Hezekiah Lights the Fire of Revival (Modern Lessons in Worship from an Ancient King)

Hezekiah became king during tumultuous times. His father Ahaz was an evil man who committed the very same sins as the Canaanites that God had driven out of the land of Israel. He invited the moral depravity of the ancient fertility cult into the nation of Judah as he made idols to the Ba’als, built high places for pagan worship in every city and sacrificed his own children to false gods by burning them alive. His actions brought disaster upon the country as God's protection was removed. 

Israel had long been divided into two separate kingdoms, and they had fought before, but never had there been such carnage as under the rule of King Ahaz. The Northern Kingdom of Israel attacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah, killing 120,000 men and kidnapping 200,000 women and children to be trafficked as slaves before a prophet of God named Oded stopped them in their tracks and forced them to return the captives. Judah was attacked and raided by Philistines from the West and Edomites from the South. Ahaz plundered the temple to pay off the Assyrians, but they oppressed him anyway. 

Even after all this, rather than turn back to God, Ahaz closed the temple down and set up altars all over Jerusalem for people to worship HIM. By the time he died and Hezekiah took the throne, the nation of Judah was on the verge of destruction.

It would have been normal for a King in Hezekiah’s position to take immediate steps to rebuild and bolster his army, form alliances and secure his cities. But Hezekiah did none of those things. 

Instead, his first recorded action as King was to assemble the priests and order them to clean and purify the temple. Hezekiah had his priorities right by putting God first above everything else in the Kingdom. Hezekiah knew that the nation’s only chance of survival was returning to the Lord.

Please READ: 2 Chronicles 29:20-24.

Central Idea of Text

Hezekiah made sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people and led them in worship to restore their relationship with God.

Point #1: ATONEMENT Must Be Made for Sin 

Hezekiah didn’t waste any time. Once the temple was cleansed and all the preparations were made, Hezekiah got up early the next morning and began to lead his people back to God. He gathered the leaders of the city and went to the temple. The priests made the sacrifices as Hezekiah instructed and watched over them. They offered 7 bulls, 7 rams and 7 lambs as sacrifices for the kingdom, the sanctuary and Judah, offering the blood on the altar. Seven is a number of completion, a number of perfection. He was symbolizing complete repentance and seeking complete forgiveness. I want to draw your attention to one easily overlooked, but important fact. Hezekiah didn’t just offer atonement for the sins of Judah, he also made the sacrifices for Israel. What amazing forgiveness, after what Israel had done to Judah!

After the initial sacrifices, they did something different. The priests brought the 7 goats into the presence of the king and the people, then laid their hands on the heads of the goats. This represented transferring the sins of the people onto the goats. There is a price that must be paid for sin and the wages of sin is DEATH. By transferring the sins of the people onto the goats and then sacrificing them, the goats became a substitute for the people, dying in their place, paying the penalty for their sin. This is where the concept of a “Scapegoat” comes from. A scapegoat is someone who takes the blame for someone else.

When we worship today, we don’t have to sacrifice bulls, transfer our sins onto goats, or spill the blood of lambs upon an altar, because we already have a scapegoat, JESUS, the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed in our place. His blood was shed for us. Although, innocent, he endured the penalty for our sin and died the death we deserve. In the same way that Hezekiah and the people could not approach God without offering a sacrifice to atone for their sins, Jesus has atoned for our sins by dying as our scapegoat. He died as our substitute, so that we can approach God.

1 John 2:2 informs us that:

He, Himself, is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

Atonement, sometimes called propitiation, means to reconcile. It describes cleansing, forgiveness and making things right. Atonement means to provide an opportunity to be reconciled with God and put in a right relationship with Him.

Lesson Idea

We offer worship to express gratitude and love to Jesus because He made the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins and restore our relationship with God.

Point #2: We Should WORSHIP, Giving Thanks to God

After Hezekiah gave the priests instructions for the offering of sacrifices and making atonement for sin, he turned his attention to give the people instructions about worship.

READ: 2 Chronicles 29:25-30 with me.

Hezekiah specifically instructed the priests and the people to sing the songs of David and Asaph, the two most prolific psalmists. You might wonder why we would look to an Old Testament king to learn about worship. Why are his actions relevant to us? What do the worship practices of ancient Israel have to do with a New Testament church?

In Colossians 3:16, Paul wrote: Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

In this passage, Paul instructs the early church to continue singing the psalms and teaching from them. The book of Psalms was not only the songbook of ancient Israel, it was their instruction manual for worship and an important source of doctrine. Paul affirms that this has not changed under the New Covenant. I once visited a church where a teacher read this passage and claimed that since it did not mention musical instruments, we should not use them in church. I knew he was using Scripture wrongly and I was greatly encouraged to find the list of musical instruments in Psalm 150. Sadly, many churches follow his logic and forbid the use of instruments in church. I love good Acapella singing, but there is no Biblical basis for banning instruments in worship. In fact, years later, I learned that the word Psalm means to pick or to pluck. It actually describes singing songs with stringed instrumental accompaniment. By mentioning hymns and songs from the spirit, Paul also encouraged the writing and singing of new songs. Psalm 33:3 declares: Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully with a shout of joy.

The writers of the New Testament quote from the book of Psalms continually. Their upbringing was saturated with the Psalms. As Jesus and the other boys from Galilee walked to Jerusalem for the festivals, they would have sung the psalms of ascent. Jewish children learned important theology from the songbook of Israel.

