The Life and Death of King Joash (2 Chronicles 24)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:07.509 You may be seated. Let's turn our attention to second chronicles, Chapter Twenty 2 00:00:07.629 --> 00:00:16.149 Four. Second Chronicles Twenty four, we read tonight the story of King Joe 3 00:00:16.269 --> 00:00:23.300 Ash. As we hear the chroniclers account of this and his writing this down, 4 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:28.980 this history for us, remember who it is we've just sung of. 5 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:33.020 Remember who Jesus is, the kind of king he is, a kind of 6 00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:37.409 kingdom that the he has. It will be helpful to you to be thinking 7 00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:45.770 about that as we think about these kings who anticipated Jesus and point us in 8 00:00:46.170 --> 00:00:56.679 various ways to him. So, Second Chronicles, chapter twenty four, Joe 9 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:02.479 Ash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty 10 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:08.670 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Ziba Zibba of Beersheba, and Joe 11 00:01:08.709 --> 00:01:11.950 Ash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. All the days 12 00:01:12.030 --> 00:01:17.709 of joyed to the priest Johoyda, got for him two wives and he had 13 00:01:17.829 --> 00:01:23.739 sons and daughters. After this, Joe Ash decided to restore the house of 14 00:01:23.780 --> 00:01:29.019 the Lord and he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them go 15 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:34.250 out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the 16 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:38.689 house of your God from year to year and see that you act quickly. 17 00:01:40.170 --> 00:01:44.329 But the Levites did not act quickly. So the king summon Johoyeda, the 18 00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:48.040 chief, and said to him, why have you not required the Levites to 19 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:53.439 bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the Servant of 20 00:01:53.480 --> 00:01:57.439 the Lord, and the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony for 21 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.189 the sons of Atholiah. That wicked woman had broken into the House of God 22 00:02:01.989 --> 00:02:07.430 and also had also used all the dedicated things of the House of the Lord 23 00:02:07.229 --> 00:02:14.069 for the bails. So the king commanded and they made a chest and set 24 00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:17.500 it outside the gate of the House of the Lord and Proclamation was made throughout 25 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:23.259 Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses, the 26 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:27.860 Servant of God, laid on Israel in the Wilderness. And all the princes 27 00:02:27.939 --> 00:02:31.689 and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest 28 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:37.449 until they had finished. and whenever the chest was brought to the king's officers 29 00:02:37.490 --> 00:02:39.889 by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, 30 00:02:40.370 --> 00:02:45.719 the king's secretary and the officer of the Chief Priest would come and empty the 31 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:50.080 chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day 32 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:54.719 after day, and collected money in abundance, and the king and Joyedah gave 33 00:02:54.759 --> 00:02:58.830 it to those who had charge of the work of the House of the Lord, 34 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:02.550 and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, 35 00:03:02.590 --> 00:03:07.069 and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the House of the Lord. 36 00:03:07.949 --> 00:03:13.780 So those who were engaged in the work labored and the repairing went forward in 37 00:03:13.819 --> 00:03:19.939 their hands and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened 38 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:23.259 it. And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money 39 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:27.289 before the king and Johoyedah and with it were made utensils for the house of 40 00:03:27.330 --> 00:03:31.169 the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes 41 00:03:31.289 --> 00:03:37.009 for the incense and vessels of gold and silver, and they offered burnt offerings 42 00:03:37.050 --> 00:03:43.639 in the House of the Lord regularly all the days of Joyedah. But Johoyedah 43 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:49.199 grew old and full of days and died. He was a hundred and thirty 44 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:52.919 years old at his death, and they buried him in the city of David 45 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:58.629 among the kings because he had done good in Israel and toward God and his 46 00:03:58.830 --> 00:04:02.310 house. Now, after the death of Johoyedah, the princes of Judah came 47 00:04:02.430 --> 00:04:09.590 and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them