WEBVTT 00:00:02.929 --> 00:00:05.929 Your Bibles turn with me to the book of Second 00:00:05.929 --> 00:00:09.689 Chronicles. Ah, Second Chronicles. Is this on? 00:00:09.810 --> 00:00:13.830 Is this me? Is that you? Can you hear me? How 00:00:13.830 --> 00:00:16.050 many can hear me? And how many glad you hear 00:00:16.050 --> 00:00:18.850 me? Okay, that's a lot less of you right there. 00:00:19.629 --> 00:00:22.030 So, all right, Second Chronicles chapter number 00:00:22.030 --> 00:00:25.510 28, if you will. We're gonna look at King Ahaz. 00:00:26.129 --> 00:00:29.550 And really the theme of the story here is what 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:32.109 do you do when God gives you a second chance? 00:00:32.729 --> 00:00:37.210 Man, have you ever messed up royally? And oh 00:00:37.210 --> 00:00:39.810 yeah, and I remember I became pastor here in 00:00:39.810 --> 00:00:42.729 2009, and God's blessing, God's blessing. We 00:00:42.729 --> 00:00:46.549 get into 2010, I remember we broke 100 for the 00:00:46.549 --> 00:00:49.229 first time, and I was excited, we had scheduled 00:00:49.229 --> 00:00:53.450 revivals, and then 2010, right around the Thanksgiving 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:58.609 time, we had a huge. Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, 00:00:59.369 --> 00:01:02.509 and Brother Randy McMain, and he preached in 00:01:02.509 --> 00:01:04.709 one over the fellowship hall, and I preached 00:01:04.709 --> 00:01:07.549 over in the auditorium. We had cars everywhere. 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:10.629 There were 450 people here. We were running about 00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:15.189 110 at that time. It was an amazing Sunday, but 00:01:15.189 --> 00:01:18.569 also sort of a chaotic Sunday. That Monday, we 00:01:18.569 --> 00:01:20.609 had ran out of turkeys. We delivered turkeys 00:01:20.609 --> 00:01:24.469 all over Hampton Roads. And Thanksgiving time, 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:29.159 it was busy. I'd scheduled a revival with an 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:32.859 evangelist on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 00:01:32.859 --> 00:01:36.939 in early December. And I remember me personally, 00:01:37.019 --> 00:01:40.420 you know, I was a little wore out. And I thought, 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:43.420 well, you know, we're having a revival. And I 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:46.420 really, I didn't make much of an effort to tell 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:49.060 people about it. I didn't make an effort to print 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:52.959 any flyers for it. And you ever have that where 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.500 the Holy Spirit's nudging you, you need to do 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.280 this, you need to, and I'm early in the pastor, 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:01.420 and I basically, and I hate to say it, but I 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:05.959 said, no, it's been busy, and I said no to God. 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.659 And I remember that revival came, and the evangelist 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:12.919 was there, and he'd asked me for a few things, 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:16.979 and he got there, and he got upset with me. and 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:20.060 I remember it, I remember his upsetness with 00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:22.840 me, and I remember thinking, you know, I deserve 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.680 this, this is terrible. Then we had a sessions 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:29.199 on that Thursday, I remember the sessions Thursday, 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:32.960 we had like 15 people come, and I remember I 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:35.080 thought, this is bad enough, evangelist, he's 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.800 upset with me, I don't blame him, and I know 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:41.500 God's not happy with me, and then I remember 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.120 that Friday, and Mrs. Nettis, I will never forget 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:48.610 that. My son Daniel was born So I had to go to 00:02:48.610 --> 00:02:51.250 the hospital on Friday I think I left you brother 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:54.650 Mike there to handle everything to God be the 00:02:54.650 --> 00:02:58.810 glory and At the end of it. It was the most miserable 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:03.430 revival services that we ever had at our church 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:07.050 I I thought God was gonna like take a elect, 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:09.009 you know, one of those lightning bolts and and 00:03:09.009 --> 00:03:12.770 zapped me my my career as a pastor was done and 00:03:12.770 --> 00:03:16.180 But here's the thing God gave me another chance. 00:03:17.340 --> 00:03:19.900 God gave me another chance. I went to the Lord. 00:03:21.300 --> 00:03:23.819 I confessed my sin. I confessed my weakness. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:25.439 I don't know if I've ever really told you much 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:27.379 about this, but I remember just saying, God, 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:29.539 I'm sorry if you give me another chance. When 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:31.259 we have a revival, I'm gonna work. I'm gonna 00:03:31.259 --> 00:03:32.939 try. I'm gonna lead. I'm gonna do everything 00:03:32.939 --> 00:03:35.860 I can. I'm not gonna be lazy. But I think about 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:42.379 God gave me a second chance. God gave me a second 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:46.889 chance. How many of you would say God's given 00:03:46.889 --> 00:03:49.770 you a second chance? Praise God for that second 00:03:49.770 --> 00:03:52.469 chance. Now, the thing is, it's not the last 00:03:52.469 --> 00:03:54.669 time I've ever failed him, but when God gives 00:03:54.669 --> 00:03:57.430 you another chance, what are you gonna do with 00:03:57.430 --> 00:03:59.289 that another chance? We're gonna look at King 00:03:59.289 --> 00:04:02.650 Ahaz. He's gonna royally mess up, and then you're 00:04:02.650 --> 00:04:04.610 gonna notice God gave, God who's merciful, God 00:04:04.610 --> 00:04:06.389 gave him another chance. But we're gonna look 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:08.689 what Ahaz did in that second chance. Let's stand 00:04:08.689 --> 00:04:11.530 for the reading of God's word. We're gonna read 00:04:11.530 --> 00:04:13.969 2 Chronicles chapter 28. We're just gonna read 00:04:13.969 --> 00:04:16.649 one verse, verse number one. Let's read it all 00:04:16.649 --> 00:04:20.310 together. 