[Revival and renewal is the desire of most born again Christians.  We long for the restoration of morality, integrity, honesty, and justice.  We desire deeply to live in peace and security.  We pray for revival and by revival mean that we desire to see our Lord Jesus Christ honored in the hearts and lives of people all across this great land and throughout our world.  We long to see the Holy Spirit of God transforming lives and renewing the minds and values of those around us.  We want to see a second Pentecost wherein thousands upon thousands turn to God in truth and strive diligently to be conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We long for revival and renewal.] 

[Yet we feel discouraged and walk in despair.  We say we trust God and have hope, but our body language is absent of the confidence and hope that would clearly mark a people whose God is truly among them.  We feel weak and fearful and wonder why God does not seem to be at work among us.] 

[Perhaps we have failed to hear and follow God prescription for revival and renewal.  If you go to the doctor, and he diagnoses a condition.  Your doctor will prescribe a treatment for your condition.  If you follow the treatment and your doctor was right you will get better.  If you fail to follow the prescribed treatment and your doctor was right you will get worse.] 

[Well God has revealed in His word what is required for revival and renewal among his people.  Unlike the doctor, God is never wrong, and if we would be revived and renewed in our God then we must follow His directions for our restoration.  I find a great and complete example of revival and renewal in the biblical account of king Hezekiah.] 

[Bit of Background – When king Hezekiah assume the throne in Judah, Israel (10 northern tribes) either were being conquered and taken captive by Assyria, or had already just been taken captive by Assyria.  God had judged Israel, after many warnings, and had now executed His justice.  Judah (southern 2 tribes) had gone the way of Israel and was involved in Idolatry and gross immorality.  As a matter of fact, Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz of Judah, had been a very wicked king.  Ahaz build a pagan Altar in the temple and sacrifice his own children to false God’s.  Judah was far from God when Hezekiah assumed the throne.] 

[But the Bible reveals that king Hezekiah was a godly and sincere king.  Our text states,] 

[2 Kings 18:2-3 ² Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. ³ And he [Hezekiah] did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. ]

[King Hezekiah determined to bring Judah back to Jehovah God.  He sought a revival and renewal in the land.  What king Hezekiah did to bring revival to Judah, with great success is an example for us of how to bring real revival to our Church and culture.] 

[From king Hezekiah we learn,] 

A.    Purity Must Be Pursued 

1.      He Purged The Kingdom (vs 4; James 4.8; Psalm 24.3-5; Isa 55.7) [– He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. – Hezekiah did for Israel in His day what needs to happen in America today.  Hezekiah did for the Temple in His day what needs to happen in CrossRoads Baptist Church today.  Hezekiah did for his home and family what needs to happen in our homes and families to day.  Hezekiah did for himself in his day what we each need to do for ourselves today.  Hezekiah purged the kingdom.] 

[Hezekiah didn’t just preach against false god’s and false religions, he removed them.  Even to the point of breaking in pieces the brazen image Mosses had made.  That image, that had been handed down over many years, that was an heirloom in Israel, he destroyed because it had become an idol and false God and he called it,] 

[Nehushtan - נְחֻשְׁתָּֽן (Heb) - given to bronze serpent 2 K 18:4 prob. = bronze-god^[1]: 1 name by which the brazen serpent made by Moses in the wilderness was worshipped in the time of king Hezekiah of Judah before he destroyed it. Additional Information: Nehushtan = “a thing of brass”.^[2]] 

[Meaning a piece of brass.  When people began to complain because he destroyed the serpent Hezekiah called it what it was.  The people worshipped it as a god, and king Hezekiah called it a piece of metal, and destroyed it.] 

[There are many things in our lives that we need to call out what they really are.  There are false god’s and religions all around us and people we need to call them what they are.  We need a purging in America, we need a purging in Christianity.  And we will all say, AMEN!]

[What you and I need to realize is that this purging needs to be real and its needs to be personal.  Many to day would say, “Amen preacher, lets purge this nation and Church!” Then they walk away and do nothing.  They say they want revival, but they won’t do anything.  They will say or think things like, “Well, what can I do?  I’m just one person!  When everyone else purges themselves then I will follow along.”  Understand my friend that this very attitude keeps any purging from happening around us and keeps revival away from our culture and world.] 