While Solomon built the temple, it was his father King David who established worship in the House of the Lord, first in the tabernacle and then by assigning the musicians to the duties they would perform in the temple. (1 Chron. 25) He wrote many psalms himself, and Hezekiah patterned his worship after David. God had told his prophets, David, Gad and Nathan how he wanted to be worshiped and Hezekiah provided us with a beautiful picture of what this worship was like. Think about the level of craftsmanship and artistry that went into building the tabernacle and the temple. Through David’s example, we see that an equal level of skill and detail went into the musical preparations for worship in the house of the Lord. If this is the way God wants to be worshipped, then we need to learn from it.

While the priests made the burnt offerings, the people worshipped, giving thanks to God. The first instrument listed that the priests played is cymbals. David lived in the Bronze Age and Hezekiah lived just after it. People in the Ancient Near East were skilled metal workers. They knew how to hammer and lathe cymbals to create “crashing” cymbals and also “sounding” cymbals like a gong. In fact, the best cymbals in the world are still Turkish cymbals like Zildjian, created in that part of the world.

The priests also blew trumpets. As a child I was taught that there were no actual trumpets in “Bible” times, only animal horns, but that is not true. These trumpets were NOT Shofars, which are made from Ram’s horns. The Israelites often used rams horns, particularly in battle, but they also had Chatsotsarah, which are metal trumpets. These Chatsotsarah were what the priests used for worship that day. As early as 2,000 B.C., bronze or brass trumpets were being made in that part of the world. With a much higher copper content than modern brass, they would have had a rich and colorful sound. Around 1440 B.C., God instructed Moses to make 2 Trumpets out of hammered silver. Silver has a brighter, clearer, ringing sound. By the time David became king, they had been developing their craft of instrument making for over 1,000 years. David had 120 well-made metal trumpets and Hezekiah’s trumpets were either the same instruments or similar.

If you’ve ever been to a drum and bugle corps show, you’ve experienced the overwhelming sound of 60 brass players. I love to stand in the middle of a warm-up circle as they play chorales like On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss, Amazing Grace or The Fire of Eternal Glory. When they play powerfully, the feeling is thrilling as the sound waves wash over you. When they play beautifully, it is like floating in a gently flowing stream as you are carried away by the music. I want to do something special today and let you hear an example of the type of music they could have achieved in Ancient Israel. Since their trumpets didn’t have valves, we can understand from science the numerical sequence of notes, intervals and types of chords they were capable of playing and I want you to listen to this famous piece of music, Fanfare for the Common Man, which uses a technique and chords that can help us to imagine what they might have played. Though the piece does use low brass as well. Let’s listen. [LISTEN]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBzkDgd140

Here is a 22 second video of the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. They use valves which ancient trumpets may not have had, but you can still get an idea of the majesty of trumpets. 

The sound of 120 trumpeters blowing from the top of Mt. Zion must have been incredible. If a small marching band can be heard 5 or 6 miles away, imagine how far the sound of those trumpets could have carried in the absence of cars and modern city noise. I believe this type of worship points to the power, majesty and glory of God. It must have been a humbling and awe-inspiring experience to listen to the crystal clear clarion call of the chatsatsorah playing that day as smoke from the burnt offerings slowly rose toward heaven.

They also played the psaltery and the ten stringed harp. There are three main string instruments listed throughout the psalms: the small, portable lyre, the 10 stringed harp and the bowl guitar. [Look at this picture on the screens of an Egyptian wall painting from Thebes]  

These early instruments used strings made from sheep gut. If you’ve ever heard them, gut strings have a uniquely beautiful, delicate sound. String instruments could be strummed with the fingers, plucked with a pick or laid on their side and struck with a special hammer or mallet. This beautiful, peaceful, gentle sound would have created a lovely contrast to the loudness of the trumpets and cymbals. This reminds me of the often repeated refrain from Psalm 103:8: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. God is awesome and powerful, full of majesty and inspiring of fear and reverence, but He is also gentle, loving, caring and kind to those who place their trust in Him. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and this music reminds me of the peace and calmness we enjoy in God’s Presence.

Verse 27 also mentions the “Instruments of David.” Israel’s great King David was an inventor of musical instruments (Amos 6:5). We know from Psalm 150 that, in addition to the instruments we’ve already discussed, the Israelites had various string instruments and early wooden instruments like flutes, recorders or pipes. They also had timbrels (toph) which is simply the word for a drum. These drums with animal skin heads could come in a variety of sizes and sound deep and low in pitch like an Irish Bodran or crisp and high pitched like bongos. They could be used with or without the jingles of a tambourine and played with hands, sticks or mallets. When I think of this vast array of instrumental sounds available for worship, I am reminded of God’s creativity. Our worship should be wonderfully inventive, fresh and rhythmic.

