 Kings 12:9 tells us that they bore a hole in the chest and you would drop your money into that hole.

 

B) Here is the KEY: and all the people rejoiced

 

C) The people caught the vision for the project. Like some of you have caught a vision for what we are doing.

 

D) THAT is why they rejoiced.

1) NOTE: IF giving is a BURDEN or a BUMMER to you, then do NOT give at all.

 

NOTE: As they continued this practice of having boxes set up in the temple we find Marks Gospel making an interesting observation

 

Mark 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. (KJV)

 

It does NOT say that He watched WHAT they gave, but HOW they gave

 

It does NOT matter WHAT you are giving.

It matters HOW you are giving.

If it is obligation and burdensome then do NOT give.

 

RDV.11-12

The Pp gave in abundance

 

Then the money was put to use

 

Bob C . Share the need - 

 

Biblical method – God’s pp – to partner in God’s work

 

Not doing capital stewardship campaigns – not collecting

A) Need more of you to get behind this

 

B) If you are behind the ministry: Blessed by it

 

C) Building – more expensive –

1) Scaled back –

 

D) We need to see where we are going to be at – very soon –

RD V.13-14

 

RD v.15-22

A) He kills the son of the man who had mentored him nurtured – hid – in the court of the temple

 

B) Joash what happened to you

 

C) Didn’t own his faith             RDV.23-27