2 Chronicles 28, verse number one. 00:04:20.410 --> 00:04:24.689 Are you ready? Ahaz was 20 years old when he 00:04:24.689 --> 00:04:28.850 began to reign. And he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, 00:04:29.149 --> 00:04:32.550 but he did not that which was right in the sight 00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:36.879 of the Lord like David his father. He did not 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:40.819 that which was right in the sight of the Lord. 00:04:41.220 --> 00:04:43.600 Now, there's a lot in there. He was 20 years 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.800 old when he began to reign. His father was Jotham, 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.420 the chapter before. He began to reign when he 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:53.639 was 25 years, and his father reigned for 16 years. 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:56.680 Here, he's 20 years age, and the Bible says he 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.459 reigned for 16 years. Both reigned 16 years, 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.879 but Jotham did that which was right in the sight 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:06.540 of the Lord, but his son Ahaz Ah, he royally 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:09.500 messed up. He did that which is not right in 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:12.500 the sight of the Lord. And really the title is 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:14.639 What Do You Do When God Gives You A Second Chance? 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:16.680 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Father in 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:20.339 Heaven, we love you. And I pray that you help 00:05:20.339 --> 00:05:23.579 us to remind ourselves about King Ahas. Help 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:26.560 us to see these truths. And I do believe even 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.139 right this moment, there is really the hand of 00:05:30.139 --> 00:05:32.939 your mercy being given over to somebody even 00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:35.819 tonight. and they've got another chance. And 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:37.519 I pray that you help them to learn from King 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:40.639 Ahaz and make some decisions even tonight. And 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.100 then, Lord, I have no doubt we're all gonna need 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:46.839 another chance. We're sinful, we sin against 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:49.019 you, and I pray that you help us when we get 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:51.459 to that point when you extend that hand of mercy, 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.319 help us to reach out and make the most of it. 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:55.980 We love you, Lord. We need you in Jesus' name, 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.879 amen. You may be seated. Oh, look back with me 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:03.959 at chapter number 27. King Jotham in chapter 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:08.519 number 27, verse six, it says, so Jotham became 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:12.079 mighty because what? He prepared his ways before 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.319 the Lord his God. Okay, we're just getting in 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.800 the message tonight, but King Ahaz, his dad was 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:21.420 Jotham and his dad was a mighty man. He was mighty 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:24.339 because he prepared his heart to live for God. 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:27.180 He was a mighty man, a mighty man. Imagine your 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:30.410 dad. a mighty man of God, living for God, serving 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:34.829 God. And wow, imagine you're Ahaz, you're a child 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:38.350 of the king. You're a child of the king. Imagine 00:06:38.350 --> 00:06:40.629 all of a sudden, you're 20 years of age, and 00:06:40.629 --> 00:06:42.509 next thing you know, your dad suddenly dies, 00:06:42.990 --> 00:06:45.170 and next thing you know, next thing you know, 00:06:45.449 --> 00:06:48.889 you have a chance to be the king of Judah right 00:06:48.889 --> 00:06:50.689 there. But before we get to that, a child of 00:06:50.689 --> 00:06:53.970 the king. Let me read this to you. Behold what 00:06:53.970 --> 00:06:56.050 manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon 00:06:56.050 --> 00:07:01.579 us. that we should be called the sons of God. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.660 Do you realize in Revelation chapter 19, it talks 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:10.620 about Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings and 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:13.399 Lord of lords. How many of you have been saved 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:15.699 by the blood of the crucified one? Man, you're 00:07:15.699 --> 00:07:21.139 a child of the King. You're a child of the King. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:24.120 Man, live. Wow. When we realize you're a child 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.350 of God, Boy, when you believe on him, as many 00:07:27.350 --> 00:07:29.430 as received him to them became become the sons 00:07:29.430 --> 00:07:31.449 of God, even to them that believe on his name. 00:07:31.470 --> 00:07:33.589 You became a child of God, a child of the King, 00:07:33.870 --> 00:07:36.110 and let's rejoice in being a child of the King. 00:07:36.949 --> 00:07:38.389 Ahaz is something good, but we had something 00:07:38.389 --> 00:07:41.329 far better. We're a child of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:07:41.389 --> 00:07:43.569 and that is blessing. Now, a child of the King, 00:07:43.629 --> 00:07:45.290 look at verse number one again with me, chapter 00:07:45.290 --> 00:07:49.089 28, verse number one. Ahaz was 25 years old when 00:07:49.089 --> 00:07:51.730 he began to reign. Look at verse two. For he 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:57.449 walked, he walked. in the ways of the kings of 00:07:57.449 --> 00:08:03.689 Israel and made also, what's that word? Molten 00:08:03.689 --> 00:08:08.089 images for Balaam. Now, in my imagination, I 00:08:08.089 --> 00:08:10.649 was trying to think Molten. He had some people 00:08:10.649 --> 00:08:12.939 in the kingdom begin to melt metal. and they 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:17.240 begin to form and fashion these idols, these 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:20.500 images, and they did that for the wicked god 00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:23.300 Baal. Baal worshipers, remember the Baal worshipers 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:25.459 where they're cutting themselves, and Baal's 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:28.259 a false god, Baal's not real. And here, imagine 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:30.680 as you begin to travel around the southern kingdom 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:33.679 of Judah, right over there in Jerusalem, there's 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.720 the temple, there's the temple mount, there's 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:37.460 the Mount of Olives. The next thing you know, 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:39.580 you're walking around, you begin to see it's 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:43.120 sort of normal. There's molten images in the 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:46.139 city. There's molten images around the countryside. 