[James 4:8 ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ]

[This purging is first individual and then it will be congregational, and then cultural.  It must start with you, in your heart and life, and then it will work its way into your home, church, city and nation.  So the question is what will you do to purge yourself?] 

[You must purge,] 

·         [The Programs You Watch]

·         [The Music You Listen To]

·         [The Relationships (friends) You Hold]

·         [The Allegiances (priorties) You Desire] 

[Even if it costs you dearly.  Even if you must destroy some valuable heirloom that has hardened you and others against God.  A purging is hard and difficult, but it is absolutely essential for renewal and revival.] 

[The Bible says,] 

[Psalm 24:3-5 ³ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. ⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ]

[Isaiah decalred,]

[Isaiah 55:7 ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ]

2.      He Pursued God (vs 5-6; Psalm 84.12; John 14.15) [– He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. ⁶ For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. – Notice that the purging preceded the pursuit of God.  Many of us have it just backward, we think if I pursue God then God will make it easy for me to purge my life of those idols and sins I am harboring in my life.  So you call yourself pursuing God but you never purge anything out of your life, because you have never really experience that simplicity you thought would come.  The fact is that those things you need to purge out of your life will continue to keep you away from God, because they are separating between you and your God.] 

[The fact is that once Hezekiah purged himself and all of his spheres of responsibility then he found it incredibly easy to pursue and find God.  The evidence of any real pursuit of God is a purging of anything and everything that stands between you and God.  Notice the result of Hezekiah’s pursuit of God,] 

[Hezekiah Trusted God (vs 5) - He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. – Hezekiah exhibited an astounding trust in God.  It was unlike any trust displayed by any king after him or before him.  The Bible says,] 

[Psalm 84:12 ¹² O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. ]

[Hezekiah Clave to God (vs 6) - For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, - The word clave here carries the same sense used in Genesis of Adam cleaving to Eve.] 

[Clave -וַיִּדְבַּק (Heb)  - (1) to cleave, to adhere, specially firmly, as if with glue, to be glued, ankleben, anbacken. (Arab. دَبِقَ, Syr. ܕܒܶܩ id. A kindred root is طبخ to cook, backen; the primary syllable is בק, which has the sense of cooking; compare בַּג, Pers. باه, باج, بحتن, يختن bukhten, pukhten. See also פָּנַג). Const. followed by בְּ Job 19:20; אֶל Jer. 13:11; לְ Ps. 102:6, intrans. Lam. 4:1, דָּבַק לְשׁוֹן יוֹנֵק אֶל־חִכּוֹ “the tongue of the sucking child clave to the roof of its mouth” (from thirst, drought). Ps. 22:16 [Hophal]. The same expression is used of one who is silent out of reverence, Job 29:10; Psa. 137:6 (comp. Hiphil, Eze. 3:26). Deut. 13:18, “let nothing cleave to thy hands,” i.e. take nothing by stealth. Job 31:7. Trop. to follow any one, to cleave to him, Ruth 2:8, 21; followed by בְּ verse 23. Hence, to be attached to any one, to be lovingly devoted (κολλᾶσθαι τινί), e. g. to a king, to God, to a wife, followed by בְּ and לְ Deu. 10:20; 11:22; 2 Sa. 20:2; 1 Ki. 11:2; Josh. 23:12; Gen. 2:24; 34:3; followed by אַחֲרֵי Psa. 63:9, דָּֽבְקָה נַפְשִׁי אַחֲרֶיךָ “my soul cleaveth to thee.”  (2) [“to attach oneself to any thing”], to come upon, to reach any one, followed by an acc.; בְּ and אַחֲרֵי Gen. 19:19; Deu. 28:60. Jer. 42:16, שָׁם יִרְבַּק אַחֲרֵיכֶם “there it (famine) shall overtake you.” Synon. הִשִּׂיג see Hiphil No. 3.^[3] ] 

[It means that Hezekiah was stuck to God as if he were glued to God.  He wasn’t going to slip away from God for anything in the World.  That’s what our world needs today, Christians who are stuck on God and won’t ever let Him go.  Instead we have a multitude of people who are stuck on the world and God can’t seem to pry them away from the world and its stuff.  Their favorite TV program is more important than God, their favorite car is more important than God; they seem to be stuck on everything but God.] 