and they 48 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:14.340 abandoned the House of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served 49 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:19.100 the Asherim and the idols, and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this 50 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:24.889 guilt of theirs. Yet he sent profits among them to bring them back to 51 00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:30.129 the Lord. These testified against them, but they would pay and know it, 52 00:04:30.329 --> 00:04:35.889 but they would not pay attention. Then the spirit of Glaw God clothed 53 00:04:36.009 --> 00:04:41.279 Zechariah, the son of Johoyed to the priest, and he stood above the 54 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:45.759 people and said to them, thus says God, why do you break the 55 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:49.480 commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you had forsaken the 56 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:55.790 house of the Lord, he has forsaken you. But they conspired against him 57 00:04:56.029 --> 00:05:00.230 and by command of the king, they stoned him with stones in the Court 58 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:05.709 of the House of the Lord. Thus joash the king did not remember the 59 00:05:05.870 --> 00:05:12.939 kindness of Johoyeda, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. 60 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:19.540 When he was dying, he said, may the Lord see and avenge. 61 00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:26.730 At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against 62 00:05:26.769 --> 00:05:30.170 Joe Ash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of 63 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:35.079 the people from among the people and send all their spoil to the King of 64 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:40.920 Damascus. Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the 65 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:46.279 Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the 66 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:51.790 Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joe Ash. 67 00:05:53.910 --> 00:05:57.949 When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants, 68 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:01.709 his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of joy 69 00:06:01.910 --> 00:06:08.579 to the priest and killed him on his bed. So he died and they 70 00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:12.660 buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in 71 00:06:12.740 --> 00:06:16.899 the tombs of the Kings. Those who conspired against him were Zabad, the 72 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:23.050 son of Shimmi Ath and the ammonite, and Jehoshabad, the son of Shimrif, 73 00:06:23.329 --> 00:06:28.209 the MOABITE. Accounts of his sons, of the many oracles against him 74 00:06:28.529 --> 00:06:31.170 and of the rebuilding of the House of God are written in the story of 75 00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:36.160 the Book of the kings and Amaziah, his son, reigned in his place. 76 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:46.389 Well, here we have yet another amazing account, and very dramatic account 77 00:06:46.589 --> 00:06:56.149 of God's work in Israel, of the kings and they're obedience and their disobedience 78 00:06:56.829 --> 00:07:02.819 as well. This story of Joe Ash is one that begins so well you 79 00:07:02.899 --> 00:07:08.540 would think that this is just going to take off, but of course it 80 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:15.139 doesn't. A story which ends so well by the end and falls apart in 81 00:07:15.050 --> 00:07:25.449 all kinds of murder and war, despair, broken promises, unfaithfulness, bad 82 00:07:25.649 --> 00:07:32.160 endings. These are the things of life in many ways, and these are 83 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:38.759 exactly what we see here with King Joe Ash. I'm just to remind you 84 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:43.160 of some of the context if you haven't been a following along with us or 85 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:46.949 have forgotten the reason. Joey ash is seven years old when he begins to 86 00:07:47.069 --> 00:07:51.629 reign, as that he's been hidden for the last six years by this priest 87 00:07:53.389 --> 00:07:57.990 Johoyda. It was joyed as son that he would later kill. But before 88 00:07:58.149 --> 00:08:03.620 all that happened, Zechariah's father, Johoyda, had put away, had saved 89 00:08:03.819 --> 00:08:11.100 Joe Ash, had saved Joe Ash from this evil Queen Auf Aliah. He 90 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:18.850 had protected this young boy and when he was seven years old, Johoyda, 91 00:08:18.129 --> 00:08:24.610 instead of seizing power for himself, hoisted Joe ash up, orchestrating a wonderful 92 00:08:24.730 --> 00:08:31.079 takeover the downfall of this evil queen and established him on his throne. And 93 00:08:31.200 --> 00:08:35.960 in many ways, as I said, things and as was obvious, things 94 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:41.240 started out so well for Joe Ash. We read in verse two that Joe 95 