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:49.100 You begin to look at these molten images. That's 00:08:49.100 --> 00:08:51.500 wicked. And in my notes when I said, you're a 00:08:51.500 --> 00:08:53.779 child of the king, Ahaz. You're a child of the 00:08:53.779 --> 00:08:57.500 king. What are you thinking? Hey, Ahaz, no, don't 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:01.220 do that. Hey, Ahaz, knock it off. How are you 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:04.059 allowing this? It was his life. He began to make 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:08.779 decisions where he made molten images. For Balaam, 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:12.940 look at verse 23, it gets worse. Moreover, he 00:09:12.940 --> 00:09:18.159 burnt incense in the valley of the son of what? 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:22.940 Hinnom. And, it's hard to even believe that this 00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:31.000 is written. And burnt his children in the fire 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:35.159 after the abominations of the heathen whom the 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:38.419 Lord had cast out. before the children of Israel. 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:46.639 Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. It's hard to read that. Imagine 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:52.019 you're a son of Ahaz. Hey son, come with me. 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:54.440 And all of a sudden they go to the valley over 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:00.720 there and he begins to offer up his child, his 00:10:00.720 --> 00:10:03.980 flesh and his blood and begins to put, now that 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:08.840 wasn't a pretty sight. The child died, and we 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:11.559 begin to look at that. Can I just say, hey, hey, 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.799 hey Ahaz, you're a child of the king. What are 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:20.120 you thinking? No, don't do that. Hey Ahaz, what 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:23.480 are you thinking? No, don't do that. By the way, 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:25.820 you ever thought about you and me? Sometimes 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:28.600 we do stupid stuff. We sin against the Almighty 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.720 God, and we can almost see God looking down and 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:33.240 say, hey, hey, you're a child. You're my child, 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:37.059 no. Don't do that. It wasn't just one child. 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:39.320 It says children. Look at this in verse number 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:42.620 four. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:45.559 the high places and on the hills and under every 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:49.049 green tree. He began to offer. burnt incense 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.289 to these false gods, and it became the normal 00:10:52.289 --> 00:10:55.789 way of Judah, sinning against God, sinning against 00:10:55.789 --> 00:10:58.889 the creator, sinning against the God that he 00:10:58.889 --> 00:11:01.409 should love. There's the temple, there's the 00:11:01.409 --> 00:11:04.210 house of God, there's priests in the land, there's 00:11:04.210 --> 00:11:06.269 prophets in the land, and he's going against 00:11:06.269 --> 00:11:08.830 the way of his father, Jotham, and he begins 00:11:08.830 --> 00:11:12.029 to sin in a great way. He transgresses against 00:11:12.029 --> 00:11:17.080 the Almighty God. Now. Oh, prone to wonder, Lord, 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.120 I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. You 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.360 ever been there? You ever take a step away from 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.960 God? And then all of a sudden you realize what 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:27.279 you're doing. What have I done? What have I done? 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:29.019 What have I done? You ever been there? You ever 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:31.230 done that? We've all done that. And here he is, 00:11:31.350 --> 00:11:34.090 he's going to extremes. I pray to God, none of 00:11:34.090 --> 00:11:36.129 you have ever sanctified your children. Praise 00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:38.250 God that you pray to God that you're not building 00:11:38.250 --> 00:11:41.730 or making Bolton images to Balaam. And we think, 00:11:41.929 --> 00:11:44.870 hey, hey Ahaz, no, don't do that. Now here's 00:11:44.870 --> 00:11:47.570 the truth. When we get to that point, we take 00:11:47.570 --> 00:11:49.129 steps away from God. Think about it, you take 00:11:49.129 --> 00:11:51.370 a step away from God, another step away from 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:53.470 God, next to the step away from God, next to 00:11:53.470 --> 00:11:55.169 the step away from God, there's something waiting 00:11:55.169 --> 00:11:58.230 for you. That direction away from God leads to 00:11:58.230 --> 00:12:00.169 God's judgment. Look with me at verse number 00:12:00.169 --> 00:12:03.330 five. Wherefore, say that word, look at verse 00:12:03.330 --> 00:12:07.190 five. Wherefore, the Lord. Wherefore, think about 00:12:07.190 --> 00:12:10.929 it. Because of what you've done, because you've 00:12:10.929 --> 00:12:13.590 transgressed against God, because you've made 00:12:13.590 --> 00:12:16.730 those molten images, wherefore the Lord, his 00:12:16.730 --> 00:12:20.909 God, delivered him into the hand of the king 00:12:20.909 --> 00:12:23.870 of Syria. And as you begin to look at this, and 00:12:23.870 --> 00:12:26.149 it says, and they smote him. and carried away 00:12:26.149 --> 00:12:28.549 a great multitude of them captives and brought 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:32.330 them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into 00:12:32.330 --> 00:12:34.830 the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him 00:12:34.830 --> 00:12:37.710 with a great slaughter. And you begin to read 00:12:37.710 --> 00:12:40.990 this. And look at verse number eight. And the 00:12:40.990 --> 00:12:44.870 children of Israel, this is the northern kingdom 00:12:44.870 --> 00:12:47.909 of Israel, carried away, captive to their brethren, 00:12:49.029 --> 00:12:55.600 200 ,000 women, sons, and daughters. and took 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.940 also away