Peter Barnes | 2 Kings 18:1-8
SERMON NOTES
HEZEKIAH AS MAN OF THE WORD
2 Kings 18:1-16; Acts 19:1-20
– a king of Judah who stood out for godliness (along with Josiah); more details in 2 Chron.29-32 and Isa.36-39
1. Hezekiah persevered in his trust in God.
– 18:1-3, 5-6; John 18:31
– ‘a long obedience in the same direction’ (Eugene Peterson)
– C. T. Studd (1860-1931) captained the Cambridge cricket team, but left as one of the Cambridge Seven to become a missionary who served in China, India, and Africa. His motto was: ‘If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.’
2. Hezekiah destroyed even subtle idols.
– 18:4; 1 Thess.1:9-10
– see Num.21:4-9; John 3:14-15; something God-given can still be used in a superstitious way.
3. God blessed Hezekiah.
– 18:7-8; God revives His cause as He did with the Southern Baptists and the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church