Well, this evening, our catechism lesson is gonna come from the shorter catechism, the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I wanna read question and answer 91 through 93. You can find those in the back of your hymnal on page 975. 975. Question 91 on page 975. How do the sacraments become a factual means of salvation? The sacraments become a factual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them or in them or in him that does administer them, but only by the blessing of Christ and the working of his spirit in them that by faith receive them. What is a sacrament? A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ wherein by sensible signs Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Which are the sacraments of the New Testament? The sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Well, I think it might be helpful to work through these backwards. So let's begin with question 93, then we'll work back to question 91. So over and against the Roman Catholic Church's teaching that there are seven sacraments, question 93 teaches us that there are two sacraments in the New Testament, baptism and the Lord's Supper. And the reason the Reformed say there are two sacraments instead of seven sacraments is that the Reformed actually have a substantially different view of what constitutes a sacrament and how we identify them. And that's what question 92 addresses. It tells us what a sacrament is and just how we're to identify them. First, our catechism reminds us that a sacrament has to be something that Christ specifically commands in scripture. Neither the apostles nor the church had the authority to declare something to be a sacrament that Christ hadn't appointed as a sacrament. And the only two he appointed are baptism in the Lord's Supper. This is different from the Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholics believe a sacrament could be instituted by virtue of inference. The Reforms said, no, it's got to be something explicitly taught by Jesus. Incidentally, this connects to the Reformers' view of the regulative principle of worship. It's got to be something regulated by scripture. So only sacraments prescribed by Christ are suitable for the Lord's church. Second, A sacrament has to engage the senses. That's what's meant by the language in the catechism of a sensible sign. And this can be a little confusing for us, but the language here of sensible sign carries the meaning of old English. When we hear the word sensible, We tend to think reasonable or rational, but that's not how the catechism uses this. A sensible sign is one we experience with our outward senses. So a sign that's tangible, something we can see, touch, taste, smell, that sort of thing. That's a sensible sign. And of course, a sign is a picture or a symbol that necessarily points us to something. And what a sacrament points us to. ultimately is Christ and the benefits of the new covenant. Sacraments point us to Jesus and what it means to have union and communion with him in the covenant of grace. And notice Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. And this is a way the Westminster divines, they wanted to express here that these outward and sensible signs actually represent an inward and spiritual grace. And one of the things that we learn over and over when we study the doctrine of sacraments is there's the closest possible connection between the sign that which is outward invisible, and that which it signifies, which is an inward grace, right? So think about the way the Lord Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. At that last Passover celebration, Jesus handed his disciples bread. And he said, this is my body. Then he handed them the cup and he said, this is the blood of my covenant. And the 12 men knew as they were sitting there with Jesus that it wasn't his physical body or blood from his actual veins that he was handing them. But Jesus wanted them to know when they partook of the Lord's supper, that outward and sensible sign of the bread and the cup in the closest possible way represented an inward spiritual grace. So just as the outward man eats and drinks to nourish his physical body, when we partake of the sacrament, the inner man is actually being spiritually nourished with the spiritual body and blood. Christ that's why the Apostle Paul would write in 1st Corinthians 10 16 the cup of blessing that we bless is it not participation in the blood of Christ and the bread that we break is it not participation or or communion in the body of Christ and what Paul is saying again is that there's this sacramental union between the sign and and the thing signified, which is Christ and the benefits of the new covenant. And one of the blessings of the sacraments is that they seal God's promises to our inner man. Now, a seal is a stamp of authenticity and validation that accompanies the word of God and further assures the believer God's promises can be trusted. I've used this example in the past, but it's the best one I can think of. Think of a passport. If you have one on your passport, there's a seal from our government. And that's so when you show your passport to an official, that seal validates and authenticates you as a citizen of this nation. In the same way, sacraments validate and authenticate and certify. that the promises of the gospel are yours. They're real to and for you. But then we do need to ask the question, just how do these sacraments become a factual means of grace for our salvation? And that's what question and answer 91 are addressing. Now, the first thing that catechism tells us in question and answer 91 is that there are two things that don't