Jump Start # 1717

2 Kings 20:1 “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’’”

We continue with our series, “Whispers of Eternity.” Throughout the Scriptures we find a continual reference to the fact that our bodies are mortal and will die but our souls live on. Death is not the end to us. There is no “The End,” to our story.

The world looks differently at the subject of death than God does. Those who don’t walk with God fear death. They don’t want to talk about it. Death is cool on the movie screen. Video games have us blasting bad guys without any thought. Crime shows begin with someone being killed. Death can seem glamorous and even fascinating as Hollywood presents it. But when death comes to our home, to someone that we know and love, all the coolness suddenly disappears. The world will use words to describe death such as tragic, gone, lost, over, even expressions such as buying the farm or kicking the bucket. For the righteous, the Bible uses words such as gain, blessing, precious—to describe the death of God’s people. Different outlook. Different attitude. All of this based upon whether someone believes that this is it or if we live on after death.

Our verse today shows the reaction that a king had when he was told that he was going to die. The king is Hezekiah. He was very ill. God sent Isaiah to confirm what the king may have thought, he was going to die. God told him to “Set your house in order.” What follows tells us much about the character of Hezekiah. That statement from God could well be sent to us. We need to set our house in order because we are going to die. For Hezekiah, it’s was very soon. For us, it may be years or even decades out, but it will still happen. Given the news that Hezekiah received, I wonder what our reaction, my reaction, would be. Would I be angry with God? Would I feel cheated? Would I try to squeeze in all the last minute fun that I could? Would I turn my back on God and go out in sin? Would I gather my family together? Set your house in order.

That’s a great statement. That line makes a great sermon. There are several applications that could be made.

• There are some congregations that need to set things in order. They are simply out of order
• There is a physical side to setting your house in order—the finances, the important papers, telling others how things operate at work or even at home
• There is the emotional side to setting your house in order—there are things that you needed to say to others but you never have. Maybe you have been too proud to apologize. Set your house in order. Maybe you have had a hard time saying, “I love you,” to those dear to your heart. Set your house in order. Maybe you have never thanked those who made a difference in your life and gave you a chance when you were young and starting out. Set your house in order.
• There is the spiritual side to this. Set your house in order spiritually. First, begin with yourself. Are you obedient to Christ? Are you serious about your faith in the Lord? What about others in your family? Have you talked with them about their souls? Have you sat down and opened up the Bible and had a one-on-one discussion with them about what God says? Are you ready to meet God?

Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed. He didn’t ask God to forgive him. He didn’t ask God to live longer. He didn’t ask God to give him a second chance. His prayer said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” That’s it. Simply Remember. Remember what I have done. Hezekiah didn’t “find” God in his last few days. He had been with God all along. He had walked with God. He had been close to God. Then Hezekiah cried. He wept greatly.

Before Isaiah left the palace compound, God summoned him back to Hezekiah. The prayer was heard. God said, “I have seen your tears.” God granted Hezekiah an additional 15 years. He didn’t use those additional years wisely. From our side of things, it seems that he should have just died.

There is a setting things in order that needs to be the center of our lives. We have a tendency to get our “order” out of order. Priorities get mixed up. We forget what the big picture is. We worry about things that do not matter. We get overwhelmed with minor details of nothingness that we live out of order.

What does out of order look like?

It looks like the person who ignores the subject of death and believes if he never thinks about it, it won’t happen. It will.

It looks like the person who lives only to himself. He doesn’t think of others, their feelings or the consequences of what he is doing. His order is out of order.

It looks like the person who lives as if this is it. He never thinks spiritual. He never prays. He never talks spiritual. He never considers the spiritual. It’s all now. It’s all here. It’s all material. This thinking has made him selfish, materialistic, proud, and closed minded. He avoids all things religious and spiritual. Once in a while, you will see such a person at a funeral. My, oh, my, they are uncomfortable. They don’t want to think about death and there it is. Here comes the preacher with a Bible, a lesson and prayers. They can’t wait to get out of that place and push those thoughts out of their mind. They ignore Solomon’s wisdom about it being good to go to the house of mourning. They do not take it to heart.

It looks like a person who is terrified of dying. They will do everything possible to keep going. They will push for surgeries and treatments in advanced ages in life because “this is it.” This is all that they have. They fear death.

It looks like a person who thinks he has all the answers but he really doesn’t. He is so out of order that he doesn’t even realize it.

Out of order. When an elevator is out of order, you have to take the stairs. When our lives are out of order, it would do well to climb the steps toward Heaven. For the righteous, who is living a life that is in order, it looks just the opposite of all those points above. He is humble and trusting God. He doesn’t fear death. He knows what will happen and why. He is spiritual. He is sharing. He believes in the Lord.

Set your house in order. One of my children just moved. His new house is out of order with boxes and unpacking. We get that. How about the person who lives spiritually out of order? He doesn’t unpack the baggage that is weighing him down. He doesn’t set things in order. He simply goes through another day. Someday, he will run out of days and then he will find out that he missed the most important things in life.

Set your house in order. Are you worshipping God often? Are you worshipping God the way He wants to be worshipped? Do you think about the eternal? Is God’s word a part of your daily schedule? Is there anything for God to remember in your life? Have you given Him anything worthwhile to remember?

Get your order in order…

Roger