Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME240120S
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00:15 >> Good morning 00:16 and happy Sabbath. 00:18 Welcome to Pioneer. 00:19 So glad you're here today. 00:21 And welcome to those who are 00:22 joining online or on the radio. 00:24 We're so glad to have you. 00:27 Isn't it beautiful outside? 00:29 As you were driving in today, 00:31 that fresh snow, there's not 00:33 much wind, everything's 00:34 blanketed and white. 00:36 Just absolutely beautiful. 00:39 I invite you now to open 00:40 your bulletins 00:41 or to read on the screen 00:42 our call to worship together. 01:09 Please stand for our opening 01:10 prayer and remain standing for 01:11 our hymn. 01:15 Dear Father in heaven, 01:17 we come here together 01:18 thanking You for our gifts. 01:19 Too often do we forget to say 01:22 thank you, and You're blessing 01:22 us day by day. 01:24 But today we pause 01:25 and we say thank you, Father, 01:26 and thank you especially 01:27 for the gift of Your Son, 01:28 Jesus Christ. 01:30 The Bible says, 01:32 "Where sin abounds, 01:33 grace much more abounds." 01:35 We thank you for that grace 01:36 in our lives today. 01:37 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 01:40 [ "He Lives" begins ] 05:12 >> Our scripture reading today 05:14 is found in a book of first 05:16 chapter -- 1 Peter 5:6-11. 05:22 1 Peter 5:6-11. 05:29 "Humble yourself, therefore, 05:30 under God's mighty hand, 05:32 that He might lift you up 05:34 in due time. 05:36 Cast all of your anxiety on Him 05:38 because He cares for you. 05:41 Be alert and of sober mind. 05:44 Your enemy, the devil, prowls 05:47 around like a roaring lion 05:50 looking for someone to devour. 05:52 Resist him. 05:54 Stand firm in the faith because 05:56 you know that the family of 05:58 believers throughout the world 06:01 is undergoing through 06:02 the same kind of sufferings. 06:05 And the God of all grace, 06:07 who called you 06:09 to His eternal glory in Christ, 06:12 after you have suffered a little 06:14 while, will Himself restore you 06:17 and make you strong, firm, 06:20 and steadfast. 06:22 To Him be the power 06:24 for ever and ever. 06:26 Amen." 06:27 >> Amen, PMC. 06:30 That is such a wonderful 06:32 reading. 06:34 Standing before you leading in 06:35 worship is Watchmen Acappella. 06:38 We'll be singing songs 06:40 of praises together, 06:41 songs that you know. 06:44 When we start singing 06:45 "Because He Lives," sing, 06:47 join us on the chorus, 06:49 and we will lead you 06:51 in worship on the stanzas. 06:53 [ "My Jesus, My Saviour (Shout 06:55 to the Lord)" begins ] 07:14 You know this song. 07:16 It says -- Sing with us. 09:00 Thank you, Jesus. 11:00 [ "There Is None Like You" 11:02 begins ] 11:11 Please stand with me. 12:57 Eugene, lead us. 13:17 Yes, sir. 13:28 Yes, sir. 13:49 Narda? 13:54 Yes, sir. 14:02 >> Which is who? Jesus. 15:06 >> Why? 15:30 Because He lives! 16:35 Amen. You may be seated. 16:45 >> Welcome to part two of our 16:47 continuing series entitled "God 16:49 Has Great Plans for Your Past." 16:53 If you missed part one, 16:54 I want to encourage you to go to 16:55 pmchurch.org. 16:57 There you will find archived not 16:59 just last week's presentation, 17:01 but many, many others as well. 17:03 We encourage you to go there 17:04 to catch up 17:05 on what we tackled in part one 17:07 because we're gonna build on 17:09 that today in part two. 17:12 Now, to begin, with part two, 17:14 I want to point out that 17:15 much of the time when your past 17:19 is overshadowing your present, 17:21 the steps that we described 17:24 in part one are sufficient. 17:28 The divine eraser, Christ's 17:30 blood, does its part. 17:31 Our guilt is indeed removed. 17:33 And as we discussed last week, 17:35 numerous other blessings 17:36 will follow. 17:40 And -- And there are some times 17:44 when God places still 17:46 another tool at our fingertips. 17:51 Indeed, it is a command. 17:53 Under certain circumstances, God 17:55 makes a command that we do 17:57 something. 17:58 But as with all of God's 18:00 commands, it is also a very 18:02 useful tool. 18:05 God is generally not interested 18:06 in just making commands. 18:08 He makes commands for our 18:09 benefit, for our blessing 18:10 that we might grow and flourish. 18:13 And this tool -- this tool that 18:15 God places at our fingertips 18:17 is sufficiently powerful 18:19 that if we have wronged people 18:20 in the past 18:21 and that wrong is casting 18:23 a shadow over our present, 18:25 we can take this additional tool 18:28 and apply it in a biblical 18:29 fashion. 18:30 And at the very least -- 18:31 at the very least, 18:34 it will lead to a quiet sense 18:37 of peace that will satisfy you 18:38 at a deep soul level. 18:42 And at best, it will positively 18:45 transform relationships 18:46 in your sphere of influence 18:48 for generations to come. 18:52 Let's get to it. 18:54 If you have your Bible, take a 18:54 look at 2 Chronicles 33:1, 18:57 page 318 in most of the red pew 19:01 Bibles that are scattered 19:02 throughout the congregation. 19:03 Page 318, 2 Chronicles, chapter 19:06 33 beginning with verse 1. 19:08 Now, a little background here of 19:09 what we're gonna be reading. 19:11 This is a story about a guy 19:12 by the name of Manasseh. 19:15 He was the 14th ruler of Judah. 19:18 He was a king. 19:19 And he reigned from about 696 BC 19:22 to 641 BC, a total of 55 years, 19:25 the longest of any Jewish king. 19:28 I mean, that was a long time, 19:29 55 years that he reigned. 19:31 You may remember last -- a few 19:33 weeks ago, we talked about the 19:34 prophet Micah, and the prophet 19:36 Micah's ministry overlapped 19:37 with good King Hezekiah's reign. 19:41 Well, Manasseh 19:43 is the son of Hezekiah. 