May we have a word of prayer?
O heavenly Father, we do want to worship Thee. We praise and thank Thee because Thou art the One who sent Thy beloved Son into this world, and Thou art the One who has received Him in glory and crowned Him with honor and glory.
Our Father, as we continue in Thy presence, we pray that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt open Thy Word to us, touch our hearts, and draw us unto Thyself and to Thy beloved Son. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
This morning, we will be in 2 Chronicles. There are so many verses and chapters I would like to read, so I will not read anything now. I hope that you will read the whole second book of Chronicles yourself.
As we mentioned before, 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles were originally one book. They are different from 1 Kings and 2 Kings. In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, we have the general history of the nation of Israel and of their kings. But in 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles, we have only an outline of history serving as a background for a specific purpose: to show us the religious life of the nation.
Or, to put it another way, 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles concentrate on the house of God—the temple, worship, Levitical service, and anything that has to do with the religious side of life.
Now, why is it that we need to study Kings and Chronicles? In other words, we might think that these histories are histories of the past and of some other people. Why should we study these books?
We must remember what the Bible tells us in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 10, it is said that all these things happened to them as types for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. So, in other words, all these things happened as types. They are also for our admonition—we who live at the end of the age.
These books are relevant to us because we find in the Word of God that we who are the redeemed of the Lord are a holy nation, a kingly priesthood. Therefore, we can learn much from Kings and Chronicles. We can learn the spiritual principles that govern us as a holy nation and as a kingly priesthood. This is the reason why we need to study these books.
Second Chronicles begins with the reign of Solomon, and it ends with the Babylonian captivity—but with a positive note: the decree of King Cyrus.
Second Chronicles begins with the building of the house of God, and it ends with its destruction. But thank God, there is a hope of restoration.
The first nine chapters of 2 Chronicles are devoted to Solomon. From Chapter 10 through Chapter 36, we have the history of the kings of Judah. But all is concentrated on this matter of the house of God.
You will find a difference in the history of Solomon as recorded in Kings and in Chronicles. If you want to know the general history of Solomon, from the beginning to the end, you have to go to 1 Kings, because you do not find it in 2 Chronicles.
In 2 Chronicles, the history of Solomon is gathered up in one thing: the building of the temple. In 1 Kings, you find Solomon’s sins and the prophecy concerning him, but you do not find these in 2 Chronicles. Why? Because 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are centered upon one thing: the temple, the house of God.
It seems, if you read 2 Chronicles, as if Solomon did nothing throughout his forty years of reign but build the temple. Actually, we know that he did many other things, both good and bad. But these were not recorded in 2 Chronicles. There, it is all focused upon one work: the building of the house of God.
I think there is a lesson for us. We may live a life upon this earth and be engaged in many things. There may be successes, and there may be failures. But, you know, one thing that God is really interested in in our lives is our relationship to the house of God.
Anything that is not related to the house of God does not seem to be worth recording.
Now, Solomon, after he became king, loved God. He showed his love for God in going to Gibeon, where the brazen altar and the tent of Moses were. There he offered a thousand sacrifices to God.
But we must remember that Solomon’s love for God was traditional. In other words, God had not spoken to Solomon yet. He did not have a personal relationship with God. He had not heard from God, and all that he knew about God came from his father, David. So his faith was traditional.
Yet, even though his faith was traditional, his love for God was real. He loved God, but he loved God in a traditional way. In other words, he did not have revelation. That is the reason why he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices.
Now, you must remember that in 1 Chronicles, David had already moved the ark to Zion, to the tent of David. But Solomon, instead of going before the ark to offer sacrifices, went to Gibeon because at that time the tabernacle was at Gibeon. Instead of going right there in Zion to the tent of David to worship God, he went to Gibeon, to the tabernacle, and offered upon the brazen altar there.
Do you see what it means? We know that the ark in Scripture represents the presence of God, the Person of God. But the tabernacle and all the things in the tabernacle represent the things of God, or the works of God.
What is more important: the ark or the tabernacle? The brazen altar or the mercy seat? The tabernacle was built in the first place for the ark. All the things in the tabernacle are for reaching the ark. The ark gives meaning to the tabernacle, and the ark and the tabernacle should never be separated.