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:45.230 Ash did what was eyes or what did what was right in the eyes of 96 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:48.269 the Lord, all the days of joy to the priest. This, by 97 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:54.190 the way, is just fantastic storytelling. Here. It seems sort of an 98 00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:56.500 innocuous detail. Right, all the days of Joyah to the priest. It 99 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:01.059 sounds like he was good, right until we get to later on and we 100 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:03.740 find out that that was actually a little bit of foreshadowing and that as soon 101 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:11.610 as the priest was gone, Joe Ash tanks. It doesn't exactly say why 102 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:18.250 that. God doesn't tell us why joysh is downfall was tied so closely to 103 00:09:18.409 --> 00:09:26.080 Jooyd has life and death, but in some ways it's not surprising. joyed 104 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:33.559 in many ways is this great example of what it means to live according to 105 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:37.679 God's word, to love him, to have faith in him, and we 106 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.309 considered this last time. Jooya has this great example of what it means to 107 00:09:41.830 --> 00:09:46.669 trust God above all things and to and to do his will with courage and 108 00:09:46.789 --> 00:09:52.860 confidence. No matter what happens. When we depart from people like this, 109 00:09:52.860 --> 00:09:58.620 or more particularly when we depart from God's word, we fall away, and 110 00:09:58.980 --> 00:10:05.259 that's what happens with Joe Ash. He begins so well. Not only does 111 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.929 it say he did what was I it right in the side of the Lord, 112 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:11.970 but it tells us of this great work. During the time when he 113 00:10:13.289 --> 00:10:18.090 was not king, this evil queen ruled over Judah and over Jerusalem. She 114 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:24.639 established all kinds of places of idolatry and over the time, in the time 115 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:30.080 previous to him, the temple had been stripped. This is always a way 116 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.720 of of undermining God and or at least trying to in his presence with the 117 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:37.710 people. It was stripped, it was ruined, and enjoy it or I'm 118 00:10:37.750 --> 00:10:41.629 sorry. Joe Ash sees this and he says, sort of like David did, 119 00:10:43.350 --> 00:10:46.710 it's not right, but the temple is like this. It's not right 120 00:10:46.830 --> 00:10:52.340 that it's this way, and so he acts with with energy to fix this 121 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:56.419 problem, to make the temple great again. And so we read in verse 122 00:10:56.539 --> 00:11:01.019 five that he levies this tax and that it goes out of the way. 123 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:03.409 He goes out of his way to make the point that this is not some 124 00:11:03.649 --> 00:11:09.730 random thing he's establishing, but he connects it with the fathers, he connects 125 00:11:09.730 --> 00:11:13.769 it with Moses. Did you notice that this was the tax according to Moses? 126 00:11:15.970 --> 00:11:18.960 In those same way that when Moses was in the Wilderness and levied attacks 127 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:24.080 on the people so that the tabernacle could be built, Joe ash is doing 128 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:28.559 the same thing. He establishes in his mind and the hearts of the people 129 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:33.350 that he's following after the will of God, this great Prophet of God and 130 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:37.070 Leader of God, Mo was as himself. And when the priests fail to 131 00:11:37.149 --> 00:11:41.909 act quickly as he commands and the taxes aren't collected, he goes to joyed 132 00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:46.110 this elder of his in many ways, and says, what's going on here? 133 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:50.779 Why isn't this happening? and quickly things are fixed. They put this 134 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:58.700 giant chest out in front and donations are given, taxes are taken and it's 135 00:11:58.740 --> 00:12:03.169 filled again and again and again, and eventually money is collected to repair and 136 00:12:03.370 --> 00:12:09.210 to make the temple grand again, even strengthened, it says, back in 137 00:12:09.250 --> 00:12:13.610 verse thirteen, to its proper condition and strengthened. Then, of course, 138 00:12:13.889 --> 00:12:18.679 the temple is no use unless there are the things going on in the temple, 139 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:22.600 the burnt offerings and other things. And so they take the rest of 140 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:28.000 the money to make utensils and various things that were necessary. All of this 141 00:12:28.120 --> 00:12:31.789 good work is done. We read that burnt offerings in verse fourteen were regularly 142 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:37.389 being offered in the days of Jehoyah, Joyda. No more bail worship. 