19:46 Let's see if the apple 19:48 fell close to the tree. 19:52 Verse 1, 2 Chronicles 33. 19:54 "Manasseh was 12 years old 19:56 when he became king, 19:58 and he reigned in Jerusalem 19:59 55 years. 20:01 He did --" 20:02 What's the next word? 20:03 "Evil." Uh-oh. 20:05 "He did evil in the eyes of the 20:07 Lord, following the detestable 20:09 practices of the nations 20:10 the Lord had driven out 20:11 before the Israelites." 20:12 Now, here comes this laundry 20:14 list here with verse 3. 20:15 "He rebuilt 20:17 the high places his father, 20:18 Hezekiah, had demolished. 20:20 He also erected altars to the 20:21 Baals and made Asherah poles. 20:23 He bowed down to all the starry 20:24 hosts, hosts and worshiped them. 20:26 He built altars 20:27 in the temple of the Lord, 20:29 of which the Lord had said, 20:30 'My name will remain 20:31 in Jerusalem forever.' 20:33 In both courts of the temple of 20:35 the Lord, he built altars to all 20:36 the starry hosts. 20:37 He sacrificed his sons 20:40 in the fire in the 20:41 Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced 20:43 sorcery, divination, and 20:45 witchcraft, and consulted 20:46 mediums and spiritists. 20:48 He did much evil in the eyes of 20:51 the Lord, provoking Him to 20:52 anger." 20:53 Now, that list is easily bad 20:56 enough. 20:58 This is Evil Hall of Fame type 20:59 of stuff here. 21:01 But the list isn't done yet. 21:05 Verse 7 -- "He took the carved 21:07 image he had made and put it in 21:09 God's temple, of which God had 21:11 said to David and to his son 21:12 Solomon, 'In this temple and in 21:15 Jerusalem, which I have chosen 21:16 out of all the tribes of Israel, 21:18 I will put my Name forever. 21:20 I will not again make the feet 21:21 of the Israelites leave the land 21:23 I assigned to your forefathers, 21:24 if only they will be careful to 21:26 do everything I've commanded 21:27 them in concerning all the laws, 21:29 decrees and ordinances given 21:31 through Moses.'" 21:33 Does that sound familiar at all? 21:36 Micah chapter 6. 21:38 This is another covenant 21:38 lawsuit. 21:40 God here is laying out 21:42 the terms of the covenant. 21:43 He's calling, you know, 21:44 Judah to account. 21:45 He's saying, "This is what I 21:46 asked you to do, but look what 21:47 you've been doing." 21:51 And verse 9 -- "But Manasseh led 21:53 Judah and the people of 21:55 Jerusalem astray, so that they 21:57 did more evil than the nations 22:00 the Lord had destroyed before 22:02 the Israelites." 22:08 Not surprisingly, many 22:10 historians believe that Manasseh 22:14 was the most evil king that 22:15 Judah ever had. 22:17 I mean, you'd hate to see 22:18 who's in first place 22:19 if he's not, right? 22:20 I mean, this is bad stuff. 22:23 He's also responsible for, I 22:24 think, one of the greater crimes 22:25 in the Old Testament, the death 22:28 of the prophet Isaiah. 22:30 You know, Isaiah is a major role 22:32 in the Old Testament, one of the 22:33 greatest of the Old Testament 22:34 prophets, the messianic 22:36 prophecies that came through his 22:37 ministry. 22:38 And the work that Isaiah had to 22:40 do with King Manasseh obviously 22:42 was one of rebuke. 22:44 "Don't do this." 22:45 And it was not just Isaiah. 22:46 There were other prophets, too, 22:47 that God said, "Don't do this," 22:48 speaking through his prophets. 22:50 And one by one, Manasseh 22:52 doesn't just, like, momentarily 22:54 silence them. 22:54 He kills them. 22:59 Hezekiah... 23:02 Excuse me. 23:03 Manasseh is an evil man 23:07 who does terrible, evil things. 23:11 And the question 23:11 begs to be asked, 23:12 "What does God do about this?" 23:14 I mean, what happens in God's 23:16 scheme of things when there is 23:18 this evil, wicked man doing evil 23:19 and wicked things? 23:20 Well, let's find out. 23:21 Verse 10, 2 Chronicles, chapter 23:24 33 says, says, "The Lord spoke 23:27 to Manasseh and his people, but 23:29 they paid no attention." 23:31 Probably a reference to Isaiah, 23:32 et cetera. 23:34 "So the Lord brought them the 23:36 army commanders of the king of 23:38 Assyria, who took Manasseh 23:40 prisoner, put a hook in his 23:41 nose, bound him with bronze 23:43 shackles and took him to 23:45 Babylon." 23:46 >> Amen! 23:48 [ Laughter ] 23:52 >> Sister, we're just getting 23:53 started, so keep going. 23:54 Keep going. Yes. 23:57 Many people -- indeed, when this 23:58 happened, undoubtedly, they 24:00 said, "Amen!" 24:02 I mean, at the risk of gross 24:03 understatement, what a jerk. 24:05 I mean, what a -- you know, 24:07 the dregs of humanity. 24:09 This is Manasseh, right? 24:11 And we easily and should 24:14 at that moment have cried, 24:16 "Justice." 24:17 At last, God has brought 24:19 justice. 24:20 Evil does have consequences. 24:21 Justice will come. 24:22 God will see to that. 24:26 And with that in mind, 24:28 let's picture Manasseh 24:30 for just a moment here. 24:32 Now, there's no pictures 24:33 in the Bible. 24:34 Sometimes we wish there were 24:35 pictures in the Bible. 24:36 There are other times 24:37 we can be eternally grateful 24:38 that there are no pictures 24:39 in the Bible, right? 24:40 But in this particular case, 24:42 I would have liked 24:42 a little snapshot at least. 24:43 So, I'm just gonna use 24:44 my sanctified imagination. 24:45 Here's what I imagine 24:47 Manasseh being like. 24:49 Manasseh is in really bad shape, 24:53 physically and emotionally. 24:57 He has been taken forcibly in 25:00 chains from his home in 25:02 Jerusalem, all the way to 25:03 Babylon. 25:04 Now, just in case you're 25:05 wondering, how does Babylon 25:05 fit into this? 25:06 Babylon, the Neo-Babylonian 25:08 Empire was going to rise not too 25:09 long in the future from this 25:11 story, but at this point, they 25:12 are still subject to the 25:12 Assyrians. 