Let the worship go up from us to the Lord, and may the blessing come down to us from him (Travelling Through God’s Word: 1 and 2 Chronicles).

1 and 2 Chronicles Towards the end of 1 Chronicles, we read about the people of Israel, worshipping the Lord: Then David said to all the assembly, "Bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord. "If my people, …

Responding to God’s Word (11): What a friend we have in Jesus.

Look to the Lord and his strength (1 Chronicles 16:11). Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you (2 Chronicles 14:11). There are times when we feel strong, times when it feels like we're taking everything in our stride. There are times, when it feels like everything seems to be too much for us. When things are going …

2 Chronicles

2 CHRONICLES 1:1-2:18 – ‘Give me wisdom’ (1:10). What is the greatest wisdom of all? – It is the ‘wisdom’ which leads to ‘salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’. Where do we find this wisdom? – Read ‘the Holy Scriptures’. Ask God for wisdom – ‘Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful truths …

What are we learning from COVID-19? – God is in control.

Patrick Smith - preaching for Sandyford-Henderson Memorial Church Glasgow Scotland https://youtu.be/XqAxGs4E93U

Nothing else and no-one else can even begin to compare with the Lord.

2 CHRONICLES 1:1-2:18 - ‘Give me wisdom’ (1:10). What is the greatest wisdom of all? - It is the ‘wisdom’ which leads to ‘salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’. Where do we find this wisdom? - Read ‘the Holy Scriptures’. Ask God for wisdom - ‘Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful truths …

God places the highest value on our salvation.

2 Chronicles 1:1-17; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20; Psalm 94:1-11 We are to place value on the most important things. God places the highest value on our salvation (1 Corinthians 6:19). Those who share God’s values will ask for “wisdom and knowledge” (2 Chronicles 1:10), and “not ... for wealth, riches or honour .... “ (2 Chronicles 1:11). …

Let us go on with the Lord.

2 Chronicles 24:1-25:28; 1 Corinthians 16:5-24; Psalm 102:18-28 During the time of the Old Testament kings, there was much “turning away from following the Lord” (2 Chronicles 25:27). In such times as these, we need to be encouraged to go on with the Lord: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men …

Keep on praying.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). There are plenty of people who tell us that prayer is a waste of time. They tell us …

We must never lose sight of the eternal dimension of our life.

The grandeur of Solomon was most impressive. After reading about all of his glory, we come to the point where he dies. This is a reminder that we cannot take our riches with us. It’s a reminder of Jesus’ words: “Do not lay up treasures on earth.Lay up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). We must …

The revival of our worship

2 Chronicles 29:1-31:1; 2 Corinthians 1:12-22; Psalm 103:13-22 A revival of worship does not come from the worshippers. It comes from the God whom they worship – “what God had brought about for His people” (2 Chronicles 29:35b-36). “It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:22). If …

“If My people …”

The continuation of God’s blessing is conditional on the continuation of Israel’s obedience. The Temple does not guarantee the continuation of God’s blessing: “If you and your descendants turn away from Me ... I will reject this Temple that I declared holy for My Name. I will make it an example and an object of …

Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers.

2 Chronicles 2:1-5:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 97:1-12 Worship and witness belong together. The building of the Temple speaks to us of the priority of worship. Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers. The ministry of Paul speaks to us of witness: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible …

The Lord our God is with us – to help us and to fight our battles.

2 Chronicles 31:2-33:20; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11; Proverbs 21:5-16 “With us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:8). The battle will not be easy. “Satan” is seeking to “outwit us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Nevertheless, “we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). In our spiritual …

“The Lord’s glory filled the Lord’s Temple.”

“The Lord’s glory filled the Lord’s Temple” (2 Chronicles 5:14), The emphasis is not on Solomon. It is the Lord who must be the focus of our attention. It is the Lord who is to receive glory. Solomon emphasizes this: “I’ve built the Temple for the Name of the Lord God of Israel” (2 Chronicles …

In times of trouble

2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 103:1-12 “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:22). Times of trouble can lead people towards bitterness and further rebellion against the Lord. On the other hand, times of trouble can be precisely the times when God’s purpose is …

Without the blessing of God, our worship is empty.

