May it please almighty God to bless us together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the second book of the Chronicles and chapter 32 and we'll read verses 7 and 8. The second book of the Chronicles chapter 32 and reading verses 7 and 8. Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the King of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles, and the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. This is really a very simple account we're able to read off in this 32nd chapter of the second book of Chronicles, but it does set before us very beautifully and very wonderfully the power of Almighty God. And we see how the enemy was overcome, overcome completely, and was therefore completely beaten. And we can be so thankful that we have a record like this in the Word of God, because although it referred, of course, in this occasion to that specific time, when Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came up against Hezekiah at Jerusalem and besieged it. Yet, you see, he did not succeed. And in the day and age in which we live, we may not be faced with that kind of situation. But the reality is there are battles that we have to fight in our life, Perhaps they're not physical, although historically they may have been, but nonetheless they are spiritual. And we do find that as Hezekiah had this great adversary, Sennacherib, who made all kinds of noises and words that he would be defeated and the people should not listen to him. because he as the great Sennacherib and his father had won many battles before and therefore they should not listen to what Hezekiah said. And perhaps today we may be sorely tempted by the adversary of our souls, the devil, who may indeed insinuate that there's no point in praying to God There's no point in relying upon God. He won't deliver us. He won't save us. He won't bless us. And you see, the temptation sometimes can be exceedingly strong. But to think of this occasion, which is an excellent illustration for us, faced with this scene, Hezekiah committed himself to the Lord. What a blessing that was, and what a blessing it is to know that we have a God indeed, who is kind and gracious and merciful still today. Well, in this instance, we have these beautiful words in the seventh and eighth verses, and I think particularly as we come towards the end of the eighth verse, Hezekiah having told the people to be strong and to be courageous and not to be afraid nor be dismayed and then he explained and he said with regards to Sennacherib well with him there is an arm of flesh just natural man trying to attack the children of Jerusalem But, this is the great blessing, he says, but with us, with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. His total confidence was in his God. And it would be good for us today if our confidence for everything in our life is in our God. And there are many deliverances that you and I can read of in the Word of God where the Lord wonderfully appeared for his people. There was an occasion in Jehoshaphat's day when they were told there'll be no need for you to fight in this battle. No doubt they wondered how could that occur? They wouldn't have to fight. you see the Lord turned the enemy upon themselves and they defeated themselves and therefore the promise to the prophet came to pass the battle was won the enemy was defeated and in the account we have before us here so it occurred and the last point in this eighth verse was just this and the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. Well, today, what a blessing it is if you and I could rest ourselves on the words of God. And in the word of God, there are many words to rest ourselves upon. God is faithful. God has not changed. God is the same yesterday and today and forever. And therefore, as those people, those subjects of Hezekiah, were able to rest themselves. It's a lovely expression, isn't it, really? To think of resting. There they were, you know, with the enemy all around them. And yet they had confidence in the God of Hezekiah. They had confidence in the God of Israel and Judah, and so they were able to rest upon it. Well, my you and I today, we also found resting and trusting in our God. You know, it's easy to not rest in the Lord. It's easy to be very rest less and spend a lot of time trying to work out how we're going to get through this difficulty, how we're going to get through this trial, how we're going to overcome this problem. Well The Word of God is encouraging in a number of places. You know, in Isaiah's day, Isaiah saw mountains before him. Perhaps sometimes we see what may appear to be mountains. We don't know how we're going to get over them. Well, Isaiah was able to record the Word of God to him, 49th of Isaiah, that's a beautiful chapter, and the 11th verse he says, and I will make all my mountains away. So those mountains which we may see before us in our lives are in fact the mountains that God has allowed to be placed there. And therefore as they've been placed there, and they've only been placed there as God has allowed them to be placed there. And sometimes God has put them there. And therefore, in one sense, they are all God's mountains. And he says that I will make all my mountains away. They're all in the control of Almighty God. What a blessing that is. And then in the Psalms, David needed God, didn't he? Many times. to appear for him. Many times he had to seek the Lord, he had to ask direction of his God. His God never failed him, his God always answered. It wasn't always yes, sometimes it was no, but God did answer. Whereas we read very solemnly in the case of Saul when he came to Elisha and he told Elisha that God hadn't answered him. God hadn't answered him, either yes or no, and of course it was very shortly after that that Saul was slain in battle. Here's a very sad case is King Saul. May we therefore remember these truths. But just continuing a moment for David and in the 119th Psalm which We think it's evident David did right. In that psalm, he makes this statement in the 49th verse. Remember, remember he's praying to his God. How often David's prayers are recorded. Remember, remember what? The word unto thy servant upon which thou has caused me to hope. Perhaps David's evidences appeared dark. Perhaps he couldn't bring them to the light. Perhaps he was indeed far off from God. Perhaps he was feeling that he was out of the way and out of the secret and therefore he asks that the Word of God might be remembered. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope." Well, there were the words in David's life upon which he had caused to hope that it was well with his soul. And as we know, and he spoke in the last words really of David, although my house be not so with God, Yes, yet he has made with me. He has made with me. He had that confidence in his God, that God hadn't left him. No, God had made with him everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. What was this covenant that he was relying upon? It was his hope in the mercy of God. It was his hope in the love of God. it was his hope in the grace of God and therefore he was able to come and declare upon which thou has caused me to hope the word of God the blessed word spoken to David and so today perhaps we need God to increase our faith that God may establish our goings nor may put a new song in our heart, even praise unto our God. And so therefore, as we have these great truths recorded in the Word of God, may they indeed be to us something to rest ourselves upon. The people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah. Well, we have a greater than Hezekiah. We have a great Saviour. We have a wonderful Saviour. One who came into this sinful world to die upon the cross at Calvary to redeem our souls. What a mercy that is. And may we indeed tonight remember such words and may we rest ourselves upon what Christ has done, because that work which Christ did was not left undone. It was a completed work. He did all that his Heavenly Father gave him to do, and he finished that work. Yes, at the time ordained in eternity past, a set time when the blessed Saviour was able to come to that place to dismiss his spirit because his work was complete. It is finished. And we know it was true. We know that the Lord had done all that was necessary to redeem our souls. may that indeed be good for us tonight and as Hezekiah spoke to these people remember in the midst of the enemy in a fearful condition that everything might collapse around them this is what he said be strong and courageous be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there be more with us than with him." And of course, how true that was and how true that is today. We have the gracious and blessed support and strength of Almighty God and all the holy angels that he sees fit to be round about us to protect us. You know we should remember that our adversary the devil thinks no doubt that he can control us, but the reality is he is a chained foe. He cannot go any further than the Lord God permits him. and therefore he cannot destroy us. He may pretend he can, he may tell us he's got power so to do, but you know we can tell him power belongeth under God. God dispenses power and God is who has defeated the devil. and you will never be able to conquer those for whom Christ died. And so tonight, let us trace back in our lives and find and try and find that time of hope, of hope that we were, that we are amongst the true household of faith and that the blessed Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ has indeed died for us, shed his most precious blood to pay the price to take away all our sins. Well, Jeremiah gives us a very solemn warning. And of course, Jeremiah was giving a very solemn warning to Judah and Israel of old, because of their sins. And in the 17th chapter of Jeremiah, in the fifth verse, this is what he tells us. Thus saith the Lord. See, he was a true prophet of the Lord. It wasn't Jeremiah's words. He was just a spokesman. It was God's words. Cursed be that man that trusteth in man. Sennacherib was trusting in man, and solemnly he was cursed. Cursed it be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. And in that chapter we read, so clear isn't it, that Sennacherib and his servants spoke how that they had won the battles, how they'd beaten those who worshipped gods and therefore the god of Hezekiah would fall into the same category. They did not realise, they did not appreciate There was such a vast difference. My friends, today, there is a vast difference between the true God and the many false gods which walk up and down in the earth. May we have the confidence to believe and the evidence that our God reigns. He reigns now and he reigns forever. Forever and ever, what a mercy it is then to recognize that we are wonderfully blessed today to be able to read then this account in this blessed Word of God. There are many occasions we can read off and perhaps just thinking of in a spiritual sense of the experience of the Apostle Paul. Because the Apostle Paul, you see, was greatly tempted by the devil. He was a wonderfully blessed man. But God in his infinite mercy has recorded for us those things that the Apostle wrote to the Romans. And if we turn to the seventh chapter of Romans, And there we have, at the end of that chapter, a testimony of his spiritual understanding and his spiritual experience and where he looked. And he tells us from verse 21, I find in a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. Don't forget this is God's servant, Paul the Apostle, a man greatly blessed, a man greatly favoured, caught up to the third heaven to see things which were unspeakable, and yet this is the testimony of words written from his heart. I find in the law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. That means his new nature. That means since he was born again, he had that delight in the law of God, not before, but after this blessed work of God within him. But he tells us, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind. see it was the things he was thinking the law of his mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members these are the true words of the apostle paul a real insight to the battle that he had to fight my friends don't think that although we live many years later our battle will be any different from this. God has permitted such words to be recorded that when we find ourselves in a similar situation we can have recourse to such words because the Apostle never stops there. He goes on to say, O wretched man that I am. Perhaps we feel the same. O wretched man that I am. There's this great battle. O wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? That's a question, isn't it? And Paul is able to answer that question. And this is how he answers it. I thank God. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, there was his secret of victory. The secret of victory to those in Hezekiah's day was the Lord God. The secret of victory for us today is also in the Lord God. I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord, the only way of deliverance, the only way of victory. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. And it goes on. So then with a mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with a flesh. law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." They're very wonderful and they're very glorious words. may we therefore rest ourselves in such truths as that. Just like Hezekiah, the people in Hezekiah's day rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah. May you and I today rest ourselves upon the promises, upon the word of God. We might in saying upon the words of King Jesus. Oh may we then rejoice tonight in the wonderful blessing of God's Word that takes us through these Old Testament accounts to encourage us to know and to believe that we come to that God who is the same yesterday and today and forever and be able to say he who has helped me hitherto will help me all my journey through and give me daily cause to raise new Ebenezers to his praise. Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the King of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, just mere mortal man. But with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles, and the people rest in themselves upon the words of Hezekiah, King of Judah. Amen.