But unfortunately, because of the sins of the people, the ark and the tabernacle were separated. Not only were they separated, but we find in 1 Chronicles that David had to find the ark because it was hidden in Kirjath-jearim, in the fields of the wood.
David loved God, and he brought the ark back into Zion and built a tent for it. In other words, David really loved God as a Person. He loved God Himself.
But Solomon did not have that revelation. He knew God only traditionally. Because of this, he did not go to the ark. He did not treasure God Himself as much as he treasured the things of God, or the works of God.
So he went to Gibeon, and there he expressed love to God. But even so, God condescended Himself to his level. After he offered sacrifices in Gibeon, God appeared to him and said, “Ask what I should give thee.”
Solomon did not ask for long life. He did not ask for wealth. He did not ask for honor. He did not ask for the life of his enemies. But Solomon asked for one thing: he asked God for wisdom and knowledge that he might rule the people according to God. In other words, Solomon did not ask anything for himself; he asked it for God.
If you read 1 Kings 3, you will find that the wisdom, or understanding, that he asked for was actually an understanding heart. In other words, it was a heart that hears.
Solomon asked for wisdom. Now, brothers and sisters, what is wisdom? We oftentimes connect wisdom with the mind. Well, knowledge is connected with the mind, but wisdom is connected with the heart. What is true wisdom? True wisdom is a heart that hears God.
Solomon asked for a heart that could hear God’s voice. In hearing Him, he might know Him, know His ways, and know His judgments. That is what Solomon desired of God. God was greatly pleased by what he asked, so God promised to give him wisdom and added to it wealth, honor, and other things.
With this wisdom—a hearing heart—and with this appearing of God to him, you know what Solomon did? If you read 1 Kings 3, you will find that after God appeared to him, he returned to Jerusalem. There he went to the ark and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Now, brothers and sisters, it really takes revelation for you to love God Himself. If you do not have revelation, if your faith is traditional, you may love the things of God and the works of God.
For instance, the brazen altar represents the atoning death of our Lord Jesus. Because of the death of our Lord Jesus, our sins are forgiven. Surely we love that because our sins are forgiven. Or we love the brazen laver because there we are sanctified, washed, and purified.
Or we may love the golden candlestick because it gives us light that we may know the will of God. Or the golden table of showbread, because it represents Christ as the bread of life that we may be satisfied. Or even the golden altar of incense, because there we can pray and our prayer will be answered.
In other words, we do love the things of God. We do love all the works that Christ has done for us because they are for us—they are for us. But if we do not have revelation, we will love the things of God and the works of God; to love God Himself is beyond us.
Because we are always self-centered; we are never God-centered. If God is for us, fine. But what is it that we are for Him?
But Solomon, after he received revelation, after he was given wisdom, went back to Jerusalem. The first thing he did was worship at the ark. In other words, he loved God Himself. Now, brothers and sisters, that is wisdom.
Have you had a hearing heart? Can you hear God? Has God appeared to you? Have you received a revelation? If you have, you will love God more than the things of God.
God gave Solomon wisdom, and after Solomon received wisdom, then he built the house of God.
In Proverbs, we are told, “Wisdom hath builded her house.” You cannot build a house of God if you do not have wisdom. That is the reason why you find the apostle Paul, in Ephesians 1, praying for the Ephesian believers that God, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would grant to them wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of God.
In other words, Paul prayed that the people there might receive wisdom, and with wisdom they would be able to build the house of God.
Why do you need wisdom to build the house of God? Because, if you do not have wisdom, how can you understand the pattern? God gave the pattern of the temple to David, and David passed it on to Solomon. But it took wisdom to interpret and convert the pattern into the temple.
You know, I often laugh at myself because I came from a family of builders. My grandfather was a builder. My uncles were builders. My brother was a builder. But I knew nothing about building.
I remember when I went to my brother’s office and saw, on his long table, all the scales and blueprints. I looked at them, and they did not mean anything to me—just lines and odd shapes. But to my brother, when he looked at these things, he saw the building. He was able to translate and convert these lines and points into a real building. But I did not have that kind of knowledge.
Now, brothers and sisters, it takes wisdom to receive the pattern. Today, the house of God is what God really wants. But who knows the pattern? Where is the pattern?