25:14 And so the Assyrians would use 25:15 the city of Babylon 25:16 as a base of operations, 25:18 including to imprison 25:19 political prisoners. 25:20 And so the Assyrians 25:21 take Manasseh. 25:23 It takes weeks to travel 25:25 across that part of the world, 25:26 from Jerusalem to Babylon. 25:28 And I'm gonna guess they did 25:29 not take him first class. 25:32 I mean, there was no reason to. 25:33 I mean, he was completely 25:34 at their mercy. 25:36 They put a hook through his 25:37 nose. 25:38 Now, some of you are probably 25:39 picturing, like, this surgical 25:40 steel fishhook-type thing. 25:41 No. The Hebrew is interesting. 25:44 It probably was a thorn. 25:47 In other words, they are making 25:49 a statement with Manasseh's 25:51 arrest and incarceration. 25:52 Anybody who saw him 25:53 would see this thorn 25:55 shoved through his nose. 25:58 "This person," they said, 25:59 "has no value." 26:02 And he's there 26:03 in this jail cell, 26:04 wherever it was in Babylon. 26:05 And here's my guess. 26:07 I don't know this for certain, 26:08 but, you know, wild living 26:09 takes its toll. 26:11 Some of you know exactly 26:12 what I mean. 26:13 If you live a sinful, 26:16 wild lifestyle 26:18 and you do it long enough, 26:19 pretty soon the signs 26:20 will begin to show, okay? 26:21 And so I imagine this is the 26:23 case with Manasseh because he's 26:24 been doing this kind of stuff 26:25 for decades. 26:26 I mean, if if he sacrifices 26:28 his sons in the flames, 26:30 do we really think he's not 26:31 doing drugs? 26:33 Is he not drinking? 26:34 Is he not chasing women? 26:36 I mean, I think Manasseh left 26:38 nothing out of his reach. 26:40 I think he did it all 26:41 and he did it for as long 26:43 as he possibly could. 26:45 And anyone who stood in his way 26:47 was liable to be killed. 26:50 And now this guy -- you know, 26:53 needle marks in his arms, 26:56 chains on his wrists, 26:59 locked in a cell a long, 27:02 long ways from anybody that 27:03 he can order to do something. 27:06 If I had to guess from a human 27:08 perspective, my guess would be 27:11 that Manasseh is probably one of 27:14 the most bitter, angry, 27:17 depressed human beings on the 27:19 planet. 27:21 I don't know. 27:23 Maybe he might have even been 27:24 suicidal. 27:31 And yet that is absolutely 27:37 not how the story ends. 27:42 Take a look at this. 27:44 Verse 12, 2 Chronicles 33. 27:49 "In his distress --" 27:50 This is Manasseh. 27:51 "In his distress, he sought the 27:55 favor of the Lord his God and 27:57 humbled himself greatly before 28:00 the God of his fathers. 28:02 And when he prayed to Him, the 28:04 Lord was moved by his entreaty 28:06 and listened to his plea. 28:08 So he brought him back to 28:10 Jerusalem and to his kingdom. 28:13 Then Manasseh knew that the Lord 28:15 is God." 28:16 >> Amen! 28:24 >> Let me tell you why the other 28:25 half of you didn't say amen. 28:26 [ Laughter ] 28:27 Okay? 28:29 Because Manasseh's the worst 28:30 of the worst. 28:31 I mean, he is the Hitler 28:33 of his era, is he not? 28:35 I mean, you know, destroying his 28:37 own people. 28:37 We didn't read it here, 28:38 but if you read in 2 Kings, 28:39 kind of a parallel account 28:40 here of Manasseh's life, 28:42 it says he filled Jerusalem 28:43 from one end to the other. 28:44 The streets were running 28:45 with the blood of the people 28:47 that he mowed down. 28:49 He sacrifices his son 28:50 in the flames. 28:51 He used people to no end. 28:52 And ultimately 28:53 he destroys the sovereignty 28:55 of an entire nation of people. 28:57 And God has the audacity 28:59 to forgive him? 29:03 That is scandalous. 29:10 And it was every bit as 29:11 scandalous when He forgave you. 29:16 It was every bit as scandalous 29:17 when He forgave me. 29:20 Because, you see, 29:22 while Manasseh sacrificed 29:24 his sons in the flames, 29:26 you and I caused the sacrifice 29:28 of the Son of God. 29:31 There is no one that merits 29:33 the grace of God. 29:35 That's why they call it grace. 29:38 Because we don't deserve it. 29:41 And as challenging to the mind 29:43 as it can sometimes be when we 29:44 see stories of this incredible 29:46 forgiveness that God lavishes on 29:48 on a dreg like Manasseh, 29:52 it must serve to remind us 29:54 just how good God is to forgive 29:58 even people like us. 30:01 Praise the Lord for his 30:02 goodness. 30:02 Amen? 30:03 >> Amen! 30:03 >> Amen. 30:06 Now, this would be a great place 30:08 to end the story, right? 30:09 I mean, if Hollywood were 30:10 writing the script for this, 30:11 this would be the end. 30:13 Manasseh, you know, 30:14 would have a horse. 30:16 He would get on it. 30:16 He would ride off into the 30:17 sunset, and the credits would 30:18 roll and this would be the end. 30:20 Right? Okay. 30:21 You know, bad guy makes good, 30:23 and, you know, we're done. 30:25 It is not even remotely close 30:27 to the end of the story because 30:29 what God is going to do here -- 30:32 God is about to perform 30:33 a restoration work in 30:35 and through the very one 30:37 who had been the worst king 30:39 that Judah ever knew. 30:40 Let's pick the story up here. 30:41 Verse 14, 2 Chronicles 33. 30:45 It says, "Afterward --" 30:47 Okay, so, Manasseh -- he's back 30:48 on the throne now, he's in 30:49 Judah, he's king again. 30:51 "Afterward, he rebuilt the outer 30:54 wall of the City of David, west 30:56 of the Gihon spring in the 30:58 valley, as far as the entrance 30:59 of the Fish Gate and encircling 31:00 the hill of Ophel. 31:02 He also made it much higher. 31:04 He stationed military commanders 31:06 in all the fortified cities in 31:07 Judah." 