When we worship God we should be in awe, we should be inspired, we should be filled with joy and humbled. Hezekiah encouraged the priests because they had played skillfully, but all of the people sang and worshipped together. Worship is not a spectator sport. The attention was not on Hezekiah or any single worship leader. The focus was entirely on God. I have some concerns with the modern model of church where all the pressure (and attention) is often put on one worship leader loudly amplified over the congregation. There isn't anything like that in the Bible. There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of God's people joining their voices together to sing. It's good to have a worship leader, but the goal should always be the sound of many voices raised in praise. David had a worship leader, Chenaniah, who directed the priestly choir as they led the people in singing. Hezekiah also gave direction to a large choir of priests who led the singing as the voices of the people joined together with them to worship the only One who is worthy of our praise. I mentioned earlier how I disagreed with the dear brother who taught that we should not use instruments in worship. But I did truly appreciate the beautiful congregational singing in that church. There is no rule that says we must use instruments in worship, but if we do, we should be careful to avoid allowing amplification and effects such as distortion to cover up the sounds of voices praising the Lord. Even with all of the instruments of David and Hezekiah, they could not cover up the sound of the people gathered together singing. They sounded together as one. 

Praise declares powerful truths about who God is and what He has done. Worship expresses gratitude and love directly to God. Verse 30b informs us that they did both:

They sang praises with rejoicing and knelt low and worshipped. 

Praise can be directed from the platform toward the congregation, singing forth the goodness of God, or instructing each other. But while praise plays an important role in teaching truth, it's purpose remains to turn our attention toward God and to help people connect with Him. Worship is always directed toward God and God alone. Praise can either teach about God or be sung to Him directly. But Worship is always expressed toward heaven. I'm certainly not saying it's wrong to have special music that teaches or tells people about God, or to put on special Gospel centered programs. Those things are wonderful, meaningful and beneficial. Such events can be beautiful offerings, serving an important purpose to teach and build up the church. I enjoy them very much. We have freedom to express musical praise and worship in a variety of ways. But for Hezekiah, neither praise nor worship were performances, they were congregational, participatory events. As people, we learn more when we participate and this is the way the Psalms were used to teach--singing together to God. We can take a lesson from him, examine our own practices, and make sure that the majority of our time spent in corporate worship is raising our voices together. Don't be a consumer of worship, be a participant.

Psalm 100:4 instructs us to: Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.

When you approach a King, there is a protocol. You praise, thank and honor him and you humble yourself and bow down. Praise is when we declare the truth about who God is and what He has done. We honor and glorify Him. We rejoice. We declare His mighty deeds. There are times in the psalms when we are instructed to shout, sing, clap our hands, dance, raise our hands and engage in a variety of acts of worship. On this day, they sang praises with joy and then humbled themselves and bowed down, kneeling low to worship. Worship is a way that we can connect with God. We might offer thanks, repent of sin, ask for help, or express heartfelt emotion. When I think of worship, I think about expressing gratitude and love to God. Praising and worshipping is the appropriate manner in which to enter God’s Presence. This is how they approached God and we should show the same reverence.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we do not have to offer animal sacrifices, but we still offer praise. He fulfilled the Law, but the instructions for worship aren’t part of the Law. I enjoy songs like Praise is the Offering and We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of the Lord. Hebrews 13:15 emphasizes this access that we have to God through Jesus Christ saying: Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Under the New Covenant, the sacrifice we offer to God is our praise. The passage from Hebrews goes on to say that doing good and sharing with others are also acceptable sacrifices. We don’t do these things to earn salvation or atone for sin. We do them out of thankfulness for what Jesus did for us and because of the change the Holy Spirit has brought about in our lives.

Through Paul’s instructions to the Colossians and from the details about the New Covenant in the book of Hebrews, we have seen that the type of musical worship offered by Hezekiah is pleasing to God and should inform our own worship practices. There are 4 things to I want you to remember about worship:

1. During Worship, all attention and focus should be directed and reflected toward God. 

2. Praise is a joyful declaration of the truths about who God is and what He has done. 

3. Corporate worship should involve reverence, awe and celebration

4. Worship is an active expression of love, honor, respect and thankfulness to God.

Major Point #3: We Can Have FELLOWSHIP and PEACE with God

Let’s READ together one more time from the last portion of today’s text: 2 Chronicles 29:31-36

This part of Hezekiah’s day of worship is all about a restored relationship, fellowship and peace with God. Once ATONEMENT was made for their sins, after they WORSHIPPED, then those with willing hearts made Thank offerings and Fellowship offerings. The FELLOWSHIP offering, also called the PEACE offering, was very special, because the people would sit down and eat a meal in the Presence of God. They placed their hand on the animals head, signifying the transference of sin and the blood was sprinkled on the altar. Then the fat, tail and internal organs were offered to the Lord as his portion. The rest could be eaten. Now that their sin had been atoned for and they had thanked and honored God, they could enjoy their relationship with Him.

The Fellowship Offering is a wonderful object lesson, like a mini-sermon, showcasing each of the three elements of worship we are talking about today. It demonstrates atonement through the transference of sin and the pouring out of blood. It shows worship as they gave thanks by offering the fat and then it demonstrates the fellowship and peace they enjoyed with God as they ate. 

They also made drink offerings which were poured out. This reminds us that Jesus’ blood was poured out for us at the foot of the cross. He paid the price, so that we could have fellowship and peace with God. In the same way that they offered sacrifices so they could approach God, Jesus’ sacrifice brought us peace with God. Jesus said:

SEE! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone HEARs my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Here, we see an invitation being offered. In the same way that the people ate a meal in the Presence of God when they made a peace offering, Jesus uses a meal to represent fellowship and a relationship with Him, but each person must respond to his call. Our observance of communion reminds us of this special fellowship. The longer a person refuses to answer God’s call, the more spiritually blind and hard of hearing they become. Jesus is urging you to SEE and HEAR the Truth: He has provided the way for us to enter into fellowship with him. His knock is the invitation. We must open the door to our heart to let him come in and heal us, forgive us, renew us and save us. Verse 31 tells us that those who were willing brought offerings. This was an individual act of worship. God's invitation is for everyone, but each person must choose or refuse to enter into a relationship with Jesus.

