Prepare to Stand

Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are just men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 (KJV)

What a positive verse to begin our study with, “Be strong and courageous!”  

Hezekiah, king of Judah, spoke those encouraging words when the ruthless Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem. The Assyrians were big, mean, and ugly (I made up the ugly part), and they were well known for their military conquests. However, Hezekiah was not afraid of them because he knew that his nation held the ultimate weapon. They had God on their side.

But I guess that I need to backtrack for a moment and lay a foundation.

Prior to Hezekiah’s reign, King Ahaz ruled Judah. Ahaz was a wicked king, “…he aroused the anger of the Lord…” (2 Chronicles 28:25, NLT).

Judah, under King Ahaz’s rule, did much evil. They had closed all the temple doors, they had erected idols throughout the land, and they had even stopped offering burnt sacrifices to God. Plain and simple, Judah had turned their backs to God. Consequently, God’s anger had fallen on them.

Then King Ahaz died and Hezekiah became Judah’s king at the young age of twenty-five. Hezekiah may have been young, but he was wise. He did not follow the example of his wicked predecessor; instead, Hezekiah vowed to serve God—he was determined to do what was right (2 Chronicles 29:2).

Hezekiah knew that God was angry with Judah. “…He has made us an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can so plainly see. Our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity” (2 Chronicles 29:8-9, NLT).

Thus, as soon as he became king, Hezekiah began cleaning house. He ordered that the temple doors in Jerusalem be repaired and opened (2 Chronicles 29:3). Then he summoned the priests and Levites, “Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary” (2 Chronicles 29:5, NLT).

Next, Hezekiah ordered the Levites to lead the people in praise and worship of God. Then he reinstated the burnt offerings and sin offerings to the Lord. He even reinstated the Passover of the Lord. Thus, “There was great joy in the city, for Jerusalem had not seen a celebration like this one since the days of Solomon, King David's son” (2 Chronicles 30:26, NLT).

Hezekiah did, “…what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God…Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful” (2 Chronicles 31:20-21, NLT).

That sounds like a happy ending. However, I am sure that you have already learned in your Christian walk that just as soon as you turn your life around and begin serving God, an enemy appears. The same thing happened to Judah.

Judah’s enemies, the Assyrians, began marching towards Jerusalem, capturing various cities in Judah along the way (2 Chronicles 32:1-2). Jerusalem was their next target. 

King Hezekiah began defensive preparations for Jerusalem. He diverted the water springs so that the enemy would not find drinking water. He fortified the walls surrounding the city, even constructing a second protective wall outside of the first wall. Then he had weapons prepared, “…made darts and shields in abundance” (2 Chronicles 32:5, KJV). Hezekiah did everything that he could to prepare his people for battle.

Once all of the preparations were completed, Hezekiah appointed military captains over his people. After that, he had them gather around and he gave them a pep talk—our opening verses.

There are many lessons found in 2 Chronicles 29-32. However, I cannot cover them all in a short article; therefore, I will mention just three key points. First point, King Hezekiah determined in his heart to obey God. He wanted to do what was right so he purified his nation; he removed idols and reinstated temple services.  Second point, King Hezekiah did everything that he could do to protect his people, fortifying walls, diverting water, and preparing weapons. Third point, King Hezekiah had faith in God.

Although you may never personally battle with Assyrian armies, you do have an enemy. That enemy is Satan and he is out to destroy you.

In order to withstand the enemy’s attack, you, like Hezekiah, must get ready. Prepare your walls of defense, remove all idols, turn your heart wholly to God, obey God’s commands, sharpen your weapons, read the Word of God, and put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18). Once you have done all of this, then stand your ground in faith knowing that God will protect you. When you do your part then God will do His part.

Oh, I’ve left out one critical detail in this story…the ending. “That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian troops. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere” (2 Kings 19:35, NLT).

The Assyrians learned a valuable lesson—it’s not safe to mess with God’s children.

I cried out to the Lord in my suffering, and he heard me. He set me free from all my fears. For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear him, and he rescues them.

Psalms 34:6-7 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.   God protects the pure in heart.