143 00:12:39.389 --> 00:12:41.750 Done with that, done with that way of life, done with all of 144 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:48.019 that. Now we worship Yah way again and they're seeing prospering, they're seeing 145 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:58.539 unity in in the country. But then things fall apart. JEHOA johoida lives 146 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:05.929 to this blessed old age a hundred and thirty years, but then bad advisors 147 00:13:07.009 --> 00:13:11.250 come. Verse Seventeen the princes of Judah came paid homage to the king and 148 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:18.799 the king listened to them. This is the downfall of so many kings, 149 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:24.360 so many leaders, so many people, bad counsel, bad advice. Remember 150 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:30.269 Daniel the the king's advisors going to him and say, Oh, king, 151 00:13:30.509 --> 00:13:33.750 we have a good idea. Next thing you know, he's in a bind 152 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:37.429 and doesn't know what to do. Think of lots of other examples of people 153 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:50.620 flattering, tricking, seeking, seeking evil ways, and Josh listens to them 154 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:56.250 so quickly. Verse Eighteen. They abandoned the House of God, the very 155 00:13:56.330 --> 00:14:01.450 house that he just built. All of us money, all of this time, 156 00:14:01.529 --> 00:14:05.649 Nawllas, energy putting into making this how strong, and they abandon it, 157 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:09.679 the God of their fathers that they and and served, the Ashuream and 158 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:16.000 the idols. And what happens? The same thing that happens every time. 159 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:20.360 When God is worshiped, when God is praised in Israel, you get a 160 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.720 hundred thirty year old lives, you get unity in the land, you get 161 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:28.669 wealth and blessing and protection. When you go after the ash dream in the 162 00:14:28.750 --> 00:14:33.789 bails, what happens? Things fall apart. This is the story that's repeated 163 00:14:33.909 --> 00:14:39.340 for us over and over again throughout the Old Testament, and we've been seeing 164 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:46.500 that in the lives of these kings. We see the centrality of God and 165 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:52.490 how life is tied to him, into worshiping him, and so they fall 166 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:56.690 away. How does God respond to this? We read in Verse Nineteen how 167 00:14:56.730 --> 00:15:03.450 he responds. He sends profits among them to bring them back to the Lord. 168 00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:09.200 Now that sounds very positive. Right, come back, come back. 169 00:15:09.240 --> 00:15:15.840 Right, it's a welcoming message. But though it is a welcoming message, 170 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:20.879 though it has this very positive goal, it may not have sounded like it 171 00:15:22.309 --> 00:15:26.070 because listen to vert the net the rest of that verse. They's testified against 172 00:15:26.070 --> 00:15:31.909 them, but they would pay no attention. You see, sometimes God speaks 173 00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:39.899 very strongly in order to bring us back with his law. He points out 174 00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:43.860 our sins, he nails us in place and says no, this is not 175 00:15:45.179 --> 00:15:48.620 my way, this is not the rot, this is not the right thing. 176 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:54.409 But he does this not just to condemn us but to bring us back. 177 00:15:54.009 --> 00:16:00.090 That's why these prophets were sent. However, they didn't listen, they 178 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:07.720 paid no attention. So God clothes Zachariah Verse Twenty, he lifts him up 179 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.360 and he says this. We read his words here. Thus says God, 180 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:15.720 why do you break the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? 