I used to wonder why the Bible sometimes refers to the Levites and Priests separately. I thought, aren’t all priests members of the tribe of Levi? When you see both terms used together, the term Levites usually refers specifically to the musicians, the Levitical singers. David kept around 300 on duty in Jerusalem offering praise and thanks to God. In Hezekiah’s day, the musicians were more diligent to consecrate themselves to be prepared for the service of God’s house. Their actions show respect and reverence for God. But I also believe that they demonstrate the value they placed on coming close to God. His Presence is precious. Because of Jesus, all Christians are now part of that special priesthood. We are all the worshippers that serve God’s house. Each person that accepts God’s invitation of salvation is consecrated, a priest, able to come before God and able to minister to His church.

Verse 36 shows us that the people of Judah were amazed at how quickly God had turned things around for their nation. They recognized that it was God who brought about this change. We should never forget this as we pray for our own nation’s leaders as God has called us to do. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 instructs:

I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Judah had been led astray by an evil king. God wants our leaders to be saved so that we can live peaceful, godly lives. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts. The people were overjoyed at the sudden change that came about under Hezekiah’s leadership and they rejoiced about their restored relationship and fellowship with God.

The result of Hezekiah’s big day was gratitude and joy expressed to God through worship. Through Christ, we can enjoy our relationship with God. The people ended the day with great rejoicing. Our worship should also be celebratory. We have so much to be thankful and joyful about. We should depart from our own worship celebrations with pep in our step, a smile on our faces and hearts filled with joy.

Conclusion: Revival Comes

Hezekiah offered sacrifices to make atonement for the sins of his nation. Jesus sacrificed himself to provide atonement for the sins of the world. Hezekiah led the people in worship to offer thanks to God. We should worship to show gratitude for what Christ has done. The people offered a fellowship offering and ate it in peace before the Lord. Because Jesus offered Himself up, we can have communion and enjoy peace with God.

But this day was just the beginning of Hezekiah’s story. I’m sure you’re wondering what happened next? What became of Hezekiah…and Judah? So now, As Paul Harvey used to say: Here’s the rest of the story: After the worship of that day, Hezekiah decided to celebrate the Feast of Passover. Remember how he had the priests offer sacrifices to atone for the sins of ALL Israel, both the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Well he didn’t just invite his own kingdom of Judah to participate in the Passover, he sent emissaries throughout all of Israel, from the southernmost city of Beersheba to the northernmost city of Dan, inviting everyone from bottom to top to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover meal. While the Southern Kingdom of Judah kept the Passover, most of the Northern Kingdom of Israel mocked the king’s representatives. But a faithful remnant of Israel did come. There had been nothing like it since the days of Solomon (before the Kingdom split in two) when the people of God gathered in Jerusalem and it was so good to be together, they held the festival for an extra week. After the Passover, the people went out and chopped down the Asherah poles, tore down the high places and destroyed the altars of pagan worship throughout Judah. They gave an offering to provide food for the priests so they could devote themselves to teaching and they offered a tenth of their flocks to provide sacrifices. In fact, they piled up the offerings high because the Lord blessed them so abundantly.

Under Hezekiah’s direction, the priests continued to offer sacrifices and make atonement for the sins of all Israel, but in the sixth year of his reign, the upper kingdom, who had refused to come and worship God, was destroyed. In 722 B.C. Israel was invaded. The Assyrians killed many of them and carried others off into captivity. God is not mocked. Even though atonement had been offered for their sins, the nation that mocked God’s invitation and refused to worship Him was destroyed. In the same way, those who mock and refuse Jesus’ invitation will be destroyed. The decision to follow God is one that each individual must make. While the nation as a whole was judged, a faithful remnant of Israel was saved. Their children would celebrate another Passover with Hezekiah’s great-grandson, Josiah.

Scripture tells us that Hezekiah did what was right in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He kept first things first by prioritizing worship and honoring God. Later, when Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, invaded Judah, he mocked God and those who worshipped Him. Hezekiah's faith must have been tested as city after city fell before the mighty Assyrian invaders. But he did not waiver. 2 Kings 19, verses 14-18 records the prayer he prayed, ending with the words:

Now, LORD our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are God—You Alone.

God was faithful. As a result of the turnaround that had taken place in Judah under Hezekiah’s leadership, because of the arrogance and disrespect of the Assyrian king, because of the restored temple worship, for God’s own sake, for the sake of His servant David, and as a direct response to the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah, God acted on Judah’s behalf. Overnight, God sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 men!!! The few who were lucky enough to awaken the next morning found themselves surrounded by dead bodies. Suddenly defeated, they retreated. Then one day as Sennacherib worshipped his fake gods in his false temple, he was murdered by his own children. The mighty Assyrian empire had fallen. GOD SAVED JUDAH.