2 CHRONICLES 5:2-6:42 - Without the blessing of God, our worship is empty. We must look for God’s blessing in the place of worship. What we must pray for is this: ‘the glory of the Lord filled the House of God’ (5:14). We must look for God’s blessing in the pulpit, praying that the preachers …

Leadership

“Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people ... This great people of Yours” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Wisdom is not given to us for our own benefit, It is given to us for the benefit of others - so that we might lead them to the Lord. We are to follow …

2 Chronicles 14-18

2 CHRONICLES 14:1-16:14 - Keep on going! Don’t give up! Asa began so well - ‘Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God’ (14:2). He led the people to the Lord. Under his leadership, the people ‘entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their …

A New Year Sermon: 2 Chronicles 30:6-12; Mark 1:1-13

2 Chronicles 30:6-12; Mark 1:1-13 "Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king" (2 Chronicles 30:6). A message had been given to them. They passed the message on. They "spoke according to the command of the king" (2 Chronicles 30:6). What we see here, in 2 Chronicles 30, …

The battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 18:28-21:3; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Psalm 102:12-17 Those who were armed for battle received this message from the Lord: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 21:15). Now, we fight many battles. There will come a Day when these battles …

When places and faces slip into our past

"The temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods" (2 Chronicles 2:5). We become very attached to the places where we worship. They are associated with many special memories. They bring back treasured memories of people, with whom we have shared our journey of faith. Some of us …

We come to You, Lord. We come in our weakness. We ask for Your strength.

2 Chronicles 8:1-9:31 Lord, we look at Solomon – and we see ourselves. There is strength (2 Chronicles 8:16) – and there is weakness (2 Chronicles 8:11; 2 Chronicles 9:12). We want to love You more, but the world keeps on pulling us back – away from you and into sin. We come to You, …

2 Chronicles 19-20

2 CHRONICLES 19:1-20:37 - ‘I have the desire to do what is good , but I cannot carry it out... When I want to do good, evil is right there with me’ (Romans 7:18,21). In 19:2-3, we see the two sides of Jehoshaphat. In his heart, he wanted to do God’s will, seeking and serving …

What is the greatest wisdom of all?

2 CHRONICLES 1:1-2:18 - ‘Give me wisdom’ (1:10). What is the greatest wisdom of all? - It is the ‘wisdom’ which leads to ‘salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’. Where do we find this wisdom? - Read ‘the Holy Scriptures’. Ask God for wisdom - ‘Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful truths …

All that we do – for the glory of God

2 Chronicles 5:2-7:10; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1; Proverbs 20:5-14 “The glory of the Lord filled the Temple of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14). There is glory among God’s people when He answers their prayers (2 Chronicles 6:40-42 and 2 Chronicles 7:1-3). All that we do is to be done “for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This includes our …

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Chronicles 21:4-23:21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-16:4; Proverbs 20:25-21:4 The conflict between good and evil, godliness and ungodliness, may be seen throughout the Scriptures. This is particularly true in the history of the Old Testament kings. God is doing a work. Satan is doing all that he can to destroy it. We must make “a covenant ... …

Blessing will only come to us when we give the glory to God.

The building of the Temple - It was “the Lord’s Temple” (2 Chronicles 3:1). It was being built “for the Lord’s Name” (2 Chronicles 2:1). The glory of the Lord - This must never be forgotten. There is nothing more important than this. God is to be glorified. This was the reason for the building …

Armed for battle

2 Chronicles 16:1-18:27; 1 Corinthians 15:1-34; Psalm 102:1-11 The people of God are to be “armed for battle” (2 Chronicles 17:18). The battle is spiritual. It can only be won through the power of the risen Christ. His purpose is the destruction of “the last enemy … death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). This has been accomplished, …

Worship – at the heart of the Christian life

2 Chronicles 7:11-9:31; 1 Corinthians 11:2-34; Psalm 98:1-9 Worship lies at the heart of the Christian life. If the blessing of God is to come upon His people, there must be the gathering together of the His people for worship.  In calling His people to prayer, God says this: “Now My eyes will be open and …