181 00:16:17.960 --> 00:16:21.870 If they hadn't seen the connection themselves, if they hadn't seen it in history, 182 00:16:21.909 --> 00:16:25.389 here is Zechariah puts it out, very plain for them, very plain 183 00:16:25.509 --> 00:16:30.070 for us. You are not prospering because you are not obeying. You have 184 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:33.220 forsaken God. So what do they do? Do they go? Ah, 185 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:41.019 we see now, repent, apologize and get rid of the Ashream? No, 186 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.700 they conspire against him by the command of the king and stone him with 187 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:48.570 stones. And where do they do it? In the court of the House 188 00:16:48.809 --> 00:16:55.450 of the Lord, between the altar and the sanctuary, in this very place, 189 00:16:55.570 --> 00:16:59.490 this very hallowed place, where this man of God, clothed with the 190 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:03.599 spirit of God, is speaking the words of God to bring them back to 191 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:14.599 God, they stone him. Conclusion, verse twenty two. Thus Joe ash 192 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:19.349 the king did not remember the kindness of Jooyetah, Zachariah's father, but killed 193 00:17:19.430 --> 00:17:26.230 his son, and Zechariah Calls Out, as all faithful people do, may 194 00:17:26.349 --> 00:17:34.059 the Lord see and avenge. There is a rightful desire for justice, that 195 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:41.779 God's righteousness would be preserved and protected, that God would and his righteousness would 196 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:48.490 be vindicated. Zechariah wants this, as a man of God, he wants 197 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:55.609 justice. Sadly, things do not end even here. Even in his dying 198 00:17:55.809 --> 00:18:03.400 words there is a warning, but that is not heard and instead they they 199 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:08.559 face a more problems. First War, verse twenty three, we read that 200 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:12.150 at the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joe 201 00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:18.190 ash and a remarkable thing happens. Notice in Verse Twenty Four, though the 202 00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:22.789 army of the Syrians had come with a few men, the Lord delivered there, 203 00:18:22.349 --> 00:18:27.579 delivered into their hand a very great army. This is exactly the opposite 204 00:18:27.579 --> 00:18:33.579 of what we see going on many other times before. Throughout the Old Testament, 205 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:37.619 we see these examples of God sending very few people and with very limited 206 00:18:37.779 --> 00:18:47.250 resources and very difficult situations and destroying great armies. Right you remember? You 207 00:18:47.329 --> 00:18:51.089 remember, for example, Erico, one of these very the very first battels, 208 00:18:51.849 --> 00:18:53.849 not even fighting, just walking around the city, in the city is 209 00:18:53.970 --> 00:19:00.960 destroyed. David and Goliath, or Samuel and his armor bearer, crawling up 210 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:07.680 these rocky Clark Rocky crags, two people, one sword and the whole, 211 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:11.549 I think it says, Philistine garrison is destroyed when they get to the top. 212 00:19:11.230 --> 00:19:15.950 This is the story of what happens when God is with his people and 213 00:19:15.029 --> 00:19:22.029 when his people are with God. What happens when it's the reverse? Well, 214 00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:26.420 Verse Twenty Four, the Lord delivered into their hand a very great army, 215 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:32.220 with a very few men. The Syrians come with just this small number 216 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:36.460 of people and Judah, despite all of its strength, despite all of its 217 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:41.490 power, outward power, is destroyed again, yet another reminder that it's power 218 00:19:41.730 --> 00:19:48.369 is not in its wealth and it's strength and its alliances, but the power 219 00:19:48.450 --> 00:19:56.799 of God's people is always in God. And then, finally, after all 220 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:02.160 of this, we read that Joe ash his own servants conspire against him and 221 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:07.390 they murder him in his bed. He has buried, but not in the 222 00:20:07.470 --> 00:20:18.390 tombs of the king's. He started so well, this amazing story of rescue, 223 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:23.019 provision and providence. Blessings poured out on him. It seems to be 224 00:20:23.059 --> 00:20:29.579 a real right heart and right priorities, and we see through his decisions to 225 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:33.980 abandon God. It all tanks, it all comes to this terrible end, 226 00:20:33.380 --> 00:20:40.769 War of judgment and death. This is a story that very much would have 227 00:20:40.809 --> 00:20:45.690 resonated with the Israelites as they read this. It's the story of, in 228 00:20:45.849 --> 00:20:51.720 many ways, their whole history, the story of God coming to them, 229 00:20:51.799 --> 00:20:56.359 of doing these great and marvelous things, bringing them out of Egypt, making 230 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:00.880 covenants with them, giving the Miracles and glory and promises and all the rest, 231 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:10.109 starting off well, with moments like Jericho and then just tanking. It's 232 00:21:10.150 --> 00:21:18.220 very possible that chronicles used to be at the end of the Old Testament instead 233 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:23.059 of where we have it and our