A few moments ago, I told you that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice, not just for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world. And He is. Jesus has provided the whole world and everyone in it with atonement, the opportunity to be forgiven, reconciled to God and put in a right relationship with Him. But a response in faith is required. Even though Hezekiah offered atonement for the sins of ALL the people, the Israelites who mocked his invitation were not forgiven. The nation that refused the invitation to come worship God was judged and destroyed. In the same way, those who refuse Jesus’ invitation will be also endure God’s judgement. Like the faithful remnant of Israel who were spared in the midst of disaster and the people of Judah who were delivered from destruction, those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus as Messiah, or Savior, will indeed be saved. Even in the midst of judgement upon a nation, God dealt justly with individuals, showing mercy to those who had faith. Under the New Covenant, God deals with each person individually and each person must make the decision to accept His invitation.

Invitation

The good news of Jesus Christ is that His sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world. Our response should be to worship, giving thanks to God. His sacrifice provides the way for all people to have fellowship and peace with God. But we have to accept His invitation. Do you hear Jesus knocking on the door of your heart? Open the door. Ask him to come in. Accept the Invitation. Come and worship. You can enjoy fellowship with God. Jesus loves you so much that He died for you. Don’t go another day without knowing in your heart that you are at peace with God.

We offer worship to express gratitude and love to Jesus because He made the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins and restore our relationship with God. I encourage you to tell someone that you’ve made the decision to accept God’s invitation. They will answer your questions and pray with you. If you need prayer for any reason at all, or if you need help understanding how to begin a relationship with Jesus, it would be my great joy and privilege to help you. Any Christian friend would be glad to speak with you, minister to you and pray for you. 

Suggested Prayer

Father, I am so grateful to be able to come before you. Thank-you for providing the way through Jesus. Thank-you for desiring fellowship with me. Soften my heart through your Spirit. I pray that you would open the eyes and ears of others to see and hear the truth, so that they can understand what good news this salvation offered through Jesus Christ really is. Draw us close to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

WHO CARES??? .......God's People Care....

For the past few months we have been talking about neighboring at our church, learning ways to build relationships with the people God has placed around us for the sake of the Gospel. But what about the people who don’t live next door? Around our country and on social media, there has been a lot of talk about the Gospel and Social Issues that should cause us to think about some challenging questions such as: How should Christians react to foreigners and immigrants in need or in crisis? What should our attitude be toward the poor, homeless or hungry? What does the Bible teach about racism? How should we treat people who are sick? What about those who are locked up behind the bars of a jailhouse or prison? 

As you think about these things, please Read Matthew 25:31-46 ,where Jesus teaches about the Separation of the Sheep and the Goats. It should be easy to tell sheep apart from goats. They don’t look alike at all. In the same way, it should be easy to tell Christians apart from the world by the mercy, compassion and love that we show to those who are suffering, overlooked, rejected and in need.

There’s a Difference Between Sheep and Goats

Jesus begins this illustration by painting a vivid portrait of Himself sitting on His throne at the final judgement. Here he sits as the Good Shepherd, guarding the entrance to heaven in the same way a Shepherd guards the sheepfold, only allowing his own sheep to enter in.

Who do the sheep represent? CHRISTIANS. Why are sheep valued? What are they primarily raised for? WOOL. When a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, the sheep will be led away to be sheared and cleaned up. If you have ever been to the fair and watched them shear sheep, you know that when they are finished, the sheep are fresh and clean and their wool is bright and white. This should remind us of how God has promised to wash us clean, white as snow. What does that symbolize? FORGIVENESS OF SINS. The sheep’s old clothing is removed and it has a new coat. The Bible describes this as being robed in righteousness and clothed with garments of salvation. (Isaiah 61:10) The illustration of the sheep represents believers being forgiven, put in a right standing with God, having our old sinful nature sheared away, receiving glorified bodies and being allowed to enter heaven and enjoy God’s rest.

Who do the goats represent? Unbelievers or Unsaved people.  What are goats primarily raised for? Milk and MEAT. A milk goat would have been kept at home for supplying the household’s daily needs. Goats being brought in from the fields like these would have been raised for meat or sacrifice. Jesus depicts this type of goat as being led away to be slaughtered. During their lives on earth, shepherds feed, watch over and care for goats. This reminds us of the way that every blessing, food and good thing unbelievers enjoy in this life comes from God. What they fail to realize is that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. There is a day of judgement coming when unbelievers will perish in the fire of God’s justice while by grace through faith believers will receive eternal life in heaven. We are reminded that since creation, from the very foundation of the world, God has lovingly planned this moment of blessing and reward for those who follow Him.

Now I have a question for you. Are any of us natural-born sheep? NO. Because all of us sin, we are all goats by nature, sinful and selfish. We are born again by the Spirit as sheep when we are saved. Who can be born again as a sheep, or child of God? Anyone who believes and places their faith in Jesus Christ. And when we are born again, there should be evidence of change in our lives.

Central Idea of Text

Jesus taught that his followers would be known for ministering to the needs of others and that a day of judgement was coming when they would be rewarded and the cursed would be punished.

Lesson Idea

As Followers of Christ, we should be known for ministering to people in need and a day of judgement IS coming when believers WILL be rewarded and unbelievers WILL be punished.

We should care for the needs of others because Jesus cares for their needs. In verses 35-46, Jesus emphasizes this idea, using repetition to draw the attention of his followers to six specific groups of people by mentioning them four times. He focuses on caring for the Hungry, the Thirsty, Strangers, those Without Clothing, the Sick and those In Prison. As His disciples, we should be known for ministering to those who are suffering, rejected by society or in need.