What God Has Done, What God Will Do

We look back, and we ‘give thanks to the Lord’, remembering ‘the wonderful works that He has done’ (1 Chronicles 16:8,12). We look forward, committing our future to the Lord in prayer, looking to Him to fulfil the promise He gives to those who call upon Him in heartfelt prayer: ‘If My people who are …

Let us pray with humility, longing for God and repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 The gathering together of God’s people - “I... have chosen this place for Myself” (2 Chronicles 7:12). Note also 2 Chronicles 7:15-16 - “... this place... this temple.” The key verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14. Taking this verse together with Acts 1:12-14, we may say, ‘This is the kind of prayer that …

Spiritual revival: Where does it come from? It comes from God – from the rediscovery of His Word.

2 CHRONICLES 34:14-35:19 - During the reign of King Josiah, there was spiritual revival (33). Where did this spiritual revival come from? It came from God. It came from the rediscovery of God’s Word. Where was the Word of the Lord found? - It was found ‘in the House of the Lord’ (34:15). God speaks …

We must not take God’s blessing for granted.

2 CHRONICLES 26:1-28:27 - We must not take God’s blessing for granted. King Uzziah began well - ‘He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord... He set himself to seek God’ (26:4-5). Things went wrong - ‘When he was strong he grew proud’ and ‘he was false to the Lord his God’ …

Division among God’s people

2 CHRONICLES 10:1-11:23 - We read here of division among God’s people: ‘Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day’ (10:19). What does God say about this? - ‘Do not go up to fight against your brothers (11:4). Jesus tells us that ‘a house... divided against itself cannot stand’ (Mark …

A call to prayer and a promise of blessing

2 CHRONICLES 7:1-22 - In verse 14, there is a call to prayer and a promise of blessing: ‘If My people who are called by My Name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their …

We live in difficult times. We must choose to be the Lord’s people.

2 CHRONICLES 21:1-23:21 - We live in difficult times. Many are choosing to do what is ‘evil in the sight of the Lord’ (21:6). We must make another choice, a better choice. We must choose to ‘be the Lord’s people’ (23:16). In this time of great darkness, we have ‘the lamp of the Lord’: ‘Your …

A Good Influence, or a Bad Influence?

The reign of Jehoshaphat was a good reign. He was the “king of Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:31). He was very different from “King Ahab of Israel” (2 Chronicles 18:3). Good kings, bad kings: each has his influence on the people. Some have a good influence. Some have a bad influence. Reading about these things makes …

Why should we return to the Lord our God?

"People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria" (2 Chronicles 30:6). Abraham, Isaac, Israel, the kings of Assyria: all of this is coming to us from a long time ago. …

Before there can be true rejoicing in the Lord, there must be real dedication to the Lord.

2 CHRONICLES 29:1-36 - God is calling us to be holy - ‘Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the House of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the holy place’ (5). Before there can be true rejoicing in the Lord - ‘they sang praises with gladness’ - , there …

Everything – For God

“I want to build the Temple for the Lord my God. I want to dedicate it to Him” (2 Chronicles 2:4). Everything that we do is to be done for God. Everything that we do is to be dedicated to Him. This is the lesson that we learn from Solomon and the building of the …

Seek God and serve God.

2 CHRONICLES 31:11-32:33 - Seek God and serve God. This is what King Hezekiah did - ‘he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God,... seeking his God... with all his heart’ (31:20-21). Seek God and serve God. This is what we must do. God was good to Hezekiah - …

The power of the Spirit – poured into our hearts

2 Chronicles 33:21-35:19; 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:16; Psalm 104:1-18 Covenant – This is vitally important in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (2 Chronicles 34:29-32; 2 Corinthians 3:6). There is the Word of God (2 Chronicles 34:30) and the Spirit of God (2 Corinthians 3:6). There is the human response (2 Chronicles 34:31-32) and renewal by the …

Before the worshippers gather, the Lord is there.