contribute to the effectiveness of the sacraments. First, they're not effectual from any virtue in them, right? The sacraments don't become something they're not. They don't change in substance. Again, this was over and against what the Reformed Catholics teach. The Catholics believe that actually present in the sacrament is grace. Right? And the reformers say, no, no, no. They don't change substance. Grace is not inherent in the thing. So for example, there's no magic in the bread at the Lord's Supper. There's no magic in the waters of baptism. Those things don't become different substances as the Roman Catholics teach. Bread by itself It remains bread, no saving virtue. So that's the first thing that doesn't contribute to the effectiveness of a sacrament. The second thing that doesn't contribute to the efficacy of a sacrament is the holiness of the one who administers them. A more godly minister doesn't contribute to a more godly or powerful administration of the sacrament. In other words, you don't get an extra blessing if I had an extra holy week, right? If that were the case, you'd have a paltry. service each Lord's Day. What we are being taught here is that grace isn't present in the bare sacrament, and neither does grace come from the holiness and faith of the minister. The grace of the sacrament comes only by the blessing of Christ and the Spirit-wrought faith in the one who receives them. Now, I realize I just provided you about nine or 10 minutes of really dense teaching on the sacrament, but I would encourage you to pour over the confession and catechism, and all it teaches is about sacraments. And it's important to know, as Reformed believers, this is one of the areas where the Reformation debates in the 15th and 16th century were fiercest over the whole matter of what the sacraments were. Old Bishop Ryle, wrote a treatise a little over 100 years ago. And in the treatise, he said that between the years of 1555 and 1558, some 288 Protestants were burned at the stake because they denied the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. They would not take the mass. They would not validate the mass. They would not say that in the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and cup actually became the substance of Christ's body and blood. And those 288 Protestant reformers died because of it. They were martyred because they knew the doctrine of sacraments. was that important? That's amazing, isn't it? They had conviction and they wouldn't compromise. Wouldn't it be something if we had those kind of men in the church today? Well, this evening when we return to 2 Chronicles and our study really about the reformation under the great King Hezekiah, We're gonna see for different reasons. He understood just how important the sacraments were for the religious life of God's people. And he wants to reform the doctrine of the sacraments in Judah and Jerusalem. Let me ask you to open up your copy of scripture to 2 Chronicles 30. 2 Chronicles 30. We're gonna read the whole chapter. Second Chronicles 30, beginning in verse one. And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. for they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly, so they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders and spoke according to the command of the king, children of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Then he'll return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. And do not be like your fathers and your brethren who trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers so that he gave them up to desolation, as you see. Now do not be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and enter his sanctuary, which he sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who led them captive so that they may come back to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn his face from you if you return to him. So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun. but they laughed at them and mocked them. Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Also, the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders at the word of the Lord. Now, many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month. They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the 14th day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and sanctified themselves and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. They stood in their place according to their custom according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves. Therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean to sanctify them to the Lord. For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not cleansed themselves Yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. And the Levites and priests praised the Lord day by day, singing to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments. And Hezekiah gave good encouragement to all the Levites that taught good knowledge of the Lord. And they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. For Hezekiah, king of Judah, gave to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep, and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced Also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and the sojourners who dwelt in Judah. So there was great joy in Jerusalem. For since the time of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard. and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, to heaven. Well, the grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God, it endures forever. May blessed to our hearts this evening. Well, dearest congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. You