1. God’s People Care for the Hungry, the Thirsty and the Naked

           

The reason the tithe was established in the Old Testament was to care for widows, orphans, and strangers living among God’s people (Deut. 26:12, 10:18). Here we see that this is an important New Testament ministry as well. In fact, the first deacons, or ministers, in the New Testament were ordained for the purpose of making sure that widows received their fair share of food. (Acts 6:3)  But this isn’t just the job of a few individuals, all believers are called to the task, which Jesus expands to cover anyone in need. God cares for their well-being and has entrusted us with the service of meeting those needs. Tithing was the minimum requirement under the law to help care for the poor. Under grace, we should do so much more. What are some practical ways we can minister to the poor and hungry in our society? [discuss]  

To this day, I remember the deacons in my church giving out free, and very much appreciated, cups of water at the 4^th of July parade with Mark 9:41 on a sign: Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name.....shall not lose his reward. Growing up, the churches in our community formed a ministerial alliance to provide a food bank with non-perishable items which our church hosted. They also had diapers, baby formula, a closet filled with donated clothing, and a loan closet with various tools and items a person might need to borrow. That’s wonderful. But as individuals, we are called to minister as well. Sometimes you might feel the Holy Spirit urge you to give money to a specific person in need, buy them a meal or donate a sack of groceries. Perhaps you feel led to serve meals at a homeless shelter or make a specially designated contribution. The point is that we should care and if our heart is filled with the love of Christ, we will care.

           

The call to minister to those who are hungry, thirsty or in need of clothing has a double meaning, a Gospel meaning. Jesus also taught that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. All people need to be clothed with salvation. We show how much we care for people by taking care of their physical needs but we must go beyond that to care for their spiritual needs, teaching them the Word of God and proclaiming the Gospel. Our compassionate care for the poor is a powerful way we can demonstrate the love of Jesus to them.

2. God’s People Care for the Sick

           

What are some practical ways we can care for the sick? Hospital visits come to mind. But what about giving a person a ride to treatment or holding their hand as they wait for news from the Doctor? We can’t all afford to pay for their medical bills, but we can babysit children while someone goes to the doctor and we can do housework, yardwork or barnyard chores for someone who is sick or injured and can’t do it for themselves. And most importantly, we can pray. We can join our faith together with other believers and pray in agreement for the sick to be made well and for God to give them comfort, strength, endurance and faithfulness.

To Visit the sick means to look in on someone and look after their well-being. We should all be on the look-out for people who are missing from worship and checking in on them to let them know we care. We can organize meals, write cards and letters, send encouragement and check in on their family members. We can show compassion and bring comfort and hope through Christ to the elderly or terminally ill. We can help raise funds for someone with insufficient health care who needs treatment. It doesn’t have to be hard, there are all sorts of ways to show that we care. To someone who is sick with the flu and living alone, even dropping off a can of soup with some crackers and Sprite can mean the world, as I can personally attest. Whatever the situation, we can offer people comfort, hope and the promise of perfect healing in heaven one day.

3. God’s People Care for Strangers

Who were the strangers in the first century? We know in the Old Testament that strangers or sojourners were foreigners who chose to live among God’s people and follow His laws. According to Leviticus 19:34, these people were to be loved and treated like native born Israelites. A stranger in the first century could have been a fellow Jew in need of a place to stay or a traveler in need of assistance, but throughout the Bible the term strangers usually refers to foreigners. We know that Jews did not associate with Gentiles. These words of Jesus are a confrontational call to end that practice for the sake of the Gospel. Who are the strangers in our society? [discuss]

A stranger might be a new person who has just moved to town, the new kid at school or a new church member. They might be an immigrant or refugee in need of assistance. It is our responsibility to show them the love of Christ.

I was forever impressed as a kid to see how my church dealt with strangers in need. One time, such a stranger came passing through town. Because of the dangers in our society, it might not always be possible to invite a stranger into your home around your children, but some men from our church got him a hotel room for the night and food and gas to get him safely on his way. In fact, our Pastor rarely gave people money, but he always had vouchers from local Christian business men for groceries, gas, diapers, formula and various other needs so that if anyone came to the church needing help, they could receive it in Jesus’ name, with a Gospel presentation of course.

What are some other groups of people who might be considered strangers? We should definitely remember college students far away from their families. Helping a student with a flat tire, inviting them to your home for a meal or a Holiday if they can’t go home, performing car repairs for free or even boarding a student in your home are all ways that you can reach out to them. Providing meals through the Baptist Student Union, care packages to new students in dorms or a free tailgate before a football game are all ways that we can connect with college students, help them find a new church home and keep/get them involved with the family of God in their new town. Hosting a get together such as a hayride in a positive Christian environment can have life-changing positive consequences for young adults.

Our church hosts English classes to help immigrants. We can all help with our attitudes and our online postings as well as our support for fair, kind and Christ-like treatment of immigrants and refugees.