bibles. I make that point because there's 234 00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:27.259 a remarkable passage and it recurs as a occurs in a couple places, but 235 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:32.019 I'll read one of them to you in Luke, Chapter Eleven, Verse Fifty 236 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:41.769 One. Here Jesus makes this point about Israel as he's speaking to speaking to 237 00:21:41.809 --> 00:21:47.960 them, particularly to the Pharisees and and to the scribes, and he points 238 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:52.400 to this murder of Zechariah and he says in Verse Fifty One of Luke Eleven, 239 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:59.960 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between 240 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.390 the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be 241 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:07.869 required of this generation. Here he's talking about all of the prophets that have 242 00:22:07.990 --> 00:22:12.309 come from the beginning to the end. This is one reason some scholars think 243 00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:17.259 the chronicles was at the end of the book. Why point out Zecharia and 244 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:21.259 sort of the middle of second chronic or the end of second chronicles, of 245 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:23.660 Seneca chronicles was at the end, as we see in some manuscripts. Then 246 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:26.500 that would sort of makes sense what Jesus is saying here. From the beginning 247 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:30.890 to the end, it happens to be from A to Z, from able 248 00:22:32.009 --> 00:22:34.970 to Zechariah. Go back, if you're reading along with me, to verse 249 00:22:36.089 --> 00:22:40.529 forty nine. Therefore, also, the wisdom of God said, I will 250 00:22:40.609 --> 00:22:44.599 send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, 251 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.680 so that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world 252 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:52.079 may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood 253 00:22:52.079 --> 00:22:57.789 of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Jesus is saying 254 00:22:57.829 --> 00:23:03.029 some hard things and I think will come back to this the here in this 255 00:23:03.150 --> 00:23:07.470 passage, but just notice what he's saying. He's saying this is a pattern. 256 00:23:07.029 --> 00:23:10.789 This is something that's being going on, been going on for a long 257 00:23:10.829 --> 00:23:15.779 time. In the same way that Joe ash established his tax in the line 258 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:21.619 of Moses, Jesus is establishing their actions and his own generation with things that 259 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:25.900 have been going on for thousands of years. From able to Zechariah, God 260 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:30.329 has been sending you profit after profit after profit. I'm going to send them 261 00:23:30.410 --> 00:23:34.450 to and the blood of all of these profits is on your hands, he 262 00:23:34.609 --> 00:23:38.690 says to the Pharisees, and in the lawyers here in this passage, the 263 00:23:38.730 --> 00:23:45.640 subscribes in another place. The point of all of this is that these this 264 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:52.200 bad ending, these this good start but pad finish, is something that is 265 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:57.069 a common theme throughout the Bible and the Old Testament, and of course this 266 00:23:57.190 --> 00:24:03.750 is something that we feel and experience in our own lives as well. How 267 00:24:03.829 --> 00:24:11.099 many times, on January first have you opened your Bible and started up new 268 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:15.940 Bible reading plan, only to get till about, you know, February, 269 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:22.180 or maybe January sixteen, and gone, shoot, that's not what I wanted 270 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:26.130 to have happened. How many times have you made decisions, made promises, 271 00:24:26.410 --> 00:24:33.089 a committed yourself to certain things and then ended up not where you wanted to 272 00:24:33.130 --> 00:24:41.039 be? Of course, this happens not just with small goals but in large 273 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:45.079 ways. Perhaps you know people, perhaps you are one of these people that 274 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:52.670 used to belong to a church, used to be committed to the things of 275 00:24:52.789 --> 00:24:57.230 God. You was once raised up and, in the God's Providence, had 276 00:24:57.269 --> 00:25:02.309 all kinds of blessings of hearing his word and all of these things, but 277 00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:08.380 over time have fallen away and now you serve other gods. Maybe not Asherim, 278 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:15.059 maybe not polls, maybe not Baal's, maybe other things, maybe money, 279 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:22.769 maybe pride, maybe particular