We know God has given us the pattern of His house. His pattern is here; it is in the Word of God. God has revealed His purpose, His will, His mind, His heart’s desire, and what He wants. It is all in this Book. We find the pattern of God’s house in this Book.
But without wisdom, as you read this Book, it is just words on paper. These are letters. You do not understand, and you are not able to convert them into a living house of God.
Many people today are thinking of building New Testament churches. They realize that the churches today are not New Testament enough. Or, in other words, many churches today are probably Old Testament churches, like synagogues, instead of New Testament churches. So people begin to realize that we need to build New Testament churches.
Now, how are we going to build it? Read the Bible. Yes, there you find, say, in the book of Acts, how Paul and Barnabas appointed elders, and how you find in 1 Timothy the elders and the deacons as well. You get the facts. You see the lines. You see the points.
So people say, “Let us organize a New Testament church. Let us have five elders and seven deacons. Now we have the New Testament church.” But do you have the New Testament church? You do not know. You do not understand the pattern.
You hear the Word, but these are letters; these are dead. You need wisdom. You need a hearing heart to really see the pattern—to see that actually that pattern is nothing but Christ Jesus Himself. He is the pattern. But how do you convert that pattern into a living reality? That takes wisdom.
Solomon had the wisdom to do it. He knew how to read the pattern. He knew how to convert that pattern into a glorious, beautiful temple. It took wisdom to mobilize thousands and tens of thousands of people to work. It took wisdom to put everyone in his right place, to coordinate the whole work, and to finish the work.
Some people may begin but never finish. Yet Solomon, you find, took seven years to finish that work. After that work was finished, the glory of God came down and filled the house. In other words, Solomon had the wisdom not to change anything, but to do everything according to God’s revelation.
So God came in and took possession of that house. Fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifices. In other words, God had accepted that house.
Afterwards, God appeared to Solomon again and said that He had heard his prayers; His ears would be attentive, His eyes would be there, and He would hear the prayers prayed in the house or toward the house. He would do everything as He had promised David.
But God also warned him: if he and his seed departed from Him and began to worship idols, He would chasten and discipline them. There would come a time when the whole house would be destroyed, and people would be astonished.
Brothers and sisters, unfortunately, this finally happened hundreds of years later.
This is the story of Solomon told in 2 Chronicles. Of course, today we know One greater than Solomon, and He is our Lord Jesus.
What is the work of our Lord Jesus on earth? We may think that the work of our Lord Jesus on earth is to save sinners. Yes, He came to seek and to save the lost. But is that all?
What was actually the work of our Lord Jesus while He was on earth? Or I can go even further: what is the Lord doing today in heaven? Or we may enlarge it even more: what has God been doing throughout the centuries? If we can even go back to eternity, what did God have in mind in eternity?
You remember our Lord Jesus saying, “My Father worketh even until now, and I work.” What is God’s work? What is the work of our Lord Jesus? It is singular in number. In other words, God does not have many works. God has only one work. All the many works are within that one work.
Our Lord Jesus has only one work. Just like Solomon, it is as if Solomon did nothing else throughout his forty years of reign but build the temple, the house of God. Spiritually, that is true.
What is the work of our Lord Jesus? The work of our Lord Jesus is to build for God a home. God has been desiring a home.
He created the heavens and the earth. But in Isaiah, we find God saying that heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. In other words, heaven and earth are God’s office. But where is His home? God wants to dwell among His people. He wants to make His people His home.
That is the house of God. That is the heart of God. That is what God has been doing throughout the centuries. That is why Christ came into this world, and that is what Christ is doing at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.
This is the one work He is doing. He said, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Even Abraham looked forward to a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God.
The work of God is the building of His house: a home for God and man, that God may dwell with man and man may dwell with God. There is love, harmony, worship, service, and glory. This is what God desires.
We have One greater than Solomon, and He is building the real house. That temple which Solomon built was just a type; it was not the real thing. It was the shadow. It can never be compared with the reality.
The reality is the church of the living God, which Christ is building with living stones. He is still building that, and, brothers and sisters, He is calling us to work together with Him in this work.
What is the work of the church today? What is our work today? We may be engaged in different aspects of the work, but remember: there is only one work. We are all called to work with Christ in the building of God’s house, that God may have a dwelling place among us.
