Nations began to exalt Hezekiah and he became very wealthy. In his ...

Sermon Follow-up | July 10, 2022

Summer Series ?? A Test of Integrity: "All that was in his heart" Focus Passage: 2 Chronicles 32:7?8, 20?31 Other Passages Referenced: Genesis 3; 1 Peter 4:12; Hebrews 5:8; 2 Kings 19?20; 2 Chronicles 7:14;

Sermon Recap As followers of Jesus who have the Spirit of God living inside us, we are called to look at life through the lens of the gospel. The gospel changes the way we view life. If life really is a series of one test after another and the gospel changes how we view life, then the gospel also changes how we view testing from God. If we don't view our tests through the lens of the gospel, we will likely end up discouraged, fearful, or bitter when things are hard, and sometimes prideful when things are good. Without the gospel, tests may lead us to trust God less rather than more.

The Hebrew word translated "to test" can at times be translated "to train." God trains us to trust Him through testing. Heb 5:8 tells us that although Jesus was God's son "He learned obedience through what He suffered." Although Jesus never sinned, he experientially learned the cost of obedient trust in God through the tests he went through.

Although King Hezekiah had proved faithful in trusting God, the LORD continued to test him. A great test was the invasion King Sennacherib with the Assyrian army. Hezekiah and the Prophet Isaiah trusted the LORD's previous promise from 2 Chronicles 7:14, and the LORD intervened to defeat the Assyrians. People from the surrounding nations began to exalt Hezekiah and he became very wealthy. In his successes, he became proud and did not give the LORD the credit the LORD deserved. As a training discipline, "God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron 32:31). When we are left to ourselves, we often see our greatest problems are not outside people or circumstances, but rather our own hearts. The test of Hezekiah's heart revealed his pride and he responded by repenting??turning from his pride and back to trusting God. Repentance is a tool for testing that we need to use when testing reveals truth about sin in our hearts.

We learn from Hezekiah's experience that tests do not always come in the form of invading enemies, grave sickness, or unpleasant circumstances. Sometimes the most dangerous tests come wrapped in the form of successes we call blessings. Another not-so-obvious truth was the sermon's Big Idea: The tests inside our own hearts can be more dangerous than any tests from the outside. The word "know" can also carry the idea "to make known" or "to reveal." God uses tests to reveal truth to us.

Seeing God's testing through the lens of the gospel shows us that God uses test to train us to trust Him. Tests are not to show us what failures we can be; they are to train us for how much more like Jesus we can become. The gospel also changes how our hearts respond to God's testing to train our hearts to become more like Jesus. If you have a fearful, bitter, or proud heart you won't be able to trust God well. Will you use the tool of repentance this morning to turn from fear, bitterness, and pride? Will you allow your tests to train you to trust Jesus as the King who loves you like no one else?

Allow the Word to Speak ?? READ 2 Chronicles 32:1?31 1. What from the passage or sermon was most impactful to you? 2. Were you left with any questions or confusion about the passage or sermon? 3. Reading the parallel account of Hezekiah's reign in 2 Kings 18?20 will fill in some missing information with

greater detail than we find in 2 Chronicles 32.

Put the Word into Practice ?? 1. How do you see God training you to trust Him more through testing? 2. How can viewing your testing through the lens of the gospel and Jesus' testing change your perspective? 3. Can you identify any ways that you sometimes become a victim of your blessings?

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4. Is the Holy Spirit revealing anything from testing your heart for which you need to repent? (Fear, bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, etc.)

The Big Question: What do you sense God's Spirit saying to you and what concrete action will you take in response? Share your answer with the group or another trusted Christian and ask them to pray for you. SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES: Click here for some good opportunities.

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Sermon Slides | July 10, 2022

1. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:12

2. Overarching Idea Through the Summer Series: God trains us to trust Him through testing

3. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." Hebrews 5:8 4. "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and

turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 5. "And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians." 2 Kings 19:35?36 6. Big Idea: The tests inside our own hearts can be more dangerous than any tests from the outside. 7. Pride: When I exalt myself more than I exalt God ... and I want others to exalt me more than I want them to exalt Him.

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