2.   Do all that you can to prepare for battle, then stand.

3.   “Be strong and courageous!” If God is for you then no one can defeat you.

A Cursed Legacy

The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.

Numbers 14:18

This week, an insightful reader left a comment on my face book page about last week’s blog. She said that some young parents, as a token of their love, have their children’s names tattooed on their bodies. However, she suggested that instead having themselves tattooed, these young parents should show their love for their children by taking them to church.

I wholeheartedly agree. Real love is not about permanently inking a child’s name on your body. Tattoos are only skin-deep (Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun). True, long-lasting love is better served through permanently inking a life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ on your child’s heart.   

However, this week’s lesson is not about tattoos or even the church. It is about cursed legacies, or generational curses that sometimes we unintentionally pass onto our children.

Most parents don’t intend to harm their children—that is the furthest thing from their minds. Unfortunately, whether they intend to or not, parents can harm their children through wrong life choices. Wrong words and actions can corrupt an innocent child (Galatians 5:9).

When parents are addicted to immoral behaviors, their children suffer. For example, an alcoholic may turn violent and begin verbally or even physically abusing an innocent child. Or money that’s setback for food and clothing is wasted by the drug addict. A child trapped in that type of environment can eventually view this as normal behavior; and as such, that child has a greater likelihood of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol. This is a generational curse.

But there are other types of destructive behaviors that plague many families. Sometimes completely oblivious to the possible ramifications, parents engage in behaviors that adversely affect their children.

Take for instance, a parent who constantly lies. In time, the children of that parent believe that lying is okay and they begin to accept it as normal behavior. This is another cursed legacy.  “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all Liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8, KJV, emphasis mine).

Perhaps you say, “That’s not me…I would never lie.” So let’s look at another example. Do you fault, criticize, or make jokes about your parents or in-laws?  Maybe it’s your mother-in-law or your father-in-law that you like to drag through the mud. Be warned! Inadvertently, you may be passing down a generational curse. Through your own disrespectful words, your child thinks that it’s okay to belittle older generations.  “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you…” (Deuteronomy 5:16, NLT).

Then there are times that you may be tempted to go on faultfinding missions, talking about someone behind his or her back. That can be another cursed legacy. Children, though they may be small, they have big ears. What type of disease are you sowing into their little souls? “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and Gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning…” (Romans 1:29-30, NLT, emphasis mine).

I know that I am throwing some hard punches today, but it’s only because I love you. You and I have to wise up so that we can clean up (notice I included myself in that statement). Yes, I too am guilty of some of this junk.   

Since some of these topics may be hitting too close to home, let’s wrap it up with one last curse, “Truth in living.”  This is a hard one so I am glad that I am not standing in front of you right now.

What type of legacy are you leaving to your children when they hear you speaking “Christianese” while you are in church, but when they see you at home, you do not live the Christian walk? In other words, you may say that you believe the Bible is the Word of God, but your children never see you open the pages of the Bible. Or you may behave one way when you are at church, but at home you curse, scream, and say all sorts of ugly things. A hypocritical religious spirit often leaves lifelong ink stains on a child’s soul. Those stains can be hard to remove.

Okay, I am done slinging dirt so now let me help you dust off. You cannot change your past—what has been done, has been done. But your future can change.  

God is mightier than every “Generational Curse.”  Whether the curse was handed down to you or whether you have handed it down to your own children…God is still mightier. In John 10:10, Jesus said that the thief (Satan) came to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came so that you can have life…life more abundantly. Through His blood, you and your family can be whole. God is merciful and He forgives when you repent. Not only does He forgive, but He also heals (2 Chronicles 7:14).  

Starting today, begin sowing a new legacy for your children. Ink the Word of God upon their little hearts, minds, and souls.

…for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Exodus 20:5-6(KJV)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  We can leave our children a cursed legacy through our own words and actions.

2.  God is mightier than all generational curses.

3.  God is merciful and He forgives us when we repent.

A Godly Legacy

The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.