We are, on the one hand, materials; on the other hand, workmen. Be careful how we work.
We need wisdom. We need wisdom to know the pattern. We need wisdom to convert that pattern into the building. We need wisdom to work together. We need wisdom to know which part we are to play. Everyone is called to do a part of it, and we need wisdom to know our place in the house of God. Brothers and sisters, we need wisdom.
Do we have that wisdom?
James said that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask, and doubt not, and God will give it to him. Brothers and sisters, have we ever asked God for wisdom? Or do we think we already have it? We know what God wants. We know what we will do. Do we?
Or do we really need to humble ourselves before God and say, “O Lord, I do not have wisdom. I need it, that my life upon this earth may be engaged in the building of Your house.”
Then my life will not be wasted—all years spent—but my life will be counted in eternity. My life on earth and my work here will contribute to the building of God’s house, not to the tearing down of God’s house.
We need the spirit of Solomon. We need the spirit of wisdom to do that.
From Chapter 10 through Chapter 36, we have the remaining history of the nation of Judah. It covers altogether about 370 years. But again, 2 Chronicles does not give the detailed history of the nation of Judah. It does not describe all that the kings did.
Whatever is written there, you find again that the emphasis is on one thing: the house of God. God judged these kings according to their relationship to the house of God. Whether a king was accepted by God as a good king, or rejected as a bad one, all hinged upon this one thing: their attitude and relationship to the house of God.
In that history, you find that after Solomon died—or, as a matter of fact, before he died—in his later years, he was enticed by foreign women and began to worship all kinds of idols. The nation began to drift away from God. There was declension.
But God, in His mercy and in His promise to David, gave them revival after revival. In their history there was reform after reform. You do not have that in the history of the northern kingdom of Israel. You have it only in the southern kingdom of Judah, because God remembered His promise to David.
Throughout this long history, you find the failure of man and the faithfulness of God. Altogether, we may find five revivals, or five reforms. During those times of revival, the people seemed to come back to God. They renewed the house of God, rebuilt the house, kept the Passover, and kept the laws and ordinances of Moses.
But unfortunately, these revivals never lasted very long. Some even grew cold during the time of the revival itself. Revival after revival—but finally, destruction. Yet, thank God, there was the promise of restoration.
Brothers and sisters, does this sound familiar to us today? Is Christianity a history of revivals and declensions?
In the early church, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came and filled the house, one hundred and twenty were baptized into one body. There was a glorious beginning of the house of God. That was the real house of God. God came and dwelt among the one hundred and twenty. The fire came. The glory came. Three thousand were saved, many came to the Lord, and the gospel began to spread.
Within thirty-some years, at the end of the book of Acts—the book covers about thirty-three years, just like the life of our Lord Jesus on earth was thirty-three years—you find that the gospel had been preached to the end of the world, that is, Rome, the center of the world.
But even before the apostles of the early days had passed away, toward the latter part of the lives of Peter, Paul, and John, there was declension. The first love was gone. Ritualism came in. All kinds of false teachings, corrupt manners, and worldly methods began to crowd in, and the church had fallen away.
But thank God, because of His love for His church, He sent revival after revival. The history of Christianity is a history of revivals, if you look from the positive viewpoint. If you look from the negative viewpoint, it is a history of declensions.
God does send revival after revival: a return to God, a return to His Word, and a rebuilding of His house. But, brothers and sisters, sadly, revivals never last very long—perhaps a generation, perhaps a little more. Then declension comes in again, and God, in His mercy and promise, sends another revival.
Sadly, you do find that finally Christianity, I would say, enters into Babylonian captivity. It is captured by the world.
Has Christianity come out of the world yet? I use the word “church” in a general sense; I should say “Christianity.” Has Christianity come out of the world yet? Is Christianity still in the grip of the world?
Thank God, since the Reformation in the sixteenth century, you find recovery. That is history that we will have to study later on. But anyway, this is the picture that we have.
In this long history of about 370 years, there were altogether five revivals, or five reforms, under five kings. We will go over them very quickly. I have only fifteen minutes for the five kings.
The first one is Asa, in 2 Chronicles 14–16. Asa was the great-grandson of Solomon. When he came to the throne, he did what was right and good in the sight of the Lord his God. He took away the altars of strange gods and high places, broke the pillars, cut down the Asherim, and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to practice the law and the commandments.