much spoil from them and brought the 00:12:58.940 --> 00:13:01.120 spoil to Samaria. Part of the message, we're 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:02.460 getting there, and it's not really a message 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:04.539 about this, but when you get away from the Lord, 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:07.659 you have a lot to lose. And the blessing of the 00:13:07.659 --> 00:13:10.639 Lord, it's good, it is so good. When you're under 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:12.200 the blessedness of the man that walketh not in 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:13.419 the counsel of the Lord God, you're under the 00:13:13.419 --> 00:13:15.440 blessing of God, the hand of God. God's saying, 00:13:15.480 --> 00:13:17.059 hey, that's my boy, I'm gonna take care of the 00:13:17.059 --> 00:13:19.799 protection of God, the guidance of God. The blessing 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.450 of the Lord that maketh rich. And when you step 00:13:22.450 --> 00:13:24.909 away from that, you begin to take God's hand 00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:28.190 of judgment and He puts it on you. He takes that 00:13:28.190 --> 00:13:30.389 protection away from you. And the next thing 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:32.870 you know, you've got the Syrians. They're attacking. 00:13:32.950 --> 00:13:35.250 You've got the northern kingdom of Israel. It's 00:13:35.250 --> 00:13:38.370 a miserable life. The most miserable people in 00:13:38.370 --> 00:13:40.129 the world, I believe, are people who have been 00:13:40.129 --> 00:13:42.350 saved by the blood of the crucified one who walk 00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:45.649 away from God. The chastisement of God. Hebrews 00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:48.769 chapter number 12. The least happy people in 00:13:48.769 --> 00:13:52.509 the world. Oh, I'm happy. No, actually you may 00:13:52.509 --> 00:13:55.350 smile but on the inside you're hurting because 00:13:55.350 --> 00:13:57.750 you no longer have the blessings of God and and 00:13:57.750 --> 00:13:59.970 boy the blessing Hey, don't take for granted 00:13:59.970 --> 00:14:02.710 children teenagers. Don't take for granted the 00:14:02.710 --> 00:14:05.019 Christian home that you have Don't take for granted 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:06.879 that you have the privilege to come to church, 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:08.639 not only on Sunday morning, but you have the 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:10.779 privilege. It's not a right, it's a privilege 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:13.019 to come to church on a Sunday night. Hey, don't 00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:15.000 take for granted the privilege you have to tell 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.759 people about Jesus. Don't take for granted the 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:19.759 privilege you have to sing in that choir, that 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:22.480 great choir, or play in the orchestra, or be 00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:26.980 an usher, or even work with those vicious little 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:31.580 children in the nursery. And trust me, those 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:34.470 kids in the nursery, they're vicious. Vicious, 00:14:34.870 --> 00:14:37.750 but thank the Lord for that. It's still a blessing. 00:14:37.850 --> 00:14:40.210 It's a blessing to serve the Lord. It's a blessing 00:14:40.210 --> 00:14:43.450 to serve the Lord. And I think of the dear people 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:46.710 in our church, the sacrifices you've made. and 00:14:46.710 --> 00:14:49.490 just how hard you work to try to serve the Lord 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:52.190 in so many different ways. And God sees that, 00:14:52.330 --> 00:14:55.009 it's work, sometimes you get tired, but there's 00:14:55.009 --> 00:14:58.549 such fulfillment in giving your life and really 00:14:58.549 --> 00:15:00.730 trying your best to live for God. Now, this is 00:15:00.730 --> 00:15:03.909 a side note, and I wanna mention this, we as 00:15:03.909 --> 00:15:05.610 a church, one of the reasons I believe we are 00:15:05.610 --> 00:15:07.409 blessed as a church, this is just a side note, 00:15:07.409 --> 00:15:09.289 but one of the reasons we're blessed as a church, 00:15:09.350 --> 00:15:11.350 can I say a little side note, so it's not really 00:15:11.350 --> 00:15:13.470 a sermon, but one of the reasons we're blessed 00:15:13.470 --> 00:15:16.700 as a church, because as a church, Baptist wants 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:19.379 to fulfill the great commission and tell a lost 00:15:19.379 --> 00:15:22.000 and dying world about the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:25.419 And I praise God. Saturday, Brother Mike, think 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:28.440 six people got saved. To God be the glory. And 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:30.539 I hear about that on Thursday night. Every Thursday 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:32.299 night, people getting saved. The ladies, they 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:34.080 go soul winning. The ladies go soul winning. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.919 Twice a month. And the ladies go out there and 00:15:36.919 --> 00:15:39.879 almost every time somebody gets gloriously saved. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.200 Heard a preacher recently said 50 years ago, 00:15:45.370 --> 00:15:48.429 in a Bible -believing church, I think the statistic 00:15:48.429 --> 00:15:51.470 he said was 64 % of the people in that Bible 00:15:51.470 --> 00:15:53.889 -believing church were regularly giving out the 00:15:53.889 --> 00:15:57.250 gospel. They would be, 64 % would regularly go 00:15:57.250 --> 00:15:59.629 out there, they'd grab gospel tracts, and they 00:15:59.629 --> 00:16:02.629 would notice people as they went and try their 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:06.450 best to tell them about Jesus. Now, in the preaching, 00:16:06.509 --> 00:16:07.649 here's what he said, I don't know where he got 00:16:07.649 --> 00:16:10.610 this, but he said it's different today. He says 00:16:10.610 --> 00:16:12.710 in a Bible -believing church, a Bible -believing 00:16:12.710 --> 00:16:15.419 church like Chesapeake Baptist Church, It's not 00:16:15.419 --> 00:16:21.340 64 % anymore, it's 6%. Well, what does that mean? 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:25.360 Okay, I pray it convicted me because I want to 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.240 say, no, no, no, no, that's not the way it is 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.940 at Chesapeake Baptist Church. I hope not. But 00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:32.299 just imagine this. What does that mean when you 00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:36.320 go 64 % to 6 %? That means some people are stepping 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.480 over here and stepping over here. And when we 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.419 step away from God, what does that mean? Lead 00:16:41.419 --> 00:16:43.340 to. It doesn't lead to the blessing of the Lord. 