may recall, we learned Hezekiah's name literally means Yahweh has strengthened me. And the Lord has strengthened Hezekiah to lead a great reformation in Judah. And the first half of chapter nine, we saw in the very first days of his reign, he was singularly focused to reform and restore godly Israel. He called together the priests and the Levites and after a very pointed admonishment to them, set those priests and Levites to the task of ridding the temple from all the idols that were there from the time of his father Ahaz's reign. It took those priests and Levites 16 days to get the temple prepared for faithful worship. And once that work was complete, the second half of chapter 19 records for us the formal service to consecrate the temple through the reinstitution of sacrifices. In that way, what we have so far in chapter 29 is not only a reformation of the doctrine of worship, but a reformation of the doctrine of salvation, which provides for us a very vivid Old Testament picture of the importance of substitutionary atonement. Blood was shed, offerings were burnt, and these were a pleasing aroma to the Lord. And remember, just as they started making these sacrifices, just as substitutionary atonement was beginning in the temple to commemorate this great saving work of God, Hezekiah reintroduced music and singing to worship, and it was a joyful song that was being sung. One of the standout features of the King's reform, and this is something we're gonna see unfold tonight, is his commitment to scripture. Hezekiah was zealous for God's glory. He was zealous as a reformer. And so he was unswerving in his desire to be obedient to God's word in doctrine and practice. All of his reforms, as best as he could, were grounded in the dictates and prescriptions of God's Word. Well, with the temple consecrated, the priests and leaders were drawing near to God in worship, as well as some general worshipers who were in Jerusalem. And listen how chapter 29 ends, because it really sets the tenor. for what things were like in Jerusalem and Judea. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order, then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people since the events took place so suddenly." Again, remember, in 16 days. In Geneva, Switzerland, there's a statue of four of the great reformers, Pharaoh, Calvin, Beza, and Knox. And behind that statue, it says, Post-Tenebrox Lux, which means after darkness, light. And that describes the Reformation under Hezekiah. After the darkness of Ahaz's reign, the light of the covenant Lord is shining brightly again in Jerusalem. And now this godly king has a longing in his heart He wants the impact of this reform to now extend all of Judah, as well as any faithful saints that may still be in the Northern Kingdom. And that's where we pick up this evening. Godly Hezekiah knows that one of the most important features of worship for an Israelite were the three annual pilgrim festivals that Jews were obligated to attend, the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. And of those three, the Feast of Passover was likely the most important in the Israelite religious calendar because the Feast of Passover celebrated God's deliverance of his people out of Egyptian bondage through the provision of the blood of the Passover lamb. And so Hezekiah wants to re-institute and reintroduce the Passover, which is essentially a reformation of the doctrine of sacraments. So here's how our text unfolds. In verses one through 12, we see invitations were sent out for the Passover. In verses 13 through 22, we're gonna see the preparations for and the actual celebration of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And then in verses 23 through 27, there's essentially an additional spontaneous repeat of joy-filled worship. They worshiped for seven days and said, we want an encore. Seven more days. So that's how we're going to break up our text. So this glorious scene begins with an invitation that we're going to see is just saturated with covenantal and gospel overtones. In verse 1, Hezekiah sends a communique that he wants to be published far and wide. Notice the letter is sent to all Israel and Judah, and it even mentions Ephraim and Manasseh. This is a way of saying that the king didn't wanna exclude anyone from this great reformation and revival that's taking place in Jerusalem. And here's something we don't wanna overlook. This mighty work of God, it began in Jerusalem. Hezekiah wants to see it spread to Judah, and from Judah, he wants it to spread north to Israel, or what's otherwise known as Samaria. Now, as good Bible students, you likely remember that this mimics the marching orders Jesus gave his early disciples in Acts 1.8. The disciples, you'll remember, they wanted to know when Jesus was gonna restore the kingdom of Israel. And Jesus basically said to them, that's none of your beeswax. But here's what you need to know about my kingdom. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in Judea and then Samaria and to the end of the earth. And Hezekiah gives us a glimpse of this. He wants kingdom worship to extend out from Jerusalem to Judea and to Samaria. And if you look down in verse 25, we see there were sojourners from Judah and sojourners from Israel at the Passover. And these sojourners were people who were literally from the ends of the earth. So Hezekiah is a forerunner of the greater king whose kingdom gospel will be for the whole world. We get a wonderful glimpse of this and we don't see this kind of expansive view of the gospel in the Old Testament very often. So it's a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus who will be drawing in worshipers from every tribe and tongue and nation and clan. Well, Hezekiah has zeal, but he also has an issue he had to address. You notice the king, along with the other leaders, they gather together and they make a decision. They're gonna celebrate the Passover on the second month. Now that might cause some alarm bells to go off in your head, especially since this is a biblical reformer. Because you remember back in Exodus 12, Passover was to take place on the first month and the 14th day. So this is an issue. But again, what we see is Hezekiah is committed that this reformation be grounded in God's law. And he knew, he knew that there's a special provision in Numbers 9 that allowed Israel to celebrate the Passover on the second month if the people were ceremonially unclean or if they were traveling too long away. And that's part of what Hezekiah is dealing with. There were priests who weren't consecrated, and the people needed to make the long trek to Jerusalem from a long way off. And some of them, as we're gonna see in a moment, show up unclean. So you see, even in this slight change, Hezekiah proves to be a man of the book, a sola scriptura reformer. Well, with that issue addressed, the leaders then send out an official decree throughout all Israel from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover to the Lord God of Israel at Jerusalem. And this passage is really filled with optimism and hope in what the Lord is gonna do. But verse five ends with a tragic statement that we don't wanna overlook. since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. That is celebrate the Passover. It's amazing to consider that God has given his people in the Old Testament and the New Testament, sacraments for their spiritual blessing. And how quickly we are to dismiss those as blessings and gifts from God. In the Old Testament, There's only a record of Israel celebrating the Passover feast seven times, if I recollect properly. And it's certainly possible that they celebrated it more than seven times, but that's as many as it's recorded. And it's a tragedy that God's provided this rich means of grace and it's ignored. And we have to wonder, if God's given you this means of grace, And you are wandering away from the faith in idolatry. Is it because you're not availing yourself to the very prescriptions he's provided to keep you steadfast? It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy. They had this sacrament and they set it aside. And it could be argued that much of the evangelical world is probably guilty of the same tragedy. They celebrate the Lord's supper infrequently. And even when they do, they only see it as an ordinance and not as a sacrament. A sacrament is an ordinance, but not all ordinances are sacraments. An ordinance is something you do because it's ordained. It's a duty. And here's the way evangelicals see ordinances. We do it because Jesus said, We baptize because Jesus said baptize. We celebrate the Lord's Supper because Jesus said celebrate the Lord's Supper. But they don't really see it as a means of grace. It's just something that's fulfilling a duty. But as Reformed believers, we understand it is a channel of grace and blessing. That's why we celebrate the Lord's Supper each Lord's Day. Well, it was an error in Israel's theology, and it's an error that Hezekiah intends to correct. So he sends out runners who are not only carrying this royal decree, which is a letter, but these runners are gonna actually function as preachers, as evangelists, really. They have a message to proclaim in verses six to nine, and don't miss there in verse six, it says, they spoke. according to the command of the king. So they've got a message to preach on Hezekiah's behalf, a message from the Lord. Now, before we look at the message, remember, Hezekiah has a strong ecumenical impulse in this reformation. And that's why he sent these runners from the northernmost part of Israel, that's Dan, to the southernmost part of Judah. And we need not wonder if he had this ecumenical impulse. He actually named his first son Manasseh after one of the northern tribes. So he's a man who desires godly unity among the people of God. He even wants the Shosheners from Judah and Israel, those who are not native-born Israelites, he even wants them to be faithful to the Lord and to come. So he's ecumenical in the best possible way. And it's helpful to have that in mind when you see the message that he's preaching, because he doesn't compromise. The message these runners are to proclaim, the word of evangelism there to announce is actually quite pointed and quite direct. And it becomes very clear that as great as his desire is for unity, he will not compromise truth at the expense of unity. So keep that in mind. So the preachers are to begin, again in verses six through nine, with an appeal to the covenant. We see there in verse six, the people are to be addressed as the children of Israel, which means they are the children of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. They had special privileges as God's covenant people. But to obtain the full saving benefits of the covenant, they need to repent. So they're told in verse six, return to the Lord. That's the language of repentance. They're told in verse eight, yield yourself to the Lord. That's the language of submission and repentance. And basically what these ministers are saying as they travel around to and fro on the highways and byways of Israel is turn from your idolatry Israel, repent and believe God's promises. And with this call to repent, There's a warning. Don't be like your fathers and brothers who trespassed against the Lord God. Don't be