In other words, here you find a revival. Because he sought the Lord, the Lord blessed him. When the Ethiopians came with a great army, Asa trusted in the Lord and cried unto Him:
Lord, there is none besides Thee to help,
between the mighty and him that hath no strength;
help us, O Lord our God; for we rely on Thee,
and in Thy name are we come against this multitude.
O Lord, Thou art our God;
let not man prevail against Thee.
Trusting in the Lord, God destroyed the army of the Ethiopians. Asa was encouraged after the victory by the prophet. He renewed the altar of God, the altar of the house of God, and God was really with him.
But unfortunately, in his later years—he was king for about thirty-some years, serving God—his love for God began to grow cold. Because his love for God grew cold, his trust in God was gone.
When Israel, the northern kingdom, attacked him, instead of trusting in God, he tried to make an alliance with Syria. God sent a prophet to reprove him. The prophet said, “Why did you not trust God? Ethiopia had a larger army. You trusted God, and God destroyed them. Why did you do this?”
Instead of repenting, he got angry and put Hanani into prison. He began to oppress some people. When he had a disease in his feet, instead of seeking after God, he sought the physicians only.
Brothers and sisters, what is the lesson? The word that God wants to teach us is in 2 Chronicles 16:9. That is a famous verse. I think many remember it:
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth,
to show Himself strong in the behalf of them
whose heart is perfect toward Him.
God is looking for a perfect heart. If He can find a perfect heart, He will show Himself strong on its behalf. What is a perfect heart? A perfect heart is a single heart, an undivided heart, a pure heart—a heart that loves God with all its heart.
A perfect heart does not mean sinless perfection. David had a perfect heart toward God, but he was not sinlessly perfect. What God is looking for—His eyes go to and fro throughout the whole earth—is one whose heart is pure toward Him, not double-hearted.
Think of that. God is watching, looking, observing, seeing. He is trying to find one whose heart loves God purely for Himself, without any selfish motive or ulterior motive: a perfect heart toward God, an undivided heart toward God. If God can find such a man, His arm will show forth toward that man. That is the lesson we need to learn.
The second king is Jehoshaphat, in Chapters 17–20. Jehoshaphat was the son of Asa. Chapter 17:3 says that the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, for he walked in the first ways of his father David, sought not unto the Baalim, but sought the God of his father, walked in His commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
He sent out priests to teach the people the law of God.
Then you find Moab and Ammon coming with a great multitude to attack him. Jehoshaphat prayed to God, and here is what God said in 2 Chronicles 20:15:
Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
The next day they went down against them. They were told that they would not need to fight in that battle, but were to set themselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.
What did Jehoshaphat do? They rose early in the morning, and in verse 20 he said:
Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established;
believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.
He consulted with the people and appointed singers. They set the singers before the army, and as they praised the Lord, the Lord set ambushments and destroyed the enemy. Under Jehoshaphat, there was a great revival—a great revival.
But unfortunately, there was one dark spot in Jehoshaphat. He allied himself with Ahab, the king of Israel, a wicked king. His son married Ahab’s daughter, the daughter of Jezebel. Because of this unholy alliance, he nearly lost his life. He also lost his business; he tried to have ships going out to get gold, but both ships were broken.
That was the one spot in his life. Brothers and sisters, what do we learn from here? We learn that we need to believe in the Lord, trust in the Lord, and be careful not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. If we do, we will suffer for it.
The third king is Joash, in 2 Chronicles 24. I do not have time to go into the whole history. The nation of Judah, after Solomon, had altogether nineteen kings, just like the nation of Israel had nineteen kings. The nineteen kings do not include Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel, because she usurped the throne for seven years. She was not of the line of David; therefore, she was not counted.
Joash was a little baby, rescued by the high priest Jehoiada and hidden in the temple for seven years. When he was seven years old, Jehoiada brought him out, and he began to reign.
When he began to reign, there was a revival. Why? Because he renewed the house of God. The house of God was in disarray; it had to be repaired. He had the desire to repair the house of God, that worship might be resumed. So there was a revival during that time.
