## Set Thine House in Order

## II Kings 20:1

This morning we read of an interesting account in the life of a great king in Israel. Hezekiah faces the same fate that every king previous and every king that would follow him would face. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die. That means that every one of us has an appointment that was made by God, and that appointment is with death.

Now we might not want to think about that this morning, but it is still true. One day (and we don't when that might be) God will say that it is enough. He will call us to our appointment with death. Nothing can change that fact, but how we face that appointment is up to us. Let's consider how Hezekiah dealt with the news that he was to die.

I. The Command.

A. Set Thy House In Order

1. Have you thought about the last time you took a vacation and the amount of planning that went into the event?

2. There are a thousand and one things that have to be set in order before you actually leave.

3. Because planning takes time and effort, many fail to make the proper arrangements for vacations, retirement, and other events.

4. Failing to plan in this life for holidays, retirements, college, and vacations is one matter.

5. However, those that fail to plan for death are in for the greatest eternal surprise of all.

(Amos 4:12) "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."

6. You might plan wisely for your vacation and your retirement, but all is for nothing if you fail to plan for your death.

a. Certainly wills, trusts, and various legal means will help to plan for how our assets will be distributed when we die.

b. But we must also plan for our spiritual future…where will we spend eternity?

7. How long would it take to set our house in order?

a. Who is ready right this minute to pass into the realm of death?

b. If the messenger of the Lord came to us and told us to set our house in order, how long would it take?

c. Would we have to beg for more time?

d. What kind of thoughts would pass through our minds?

8. Some things to consider are:

a. Are we 100% sure of our salvation?

b. If saved, are there loved ones that we failed to tell of God's love and grace?

c. Are there some hurt feelings or grudges that need to be made right?

d. Is there someone we need to seek forgiveness from or grant forgiveness to?

e. Is there some un-confessed sin that calls for our repentance?

f. If such should be the case, why did it take us so long to humble the heart?

9. Today is the day for everyone to set their house in order and get busy doing all the things that the Lord wants us to do!

B. For Thou Shalt Die And Not Live.

1. How long have we known we were going to die?

2. All of us have gone to the funeral or stood by the death bed of others.

3. We know that we will die, but we think it will come later…

4. What if later, is right now?

(Psa 90:10) "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

5. That verse is not a guarantee, but a warning!

a. King Hezekiah begin his reign at age 25

b. He reigned for 29 years.

c. That would place his death at the age of 54.

d. However, fifteen years were added unto him, making him 39 at the time God sent him word to set his house in order.

e. King Hezekiah did not make threescore-ten.

f. He died. How many folks do we know that died before reaching the age of 70?

(Job 14:1-2) "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. {2} He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."

6. Someday someone will be saying about us, "Did you hear…they died!"

7. It is time to set our house in order for we will die and not live.

II. The Reaction.

A. The Time Of My Departure Is At Hand

(2 Tim 4:6) "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand."

1. Let's look at another character in the Bible who faced impending death.

2. We want to compare the Apostle Paul to King Hezekiah.

3. Observe how each responded and determine which one was in God's will for their life.

4. Perhaps by contrasting these two, we will be able to determine our standing as well.

B. King Hezekiah's Reaction 2 Ki. 20:3

1. Begged God to remember how he walked before God in truth

2. Walked before God with a perfect heart

3. He had done that which was right in God's sight

4. Hezekiah wept sore

C. The Apostle Paul's Reaction 2 Tim. 4:6-8

1. I am ready to be offered

2. The time of his departure was at hand

3. He fought a good fight

4. Finished his course

5. Kept the faith

6. Knew that rewards were waiting

D. Which of these men serve as an example for us today?

1. The Apostle Paul.

2. He already had his house in order.

3. He was ready and willing to embrace death.

(2 Cor 5:8) "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

III. Fifteen More Years

A. God answered Hezekiah's prayer.

1. He grants him a fifteen-year extension on his life.

2. Remember, we need to be careful what we ask of God in prayer.

3. He may give it to us!

B. Hezekiah has fifteen years, but how will he use those fifteen years? Will he please God or will he live his life to please self?

1. He needed a sign…he didn't really believe God, did he?

2. Do we believe God's Word?

3. God said, I believe it and that settles it…no, God said, and that settles it whether I believe it or not!

C. What is missing?

1. In both of the accounts given of this dialogue, there is not one indication that Hezekiah thanks God.

2. God granted him 15 more years, and He delivered Hezekiah and the city from the Assyrians.

3. But nowhere do we find a word of thanksgiving for all that God had done for him.

4. It seems he lived each of the additional years thinking only of his self.

5. Tragic, yes, but not so different from us today.

6. God has blessed us so much, and yet how often we live our lives without thought of those blessings.

D. One more thought.

1. During those additional years, Hezekiah had a son born unto him.

2. His name was Manasseh.

3. He would take the throne and become the most evil and vile king that ever reigned over Israel.

(2 Chr 33:9) "So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel."

- Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
- Hezekiah had two opportunities to do this, and failed to accomplish this task.
- What about us? Whose plan are we following?
- Are we prepared to meet God?