31:09 Verse 15 -- "He got rid of the 31:11 foreign gods and removed the 31:12 image from the temple of the 31:14 Lord, as well as all the altars 31:15 he had built on the temple hill 31:17 and in Jerusalem, and he threw 31:19 them out of the city. 31:20 Then he restored the altar of 31:23 the Lord and sacrificed 31:25 fellowship offerings and thank 31:26 offerings on it and told Judah 31:29 to serve the Lord, the God of 31:32 Israel." 31:34 Wow. 31:38 You know, in part one, 31:39 we learned four things about 31:40 God's plan for our past. 31:42 Here is point number five. 31:45 God often restores us 31:47 from our past by having us 31:50 restore others in the present. 31:53 God often restores us 31:54 from our past by having us 31:56 restore others in the present. 31:59 This is not to earn forgiveness. 32:01 No. It is a fruit of it. 32:04 It's not salvation by works. 32:05 This is a fruit of that 32:06 salvation, this tool 32:07 that God offers to us. 32:09 And under certain circumstances, 32:10 He commands that it be done. 32:13 Do you see what Manasseh 32:14 is doing here? 32:15 He is performing a restoration. 32:18 He is making what is often 32:20 called restitution, or sometimes 32:21 it's called making amends. 32:23 He is restoring 32:24 that which he broke, 32:25 that which he stole, et cetera. 32:27 et cetera, and what a powerful 32:28 thing it was. 32:30 I mean, do you understand 32:31 the magnitude of what Manasseh 32:33 is doing here? 32:35 He takes you -- Verse 14. 32:37 He does this fortification 32:39 project here. 32:40 It said, "Afterward, he rebuilt 32:41 the outer wall of the 32:43 City of David, west of the Gihon 32:44 spring in the valley, as far as 32:45 the entrance of the Fish Gate 32:46 and encircling the hill of 32:47 Ophel. 32:48 He also made it much higher." 32:50 This is huge. 32:52 You know, I've been to the 32:54 Old City of Jerusalem before, 32:55 and it's in, not surprisingly, 32:57 the new city of Jerusalem. 32:59 Jerusalem itself proper today is 33:01 quite large, but the Old City 33:03 is, by human standards, by city 33:05 standards, today it's pretty 33:05 small. 33:07 But if you don't have cranes 33:09 and bulldozers and quarries 33:11 that can mechanically cut stone 33:13 and whatnot, you begin to 33:14 understand this was a massive 33:17 undertaking. 33:19 I mean, Manasseh is not just, 33:21 like, like putting a few rocks 33:23 together and calling it good. 33:24 This is a dramatic 33:26 intensification 33:27 of the fortifications 33:29 of the city of Jerusalem 33:30 and then, by extension, 33:31 also for the rest of Judah 33:32 when he installs 33:33 these military commanders. 33:34 Now, what is Manasseh 33:35 doing here? 33:37 You know, scholars speculate 33:38 that there's one of two things 33:39 happening. 33:41 What is clear is that Manasseh's 33:42 sin had resulted in Judah 33:44 becoming a vassal state 33:45 to the Assyrians. 33:47 This was the condition 33:48 under which Manasseh 33:50 was restored to his throne. 33:53 Being a vassal state meant 33:54 that if there were state 33:55 interests for Assyria, 33:56 they could call on their vassals 33:58 and say, "Well, you need to 33:58 support us." 33:59 Generally speaking, 34:01 that was military stuff. 34:02 They had to fight 34:03 in the Assyrian wars. 34:04 Well, Manasseh knows this. 34:06 And perhaps the first reason 34:07 why Manasseh's engaging in 34:09 all of this, this fortification, 34:10 he knows that Assyria 34:12 is planning on tangling 34:13 with Egypt from the south. 34:14 Well, guess what? 34:16 Judah is on the way, okay, from 34:18 Egypt on their way to the 34:19 Assyrians. 34:20 As a vassal state, 34:21 Judah would be expected 34:22 to defend the Assyrians. 34:24 Manasseh may have figured 34:25 that he can't change that fact, 34:28 but he can fortify Jerusalem 34:30 and Judah to do everything 34:32 in his power to minimize Jewish 34:34 casualties on the day of battle. 34:37 Or secondly, it's also possible 34:39 that Manasseh was convicted 34:40 that the only righteous course 34:41 of action was to rebel, 34:46 to fight the Assyrians, to throw 34:49 off their yoke of bondage. 34:51 And if that was going to 34:52 happen, again, to make every 34:54 chance of victory possible, 34:55 Manasseh fortifies 34:57 Jerusalem and Judah. 34:58 It was a massive project. 35:01 If you go there and you see the 35:02 walls, even today, it was 35:04 a massive project. 35:05 But Manasseh believed it was 35:07 worth it if he could save 35:09 the lives of the people he had 35:10 in the past so badly corrupted. 35:16 And after making these physical 35:17 amends -- building up the city, 35:18 et cetera -- he makes spiritual 35:20 amends. 35:21 He removes the idols 35:22 to foreign gods. 35:23 He removes the idolatrous altar 35:24 from the Jerusalem Temple. 35:26 He removes all of the altars 35:28 from the Temple Mount 35:29 and throughout Jerusalem. 35:30 He restores the altar of God. 35:32 He offers sacrifices on it, 35:33 restoring it to its rightful 35:35 use, and he makes a proclamation 35:37 to the entire nation -- "Serve 35:38 Jehovah, the one true God." 35:43 You know, we don't know how 35:44 immediately effective 35:46 his attempts at reform were. 35:48 Surely there were some in Judah 35:51 that ceased their evil, 35:52 idolatrous ways. 35:55 But there is one thing 35:56 that we can know for certain, 35:57 and that is what happened 35:59 two years after Manasseh's 36:00 death. 36:03 You see, at Manasseh's death, 36:04 his son Ammon became king. 36:06 Ammon was wicked. 36:08 But he was assassinated 36:09 after only two years in power. 36:10 Now, two years -- that's a drop 36:12 in the bucket compared to 36:12 the 55 years that Dad had. 36:14 And in Ammon's place, 36:15 Ammon's son, 36:17 a boy by the name of Josiah, 36:18 was made king instead. 