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:45.799 And one of the reasons we're very blessed at 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.259 our church is because we regularly get out the 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:51.580 gospel. We at least try. We at least try. We 00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:54.860 at least try. Well, I was convicted. And I thought 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:56.820 about it. I try to carry gospel tracts. I try 00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:59.080 to tell people about the Lord. I was in the store 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:02.980 yesterday, and boy, I'm at the crazy Mother's 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:04.960 Day store. There's people everywhere. There's 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:07.500 a long line. I talked to the guy behind me. He 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:10.579 wasn't really interested. There's a naval officer 00:17:10.579 --> 00:17:12.420 who's right there, and the Lord began to prick 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:15.079 me to talk to him, and he was busy. He's rung, 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:17.839 scanning, scanning, scanning. I said, hey, thank 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:19.759 you for your service. He looked and he said, 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:23.599 ah, you're welcome, and turned away. He left, 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:25.700 and I didn't give him a gospel track. And the 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:27.079 Lord has beaten me up a little bit about it. 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:28.740 You should have talked to him. And on the way 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:30.380 out, I checked out real quick. I said, Lord, 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:32.660 help me see him in the parking lot. Help me see 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:34.480 him in the parking lot. I stepped out in the 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:36.539 parking lot. I'm looking for him. He was parked 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:40.500 right next to my car. So I ran up to him yesterday, 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:42.619 and all of a sudden, as I'm running out there, 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.279 he starts pulling up. I said, stop! Roll down 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:46.940 the window. He's like this. I said, roll down 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:50.240 the window. And at least I tried. I tried, I 00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.380 gave him a gospel track, and I think that's what 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:56.200 God wants us to do. He wants us to try, try, 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:58.839 try. Some of you, now please forgive me, this 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:00.700 is not the message, but it's important. As a 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:02.440 church, you like the blessings that you get at 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:05.539 our church. You like the blessings, and I like 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:08.319 the blessings, but come step back in, take a 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:11.079 step back toward God, grab you some gospel tracks, 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:13.900 and look for people that you can tell about Jesus, 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:16.779 maybe your friends and your family. Show up for 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:20.859 soul winning. Show up for soul winning. We don't 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:23.380 ask much. I really wish you'd at least come once 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:25.079 a month for Super Saturday Soul Winning. We had 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:29.259 almost 100 people there. But show up. Make an 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:31.619 effort. Well, Pastor, I don't like that. Well, 00:18:31.619 --> 00:18:33.440 I don't like people dying and going to hell. 00:18:34.500 --> 00:18:37.839 I don't like it. And that's the reality. We're 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:39.880 called as a church. The Great Commission is not 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:41.920 a suggestion. It's a command from the Almighty 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:46.579 God. It's important for us to step close to the 00:18:46.579 --> 00:18:49.119 Lord. The blessing of the Lord maketh rich. But 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:51.960 as we step away and we step away and we begin 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:54.920 to serve other idols, the message that Ahaz is 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:57.420 preaching to or being preached at today is being 00:18:57.420 --> 00:18:59.180 preached to us today in so many different ways. 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.660 But here's what it is. God's merciful. Look at 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:07.240 verse number nine. God's merciful. But a prophet 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:11.819 of the Lord was there whose name was what? Odead. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:16.599 I sort of like Odead. Now, I think we got like 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:19.539 several ladies in the church, like four or five 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:21.720 or six or seven or eight or I don't even know, 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.339 but are about to have babies. I think Odead's 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:27.019 a great name. I think great, great. We don't 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:31.119 have any Odeads, but I mean, Odead might work. 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:33.980 Okay, look at this, was Odead, and he went out. 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:37.500 before the host that came, remember the 200 ,000, 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:41.480 200 ,000 are coming out of, they're coming out 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.700 of Judah and they're going into Israel. But look, 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:46.779 it says, behold, here's what he says, behold, 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:50.359 because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.480 with Judah, that's the southern kingdom, he hath 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:55.740 delivered them into your hand, he's preaching 00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:58.170 to the children of Israel. and you have slain 00:19:58.170 --> 00:20:01.549 them in a rage that, in a rage, this is a wild 00:20:01.549 --> 00:20:03.990 sentence, the children of Israel, you have slain 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:07.809 them in a rage, in a rage that reacheth up in 00:20:07.809 --> 00:20:12.910 unto what? Wow, what a statement. He's preaching 00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:15.529 to the children of Israel, the northern kingdom. 