[My friend if we would see a real revival in our Church and culture then we will have to cleave to God like glue and never depart from following him.] 

[Hezekiah Obeyed God (vs 6) - but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses – Now this is important for us to notice.  Because there were many in Hezekiah’s day who would say, “Well Hezekiah, you know those commandments were written along time ago and they just aren’t practical for our day.  Things have changed, those commandments aren’t meant for us.”]

[Notice that Hezekiah did not look for excuses to avoid God’s commandments, but He just obey them.  My Christian friend its high time we just strove to obey God with all our hearts, minds and actions. Jesus said,] 

[John 14:15 ¹⁵ If ye love me, keep my commandments. ]

3.      He Prospered With God (vs 7; 1 Sam 18.14) [- And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: . . . – Prosperity is a word we all like to hear in our day.  American prosperity suggests an abundance of stuff, a multiplication of treasures and wealth, a host of luxuries to live in and with.  But this is not the prosperity Hezekiah experienced at all.  Hezekiah experienced the only true and lasting kind of prosperity.  Prosperity in this text means,] 

[Prospered - יַשְׂכִּ֑יל  (Heb)  - 1. understand, see (= have insight) Dt 32:29; w. ˒el gain insight into Ne 8:13, w. b^e, ˓al pay close attention to Dn 9:13 Pr 16:20; — 2. abs. understand, see (= have insight) Is 41:20; ˒iššâ maśkelet sensible, intelligent wife Pr 19:14; haśkîl (w.) insight Je 3:15 Pr 21:11; = haśkêl Pr 1:3; — 3. make (s.one) keen, clever Gn 3:6; — 4. have success 1S 18:5; w. acc. in s.thg 1K 2:3, = w. b^e 2K 18:7; — 5. act w. (religious) insight, devotion, piety Is 52:13; w. l^e show onesf. devoted to, fit for 2C 30:22.^[4] ] 

[This prosperity is the prosperity of wisdom and insight.  True biblical prosperity is the wealth of God’s wisdom and illumination.  To know God and his purposes for our lives is the most valuable part of our existence.] 

[What was it that made king David a great king?] 

[1 Samuel 18:14 ¹⁴ And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.]

[The wisdom of God at work in our lives is true prosperity.] 

B.     Persistence Must Be Pressed (James 1.1-4) [– Now one would think, since Hezekiah had purified Israel and was walking with God that everything should go along without so much as a struggle.  But our adversary is not about to leave us to just stand with God, the Devil will do everything he can to keep a godly person from staying close to God.  Your Heavenly Father will also seek to strengthen your faith and to build you up by allowing you to be tried, even if by fire.  It is the devils goal in trials and temptation to cause you to fall.  It is God’s goal in trials and temptation to strengthen your to stand.  So, trials and temptations will always come into our lives.  James wrote,] 

[James 1:2-4 ² My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; ³ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. ⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. ]

[The mistake many of God’s people make is thinking that if they purify themselves for the sake for revival and renewal then God should protect them from any and all adversity.  The truth is that this is the exact time when God will bring directed difficulty into your life.  Why?  To test and reveal your sincerity and persuasion in your pursuit of God.  When you are seeking renewal with God expect and anticipate that your walk will be directly tried and tested in a big way. ] 

[In the case of Hezekiah and Israel a fierce and powerful enemy comes against them.  King Sennacherib and the Assyrian armies conquer Israel and lay siege to Jerusalem.  This is one of the greatest and most powerful nations of the day.  Many other nations had already been conquered by Assyria.  In coming against Israel notice that] 

1.      Their Convictions Were Challenged (vs 19,22, 25) [- And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?]

[2 Kings 18:22 ²² But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?]