36:21 And Josiah became 36:22 such an important and successful 36:24 reformer in Judah's history that 36:26 the book of 2 Chronicles 36:27 dedicates two full and lengthy 36:29 chapters just to his reign. 36:32 Could it be -- Could it be 36:37 that the spirit of reform 36:38 started by Manasseh and 36:40 confirmed by Manasseh's attempts 36:42 to restore the pledge he had 36:43 broken planted the seeds for 36:45 Josiah and his advisors to 36:47 eventually fully lead Judah back 36:49 to God? 36:53 God does indeed often restore us 36:56 from our past by having us 36:58 restore others in the present, 37:00 and such restorations can bear 37:02 fruit for generations to come. 37:09 Now, if you're listening right 37:12 now and perhaps you have a sense 37:15 that there is something that 37:16 you need to make amends for, 37:19 something in the past that 37:20 you've done, you've harmed 37:21 others, you need to make amends 37:22 for it -- if that's the case, 37:24 let me offer you two pieces 37:25 of counsel. 37:27 First, as we talked about 37:29 with confession in part one, 37:31 seek the counsel of wise, 37:33 experienced Christians 37:35 before you make amends. 37:37 Seek their counsel before you 37:39 do it. 37:40 Now, again, the reason for this 37:41 is probably obvious. 37:42 If you've genuinely harmed 37:44 somebody, particularly if it's 37:45 quite a ways in the past, 37:47 your emotions are probably 37:48 quite wrapped up in that. 37:50 If you've spent time 37:51 trying to hide this, et cetera, 37:52 and now you've got a lot of 37:52 emotional energy, you are 37:54 probably not seeing the 37:55 situation in an objective 37:56 fashion. 37:58 You need someone who can. 38:00 So find an experienced 38:02 Christian, someone with long 38:03 experience in Christ. 38:04 Find a Christian counselor, 38:05 a pastor, a teacher 38:06 that you trust and tell them 38:08 what you're thinking about 38:09 and let them give their input. 38:12 You know, I have seen -- 38:13 When people take this step, 38:14 it can be very fruitful. 38:15 I've seen some people 38:17 that were overly sensitive, 38:19 and they thought that because of 38:21 what they had done in the past, 38:22 they were gonna have to, 38:23 you know, sacrifice themselves 38:24 on an altar and pay $1 billion 38:26 and all of this type of -- 38:27 And it wasn't true. 38:29 They overestimated the impact 38:31 of what they had done. 38:32 There are some people 38:33 that have the opposite problem. 38:34 They're numbed out. 38:35 Maybe they lived a life that was 38:37 so thoroughly steeped in 38:38 immorality, it's difficult for 38:40 them to grasp the magnitude of 38:41 what they did. 38:42 Ask somebody. 38:44 You know, one of the great 38:45 benefits of our congregation 38:47 here is that we have many 38:48 seasoned saints that have been 38:50 around the track a number of 38:50 times. 38:52 If you're younger 38:53 and you're looking 38:53 for somebody to share with, 38:54 maybe get to know 38:55 some of our people here. 38:56 They just might be able to give 38:57 you the information 38:58 that you need. 39:00 Consult with somebody. 39:01 Seek the counsel of wise 39:03 and experienced Christians 39:04 before you make amends. 39:07 And secondly, 39:09 to the best of your ability, 39:11 let the amends fit the sin. 39:15 Let the amends fit the sin. 39:18 In other words, if possible, 39:20 restore what you took, okay? 39:24 Now, I wish we had time to 39:26 study more here. 39:27 You know, they say that 39:28 preaching is the art of what not 39:29 to say, and so if we had more 39:30 time, we would look at 39:32 Leviticus 6:1-7. 39:34 Leviticus 6:1-7. 39:35 We don't have time this morning, 39:36 unfortunately, but there it 39:38 gives some very good counsel for 39:40 proportionality in making amends 39:41 and this type of a thing. 39:42 I encourage you to read it. 39:45 But restoring what you took 39:48 to the best of your ability. 39:50 Every word in this particular 39:52 counsel here is important. 39:54 This is very much what I think 39:55 Manasseh did, okay? 39:57 He robbed the temple in 39:59 Jerusalem of its sanctity, 40:00 right? 40:01 So he did all that he could 40:02 to bring it back. 40:05 He took the practice of the 40:06 worship of the one true God away 40:08 from his people in Jerusalem. 40:09 So, to make amends, he took 40:11 all of the pagan altars 40:12 out of Jerusalem in an attempt 40:14 to restore true worship. 40:17 Let us do the same. 40:22 If amends are called for, 40:24 go to it. 40:25 Get the counsel that you need 40:26 and go to it. 40:27 If you stole money, 40:29 give it back with interest. 40:31 If you cut someone off 40:32 in traffic, if possible, 40:33 pull over one lane, 40:35 let them go past, and smile 40:36 genuinely as they do, okay? 40:40 If you have slandered someone, 40:42 go to the third party 40:43 that you told the lies 40:44 to and correct them 40:46 and, if necessary, 40:47 the people that they told. 40:50 Et cetera, et cetera. 40:52 Which brings us 40:53 to an important point. 40:57 Anyone who takes seriously the 40:59 Bible's call to make amends will 41:01 quickly realize that sometimes 41:02 there is not a one-to-one 41:04 relationship between our sin 41:06 and an attempt at restoration. 41:09 I'll use an extreme example -- 41:10 murder. 41:13 If you if you kill somebody and 41:15 you have a conversion 41:16 experience, you have a Manasseh 41:17 experience, and the Lord 41:19 forgives you and whatnot, you 41:21 cannot bring that person back 41:22 from the grave. 41:25 And so the one-to-one connection 41:26 there is not there. 41:28 And so what do we do? 41:30 What do we do in those 41:31 situations to make amends? 41:33 Some people say that gives you a 41:36 pass. 41:39 You don't have to do anything. 