Proverbs 3:35 (New King James)

Have any of you ever watched a movie that showed a large family squeezing into a teeny-tiny attorney’s office? Every member of the family anxiously awaited the reading of the Last Will and Testament. Breathless with anticipation, they all sat on the edge of their seats—their imaginations running wild.

You saw greed in their eyes as they rehearsed in their minds what they were going to say once they verified that their father had left them his entire estate. At that moment, they forgot all about their father’s final three years of suffering, as his diseased body slowly shriveled away. Now they were interested in only one thing….what did he leave them, what did they inherit?

The Will was read and pandemonium broke out.

Charlie, the oldest son of the deceased, thought that he deserved the largest inheritance so he began yelling at Susie, the youngest daughter of the deceased. Sandra, the widow and mother of both Charlie and Susie, began sobbing. And then Shawn, the oldest grandchild, began cursing. In the middle of all the commotion, the attorney kept saying, “Let’s calm down.”

These scenes are comical and they make us laugh; however, at the same time, they are sad. They illustrate the sinful greed that flows throughout our society.

Although the movie might have been fictional, I am sad to tell you that those types of reactions do happen. As a retired accountant, I have witnessed families being were torn apart because of worldly greed. Someone always thinks that he or she deserves more. That is because this world worships money.

All we think about is money, money, and more money, which in turn, leads to greed, greed, and more greed. “How can I accumulate more? I can never have enough! I’ve got to leave a large inheritance.”

Be warned! You can keep accumulating things and keep building barns to hold all of your possessions; but if you do, eventually you will become a servant to your money and to your possessions (Luke 12:15-21).

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24, NLT).

When people leave legacies of sin, those legacies begin to take root, and as a weed chokes out a flower, a sinful legacy chokes out life. Let’s confirm this through the Bible.

First we have Adam. Through his sin, Adam left a legacy of death (Romans 5:14). That’s not a very good legacy if you ask me!

Next, let’s look at King Saul. He, too, left a legacy of death to his son, Jonathan (1 Samuel 28:19, 31:2).  Then do you remember King David’s legacy to his child that he fathered with Bathsheba? That legacy was also death (2 Samuel 12:18). David’s son Amnon…death (2 Samuel 13:28). David’s son Absalom…death (2 Samuel 18:14). Death…death…death, sin leaves a legacy of death.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, KJV).

Change your priorities. Do not strive to accumulate massive wealth to leave as a legacy. Instead, leave another type of legacy—one that will not rot, rust, or disappear.  Leave your children a legacy of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

I am not sure if you recognized those qualities that were listed above, but those qualities are the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have your family remember this about you, “Dear old dad, he didn’t accumulate a lot of money, but he sure did love the Lord.”  That is a legacy of great worth.  

God is a perfect Father who gives us a legacy of great worth. He gives us love.

Through His Son (Jesus), God gives us an eternal legacy of life. Then His Son, Jesus the Messiah, bequeaths to us another legacy of life—salvation and the Holy Spirit. Praise God for these precious legacies!

Accept your inheritance of life through God’s Holy Spirit. Allow Him to mold and remake you into God’s image. When you do that, then you can pass on a legacy of life to your children. You can teach them through your words and actions what it means to live and walk by the Spirit of God.

Wouldn’t you love to leave a godly legacy to your family?

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 25:11 (KJV)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  A legacy of sin brings death.

2   God, through His Son, gives us a legacy of life.

3.  With help from God’s Spirit, you can leave a godly legacy.

Holiness – Dig Deeper

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

2 Peter 2:20-21

Hello Everyone!  I am glad that you have decided to join me in this wonderful expedition of digging into God’s Word. Today, we are going to dig deep so grab your gloves, shovel, and flashlight. Oh by the way, don’t forget to grab your Bible. You’re going to need it in this dig.

This week, we’re going to span a large time-period in biblical history; all the way from Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, up until today— the here and now. Really, our time span begins before Adam, back to the time when one-third of God’s angels fell into sin.

But first, we need to establish in our minds that God, the Creator of the heavens, the Earth, and us, is holy. He is a holy God (Leviticus 11:45, 1 Peter 1:16).

