https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Hezekiahs-Prayer-2019.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Isaiah 38:9-20<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Many people are familiar with Hezekiah’s prayer asking God for help against the\nAssyrian army, but I would like for us to take a few minutes to examine Hezekiah’s\nprayer of thanksgiving after he was healed of an illness\n
II. Bitterness<\/p>\n
A. Isaiah 38:9-10 <\/p>\n
1. Hezekiah was told he would die – Isaiah 38:1<\/p>\n
2. He was only 39 – II Chronicles 29:1<\/p>\n
B. Isaiah 38:11<\/p>\n
1. There were things Hezekiah wanted to do and see.<\/p>\n
2. People who die do not come back to this world – Job 14:7-14<\/p>\n
3. Their involvement comes to an end – Ecclesiastes 9:5-6<\/p>\n 4. To know that he would no longer be involved was a bitter disappointment.\nHe wanted to continue to serve God.\n
C. Isaiah 38:12<\/p>\n 1. His life was at an end, easily and quickly removed like a tent or cut from a\nloom like a completed cloth\n
D. Isaiah 38:13<\/p>\n 1. He waited that night for his death – alone with his thoughts – while others\nslept\n
2. He felt crushed by God<\/p>\n
E. Isaiah 38:14<\/p>\n 1. His pleas to God felt like the empty chatter of birds or like the mourning\ngroans of a dove\n
2. He looked for help until he could look no longer – Lamentations 4:17<\/p>\n
III. Humbled Thanksgiving<\/p>\n
A. God spoke. Hezekiah wanted to complain, like Job – Job 7:11; 10:1<\/p>\n
1. But what God says is what God does<\/p>\n
B. Isaiah 38:15<\/p>\n 1. And when Hezekiah realized the finality of it, God again spoke, giving\nhim fifteen years more life – Isaiah 38:5-6 \n 2. But just like before, Hezekiah knew the finality of it. God does as He says\n– Numbers 23:19; I Thessalonians 5:24\n
3. Hezekiah is going to live his remaining years more carefully. <\/p>\n
a. He still won’t have a long life. He will be dying at 54.<\/p>\n b. But he would not forget the bitter night when he thought his life\nwould end\n
c. He was a changed man<\/p>\n
C. Isaiah 38:16<\/p>\n
1. By God’s promises, men live<\/p>\n 2. God uses hard lessons to teach important lessons – Deuteronomy 8:3;\nPsalms 71:20\n
3. God is the source of life – Psalms 104:27-30<\/p>\n 4. The hardships in this life are nothing compared to what God is offering us\n– II Corinthians 4:17\n
D. Isaiah 38:17<\/p>\n
1. Hezekiah’s suffering was a benefit to him – Hebrews 12:10-11; Job 33:19-28<\/p>\n
2. He was saved, not just from physical death but also spiritual<\/p>\n
a. God forgives – Isaiah 43:25<\/p>\n
b. God delights in mercy – Micah 7:18-19<\/p>\n
3. How does a person know? God says and it is done – Psalms 103:1-6<\/p>\n
E. Isaiah 38:18<\/p>\n
1. In life Hezekiah can praise God – Psalms 6:5; 30:9; 115:17-18<\/p>\n
2. In life there is hope – Ecclesiastes 9:4; Psalms 71:14; Romans 8:24-25<\/p>\n
F. Isaiah 38:19-20<\/p>\n
1. Hezekiah can offer praise – Psalms 146:2; 145:2<\/p>\n 2. While there is still life, others can be told – Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalms\n78:3-4\n
IV. What lessons can we learn from Hezekiah?<\/p>\n A. Because of sin, many live in bitterness, never getting what they want – Hebrews\n12:14-17\n
B. They are dying a spiritual death, but they blame God for their pain<\/p>\n
C. But it is God alone who offers life – I John 5:3; John 8:12<\/p>\n
D. Are we thankful for that life?<\/p>\n
E. Do we remember where we came from? – I Timothy 1:12-17<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 38:9-20 I. Many people are familiar with Hezekiah’s prayer asking God for help against the Assyrian army, but I would like for us to take a few minutes to examine Hezekiah’s prayer of thanksgiving after he was healed of an illness II. Bitterness A. Isaiah 38:9-10 1. Hezekiah was told he would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[109,41,1510,182],"class_list":["post-4875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-death","tag-life","tag-prayers","tag-suffering"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52825,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-did-god-tell-hezekiah-to-set-his-house-in-order-before-he-died\/","url_meta":{"origin":4875,"position":0},"title":"Why did God tell Hezekiah to set his house in order before he died?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to know why God asked Hezekiah to set his house in order for he will die? 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But in the Bible you should not go to astrologers, so why did\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4801,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-men-change-gods-will\/","url_meta":{"origin":4875,"position":3},"title":"Can Men Change God’s Will?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Daniel 4:28-37 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A difficulty those raised in Calvinist beliefs is resolving the idea of God\u2019s sovereign will with the actions of men. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To many Calvinists, God\u2019s will is immutable (unable to be changed). 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