41:44 So, over the years, there have 41:46 been a tiny, tiny number of 41:49 situations where I have said to 41:50 a person, "I'm not sure how to 41:53 do this one. 41:55 I don't know what would be 41:56 appropriate to do." 41:58 I said, "Let's pray. 42:00 Let's pray and see what the Lord 42:01 leads on this. 42:01 I don't know. I don't know." 42:03 And in asking other people, 42:04 they didn't know either. 42:07 But generally speaking, 42:10 there is a way. 42:13 There is a way. 42:16 God is gracious, God is good, 42:18 and God is very creative. 42:20 And even when there is not a 42:21 one-to-one option, where we 42:22 can't just, you know, restore 42:24 something, God asks us to do the 42:26 best that we can, to do 42:28 the best that we can. 42:30 I think this is part of what 42:31 Manasseh is doing when he 42:32 reinforced the battlements of 42:33 Jerusalem. 42:34 He had stolen Judah's 42:36 sovereignty, in essence, right? 42:37 I mean, Through his profligacy, 42:39 et cetera, he had caused Judah 42:42 to lose its sovereignty. 42:43 And he probably knew 42:45 in his lifetime that he would 42:46 not be able to get it back. 42:47 So he did the next best thing. 42:49 He did all he could to defend 42:51 Judah from Assyria's rule 42:52 as much as possible. 42:54 So, again, let us do the same. 42:57 If you cheated on a test, 42:59 you can't retake the test, okay? 43:02 That's not gonna happen. 43:03 And you probably can't reset 43:06 whatever curve you busted for 43:07 the other students in the class 43:09 because your artificial grade 43:10 kind of inflated it for them. 43:11 Right? Okay. 43:14 So you need to do the best 43:14 that you can. 43:16 Perhaps you need to go tell the 43:18 teacher, explain what you did, 43:19 say that you are sorry for doing 43:20 this and you want to make it 43:21 right. 43:21 What can you do? 43:23 And be willing to take 43:24 their suggestions seriously. 43:26 If you lied to someone in 43:27 business, leading to a loss of 43:29 revenue, there are times when 43:30 you cannot assess exactly how 43:32 much money was lost or who all 43:33 was adversely affected. 43:35 So do your best. Get advice. 43:37 Be willing to take their 43:38 suggestions seriously. 43:40 Whatever the sin was, 43:42 if you are willing, there is 43:43 nearly always a way to make 43:45 amends. 43:51 And some of you are thinking 43:52 right now, "You're crazy. 43:58 Are you out of your mind? 44:01 Who would do this kind of stuff? 44:04 I mean, the risk. 44:05 I mean, if you make amends, 44:06 I mean, the admission that comes 44:08 with making the amends 44:09 and getting involved with, 44:10 you know, restoring things -- 44:12 that's messy business. 44:13 Are you crazy?" 44:16 Well, probably, but that's 44:17 beside the point. 44:19 Let me sweeten the pot a little 44:22 bit here for you. 44:23 If you are intimidated by 44:25 the prospect of making amends -- 44:28 Well, maybe I should put it this 44:28 way. 44:29 If you're not intimidated by it, 44:31 it's either because you have 44:32 done this before and you know 44:33 what's coming -- the good things 44:35 that are coming or -- or you're 44:37 ignorant and you don't 44:38 understand. 44:39 Because there is a cost here, 44:40 is there not? 44:41 Mostly to our pride. 44:45 We have to humble ourselves 44:48 and admit to someone else 44:49 that we messed up. 44:52 And why would you do that? 44:53 Two reasons. 44:55 Number one, the obvious one, 44:58 you just might help to make 45:00 someone else's life better. 45:05 Restoring the pledge does that. 45:07 If you stole money from somebody 45:08 and then you give it back with 45:10 interest, that's good for them. 45:13 That's a blessing for them. 45:14 Why does God command us 45:15 in certain situations 45:16 to make amends? 45:17 Because the other people 45:18 have a loss and we have 45:19 the opportunity to fill it, 45:20 to make it right again. 45:21 Praise the Lord, especially 45:23 if you're on the receiving end 45:24 of an amends. 45:27 Wouldn't you like to get back 45:28 whatever it was that was stolen? 45:29 Yeah, we would. 45:32 This is one great blessing 45:34 that comes when we make amends. 45:36 And number two, there is a great 45:39 blessing for you, as well. 45:45 Now, there's a whole bunch of 45:47 stories that I wish I could tell 45:48 you next to illustrate this 45:48 point. 45:50 But until some people die 45:51 and there are certain attorneys 45:52 that are no longer 45:52 doing what they're doing, 45:54 I can't tell you those things. 45:55 These are not stories about me. 45:56 These are stories about 45:56 other people 45:58 with amends and whatnot. 45:59 I can't tell you those stories, 46:00 right? 46:01 So I'm gonna bring it down a few 46:02 notches, right? 46:03 And I'm gonna tell you a story 46:05 which illustrates the blessing. 46:06 It's at a lower level, 46:07 but I think you'll see 46:09 what God is trying to say here. 46:12 When I was 12 years old. 46:15 I was working that summer on my 46:17 grandparents farm in Oklahoma, 46:19 and very strangely, on the day 46:22 that this story takes place, 46:24 I had no farm assignment 46:27 that afternoon. 46:29 I mean, the sun was blazing, 46:30 as it often does in Oklahoma 46:31 in July and August. 46:33 You know, people are sweating. 46:34 They were working hard 46:34 and whatnot, but there 46:35 was nothing for me to do. 46:37 Grandpa said, "Hey, you know, 46:38 hang out. 46:39 If we have something, we'll let 46:39 you know, whatnot." 46:41 The same thing was true 46:42 for my cousin Bruce. 46:44 Bruce didn't have anything 46:45 to do either. 46:47 So, picture this -- farmhouse, 46:49 okay? 46:50 Top of the hill overlooking 46:52 2,000 acres of farmland, okay? 46:54 Everybody's gone. 46:56 Everybody's working. 46:58 Two young guys, nothing to do. 47:01 What could go wrong? 47:03 [ Laughter ] 47:05 So, finally Bruce says, 47:06 "Hey, I got a new BB gun. 47:08 Let's do target practice." 