Manasseh, King of Judah

                             Manasseh King of Judah      July 8, 2012

Intro: Last Sunday was July 1^st and because we did not have a place to meet we volunteered in the community.  Today we are going to talk about Manasseh one of many Kings of Israel.  Manasseh reigned during the time of the Prophet Isaiah, he was a wicked king but God intervened in his life. 

Scripture: 2 Chron. 33:1-17

In order for us to appreciate and understand this story we need to go back into chapters 29- 32 and try to find some background information about Manasseh. Chapter 29 starts out by telling us that Hezekiah, Manasseh’s father, was 25 years old when he became king and that he, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”  As you read through this chapter and on to chapter 32 you see that Hezekiah was a religious reformer, and a King dedicated to serving the Lord.  After his illness and God’s intervention Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh.  During the latter years of his life God tested Hezekiah to see what was in his heart because he had become proud. 

A good heritage: From the background given in the story so far how would you evaluate Manasseh’s religious training in the light of who his father was and what he did?  (For the most part Manasseh’s father was a positive influence on him) Despite this good example what do we learn about Manasseh from 2 Chron. 33:2? (He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.) 

Depths of Sin: Verses 2-9 of chapter 33 describe the depths of depravity to which Manasseh sank.  Read these verses and see what you can learn about Manasseh’s character.  He had no respect for the reforms his father had made; he went so far as to undo them all. He not only followed the pagan religions, he promoted them. He was anti God in his behaviour, almost taunting God with his idols which he set up in Solomon’s temple.  He had a total disregard for God and seemed to be bent on doing more and more evil. Why do you think that God wanted us to know how evil Manasseh really was?  As you think about this man, how would you describe his spiritual journey?

Affects of Sin: It has been said that no-one is an island, no-one lives only to themselves.  How did Manasseh’s choices and behaviour affect his life, his family’s life and the lives of his subjects? (He was a murderer of his own children, vs. 6, he provoked God to anger, vs. 6B, and he led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed before the Israelites.) What kind of picture of Manasseh is emerging for the reader? (Godless, faithless, depraved rebel)  If each of us were to sit on a jury and had to cast a vote on Manasseh’s guilt, how would you vote? (guilty) As we think of the makeup of someone who may respond to God where would Manasseh fit? (Least likely candidate) There is a turn of events in this story; despite Manasseh’s rebellion and obvious guilt God does not destroy him. Take just a moment and reflect on this scenario; have you seen any modern day examples?

A Merciful God: Verses 10-13 records God’s intervention in Manasseh’s life; what happens and what does this tell us about God.  (First God warns Manasseh-but Manasseh pays no attention.  Next the nation of Assyria overpowers him, takes him prisoner, and exiles him to Babylon where he is put in prison for 12 years.)  What do the circumstances of Manasseh’s life bring about?  (See verse 12, first distress, and then he sought the Lord, and then he humbled himself greatly and prayed) How did God respond to Manasseh, and what does that tell us about God? (The Lord was moved-compassion-by Manasseh’s plea; God listened to him-mercy- God brought him back to his kingdom and reinstated him- God of restoration)

As you reflect on the change in Manasseh can you think of a contemporary example?  Do you know of someone who was running from God, maybe even in open rebellion against God?  But God pursued them, even afflicted them because of His great love and mercy.  How do we know that Manasseh’s change of heart was genuine? (See verses 15-17

True repentance shown by Changed Behaviour

 Manasseh got rid of the foreign gods, removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as the altars, he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it.  He told Judah to serve the Lord.) As you reflect on your own relationship with God can you identify times in your journey when your behaviour changed?  Sort of like this: when I was running from God I used to….. but now that I have a personal relationship with Him I …

Conclusion: So what can we learn from this story.  In a sense this account is an Old Testament account of the Prodigal, but instead of a prodigal son we have a prodigal King.  Though Manasseh grew up with a Godly influence this did not guarantee he would turn to God in his adult life.  Manasseh is a worst case scenario of a lost, rebellious sinner, guilty before God and deserving of punishment.  His sin had destroyed his own life and the lives of countless others including his family.  Despite his rebellion, God intervened in Manasseh’s life because of His great love and mercy.  God pursues us and in love brings us back to Himself.  He endures our sin and rebellion to a point and if need be He will intervene in a loving, though sometimes painful way to restore us to Himself. 

    

Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians

                             

        Prayers in the New Testament      June 24^th

                  Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

Review: Last Sunday we began to look at another one of the Apostle Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians.  In this prayer Paul was petitioning God for strength for the Ephesian believers.  Can anyone remember what the source of that strength is?  (God’s glorious riches) We learned that these riches are boundless, immeasurable and that they exceed anything we can even imagine.

Next we learned that this strength was with power, God’s power, for His agenda and His purposes.  We also learned that God’s power is stronger than anything we know; it is a power that cannot be calculated because it is unlike anything we know here on earth.

The Agent of God’s power and strength is the Holy Spirit.  Divine strength flows from God to the Holy Spirit and then to us; if God’s Spirit lives in us.  We need God’s strength to live the Christian life and empower and enable us to do His will.

If we are in relationship with God, His Spirit resides in our inner being.  It is here deep within us that God renews us day by day and transforms us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This renewing strength and power enables us to faithfully live for Christ and follow Him despite the difficulties life throws at us or the chaos the Devil tries to create in our lives. 