All the days that Jehoiada the high priest was living, Joash served God. But after Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah came, and he listened to their evil advice. He began to worship idols. Because of that, God’s chastisement came upon him, but he did not repent. Finally, he was murdered.
The lesson we learn here is that Joash was a weak person. To a weak person, his associations are most important. Whom are you associated with?
As long as he was under the advice of Jehoiada, he was good. But the moment Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah came and led him astray. Brothers and sisters, do not think that you are strong. Take care concerning all the people with whom you are associated.
If you are with godly people, they will help you to fear God. But if you are with evil people, you will not change them; they may change you.
The fourth one is Hezekiah, in Chapters 29–32. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the open place eastward.
Before Hezekiah came to the throne, even the door of the temple was closed. So he opened the door. He called the Levites and the priests that they might be sanctified and come to worship the Lord.
It was during his time that the Passover was kept. They were not able to keep it at God’s appointed time, which should have been in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the first month. Because they had not purified themselves, they had to keep it in the second month.
But God forgave them and answered Hezekiah’s prayer. After they kept the Passover for seven days, they loved the Lord so much that they wanted to keep it another seven days. That was the only time in their whole history that they kept the Passover twice over, to show their love for God.
Because of this, you find that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came, and God answered prayer and destroyed his army.
Then Hezekiah was sick. God sent the prophet to him and said, “Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.” But he wept and said, “Lord, I have done so much for You. Give me more time.” God is so tender-hearted. God was persuaded by him and gave him fifteen more years.
You remember that God gave him a sign. It was a great sign, because the sundial went back fifteen degrees. He was healed. But instead of being thankful to God, he began to be proud.
Because of that, the wrath of God came. But he humbled himself, so it did not come in his time. Yet during those fifteen years, he committed two things.
First, he had a son called Manasseh, and that was the son who destroyed the nation. Second, when the embassy of Babylon came to congratulate him on his healing from sickness, he showed them all his riches out of pride. Because of that, the nation was destined to be captured by Babylon.
So never try to force God. God can be fooled, do you know that? Let yourself be forced, but never force God.
Pride is the one thing that we need to watch. If one is blessed by the Lord, this is one thing that you really need to watch very carefully. God gives grace to the humble, and He resists the proud.
Finally, in Chapters 34–35, we find the fifth one, Josiah. When Josiah was eight years old, he came to the throne.
He did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of David his father, turning not aside to the right hand or to the left hand. Think of that: eight years old, and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.
Eight years old is not too young to know the Lord. It is not too young to walk in the way of the Lord.
When he was sixteen years old, he began to seek after the God of David his father earnestly. When he was twenty years old, he purged Judah and Jerusalem of all the idols.
When he was twenty-four years old, he purged the land and cleansed the house. He cleansed the house of God. You remember the discovery—think of that—they discovered the Book.
How tender-hearted he was before God. How he repented before God. God heard his prayer. Even though the destiny of the nation could not be redeemed, God said that it would not happen in his time.
Finally, when the king of Egypt came, he actually was not coming to fight with Josiah. But somehow Josiah went out—perhaps there was some pride there—and he was killed.
But anyway, the lesson we learn here is this: serve the Lord in the days of your youth. Brothers and sisters, when we are young, we still have time to serve Him. If people do not serve Him when they are young, when they are old they may have the desire to serve, but where is the strength?
May the Lord use these things to encourage us. Brothers and sisters, even though you find revivals and reforms, and these things do not seem to last long, the lessons we learn are everlasting. May we really learn these lessons. If we learn these lessons, they will help us when we are engaged in the work of recovery of the house of God.
Shall we pray?
Dear heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee because Thou hast revealed Thy heart to us: that Thou dost want to dwell among Thy people. Lord, how it hurts Thee when Thy people forsake Thy house and forsake Thee.
Lord, how we praise and thank Thee that in Thy mercy Thou art always sending prophets. Thou art always sending revivals in order to draw Thy people back to Thee. But Lord, Thou knowest our weakness.
Lord, we are thankful for Thy faithfulness. We know that because Thou art faithful, eventually Thou wilt have Thy house. So, Lord, we pray that by Thy grace we may learn all the lessons that we need to learn, that we may be able to persevere unto the very end, and that we may be the house of God.
To Thee be the glory, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.