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Speaker: Rev. Shine Thomas
Posted on: 2010-01-03
Series: New Beginning

Introduction: Happy New Year. The year 2010 is the year of the Lord’s favour. God spoke to us on 31st night that this year He is going to do some new beginnings in our lives. The devil is fighting hard to stop the restoration and new beginnings in our lives. He wants us to be defeated and not achieve what God has promised us. If you can understand his tactics you can be watchful and achieve what God wants you to this year.

Scripture: 2 Kings 12:1-18

This morning we are going to identify some hindrances to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

2 Kings 12:1-18

Background of the passage

King Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah.
Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram married Ahab’s daughter, Athaliah.
Now wicked influences of Ahab came into Judah.
Ahtaliah led Judah to idolatry.
After the death of her husband Jehoram and her son, Athaliah took the throne.
She killed all of her grandchildren because of the thirst of power.
One grandson, Joash saved from this massacre by her aunt and hid in the temple.
When Joash’s was 8 his uncle the high priest did a coo against Athaliah and made him the King of Judah.

Reforms of Joash as King

Destroyed the idols of Baal and killed its priests.
Proper worship to the Almighty God was reestablished.

It looked as if a revival was coming.
It looked as if was time for a new beginning.
But something went wrong and the entire process of reformation/restoration/new beginning/revival could not be achieved.

I think we are living in a time where it is very similar to King Joash’s reign. It looks like as if we are in the brink of a new beginning/restoration in many of our lives and families. This year God has promised us new beginnings in the Holy Spirit but if we are not careful we may miss out and at the end of 2010 we may still be disappointed for not achieving what God has promised to you and me.

Let us read what happened to Joash.

2 Kings 12:2 2Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
2 Chronicles 23:16 16Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the LORD's people.
2 Chronicles 24:17-18 17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.

As long as the high priest, Jehodia was around Joash he did what was right. After the death of Jehodia, King Joash was easily influenced by the officials of Judah and the entire country went back to idol worship. He was easily influenced by the world.

1. Have spiritual influence

Joash had both spiritual and nonspiritual influence upon his life. The moment his spiritual influenced ceased he slipped out of godly ways. We live in this world and we have spiritual influence in the church, but outside there are a lot of worldly influence that we come across on a daily basis. Never be influenced by the world. Understand the worldly influences always work against Godly influence. Keep away from it.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

In order to achieve God’s best in our lives we need spiritual influence. Associate with such people.

2. Neglecting the Strongholds

1 Kings 12:3 'The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.''

The high places were centers of idol worship on mountains and hilltops. Joash could have done something about them but he just did not make an effort. He ignored the strongholds.

Now you may say pastor I do not do idol worship what are my strongholds?

Stronghold meaning - A fortified city; a fortification; fortified place.
Strongholds are places in our lives where God is not supreme.

Our Strongholds

1. Habits. Habits lead to addictions.
2. Sins.
3. Inappropriate relationships.
4. Temptations we given into.
5. Neglecting God’s will.

Our strongholds can stop us from restoration in 2010. Be careful to identify the strongholds and fight against them.

2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

3. Surrender the sacred

2 Kings 12:17-18 17 About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. 18 But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.

Joash faced a crisis here. A big enemy came to fight against him. Instead of turning to God who has the power to defend his people Joash surrenders the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and the royal palace.

Everyone faces crisis but how you respond in your crisis is the key to restoration. What about our lives? When faced how do you respond? Do you turn to God or do you surrender the sacred?

Surrender the Sacred

1. Ignore Sunday worship.
2. Misuse God’s money.
3. More Party time and TV Time less prayer.
4. Ministry without prayer.

Let us give importance to God this year. God wants us to have a new beginning. Let us not surrender the sacred. Start first with God.

4. Ignoring the call to repentance

2 Chronicles 24:19-22 19 Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. 20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: 'Why do you disobey the LORD's commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.' "21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD's temple. 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, "May the LORD see this and call you to account."

Even after Joash disobeyed the Lord God send warning messages to Joash to restore him. But Joash did not want to repent and he killed the messenger instead.

I believe it is God’s will that we all have a new beginning and restoration in our lives in 2010 but I also believe it will not happen unless we are really willing to repent. When God talks to you through the Word of God, messages, through others we must introspect and repent of our sins. If you ignore the call of repentance restoration will not happen.

Conclusion: God has a great plan for you in 2010, for your family, for the church as a whole. God wants to restore what you have lost. He wants to give you a new beginning. It all happens with having good spiritual influence, understanding our strongholds and coming out of it by the power of God, never surrender the sacred, and repent sincerely. I believe with all my heart that God is going to move in our midst this year but the choice is ours. Let us understand our strongholds and come to the Lord with a heart of repentance.