00:20:15.789 --> 00:20:18.309 They're bringing the, they want a victory. God 00:20:18.309 --> 00:20:21.009 allowed that victory, God's judgment on the southern 00:20:21.009 --> 00:20:23.289 kingdom. He's bringing them up the north, these 00:20:23.289 --> 00:20:26.109 women and children, and all of a sudden, God 00:20:26.109 --> 00:20:28.349 sent the prophet and said, it's a rage, what 00:20:28.349 --> 00:20:30.769 you're doing. You're doing more than I wanted 00:20:30.769 --> 00:20:33.309 in that judgment. You're taking more upon you, 00:20:33.490 --> 00:20:36.509 and the rage is reaching up into heaven. And 00:20:36.509 --> 00:20:38.630 that's what the prophet's saying. And there's 00:20:38.630 --> 00:20:40.730 so much more to this story than that, but wow, 00:20:40.789 --> 00:20:43.970 wow, wow. Look at verse number 10. and now ye 00:20:43.970 --> 00:20:46.849 purpose to keep under the children of Judah and 00:20:46.849 --> 00:20:50.109 Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you, 00:20:50.349 --> 00:20:53.490 but are there not with you, even with you, sins 00:20:53.490 --> 00:20:57.029 against the Lord your God? Now hear me therefore, 00:20:57.329 --> 00:21:01.150 and deliver the captains again." There's so much 00:21:01.150 --> 00:21:02.630 we're not gonna read the whole thing, but what 00:21:02.630 --> 00:21:04.150 was the result? The preacher preached the word. 00:21:04.170 --> 00:21:07.309 He preached the word to the northern kingdom 00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:11.990 of Israel. Verse 12, then certain of the heads 00:21:12.140 --> 00:21:15.140 of the children of Ephraim. Always remember that 00:21:15.140 --> 00:21:17.799 Ephraim is another word for the northern kingdom 00:21:17.799 --> 00:21:20.079 of Israel. The children of Ephraim. Now look 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.660 at this name. Azariah, the son of Johanan. Barakiah, 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:29.680 the son of Mesh -le -moth. And Jehazakiah, the 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:33.619 son of Shalom. And Amesa, the son of Hadaliah. 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:37.579 That's a lot of names right there. How did you 00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:39.650 do when you pronounced those? For the hell of 00:21:39.650 --> 00:21:40.910 gray, it didn't sound like you did too good. 00:21:40.970 --> 00:21:42.789 I tried, I tried. It's embarrassing when I have 00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:45.190 to try. Thank you very much for that mercy. But 00:21:45.190 --> 00:21:49.190 look at this, stood up against them and came 00:21:49.190 --> 00:21:52.670 from the war and said to them, ye shall not bring 00:21:52.670 --> 00:21:56.210 the cat. What you're seeing here, you're noticing 00:21:56.210 --> 00:21:58.480 that some people listen to the preaching. And 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.579 what they ended up doing is by the time you get 00:22:00.579 --> 00:22:03.319 to verse number 15, look at this, and the men 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:05.200 which were expressed by name rose up and took 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.700 the captives. You gotta see verse 15, here's 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:09.980 what they did. And I want you to, as we read 00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:13.240 this, this is God's mercy. God sent a preacher. 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:16.079 God had mercy on the southern kingdom of Judah 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:19.319 because God loved Ahaz. God loved the children 00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:22.519 of Judah very much. And it says, and arrayed 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:24.759 them. and shod them, this is halfway through 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:27.880 verse 15, and gave them to eat and to drink, 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:31.019 why did they give them to God's mercy, and anoint 00:22:31.019 --> 00:22:33.900 to them God's mercy, and carried all the feeble 00:22:33.900 --> 00:22:36.900 of them on asses, that's God's mercy, and brought 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:39.920 them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, that's 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:43.819 God's mercy. The Lord is merciful and gracious, 00:22:44.140 --> 00:22:46.819 slow to. and plenteous in mercy, it says in the 00:22:46.819 --> 00:22:49.440 book of Psalms. Psalm chapter 86, for thou, Lord, 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:52.799 art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:55.579 mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Psalm 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.220 136 verse one, oh, give thanks to the Lord, for 00:22:58.220 --> 00:23:01.200 he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. God 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.539 is a merciful God. When you read that story, 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:06.039 whether you understand it or not, God was being 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:09.319 merciful to Ahaz. He's saying, hey, Ahaz, hey, 00:23:09.819 --> 00:23:12.930 nation of Judah, hey, you messed up. But I love 00:23:12.930 --> 00:23:15.130 you, I care for you. What he's saying is I'm 00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:17.950 gonna give you a second chance. I'm gonna give 00:23:17.950 --> 00:23:22.670 you a second chance. Man, that's a gift. A second 00:23:22.670 --> 00:23:25.789 chance is a gift of God. It's a gift of God. 00:23:26.150 --> 00:23:28.769 And God is merciful, God is merciful. He treats 00:23:28.769 --> 00:23:31.529 us better than we deserve to be treated. And 00:23:31.529 --> 00:23:33.910 praise God for a second chance. Praise God. What 00:23:33.910 --> 00:23:36.190 do you do, by the way, what do you do when God 00:23:36.190 --> 00:23:37.930 gives you a second chance? That's the sermon. 00:23:38.170 --> 00:23:39.869 When God gives you a second chance, are you gonna 00:23:39.869 --> 00:23:42.799 run back to Him? When God gives you a second 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:45.839 chance, are you gonna humble yourselves a has 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:47.980 hey when God gives you a second chance Are you 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:51.200 gonna use your life for him when God gives you 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.319 a second chance and he begins to speak to your 00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:55.799 heart? Are you gonna listen to God this time? 