47:12 Excellent idea. 47:13 So we went outside and, you 47:15 know, being a farm, you know, 47:16 there's things you can shoot at. 47:17 There's a few trees up there. 47:19 And so, you know, we're shooting 47:20 at these trees and whatnot, 47:21 but trees soon become boring. 47:22 And what you need is 47:24 something -- a target that will 47:25 recognize your marksmanship, 47:27 okay, that will give you 47:29 affirmation that you made a good 47:30 shot. 47:31 And so Bruce goes over 47:32 to one of the barns 47:33 nearby there, one of the sheds, 47:35 and he brings back a number 10 47:36 can. 47:37 Now, you know what a number 10 47:38 can is? 47:39 These are the big cans, right? 47:41 If you don't know what it is, 47:42 picture the big, big frank 47:44 containers that cost $478.32. 47:48 Okay, that's a number 10 can, 47:50 right? 47:51 So, this one was empty and, you 47:52 know, silver there. 47:53 We could see it. 47:53 And, man, when you hit that 47:55 thing, it gave a very satisfying 47:56 "Ping!" 47:57 Right like that. 47:58 So we put it on the fence post 47:59 and we get back 20, 25 feet. 48:01 "Ping! Ping! Ping!" 48:03 Well, the only thing better than 48:05 one can is two or three or four 48:06 cans, right? 48:07 So Bruce goes off to find 48:09 some more recognition 48:11 hardware -- right? -- for us. 48:14 And I don't know why, but he was 48:16 gone what seemed to me like a 48:18 long time. 48:20 And I've got the BB gun here in 48:22 my hand, and I'm looking around 48:23 for stuff to hit and shoot and 48:24 whatnot. 48:25 And I do a 180. 48:26 I turn 180 degrees around from 48:28 where the can is on the fence 48:29 post, and there is my 48:30 grandparents' house, okay? 48:33 It's got this little concrete 48:34 walk that goes up a couple steps 48:35 there, and to the left, 48:37 from my perspective, 48:38 the left there, there was this 48:40 big plate-glass bay window. 48:44 And I thought to myself, "I 48:47 wonder what it's like if you 48:49 shoot a BB at a big plate-glass 48:51 window." 48:54 And obviously being 48:55 fully convinced of my genius, 48:56 I didn't give it 48:57 another thought. 48:58 I raised the gun to my sights, 48:59 cocked it there, 49:00 pulled the trigger. 49:07 So, I was disappointed that the 49:08 window did not shatter, alright? 49:10 But there was kind of this thunk 49:13 sound. 49:15 And unbeknownst to me, my 49:17 grandparents were sitting right 49:19 on the other side of that 49:20 window. 49:21 You know, kind of the 49:22 reflection, you know? 49:23 You could see some through if 49:24 you really focused, but I 49:25 couldn't quite see. 49:26 Unbeknownst to me, 49:27 Grandpa was not down at the farm 49:29 doing various farm things. 49:31 I'd forgotten that sometimes 49:32 after lunch Grandpa would either 49:34 take a nap or he would read 49:35 something in his favorite chair 49:36 in the living room. 49:37 Sometimes Grandma 49:38 would join him. 49:39 And so picture this -- a boy, 49:40 a 12-year-old, with a BB gun, 49:42 shoots a BB. 49:43 It hits almost in the middle 49:44 there, lower middle. 49:46 It makes this big pop sound. 49:47 This conical piece flies 49:49 out the other side. 49:50 And Grandpa and Grandma levitate 49:52 out of their chairs. 49:54 Very spry for people their age. 49:56 I mean, they were quick on their 49:57 feet. 49:58 "Oh! What happened?!" 49:59 They rush over to the door. 50:01 They open the screen door, 50:03 and they say, "What happened?" 50:09 Alright, now, picture this. 50:10 it would have required 50:11 a team of forensic experts 50:13 to figure out what had happened, 50:13 right? 50:14 So, here I am, right? 50:16 About 20 feet away or so from 50:17 the glass. 50:18 I've got a gun in my hand, 50:20 and I'm looking their way. 50:22 And they say, "What happened?" 50:27 You remember last week that I 50:28 said that after cheating on that 50:30 spelling test in second grade, 50:31 I never cheated academically 50:32 again? 50:33 That didn't apply to agriculture 50:35 and grandparents' farms, 50:35 unfortunately, okay? 50:37 So, I had two choices. 50:38 I could own up to it, 50:39 or I could lie about it. 50:41 And I chose option B, and I 50:42 said, "Oh, uh, so, I was 50:46 shooting at that can over there, 50:50 and the BB hit it and it 50:52 ricocheted off and it hit the 50:55 glass and broke a hole in it. 50:57 I am so sorry." 51:00 And you know what Grandma and 51:01 Grandpa did? 51:04 [ Laughter ] 51:09 "That's what happened?" 51:12 Now, I mean, the physics of this 51:13 are obviously impossible, right? 51:14 I mean, anybody who's ever done 51:15 a BB gun -- I mean, even the 51:16 highest-power air gun is not 51:18 gonna send a BB off 20 feet that 51:20 direction all the way -- 51:21 It won't even make it back 51:22 to the house. 51:23 the sidewalk, much less put 51:24 a hole in the window. 51:26 And he said, "That's what 51:27 happened, huh?" 51:30 "Yeah. 51:33 That's what happened. Yeah." 51:36 And they went..."Okay." 51:41 Went back inside. 51:44 Hmm. 51:47 You know, I didn't tell them 51:49 what happened that day or the 51:53 next or the next. 51:56 In fact, I didn't tell them 51:57 for 10 years, okay? 52:01 10 years later, I was in the 52:03 islands as a student missionary, 52:04 and I was studying about 52:05 this kind of thing, like what 52:06 we've been studying about. 52:07 And I became convicted 52:08 that this was something 52:09 that I needed to make right. 52:10 Now, you need to understand 52:11 something here. 52:12 I mean, to a lot of people 52:13 listening, like, "Well, you 52:14 know, come on, it was a BB gun, 52:15 a kid with a BB gun and a 52:16 window. 52:17 What's the big deal, right?" 52:18 So, for me, this is not actually 52:21 my blood grandparents. 52:23 They're my stepmother's parents. 