Is It Too Late? 2 Chronicles 33

As we get older, the problems we face become more challenging. Sometimes we get obstacles in our way. Is it too late to deal with those? Of course, the answer is no, but our emotions may make it feel overwhelming. How could God forgive someone like me? Or how could I have wasted so much time and not take advantage of the opportunities presented to me? Maybe it’s just procrastination – once things improve I’ll serve the Lord the way I should have all along. So what I can we do now? It is too late to be righteous?

Manasseh was a horrible wicked Person. 2 Chronicles 33. He caused more abomination to occur than any other king. He’s building idols and altars within the temple complex. He’s sacrificing his own sons. That’s how evil he was.

The stories in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles are stories about fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons. Hezekiah, Manasseh’s father was good, did a lot of good things and yet his son did much evil. And yet, he reigned 55 years. Josiah, Manassehs grandson, did a lot of good things but he died early at age 39.

Observations:
1. Gods grace isn’t afraid of our past. He doesn’t look at our past and say, he’s too far gone. I’ll focus on someone else. God doesn’t do that. Even Manasseh, with all his evil, turned to the Lord after God spoke to him. When you’re upset with your spouse, do you go to them and talk about it? Hopefully you do, but not everyone does. So imagine God reaching out to Manasseh in the midst of the great evils he is doing. He makes some changes as a result. So what about us? Are we listening to God? He’s speaking to us.
2. God is moved by sincere repentance – by whomever offers it, whenever they offer it. Manasseh humbled himself, and God heard. Maybe it takes some bad things to happen to us before we figure things out – an unexpected sickness, the death of a loved one, a job loss…. If it causes us to change course and turn back towards God, that’s a good thing.
3. Give God the time that we have left. It had to be difficult for Manasseh, realizing all the evil he had done. But he makes changes, tears down altars, destroys idols. He begins to worship the Lord and tries to get the people to do so as well. Not all of them do. Josiah had to be around 6 years old and he has seen the changes that have taken place. Maybe Manasseh, in those few years, had an impact on Josiah, who was the most righteous kings in the history of the nation. It’s never too late.

What can we do now?
1. Listen with humility. Be open to change.
2. Break down the idols in our own lives.
3. Begin to exalt God in our heart. How do we treat our spouse? How do we treat our children? We get angry, we get frustrated, we aren’t careful with our words. When we put God first, it affects how we treat those closest to us.

It is never too late to change. God is there waiting.

 

Sermon by Brent Moody

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