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:58.599 When God brings you out of trouble, are you gonna 00:23:58.599 --> 00:24:02.400 stay out of trouble? Hey, when God gives you 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:05.240 room to repent and change your mind, are you 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:07.240 gonna turn around? When God gives you another 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:09.599 chance, are you gonna look to Him and look to 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:11.619 Him as the author and finish your faith, ask 00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:14.019 forgiveness and move to a life that lives for 00:24:14.019 --> 00:24:15.759 Him? What do you do when God gives you a second 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:19.279 chance? And this is powerful. Maybe it's just 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.819 preaching to me, but thank God for a second chance. 00:24:23.409 --> 00:24:28.029 Thank God for a second chance. Now, what did 00:24:28.029 --> 00:24:33.609 Ahaz do? Look at verse 18. At that time, at that 00:24:33.609 --> 00:24:35.289 time of God's mercy, and think about when you 00:24:35.289 --> 00:24:37.809 look at that word, at that time, that's the time 00:24:37.809 --> 00:24:40.410 of God's mercy. At that time, what are you doing 00:24:40.410 --> 00:24:43.230 at that time? What are you doing at that time, 00:24:43.369 --> 00:24:46.549 teenager? Well, here's King Ahaz. At that time 00:24:46.549 --> 00:24:51.450 did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria, 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:57.319 to help him. For again, the Edomites had come 00:24:57.319 --> 00:24:59.619 and smitten Judah and carried away captives, 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:02.740 and the Philistines also had invaded the cities 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:06.819 and the low country. Now, look at verse 19, just 00:25:06.819 --> 00:25:11.160 look at this. For the Lord brought Judah low, 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:16.259 why? Because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he made 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:19.759 Judah naked and transgressed sore against the 00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:22.250 Lord. Hey, in that time of second chance, he 00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:25.029 went further into sin. Here, God, all of a sudden, 00:25:25.049 --> 00:25:27.250 is reaching out his hand of mercy and saying, 00:25:27.430 --> 00:25:30.609 hey, Ahaz, come back, come back, come back. And 00:25:30.609 --> 00:25:33.190 God extended his hand of mercy in a great way 00:25:33.190 --> 00:25:36.170 right there. And Ahaz turned his back on God. 00:25:36.450 --> 00:25:39.170 He began to, you read it, there's so much more 00:25:39.170 --> 00:25:41.750 here, but he began to go to the Assyrians for 00:25:41.750 --> 00:25:44.869 help. Look at verse 20. And Tiglath -Palyser, 00:25:44.990 --> 00:25:46.750 king of Assyria, came unto him and distressed 00:25:46.750 --> 00:25:50.099 him. Verse 21, and Ahaz took away a portion out 00:25:50.099 --> 00:25:51.880 of the house of the Lord. He began to rob the 00:25:51.880 --> 00:25:54.559 house of the Lord and give it away. And look 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:56.579 at verse 22, you gotta see this. This is an important 00:25:56.579 --> 00:26:01.039 verse. And in the time of his distress, in the 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:04.779 time of his distress, did he trespass yet more 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:12.299 against the Lord. This is, that King Ahaz, I 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:16.359 put that really bold, this is, What's the life 00:26:16.359 --> 00:26:18.980 of King Ahaz? When God's merciful to him, he 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.299 steps over here and goes farther away from God, 00:26:21.599 --> 00:26:25.559 turns his back on God. This is that King Ahaz. 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:30.319 This is that King Ahaz. And he sticks his thumb 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.400 and says, ah, puts his back against God. This 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:35.819 is that King Ahaz, a rebel. This is that King 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:39.059 of Ahaz despising the mercy of God. This is that 00:26:39.059 --> 00:26:41.700 King Ahaz who sinned against God. This is, I 00:26:41.700 --> 00:26:44.309 don't want to be like that. I don't wanna be 00:26:44.309 --> 00:26:49.089 like that. A second chance wasted. A second chance 00:26:49.089 --> 00:26:52.609 wasted. A second chance. Don't waste your second 00:26:52.609 --> 00:26:59.089 chance. Look at this. This is the reality. Verse 00:26:59.089 --> 00:27:07.230 number 27. And Ahaz slept with his fathers and 00:27:07.230 --> 00:27:09.910 they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem, 00:27:10.490 --> 00:27:13.069 but. They brought him not into the sepulchres 00:27:13.069 --> 00:27:16.190 of the kings of Israel. You know, Ahas died. 00:27:16.210 --> 00:27:19.109 At the end of it, after 16 years, God's mercy 00:27:19.109 --> 00:27:22.069 was there. He ran from God and things got worse 00:27:22.069 --> 00:27:25.029 and worse and worse and worse. And really, I 00:27:25.029 --> 00:27:27.910 should have mentioned, this is important. When 00:27:27.910 --> 00:27:30.190 he went away from God, it wasn't just him that 00:27:30.190 --> 00:27:31.849 he affected. Do you realize he affected a lot 00:27:31.849 --> 00:27:35.609 of people? He hurt the whole kingdom. Men, women, 00:27:35.769 --> 00:27:38.619 boys and girls. They had to live in a land that 00:27:38.619 --> 00:27:41.519 had molten images, live in a land that offered 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:45.400 incense to these false gods. And Ahaz, the reality 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:49.240 is after 16 years at 36 years of age, how many 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:51.960 of you here are 36 or younger? Raise your hand. 00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:55.920 36 or younger? Wow. How many are older than 36? 00:27:56.859 --> 00:28:02.039 Okay, if you're here, you're dead. He died. And 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:04.299 you think about this, what happened when Ahaz 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:09.240 died? Well. The reality is, he has never got 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:11.740 away with his sin. It's a fearful thing to fall 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:16.519 in the hands of the living God. So then every 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:23.000 one of us shall give an account of himself to 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.099 God. In Numbers chapter 32 verse 23, be sure 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:34.720 your sin will find you out. Went to lunch with 00:28:34.720 --> 00:28:38.039 the pastor this week. It was good, good food, 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:40.920 good fellowship. We're rejoicing in the Lord. 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:44.980 And I enjoyed the fellowship tremendously. And 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:47.799 about when we were about to go, the pastor looks 00:28:47.799 --> 00:28:50.359 up to me and he said to me, he said, Pastor, 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:53.920 did you hear about so -and -so? I didn't bring 00:28:53.920 --> 00:29:01.960 it up. So -and -so? Yeah, I did. It's very sad. 