Next, we need to establish that God created man in His own image. Thus the original man (Adam) was initially created holy (Genesis 1:26-27). Even before God created man, He created the holy angels. Everything that God created was holy. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31, emphasis added).

God’s creation was not only good, but it was very good! So what happened? What turned God’s very good creation into a fallen, degenerate creation?

The short answer is sin. Sin caused the fall of some angels and the fall of mankind. Although sin can be enticing and may look pleasant to the eyes, it is not (Genesis 3:1-6).

In fact, sin can be so enticing that even an anointed cherub fell. The fallen cherub, who we know as Satan (Lucifer), esteemed himself to be as a god. He thought that he could rise above all of God’s creations; thus, he succumbed to the sin of pride and he fell (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17). Along with him, Satan took one-third of God’s angels (Rev 12:4).

Because of their sin, some of the fallen angels were immediately cast into hell. The remaining fallen angels will be cast into hell at a later time (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6, Revelations 12:7-9). But remember, we already established that these angels were originally created holy. Sin entered their hearts and they chose sin over holiness; thus, they became separated from God.

God is holy and He does not fellowship with sin (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 8:7-8).

Later in biblical history, we have Adam and Eve. They too, like the fallen angels, initially were holy but then they also chose to disobey God. They succumbed to sin and broke their fellowship with God. No longer could they walk and talk with God in the cool of the morning (Genesis 3:8).

Sin is devastating and its consequences far-reaching. Adam’s fall created within all of mankind a sin nature. Consequently, his fall separated you from God—now that is far-reaching! “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12, NLT).

But God is merciful. Although sin invaded His once holy creation, God provided a way that you can overcome sin. That way is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was the holy Lamb for all of mankind. All you have to do is believe in Him (John 3:16, Romans 5:15-21).

Once you believe in the gift of God’s Son (Jesus), then God cleanses your sin-contaminated heart. You regain the wonderful opportunity to fellowship with Him. However, this lesson is not about the history of the fall of the angels and mankind. It goes deeper.

When you believed in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, you were rebirthed into a holy creation, just like the holy angels and the first man (Adam). Now go back to the beginning of this lesson to see what happened to their holiness. They lost it because they chose sin!

Don’t worry, I am not getting into the age-old discussion of “once-saved-always-saved.” nor the potential “backsliding” of man. I am going to focus on God’s Word. If you want to delve deeper into those age-old arguments, then read Security: The False and the True, by W. T. Purkiser, or Bible Holiness by E. P. Ellyson. Both of these books deal with those issues.

Instead, I want to give you Scriptures that will help fortify your heart and keep you from falling. I don’t want you to make the same mistake that Adam or the angels made. Let’s turn on our flashlights and look at God’s Word.

If you are a reborn child of God, then you have God’s Holy Spirit within you. He can enable you to remain holy (Romans 8:8-9). He will shine a bright light of truth and bring Holy Scripture into your remembrance (John 14:26). Follow His light and abide in His truth (John 15:1-8). Do not grieve or resist Him; instead, obey Him. Allow Him to keep you sealed unto the day of your redemption (Acts 7:51, Ephesians 4:30).   

Hang tight to God’s Word because you will be bombarded with false doctrines. Some of these doctrines will appeal to your itchy ears and will sound true, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, they do not wholly agree with God’s Word; as such, they are doctrines of deceit and of devils (1Timothy 4:1). Therefore, heed God’s Word and His warnings and do not succumb to the teachings or cares of this life (Luke 21:34). Put on the whole armour of God and stand strong (Ephesians 6:11-18).

To summarize, your reborn holiness will be attacked; therefore, remain in constant obedience to God. Become steadfast! Walk in the light of His Word and His Spirit. Do not resist or grieve His Spirit. Lastly, put on the whole armour of God.

   

Whew…that was deep! I don’t know about you but I plan on digging deeper until my Lord returns. I want my holiness perfected through God’s Sprit.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)

Three Key Concepts:

1.  Everything that God created was initially holy.

2.  All of mankind and one-third of the angels chose to sin.

3.  Your newly born holiness will be attacked.