[Notice that their enemies immediately attack their faith.  Rabshakeh attacked the fact that Hezekiah had destroyed their idols and high places and in essence was asking, “What god are you worshipping and honoring.”  He was implying that Hezekiah had actually offended all of these other gods by tearing down their temples and altars and Rabshakeh was essentially asking, “What god is going to help you now. ] 

[Rabshakeh didn’t stop there, he thought he might as well drive the proverbial nail in the coffin of their faith by stating,] 

[2 Kings 18:25 ²⁵ Am I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. ] 

[This was like saying, “Hezekiah has offended the gods and I am sent by our god to come against you, and look at the evidence of what our god is doing for us.] 

[This is exactly how our adversaries will attack us, they will proclaim that we have done everything to offend God and that our God has not and will not help us.  I wonder if we feel that way here today.  Are we certain that we worship the one true God?  Is there any possible truth to the ideas of poly theism?  Could there possibly be an Allah, who the Muslim’s call god?  Could there be any other god out there by any other name?  What about those who claim to worship and serve other god’s?  Do they shake us at the point of our worship and faith?] 

[What a brutal attack this is.  The enemies of our Lord, when they come against us, to destroy our rededication and renewal will have no mercy on our apparent weaknesses in our healing spiritual wounds.  They will attack us where it hurts the most and will challenge the veracity and reality of our faith.  This is similar to a boxer seeing a wound on his opponent and targeting that wound to wear his opponent down to defeat. They will challenge our convictions concerning the reality of Jehovah God Himself by declaring our God essentially dead and their god the god of deliverance and victory.] 

[Don’t be conquered by your adversary’s ruthlessness.  Expect them to attack you where it hurts the most.] 

2.      Their Comfort Was Challenged (vs 29-32; Matt 6.24-25,33) [– Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand: ³⁰ Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. ³¹ Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern: ³² Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. – Next we hear this evil herald attacking the people of Israel and Hezekiah at the next most important security that we all cleave to.  When we are not certain about the veracity of our faith and its essential foundation then we will inevitably turn to the only other security we can possibly have, our worldly stuff.] 

[If we falter under that blistering attacks of the enemies of our faith then we will turn to the stuff we have earned and achieved in this mortal world, the treasures and comforts that sustain us in this life.  In essence Rabshakeh is saying. Keep your stuff for now, you can stay in your homes and continue to provide for your families and when we finally take you to another place we’ll give you some more stuff to care for your needs.  In other words Assyria will take good care of you.] 

[This is the allurement of covetousness.  It is the promise that the world makes to keep you from trusting in the provision of your Heavenly Father.]   

[Our Lord Jesus Christ said,] 

[Matthew 6:24-25 ²⁴ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. ²⁵ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?]

[Matthew 6:33 ³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.]

[God is by far greater than the stuff of this world, but the comforts of life will be used to keep us from relying upon and walking with our Heavenly Father.] 

3.      Their Confidence Was Challenged (vs 33-35; 1 Cor 8.4) [- Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? ³⁴ Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? ³⁵ Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand? – Now Rabshakeh stabs even deeper at the spiritual life of Judah and Jerusalem.  He asks, “What God has delivered any other nation from the hands of the great Assyria?”] 

[This is exactly what our secular world is asking us Christians today.  What makes our God any different from any other God.  This is a search for evidence.  It’s like saying, “Show where your God has actually been at work?”  In this case Rabshakeh points out that every other nation that Assyria has already conquered had god’s of their own and none of them were able to deliver those people.  Rabshakeh is saying that Jehovah God is no different for any of those other god’s.] 

[This is the declaration of our age indeed.  Our American culture has abandoned the one and only true living God and now redefines religion as that which each person chooses to believe of their own accord.  Our culture asks us as Christians to prove that our God is any different from any other god and in asking such questions they are declaring that our God is nothing more than a myth like any other poly theistic god.] 