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:04.980 And you guys wouldn't know about it, but. He 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:07.140 knew about it and I didn't bring it up. I said, 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:09.700 it's very sad, but here's what I said to him. 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:13.519 God's a merciful God. God's a God of second chances. 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:17.519 The question is not if God wants him back, that 00:29:17.519 --> 00:29:20.220 man who sinned greatly, it's what is he going 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:23.039 to do with the second chance? What's he gonna 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:25.240 do with the second chance? What's he gonna do 00:29:25.240 --> 00:29:28.880 with the second chance? There was a man who grew 00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:32.440 up in a Christian home and all of a sudden he 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:35.990 sort of, despised the preaching of God's word. 00:29:36.809 --> 00:29:42.730 And on the sly, you might say, he started reading 00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:45.690 books that he shouldn't read and looking at things 00:29:45.690 --> 00:29:48.250 he shouldn't have looked. And slowly but surely, 00:29:48.450 --> 00:29:50.569 his heart began to be hardened toward the things 00:29:50.569 --> 00:29:53.509 of God. And next thing you know, he's out of 00:29:53.509 --> 00:29:55.950 church, he's out of the will of God, he's just 00:29:55.950 --> 00:29:58.450 like Ahaz stepping back and stepping back and 00:29:58.450 --> 00:30:01.140 stepping back. And as he got farther away from 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:03.740 God, he began to be very antagonistic toward 00:30:03.740 --> 00:30:07.339 Christians. He began to really go after anybody 00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:11.160 and try to disarm people or take people away 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:13.559 from the faith of God. He lived a very wicked 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:17.380 life. As the years went by, the years went by, 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:20.299 God all of a sudden stuck his hand of mercy out. 00:30:20.619 --> 00:30:23.480 He was near his home, his mom invited him to 00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:26.200 a revival and he heard the preaching of God's 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:29.539 word and within three weeks, three weeks, This 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:32.519 man trusted Christ as a savior. He was given 00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:34.720 a second chance. He's given a second chance. 00:30:35.140 --> 00:30:37.519 And this man then all of a sudden realized, now 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:39.079 that I've got a second chance, what am I gonna 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:41.519 do with my life? Now, he could have been stuck 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:44.099 in the past. I messed up. He could have wallored 00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:46.039 and wallored and wallored and wallored about 00:30:46.039 --> 00:30:50.500 his sin. But he moved on to God's mercy. got 00:30:50.500 --> 00:30:53.420 forgiveness from the Almighty God, began to go 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:56.240 away from anything that displeased God and got 00:30:56.240 --> 00:30:59.000 into the Word of God and began reading it and 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:02.140 studying it and faithful, then he devoted his 00:31:02.140 --> 00:31:05.650 life to giving the gospel out. God was merciful, 00:31:06.109 --> 00:31:09.069 merciful, merciful to him. As he began to study 00:31:09.069 --> 00:31:11.650 the word of God, God began to get a hold of his 00:31:11.650 --> 00:31:14.410 heart. He became the pastor of the First Baptist 00:31:14.410 --> 00:31:17.990 Church in Waco, Texas, back in the 1800s. And 00:31:17.990 --> 00:31:21.509 he pastored that church for 30 years. And that 00:31:21.509 --> 00:31:24.509 was back in the 1800s, early 1900s. That was 00:31:24.509 --> 00:31:27.130 where Baylor University and he devoted his life 00:31:27.130 --> 00:31:29.609 to giving the gospel and preaching and leading 00:31:29.609 --> 00:31:32.289 people toward Jesus Christ. Why? Because he had 00:31:32.289 --> 00:31:34.369 been perfect? No, because God is the God of second 00:31:34.369 --> 00:31:37.170 chances. And really the answer is what are you 00:31:37.170 --> 00:31:39.670 gonna do when you need a second chance? Are you 00:31:39.670 --> 00:31:42.529 gonna run back to him? Are you gonna humble yourself? 00:31:42.609 --> 00:31:45.130 Are you gonna say, God, give me another chance 00:31:45.130 --> 00:31:48.049 and use me, use my life for you? Are you gonna 00:31:48.049 --> 00:31:50.589 have a heart that listens to God? Or are you 00:31:50.589 --> 00:31:52.950 gonna take another step away from God? And whatever 00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:55.650 you choose is gonna make a big difference in 00:31:55.650 --> 00:31:57.990 not only your life, but the life of many others. 00:31:58.049 --> 00:32:00.109 Let's pray. Dear Father in heaven, we love you. 00:32:01.340 --> 00:32:05.079 God, really, why did you give us that story of 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:09.680 King Ahas? I do believe the real reason is you 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:11.700 wanted to show us that you're a God of second 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:15.960 chances, and really, the sin and the consequences 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:18.980 of not taking that mercy or accepting that mercy. 00:32:19.059 --> 00:32:23.339 I do pray, I pray tonight for that individual, 00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:27.140 maybe for a few that are right now needing mercy, 00:32:27.500 --> 00:32:29.380 and God, they need to hear that you are merciful 00:32:29.380 --> 00:32:32.440 and you are merciful. and I pray that they come 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:35.579 back, humble themselves, and they write that 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:38.660 relationship. Pray for all of us, maybe sometime 00:32:38.660 --> 00:32:40.759 in the near future, we'll take a step away from 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:43.099 you. Help us when we need that second chance 00:32:43.099 --> 00:32:45.720 to run back to you in a humble way. I pray that 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:49.400 you help us to realize the devastation of sin. 00:32:50.019 --> 00:32:51.980 When we sin against you and we keep on going, 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:57.039 it ruins families, churches, and it ruins lives. 00:32:57.460 --> 00:32:59.200 Help us to come back to you, a merciful God. 00:32:59.240 --> 00:33:02.880 We love you. In Jesus' name, amen. Stand with 00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:06.140 me if you will. Piano and the organ are gonna 00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:10.319 play and I encourage you to pray, pray.