stiff-necked like they were. To be stiff-necked, that's a very common phrase in the Bible, to speak of an oxen that won't let you put a yoke on them to control them. And sometimes to describe an oxen that you might get the yoke on, but they're not gonna allow you to direct it one way or another. So to be stiff-necked in the Bible, is a picture of stubborn rebellion. And Hezekiah's runners are telling them, you need to turn from that. You need to repent of your stubbornness. You need not follow their pattern. You can repent. And this language is really quite strong and forceful. But then I love that these ministers are to begin to communicate grace and mercy. And so they say, look, if you turn from that trajectory and you flee to Yahweh, you're gonna find one who is gracious and compassionate. If they'll just come to the sanctuary that's now been consecrated and sanctified by the blood, and then they worship the Lord God, there's the promise. that the fierceness of his wrath will be turned away, verse eight. And this promise is covenantal. Those who come in repentance for soul cleansing, that's not only a blessing to them, it'll be a blessing to their family members who've been carried off in captivity. It's covenantal. And look at the great gospel promise there in the last half of verse nine. The Lord your God is gracious and merciful and he'll not turn his face from you if you return to him, right? If you repent, God won't turn away from you when you turn to him. And there's so much gospel in this. I wanna mention just three ways that Hezekiah's preachers point us to Christ. First is a very clear picture in this gospel promise of the doctrine of propitiation. propitiatory sacrifice is one that's offered to specifically turn away God's just wrath from the one who deserves it and to have it directed on God's appointed sacrifice. Now at the temple that would have been a lamb in various forms and fashions and again we see in verse 8 the fierceness of his wrath will be turned away if they come. But that's just what Jesus has accomplished for us, isn't it? Only he accomplished it in a once for all fashion, so we don't need another sacrifice. We're told in 1 John 4.10 that God so loved us that he sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus took upon us the wrath we deserve. And Hezekiah offers the promise of a propitiatory sacrifice to God's people if they'll simply embrace it. in faith and repentance. It's the gospel in perfect seed form. Second, despite the fact that the people have a record of being stiff-necked Here's the promise that if they return to Yahweh, they're going to find an easy yoke. Why? Because he's described as compassionate and gracious and merciful. And you know, this is similar to the promise that Christ offers in Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Come to me, all you who are labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." And Hezekiah's evangelists are saying, return to Yahweh. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. And then the third way we see the promise of the gospel in Hezekiah is that it is a covenantal gospel. The promise of mercy is not just to us, But the promise of the gospel, when we hear it and respond, it's for our children and to all those who are far off and as many as the Lord God will call. And Hezekiah tells his runners, if you repent and believe, there will be covenant blessings for your family, perhaps even the return of them from exile. So again, there's just so much gospel in this, but we need to keep moving along. Now, one of the things we know, if we're students of the Bible, is when the gospel is proclaimed, there's always two responses. One of two will always exist in the hearer of the gospel. The gospel will either be accepted as precious, or it'll be scorned as dangerous and ridiculous. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2.16, the gospel will be an aroma to life, to some leading to life, and it will be an aroma of death to others leading to death. And we see those two responses in verses 10 through 12. As these itinerant preachers went through various regions, there was insidious laughter and mockery by a great many who heard this message. And by the way, that tells us just how far the Northern Kingdom had fallen. This was simply an invitation to come to Yahweh's temple, to be restored to Yahweh, to worship Yahweh. It shouldn't have been outlandish. But remember, we're dealing with more than two centuries since the kingdom divided. Most of the northern kingdom knew very, very little of true religion. And so they just scorned the message. But there were others who heard the message and they humbled themselves, and they longed to be in a right relationship with God, so they made the trek to Jerusalem. And don't miss this, this whole passage unfolds in a way that puts God's sovereign grace on display. We're told in verse 12, both those who humbled themselves, as well as those who had already responded in Judah, they did so because the hand of God was on them to give them singleness of heart, to obey the command of the king and the leaders at the word of the Lord. If I can put this succinctly, because I really have to move very quickly, these folks were saved by the ministry of the word and spirit. Simply, it's such a wonderful picture of the gospel ministry. Well, that brings us to our second main heading in verses 13 through 22. the actual preparations for and the celebration of Passover. We don't know the exact numbers who traveled to Jerusalem from Judea and Israel, except that they're massive. They're described immediately as many people, and it's a very great assembly. And when you get