[So, how about it Christian, is your confidence shaken?  Are you truly convinced that there is only one God?  If you are then there is no comparison between Jehovah God and any other God, because there is no other God.  Do we agree with Paul when he wrote,] 

[1 Corinthians 8:4 ⁴ As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. ]

[Can we persuasively declare,] 

[Mark 12:32-34 ³² And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: ³³ And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. ³⁴ And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. ]

C.    Providence Must Be Provided [- So we have seen Hezekiah purifying and rededicating the people of Judah, we have also seen their persistence or persuasion pressed to the breaking point by the enemies of their faith and their Lord.  Now let us notice the response that led them to spiritual victory.] 

1.      Hezekiah Prayed (2 Kings 19.15-19; Psalm 20.7; James 5.16-18) [- And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, ¹⁸ And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only. – That Hezekiah prayed and sought God first in response to mighty Assyria is a key point in our quest for spiritual renewal and revival.  Too many have made the mistake of first trying to figure out the best response to their circumstances.  Too many have tried to see their way clear rather than hear their way clear in faith.  The Bible says,] 

[Psalm 20:7 ⁷ Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. ]

[Prayer is the most powerful weapon at our disposal.  Pray turns our eyes, hearts, and all our hope toward our Heavenly Father.  If we would see revival and renewal, then we must purify ourselves, we must pursue our God, and when our adversary rises up with a mighty hurricane of trouble we must seek our Heavenly father in fervent prayer.  The New Testament reminds us,] 

[James 5:16-18 ¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another [Purging or purifying], and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ¹⁷ Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.]

 [We must trust our Heavenly Father to see our hearts desire to be near Him, and trust His desire to be a Father to us, and then we will see his provision and protection.] 

2.      Isaiah Prophesied (2 Kings 19.6-7, 20-22; Matt 18.20; Heb 13.5; Gen 7.1) [- And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. ⁷ Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.]

[2 Kings 19:20-22 ²⁰ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. ²¹ This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. ²² Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.] 

[Isaiah prophesies twice to give confidence and comfort to Hezekiah and Jerusalem. That God spoke through the prophet Isaiah indicated that God was with Hezekiah and this renewed and restored people.  God was in the city with them and He was not idle.  God was at work.  God says,] 

[Matthew 18:20 ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.]

[Hebrews 13:5 ⁵ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.]

 [My Christian friends be reminded that our Heavenly Father does not leave His children when they are in desperation.  He remains with them, walking among them, working around them; just as God was in the ark when He called out to Noah,] 

[Genesis 7:1 ¹ And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.]

[Are you confident that your Heavenly Father responds with great anticipation to your movements toward revival?  When you purge your life of sins with the purpose of renewing your walk with your Heavenly Father, God responds with great joy.  Your Heavenly Father desires to be near you, to walk with you, and when things get tough, He will not abandon you.] 

[Isaiah came and spoke for God to the people and my friend God will speak to you as well.  Listen for His assuring promises and be absolutely persuaded the He is with you and He will protect you.] 

3.      God Performed (2 Kings 19.35-37; Prov 11.6; Psalm 37.37-40) [– And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. ³⁶ So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. ³⁷ And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. – Lastly we see the end result of God’s faithfulness in response to Hezekiah’s and Jerusalem perseverance.   Against all odds and all reason in one night 185,000 Assyrian solders died in their sleep.  An angel of the Lord fought for Judah, one solitary angel, what unimaginable power.  Jerusalem was supernaturally delivered.] 

[Some might say, “Awe this never really happened!  It just a fairy tale!”  But what they may not know is that this very event, Sennacherib’s conquest and defeat against this little city of Jerusalem was recorded in Assyrian history as well.  The story is told from the Assyrian perspective, of course, with some expected minor variations.  However all of the major details of the story are intact, including Sennacherib’s defeat due to the hand of God, and his assassination at home.  Another extra biblical account verified through archeology.  The point is, the story is true and verified.  Thus the principles for revival revealed through this biblical account are real and work.] 

[Proverbs 11:6 ⁶ The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. ]

[Psalm 37:37-40 ³⁷ Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. ³⁸ But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. ³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. ⁴⁰ And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. ] 

CrossRoads Baptist, September 27, 2009