sins. There's all kinds of ways that we 280 00:25:22.849 --> 00:25:33.490 do this. We think about these paths sometimes that we're on. We want 281 00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:37.519 to excuse our bad endings. We want to excuse them and say, well, 282 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:41.759 you know, at least I'm not murdering people. At least I'm not 283 00:25:41.880 --> 00:25:48.480 committing idolatry, I'm not assassinating anyone. All I'm doing is I'm not following 284 00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:53.950 the Lord as much as I should. But God speak strongly against this and 285 00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:57.349 he warns us too about thinking in the law, thinking about the law in 286 00:25:57.470 --> 00:26:00.750 this way, thinking about it in a way that sort of treats it lightly, 287 00:26:00.789 --> 00:26:03.430 to say, well, at least I I'm not this, or at 288 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:07.539 least I'm not that. That's why Jesus comes and in the sermon of the 289 00:26:07.579 --> 00:26:11.019 mount he takes his finger and he puts it on that sore spot and he 290 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:15.460 says, if you even have anger in your heart, your guilty of murder. 291 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:22.009 If you look at a woman with lust, your guilty of adultery. 292 00:26:22.769 --> 00:26:26.130 We might not be at that exact sin, but we're on the steps that 293 00:26:26.250 --> 00:26:30.210 are on. We're walking in the steps that are on that path, perhaps 294 00:26:30.690 --> 00:26:34.240 listening to bad company, refusing to listen to God, and in all the 295 00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:40.759 rest. Stories like this resonate with us because ever since Adam fell into sin, 296 00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:45.880 we've all been in a downward spiral. When Adam fell, he didn't 297 00:26:45.880 --> 00:26:48.910 just mess up, he took the entire human race and put us in a 298 00:26:48.990 --> 00:26:57.710 position of sin, misery, of perverseness and a bentness to a our bentness 299 00:26:57.789 --> 00:27:03.940 away from the things of God. Of course, with a kind of Phariseeism, 300 00:27:03.099 --> 00:27:06.779 we try to excuse all this and we say, well, at least 301 00:27:06.779 --> 00:27:10.539 I'm not this for that. But when we're honest, in our more honest 302 00:27:10.660 --> 00:27:14.019 moments, we look at our world and we look at ourselves, we do 303 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:22.650 see how bad things are. Joysh's story doesn't seem so surprising then. In 304 00:27:22.769 --> 00:27:33.319 fact, it seems all too common. Thinking about all of this should remind 305 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:40.640 us, though, that there are other there is another very dominant theme in 306 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:47.829 God's Word, not just his law but also his grace. There is another 307 00:27:48.069 --> 00:27:52.109 story, another there is an opportunity to turn back. Remember these prophets came 308 00:27:52.269 --> 00:27:57.190 to prosecute the case right to say you have not been obedient, you have 309 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:02.299 not followed after God's law. But why? So that we could turn back, 310 00:28:03.180 --> 00:28:06.579 so that we would hear and repent and listen. And that's why, 311 00:28:06.619 --> 00:28:11.779 why Jesus came. Amid all the stories of brokenness in the Bible, amid 312 00:28:11.819 --> 00:28:15.890 all the stories of brokenness and bad endings in our life, there is yet 313 00:28:17.009 --> 00:28:26.089 another story, something else that has happened in history that promises US salvation, 314 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:33.759 promises US grace and takes our inevitable bad ending that we all know is coming, 315 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:37.079 the one we read about in Matthew, about a fiery furnace and weeping 316 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:41.549 and gnashing of teeth, hell itself, the bad ending and judgment that is 317 00:28:41.630 --> 00:28:51.109 due for our sins. And God offers another possibility. By His grace and 318 00:28:51.309 --> 00:28:56.740 His mercy, he sends Jesus into the world to change things. And, 319 00:28:56.940 --> 00:29:03.299 unlike Joe Ash, Jesus is a perfect king. His character is perfect. 320 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:07.900 He doesn't bend to the princes and those people who are in power and authority. 321 00:29:10.410 --> 00:29:15.089 No, he speaks to them and he tells them exactly where they're wrong. 