Strangers, to the Jews, meant people of a different race or ethnic background. For us, showing kindness and hospitality to strangers means showing equality and brotherly love to all people. To a first century audience this meant sitting down to share a meal with Gentiles, sharing fellowship and accepting each other as equals made clean, worthy and accepted in Christ. To us, this means doing all we can to show dignity and respect to all of the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. We should be doing everything within our power to show all people the love of Christ. We can look out for the new person, inviting new community members into our home for a meal or taking them a pie just to say Hi. From sitting with the new kid at school and showing them around to sitting with the new couple at church and introducing them to our friends, we can give a loving welcome and reach out to invite the people in our community into our churches. There are many ways to help strangers. Those of us who are in Christ should empathize with their situation and do what we can to help.

4. God’s People Care for Prisoners

           

Let’s talk about ministering God’s grace to prisoners. In the New Testament we have seen cases of men who were wrongfully imprisoned and in need of ministry. We study examples of believers laboring in prayer to God for them to much avail, like the time the people gathered to pray for Peter and an angel showed up to miraculously lead him out of jail, rescuing him from Herod’s wrath. Psalm 33:5 tells us: He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. God cares about those who have been treated unjustly. But in this passage, Jesus makes no distinction between guilty or innocent prisoners. The same God who loves justice is also the God who offers Grace. There is mercy and forgiveness at the cross for the very worst of sinners. Prisoners need the hope that comes through the good news about Jesus Christ. Clearly, this passage is a call for individuals and their churches to support and engage in prison ministry. The Gideons deliver Bibles to inmates. Our own Southwestern Seminary provides the opportunity to earn degrees while incarcerated. We can all pray for missionaries and others who have been wrongfully imprisoned. What are some other ways we can minister to prisoners? [discuss]

Are people in jail the only types of prisoners mentioned in the Bible? Who was Jesus talking about when He said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed”? [discuss] Jesus did give blind people their sight, but He was also talking about those who are spiritually blind and in bondage and slavery to sin. It is our job as believers to preach the gospel and set the captives free, leading them to Jesus who can break the chains of sin. We help prisoners of all sorts find true freedom and a hope that can never be taken away by teaching them about the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

A Time of Judgement is Coming

Three times, at the beginning, middle and end of this teaching, Jesus reminds us that a day of judgement is coming when the sheep will be separated from the goats, believers from unbelievers, the blessed from the cursed, the righteous from the unrighteous. Those in a right standing with God will enter into eternal reward in Heaven. Those who are not will be punished in the fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Like a goat led off to the slaughterhouse, they will be cut off from the source of life forever. Kolasis, translated here as punished, is a form of the root word kolazo, the word for pruning a tree. It means unbelievers will be permanently cut off from God, eternally pruned from the tree of life. Like a branch that is cut from Abraham’s family tree, as an evil tree that is chopped down and thrown into the fire, sinners will be consumed by the flames. Scripture teaches that God alone is immortal, that we live, move and have our being, our very existence, in Him.  (1 Tim. 6:15-16, Acts 17:28). Jesus said: I am the vine, you are the branches, apart from me you can do nothing. Eternal life can only come from being connected to Jesus. To be cut off, severed from God completely and cast into the Lake of Fire is what He called the second death, the destruction of the soul (Matthew 10:28, Revelation 20:14). But there is good news. From the very foundation of the world, God designed a way for us to be grafted into Jesus’ family tree, reconciled and joined with Him. Jesus promised that He was going to prepare a place for us and that He would come back for us. Heaven is a place of eternal reward with infinite pleasures where we will experience fellowship with each other in the joy, love and peace of God’s Presence. So, how do we receive this reward?

Conclusion

Are these good deeds some sort of list that we must check off in order to enter heaven? NO. Of course not. We are saved by grace through faith. We are made right with God through our relationship with Christ, not through works so that we can’t brag about it. Jesus said that people will know us by our fruits. This fruit is the goodness and the good works that are produced by the Holy Spirit working in our lives. As believers, knowing that a time of judgement and reward is coming, we should have a sense of urgency for sharing the Gospel. It is easy to tell sheep apart from goats because they don’t look alike. In the same way, it should be easy to tell Christians apart from the world by the mercy, care, compassion and love that we show to people who are in need. God’s people clothe the poor, visit the sick, feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome strangers and bring hope to prisoners. These good works are the natural overflow of a grateful heart that has been filled with the love of Christ.

There might be one of you here today that isn’t sure if you will be counted among God’s sheep at that great judgement. If you’ve never repented of your sins and asked Jesus to come into your life, to fill your heart with love and compassion and save you, then I urge you to do that today.

Maybe there is someone else here who would say you’ve known the Lord for a long time, but this morning, you realize that you’ve had an ungodly attitude or a lack of concern for those in need. I encourage you to examine yourself and your relationship with God and repent. Do acts of charity, where people are given something they didn’t earn, make you feel resentful? Isn’t that what Jesus did when He saved us?

Maybe you have expressed an unbiblical perspective toward immigrants or refugees. What about other strangers? Perhaps you harbor hatred toward foreigners, or mistrust for your brothers and sisters in Christ whose skin is a different tint than your own. Now is the time to repent of those sinful attitudes and start fresh.

I am always happy to discuss, share and pray with you about these things.

Jesus taught that when we feed someone who is hungry, provide clothes for someone in need, welcome a stranger, give a thirsty person a drink, visit prisoners or care for the sick, we have done those things for Him and when we refuse, we have rejected Christ Himself. When we accept the truth, that each person is created in the Image of God, worthy of dignity, honor, respect and a good faith presentation of the Gospel, it changes us, aligning our perspective with God’s will. How can we refuse to care for someone Jesus loved enough to die for? I encourage you to sit down with your family at home this week and talk about practical ways to reach out, offer a helping hand and show God’s love and grace to hurting people in our society by ministering to their needs. 