Finally our motive for praying and asking God to strengthen us is that Christ would dwell (settle down) in our hearts by faith. 

Scripture:  Let’s read the passage in Ephesians again and move on to the next part of Paul’s prayer.  Eph. 3:14-21

Power: The second request in Paul’s prayer is for power.  Before we look into the nature of this power and all that is connected to it we need to examine the position Paul talks about in the second half of verse 17.  Here we read, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…”

Positioned for Power: What do you think it means to be “rooted and established in love;” how would you describe this to someone else in your own words? The power Paul is asking for here is somehow connected to being rooted and established in love.  What do these words mean?  Lets’ examine them to see if we can gain a better understanding of what Paul is trying to communicate to us. 

A) Rooted- Gk. Rhizoo-means to take root, become rooted, be rooted.  It also means, strengthened with roots, and firmly fixed. In a physical sense, roots are anchored in soil.  In a spiritual sense where are the believers roots anchored? See verse 18 (in love, the Love of Christ) In the physical world what is the function of the root/s of a tree? (Roots draw nourishment; roots create stability so the tree can withstand the wind) What is the result of poor roots or little roots for a growing tree?  (Poor growth, little growth or no growth and eventually the tree will die) Now take this idea and apply it to the spiritual life.  Are you rooted in God’s love; how far down do your roots go?  Or are you rooted in religion, doctrine or some other seed bed.  Exactly where you are rooted is critical because being rooted in the right place leads to power.  Are your roots deep enough to stabilize you from the winds of life?  Is there a way for us to be more intentional in putting down our roots, deeper and deeper into the love of Christ? 

B) Established-Gk. Themelioo- to lay the foundation of anything.  There is another related word in the Greek, themelios, which carries the metaphorical meaning of elementary doctrines, fundamental doctrine or principle, i.e. Gospel, teachings of Christ.  What Paul is saying here is that the foundation of our faith must be built on, or laid in, the love of Christ, His teaching, the Gospel.  In the building trade any structural engineer will tell you that one of the most important parts of any structure is its foundation.  Remember the earthquake in Haiti, the mass destruction and devastation. Poor foundations and standards that were not up to code, inferior building material resulted in unthinkable death and destruction. Do you know, understand and believe the basic doctrines of the faith, the Gospel and the love of Christ; is this what your faith is built on? So then being rooted in the love of Christ enables us to be nourished and sustained.  Being established in the love of Christ means our foundation is solid and will withstand the storms of life.   

Power: Now that we have gained a better understanding of these words and how they relate to the love of Christ we can see their relationship to the power Paul is talking about.  When we, as believers, are rooted and established in love we will experience God’s power.  But what is the significance of this power and why do we need it?

A) Verse 18 starts out with the phrase, “may have power.”The word used here for power means, to be strong, able, full of strength.  It is the strongest word available to indicate strength or ability.  Being rooted and established in love gives us our best chance at being able to appropriate God’s power.   

B) Notice that verse 18 also says, “… may have power, together with the saints…” This being rooted and established in love and experiencing the power of God is a corporate affair.  We learn, grow, love and serve in community.  There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian; we need each other, it is critical for us to be part of the body of Christ, the church, of which He the head.  Just like a coal taken from the fire and left on its own will die out, we as believers disconnected from the church will eventually shrivel up and die. This doesn’t mean we lose our salvation but it does mean we no longer give heat and light, we become ineffective for God.       

C) Look closely at the next phrase, “to grasp,” which gives us more information about God’s power and why we need it. The word grasp means to, “Seize with the mind.”What is it that we are to grasp?  (The love of Christ)  How is this love described for us?

The Love of Christ

·     Wide, long, high, and deep

·     To know(come to know, experientially, to gain or receive a knowledge)

·      Love that surpasses knowledge (Goes beyond what we can know intellectually-not just something we know in our heads like facts and formulas but something we know through experience) As we experience God personally in the realm beyond the teaching of man, beyond what we can learn in a fellowship meeting; as we encounter God day to day, moment by moment and see His hand in our lives and interact with Him and begin to recognize the part He has given us in His plan.

There is also another aspect of this love that we need to experience.  This experience can only be ours through revelation.  Rom. 5:5 says, “…God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”This is a divine act of God not something we can learn or acquire on our own. We certainly need to study the Scripture, learn the truth of the Gospel and the basic tenants of the faith but if we are lacking a personal one on one experiential relationship with God Himself we have only religion.    

The purpose of this love is to fill us up to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Moral fullness)The Greek here implies to be fully supplied, to abound.

Conclusion: When it comes down to knowing the love of God would you describe yourself as being rooted and established in the love of Christ?  Would you say that your experience of being rooted and established has led you to greater power to know the depth of God’s love? In your Spiritual journey do you have both intellectual and experiential knowledge of God? Is God someone you know about or someone you know personally?  Do we need to Join Paul in petitioning God to help us know Him better?  I know I do, and I know I will; will you join me?  This may seem like a huge mountain to climb and it is but we must never forget the truths of the doxology in this chapter.  Look at verse 20 which says, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory…”

Take heart, we can know Him and know His love better too because He can do more…immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine… according to His power….that is at work within us.  This is a process, we are God’s construction project and He is continuously at work in us through His Spirit.