322 00:29:15.329 --> 00:29:19.049 Jesus knows that eventually these men will put him to death, but he 323 00:29:19.170 --> 00:29:26.039 doesn't bat an eye he speaks strongly and courageously. Why? Because, unlike 324 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:30.880 Joe Ash and unlike me and unlike you, he doesn't let the fear of 325 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:38.109 man overcome the fear of God. One quick example of that, and I'll 326 00:29:38.150 --> 00:29:44.789 take that from this same chapter in Luke Eleven, we read at the beginning 327 00:29:44.829 --> 00:29:48.349 of this section and in chat in verse thirty seven, that while Jesus was 328 00:29:48.430 --> 00:29:53.539 speaking, a pharisee asked him to dine with him. So Jesus receives a 329 00:29:53.740 --> 00:30:00.940 dinner invitation, some hospitality from the local Pharisee. So he went in and 330 00:30:02.859 --> 00:30:08.289 reclined at table. Then Jesus decides to do something. We read in Verse 331 00:30:08.329 --> 00:30:12.569 Thirty Eight that the Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash 332 00:30:12.690 --> 00:30:21.210 before dinner. Astonished, the Lord said to him. Now, you pharisees, 333 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:25.480 cleanse the outside of the cup, out of the dish, but inside 334 00:30:26.119 --> 00:30:30.680 you're full of greed and wickedness, you fools. Did you not DP did 335 00:30:30.839 --> 00:30:36.789 not he who made the outside to make the inside also? But give as 336 00:30:36.829 --> 00:30:41.269 all, but give as alms those things that are within, and behold, 337 00:30:41.390 --> 00:30:45.309 everything is clean for you. Woe to you pharisees, for you tithe the 338 00:30:45.349 --> 00:30:51.140 mint and rue, every herb, rus are you tithe, the tithe mint 339 00:30:51.220 --> 00:30:55.220 and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God? 340 00:30:56.220 --> 00:30:59.900 These you ought to have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you, 341 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:03.900 pharisees, for you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the 342 00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:07.730 market places. Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves and people 343 00:31:07.730 --> 00:31:12.730 will walk over them without knowing it. He keeps going. I'll let you 344 00:31:12.890 --> 00:31:15.970 read it, but it's in that same passage that he puts on them the 345 00:31:17.049 --> 00:31:26.599 blood from able to Zechariah. Can you imagine accepting a dinner invitation choosing particularly 346 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:30.160 not to wash up so that you can make this speech to your hosts? 347 00:31:33.789 --> 00:31:40.430 I have trouble. I have trouble imagining that. Of course, Jesus isn't 348 00:31:40.470 --> 00:31:44.549 just being mean spirited or difficult to get along with or a bad guest. 349 00:31:45.109 --> 00:31:51.740 Jesus is speaking to them, he's prophesying and ten is to find against them. 350 00:31:52.859 --> 00:31:57.539 He's using this thing about cleansing and washing as a as a parable to 351 00:31:57.859 --> 00:32:05.089 point out the problem, the things that are going on, and he speaks 352 00:32:05.170 --> 00:32:09.769 to them very strongly. This, of course, is just one example among 353 00:32:10.049 --> 00:32:16.880 many that we could point to the character of Jesus as being perfectly true over 354 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:24.079 and over and over again, just like Zachariah, Jesus wasn't afraid and he 355 00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:32.190 was so nuch not afraid that he went to his own death. He gave 356 00:32:32.230 --> 00:32:39.750 up his life so that we could be saved, so that this message about 357 00:32:39.789 --> 00:32:45.539 forgiveness, so the message that yes, you can't fulfill the law, yes, 358 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:50.380 in Adam you do have a guaranteed bad ending, but in God you 359 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:55.819 have resurrection life. That message Jesus came to proclaim and he came to secure, 360 00:32:57.859 --> 00:33:00.170 and we know he does it because in everything that we see throughout his 361 00:33:00.329 --> 00:33:07.289 life, he lives perfectly and courageously. He establishes a kingdom that's not based 362 00:33:07.369 --> 00:33:13.920 on other gods, it's not based on the will of people who, whoever 363 00:33:14.039 --> 00:33:16.240 happens to be in power, happens to have his ear on a moment, 364 00:33:16.519 --> 00:33:22.720 but singularly and focused on what it is that God is want, God wants. 365 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:28.390 And what is it God wants through the work of Jesus, the salvation 366 00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:34.869 of all whom he has chosen. This is good news for us when we 367 00:33:34.990 --> 00:33:38.349 think about our own lives, when we think about our own unfaithfulness. When 368 00:33:38.390 --> 00:33:45.099 we think about, though, our own difficulties and sins and problems, when 369 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:51.339 we get scared about becoming a Joe Ash, we ought to remember Jesus, 370 00:33:52.700 --> 00:33:58.809 because Jesus comes to save us from our sins. He speaks light and life 371 00:33:58.930 --> 00:34:06.890 into the world so that we might hear and believe. He who has ears. 372 00:34:06.930 --> 00:34:13.320 Let him hear the words of the Lord and turn in faith and believe, 373 00:34:14.679 --> 00:34:17.119 because when we do that, when we hear the words of Jesus and 374 00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:22.199 turn to him, we find that we belong to a king and a kingdom 375 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:28.389 that, as we sang earlier, will never fail. We won't end up 376 00:34:28.550 --> 00:34:35.710 like Joe ash or his subjects. We will end up like Jesus, who 377 00:34:35.710 --> 00:34:40.340 has risen from the dead and gives us eternal life. Praise be to God. 378 00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:43.219 Let us pray