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray together. Father, Thank-you for the many ways you have blessed us and provided for us. Forgive us for the times we have failed to care for those in need. Help us to share with them from the blessings we have received. Lead us as we go throughout this week, help our attitudes to reflect your mercy and help us to look for opportunities to show your love and demonstrate your compassion. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Soaring On Wings Like Vultures

On a recent hiking trip, I became fascinated by some large birds of prey soaring over Eagle Mountain Lake. As I watched them, I realized they rarely flap their wings. They gracefully glided on the currents of the wind, letting it carry them along. I spent hours hiking up to high ground for a brief, but spectacular view. In contrast, they were soaring along with ease experiencing a perspective I could only imagine. I began to understand in a fresh, new way the beauty of Isaiah 40:31:

They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like Eagles. They will walk and not grow weary. They will run and not faint. 

Those birds were not holding themselves up. It was the wind and draft beneath their wings that provided strong support and kept them in the air. When I read this I think about God holding us up with his righteous right hand as He has promised to do. 

The words for spirit and wind in the Bible are often the same word. As I watched the birds riding the wind, I was impressed with the thought that God wants us to allow His Spirit to lead and guide us where he wants us to go in the same way those birds follow the wind. Humming birds and small hard flapping birds don't fly very high, but other birds regularly soar up to 10,000 feet. In fact, the wind can carry these birds up above a raging storm so that they can navigate safely past it. Stop and meditate on that for a moment and think of how God guides us through the storms of life. Entire flocks have been recorded as high as 29,000 feet and a vulture was once encountered by a commercial airplane at an altitude of 37,000 feet. 

I mention vultures for a reason. The noble eagle is a helpful picture for our American minds and rightly depicts the majesty intended by the author. Even the ancient Romans used it as a symbol. But the word translated as Eagle in this text is the Hebrew word Nesher, which also refers to the Griffon Vulture. In appearance, it has some similarity to an eagle, but to the Hebrew mind, this was the king of all birds, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet. These noble birds were revered in Israel. There are a number of qualities about these birds that bring out the magnitude of depth and meaning of this verse.

Lost in translation is the idea of a bird molting. The bird gets old, ragged and nearly dead looking and in no species is this more dramatic than in the Griffon Vulture. After the bird sheds its old feathers, they are replaced with fresh, vibrant, new plumage and it looks to have renewed its youth. I believe it may be the Griffon Vulture that gave rise to the myth of the Phoenix which dies, burns up into ashes and then rises from the ashes renewed. The early commentator Jerome wrote almost as if he believed Phoenixes were real. He certainly understood the symbolism. This passage relates to Isaiah 61:3 which tells us that God will comfort those who mourn and give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. The head covering and garments being mentioned by Isaiah represent the renewal and refreshing of salvation and priestly garments that are worn by God's representatives. The Griffin Vulture has a white head consisting of downy. It can look dramatically bald, ashen and sickly when molting, but will have a bright, white head covering when it is finished, like the clean, white linen God clothes his people with which represents being forgiven, restored and put into a right relationship with Him. Those who wait on Jesus, or put our hope and trust in Him, will be rescued, comforted, strengthened and upheld in God's hands. 

Last Spring, we took a family vacation to Disney World. During our day at Animal Kingdom, while my niece and nephew waited in line for pictures and autographs with Rafiki , I watched a presentation from a zookeeper holding a vulture. Vultures feed on carrion. They keep our environment clean and healthy and they have a remarkable constitution. She explained that vultures have the incredible ability to ingest a wide variety of diseases such as botulism and other bacteria or viruses and not be harmed. The diseases are neutralized in their bodies. It made me think of Jesus, who took death in His body, in our place, but couldn't be held by it. He defeated death. And it makes me think of us. One day, if the Lord hasn't come back yet, we will all face death. But it can't affect us. Like this bird that conquers death in its body, we will rise again and have eternal life. 

The eggs of the Griffon Vulture have a longer incubation period than most birds and both father and mother spend a lengthy amount of time caring for their offspring. I have read that this vulture will guard its eggs to the point it would even die protecting them. Perhaps it was this fact that led to the idea of a Phoenix dying and coming back to life as a baby. Maybe someone saw a body combust, who knows? I would imagine they can get looking pretty awful by the time their young are ready to leave the nest. The ancient world was intrigued by this bird. It's dramatic rejuvenation and willingness to sacrifice for it's offspring provide an important object lesson. Jesus died and then rose again, glorified, to give new life to us, his offspring. We will also rise again and receive glorified bodies in heaven. But even now, on this earth, we are blessed. In the same way that a vulture receives new feathers, Isaiah uses clothes to describe what God does for us in the here and now: 

He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a priestly headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

The symbolism of a bird receiving new feathers, being refreshed, restored and renewed is a picture of the way that Jesus works in the hearts and lives of anyone who places their trust and hope in Him. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, He will bring us out of despair and restore us to be all that He meant for us to be. We can journey through this world with wisdom and a birds-eye perspective that comes from a higher purpose found in Christ. In the same way the birds are guided by the currents of the wind, He will lead us through His Spirit. While we wait for His coming, He will hold us up like the wind upholds the birds.