down to the number of bulls and lambs that were being offered for sacrifices, you have to realize this is tens of thousands of worshipers who have gathered here. This is not Redeemer Presbyterian Church. This is Rick Warren's church. No, because they're faithful, sorry. But this is a massive gathering of God's people. And all these dear believers have come to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And we can tell that they seem to have had a real heart change. They show up in Jerusalem and they mean business. Think about this for just a moment. When the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were prescribed back in Exodus 12, Part of that ritual ceremony was to eat only unleavened bread in the Passover meal. And then for the celebration of the feast of unleavened bread, They were to make sure they got rid of every spot of unleavened bread in their homes. And if they didn't, they ran the risk of being cut off from God's covenant. So ridding the leaven from their homes symbolized the people ridding themselves of the sinful and idolatrous influence of Egypt. And again, God gave that prescription to teach Israel that as important as it was to them to get out of Egypt, it was important to God to get Egypt out of them. And it would seem that's exactly the mindset that they brought to Jerusalem. They want all the leaven of idolatry from the reign of Ahaz, not simply gone from the temple, but gone from Jerusalem. Look there at verse 14, they arose and they took away the altars that were in Jerusalem and they took away all the incense altars and they cast them in the brook Kidron. So now not only the temple has been purged, but the city of Zion has been purged, right? This is an amazing reformation. It always starts at the focal point of the church and works out. And with this, with this destruction of idols, they began slaughtering the Passover lambs. Now it's worth pointing out when Passover was initially given to Israel in Exodus 12, the killing of the lamb was done by people at their homes. That's where the whole service by and large took place. They would choose a lamb without defect or blemish on the 10th day of the first month. They would keep that lamb for four days, then they would kill it on the 14th day. The blood, of course, in the original Passover celebration was put on the doorframe of the house so that the angel of death might pass over all those who were under the protection and provision of the blood of the lamb. Again, such a picture of the gospel. And then they were to roast the lamb and eat it in their homes, right? It was largely a family event. But in Deuteronomy 16, again, this is 40 years after that initial event, the people have been wandering, in the wilderness, they're about to take possession of the promised land. In Deuteronomy 16, that practice was amended and the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed at the tabernacle or the temple. Largely because Israel went into bondage as families, as clans, when they come out, they are a nation. And so the worship is to be centralized. Anyway, according to Deuteronomy 16, the process is amended a bit. The head of the family would bring the lamb to the entrance of the tabernacle or later to the temple. Then the head of the family would kill the Passover lamb. He would give the lamb then to the priest who would draw the blood, put it on the altar, then they would roast the lamb and they would eat it there at the sanctuary. So that's the provision. It changed from a family event to a corporate event, and that's what's unfolding under Hezekiah's reformation of the Passover. Now, as I said, the numbers are overwhelming, and presumably the priests had no idea how many people were going to come and were told that they're actually ashamed and and what that likely means is there weren't enough of them consecrated to handle this this much duty but they did make work of it and so without wasting any time they they started to get their fellow Levites and priests consecrated they made the burnt offerings according to the law of Moses and and so they started to be able to catch up with the overflow. But almost as soon as that happened, another problem arose. You know, if in God's providence, we got 75 people in our church in the next three months, it would be great, but it would create a lot of problems, wouldn't it? I mean, we're so small. Just dealing with those folks, that's what's happening. Things are happening so powerfully, so greatly, that the religious leaders didn't expect it, and they don't quite know how to handle it. Well, they're catching up, And they're working through these Passover sacrifices, but then something else happens. Comes to bear that, comes to light rather, that many of the people, again, they've come from lands that have been so far from true religion for so long. They've shown up at the temple and they don't even know what's going on. And many of them were unclean. That is, they were ceremonially unclean, which again meant they weren't able to kill the lamb, and you know what that means? The priest had to do it for them. And again, this contributes to these men of God having to work at a frenzy pace. And to add insult to injury, we find that the people who were unclean are actually eating the lamb, which is something they shouldn't have done. And this led Hezekiah to offer a prayer, which honestly sounds like something you'd find in the New Testament. Pick up with me there at the middle of verse 18. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying, may the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he's not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. So Hezekiah knew it wasn't the outward ritual that God was most concerned with. It was the heart. Perhaps he had recently meditated on Psalm 51, where we get a record of David's prayer of repentance. In verses 16 and 17 of Psalm 51, David said, for you do not desire sacrifice, or else I'd give it. You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These, O God, you'll not despise. That's the basis, I think, of Hezekiah's prayer. Lord, those who have repentant and believing hearts, don't hold this against them. Make atonement for them. And again, God is so gracious. We're told in verse 20, the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. And this ought to resonate with us. To celebrate the Lord's Supper rightly is a matter of the heart, isn't it? because it's a means of grace. Well, the people transition from the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it's a flat-out celebration, seven full days of gladness and joy. There's praise, there's singing, loud musical accompaniment, and it really is a service of incredible joy. There's a little detail here that you have to love. Hezekiah demonstrates that he's the mark of a great leader. He knows the priests and Levites were struggling. They've been busting their fanny to keep up with the demand. And so in verse 22, he says, listen, let me give you a word of encouragement. What you've done today is good. You've taught the good knowledge of the Lord. There were peace offerings or fellowship offerings I think I mentioned last week, the peace offerings were very precious because these were also offerings you would bring. They would be made at the burnt altar. And most of that meat would then be consumed in fellowship with the priests and with God's people. So it's a great celebration. And after seven days, the people are like, you know what? I've had enough of worship. This is cold and it's stale. And we don't wanna, no. The whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days and they kept it another seven days with gladness. And again, it results in great joy in Jerusalem. Well, I'm gonna stop here. This is a great picture of a reformation that's centered on the gospel. You have people who are coming to faith trusting the promises of God, coming to worship, enjoying the sacraments. It's not so different than what we do. The great blessing we have is we live on the other side. They were looking forward to God doing something great. We look back. God has done something great. The Lamb of God has been sacrificed from us. He is our Passover, and we ultimately celebrate in Him. I must have had more notes than I realized. Let me give you a moment to ask any questions you might have. was afraid of when he established his false religion in the Northern Kingdom. But that's exactly what he seemed to fear, that they go back to Jerusalem, where the true place of worship is. So, good. I don't know if you heard what Brother Jeff said, but it's a helpful observation. If you go back a couple hundred years, when Jeroboam set up the golden calves in Dan and Bethel, it was because he was afraid if the people in the Northern Kingdom went back to Jerusalem and worshiped God there and were reminded that that's sort of ground zero for their faith, that they wouldn't want to go back and he'd lose his constituency. That was the purpose of the golden calves. And although Jehoshaphat was evil, I mean, Jeroboam was evil, he was right. The people would come and they would want to stay because It is where the Lord is worshipped, so. I was reminded when some of the men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun came back to Jerusalem, it reminded me of, you know, the couriers went out and they were laughed at, et cetera, but it's like Elijah, he was, at Mount Carmel, he felt he was the only one, you know, and yet there were, despite that 200 years of nothing in Israel that was still faithful followers. You know what? There's a message here. For some reason it did seem to poorly manage my time tonight. But something you hear a lot in discussions about mission and evangelism is so-and-so area is burned over with the gospel. It's been so gospelized that there's no reason to proclaim the gospel in this place or that place. People say that about West Michigan, right? As though there are not people who are sitting in churches that are not faithful and would respond to the gospel if they heard it. I think there's an application there. Can you tell us more about the sojourners? Do you know any more about that? Yeah, a sojourner, the Hebrew word is ger, it's ger. I can always remember that, just appeals to me, ger. But it has to do with someone who comes and wants to stay and live in the community of Israel, right? And one of the things we know is these sojourners would have become God-fearers, which is another technical term to speak of those who, take the step of actually being circumcised. No, they would not have been Hebrews in any way. These would have been complete foreigners who had come, who had become circumcised. And we know they were circumcised because otherwise they wouldn't have been allowed to come and celebrate Passover. So, yeah. So yeah, it's amazing, right? Anything else? Did you notice how the people, how this whole worship service ended in verse 27? Then the priests and Levites arose and they blessed the people and their voice was heard and their prayer came up to the holy dwelling place to heaven. They certainly, these priests would have blessed the congregation with the same benediction that we use from number six. So stand and receive that benediction. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And all of God's people said, amen. you you