52:25 But from a fairly early age, 52:26 they took me in as their own. 52:28 And my family life, 52:31 there was definitely chaos. 52:32 I'll be generous. 52:33 There was chaos, you know, 52:34 during those days. 52:36 And to have an island of peace 52:42 and safety and honest hard work, 52:45 I mean, it was -- you know? 52:48 This was a great gift to me. 52:50 And I felt like I had 52:52 compromised that and had let it 52:54 slide for 10 years, you know? 52:56 So I said, "I'm gonna make this 52:57 right." 52:58 And so I wrote a check, 53:01 and I wrote a letter. 53:03 I explained what had happened. 53:05 I said, "You know, I hope this 53:06 amount will cover it. 53:07 If it doesn't cover the 53:08 replacement for the window, 53:09 please let me know." 53:10 Because they never replaced the 53:11 window. 53:12 Every time I would go to my 53:14 grandparents' house, there was 53:15 this hole there, right? 53:17 In the winter time, it would 53:18 whistle because the wind is 53:19 blowing by, you know? 53:21 It was like whistling to, 53:22 "Shane did this, Shane did 53:24 this," you know, kind of thing. 53:26 And so, I mean, this constant 53:28 reminder that I had done this 53:30 thing to these very, very good 53:31 people. 53:32 And so I wrote, you know, 53:33 "Dear Grandma and Grandpa, I 53:34 just want to let you know that," 53:36 And I told them the story, 53:36 right? 53:37 Well, when you're out in the 53:39 middle of the Pacific -- I don't 53:40 know what it takes now, but back 53:41 in those days, it took weeks. 53:42 It was probably two to three 53:43 months before I got back 53:45 a response from my grandmother. 53:47 My grandfather was a man of few 53:48 words, so I wasn't surprised to 53:49 see it was grandma's 53:51 And she said, "Dear Shane, 53:54 we thought that might have been 53:55 what had happened." 53:56 [ Laughter ] 53:59 And she included my check back 54:02 to me. 54:03 She didn't replace it. 54:04 She didn't use the money for 54:05 that. 54:06 And she said -- I -- 54:07 [ Chuckling ] 54:10 I still remember the phrase. 54:12 [ Voice breaking ] She said, 54:13 "All is forgiven." 54:15 [ Chuckles ] 54:18 "All is forgiven." 54:23 And the weight of the world 54:26 rolled off my 22-year-old 54:27 shoulders. 54:32 You see, for as difficult as 54:33 making amends can be, it's not 54:38 like there's no benefit. 54:41 There are good things that God 54:43 is looking to give to you, 54:46 to come out from under 54:47 the shadow of your past. 54:51 Amends aren't to be done 54:52 to earn your forgiveness. 54:54 It's already been given. 54:56 It is to be a fruit 54:57 of that forgiveness 54:58 that we reach out to restore 55:00 the pledge that we broke. 55:02 So, I just want to ask you -- 55:05 how is it with you today? 55:08 Are there things in your life 55:09 that maybe God is tapping you 55:10 on the shoulder? 55:10 You know, something happened 55:11 yesterday or 20 years ago 55:15 that you should take care of. 55:17 I just want to gently encourage 55:18 you to listen to that voice. 55:20 If you haven't done so yet, 55:21 confess and repent. 55:23 If you've done that 55:25 and the shadow is still there, 55:26 maybe God is calling you to make 55:27 some sort of amends. 55:28 Find some wise people. 55:29 Ask for their counsel. 55:31 Let them help you to go 55:32 through this process. 55:34 And if you do it, other people 55:36 will be blessed and you will 55:38 receive a blessing as well. 55:41 You know, the good news of 55:43 amends is not just that, though. 55:47 The good news of amends is that 55:49 there's actually not as much 55:50 risk to it as we often think. 55:52 Why do I say that? 55:53 It's not that there's no risk. 55:54 Don't misunderstand. 55:56 But there's often a lot less 55:57 than we think 55:58 because God has been at this 56:01 for thousands of years. 56:03 He knows how to restore people. 56:05 You're no surprise to Him. 56:07 He knows how to do this. 56:08 In fact, for all the goodness 56:10 that we get back from doing 56:11 amends, from all the blessings 56:12 and the freedom and the light 56:13 that we feel in there, for God, 56:15 it's just standard operating 56:16 procedure. 56:17 He's a pro at this. 56:19 He knows how to do it, 56:20 and He can provide 56:22 what you need to guide you 56:23 through the same process. 56:25 Just another standard 56:27 restoration. 56:29 That's what God is calling you 56:30 to. 56:32 Praise the Lord that God 56:34 really does have great plans 56:37 for our past. 56:43 [ Applause ] 56:51 >> Thank you for taking the time 56:52 to join us in worship today. 56:53 I'd like to spend just 56:55 another moment with you here 56:56 at the end of our program 56:57 to share a word of hope. 57:00 In fact, that's what this little 57:01 book is all about. 57:04 In these uncertain times -- 57:05 and let's face it, they're 57:06 uncertain all over the planet -- 57:08 this book, entitled 57:09 "The Great Hope," 57:11 will help you understand 57:12 not just what God has planned 57:13 for your future, 57:15 but for the future of the entire 57:16 human race. 57:18 You know, light keeps shining 57:20 on this dark, old world, 57:21 and new truths, 57:22 long forgotten, are being 57:24 constantly rediscovered. 57:26 If you need a fresh dose of hope 57:28 in your life these days, 57:29 or if you know somebody else 57:30 who could sure use 57:31 that gift of hope, 57:32 then I'd like to invite you 57:33 to grab your phone 57:35 and dial our toll-free number. 57:36 877, the two words "HIS WILL." 57:40 That's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:43 And at no charge to you, 57:44 we'll get a copy in the mail 57:45 to you right away. 57:47 Till the next time we meet, 57:49 may the peace and hope 57:50 of the Lord Jesus Christ 57:52 be with you always. |
Revised 2024-02-15