"My eyes and My heart will always be there (in the place where God's people gather together to worship Him)" (2 Chronicles 7:16). Before the worshippers gather, the Lord is there. He's waiting for us. He's calling us to come to Him. Before our ears hear the words, "Let us worship God", the Lord is …

Make me a channel of Your peace.

Kings and queens, prime ministers and presidents - what are we to say about them? Some say, "This one's good - and that one's not so good." Others say, "No! It's the other way round." No -one seems to be agree about what makes a good king, a good queen, a good prime minister, a …

The Lord reigns – forever.

"His throne will be established forever" (1 Chronicles 17:14). A king or queen can have a short reign or a long reign. Only God can have a "forever" reign. Here's something we should never forget - it's the Lord who's on the throne that really matters, the only throne that is established forever.

Peace comes from the Lord.

1 Chronicles The name, “Solomon” means “peace” - “in his time I will give Israel peace and quiet” (1 Chronicles 22:9). The peace came from the Lord. It came from the presence of the Lord with Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:18). When we think of all that the Lord has done for us and all that …

Prayer, prophecy and praise

2 Chronicles 13:1-15:19; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40; Psalm 101:1-18 Prayer, prophecy and praise - these are three essential ingredients of worship. Prayer - “They sought God eagerly and He was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:15). Prophecy - “Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:39). Praise - “To You, O Lord, I will …

Where does true greatness come from?

"Solomon, son of David, established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great" (2 Chronicles 1:1).  Before we read about Solomon's greatness, we read this about him: "the Lord his God was with him." Solomon's greatness did not come from himself. It was given to him by the Lord. …

God wipes out the shadow of our past – and He shines in the light of His future.

Micah 5:1-7:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Proverbs 21:17-26 God wipes out the shadow of our past - He “pardons sin” (Micah 7:18). He shines in the light of His future - “We will be “clothed with our heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:4). From this standpoint of privilege, we are called to fulfil our responsibility: to be soldiers of …

Help us, Lord, to make a new beginning with You – and a new beginning for You.

2 Chronicles 33:1-34:13  Very quickly, Lord, good work can be undone (2 Chronicles 33:1-3). Bad work can be undone - if we will make a new beginning with You (2 Chronicles 34:1-4). Help us, Lord, to make a new beginning with You - and a new beginning for You.

Without Your blessing, Lord, our worship is empty.

Without Your blessing, Lord, our worship is empty. We need Your blessing. We pray for Your blessing. May “the glory of the Lord fill the House of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14). This is our prayer. We pray for the preachers. We pray for the people. May each and every one of us be blessed by …

The glory of God

2 Chronicles 35:20-36:23; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; Psalm 104:19-30 The glory of Israel was a fading glory. We should read the closing chapters of 2 Chronicles in the light of 2 Corinthians 3:7 – The glory was fading. God, however, has revealed His glory in greater fullness – “what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing …

Search the Scriptures: 2 Chronicles

“Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people ... This great people of Yours” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Wisdom is not given to us for our own benefit, It is given to us for the benefit of others - so that we might lead them to the Lord. We are to follow …

We listen to the preachers.

'As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”' (2 Chronicles 20:20). We listen to the preachers. They remind us of the words that were spoken by the prophets …

A Call To Prayer And A Promise Of Blessing

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). In 2 Chronicles 7:14, there is a call to prayer and …

God is always greater than our inadequate worship.

2 Samuel 22:8-51 David’s ‘song’ of praise is also found in Psalm 18. Some things are worth repeating! David is praising the Lord. He is giving glory to Him. We must never tire of praising God. We can never praise Him enough. He is always greater than our inadequate worship. He is ‘worthy to be …

Help us, Lord, to come to You, in our weakness. Help us to receive new strength, Your strength.

2 Chronicles 19:1-20:37 Lord, we see two sides of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 19:2-3) – two sides of ourselves! There is the godly side – “O Lord … our eyes are upon You” (2 Chronicles 20:12). There is the sinful side – “Jehoshaphat … made an alliance with Ahaziah … who was guilty of wickedness” (2 …

Low points – and high points

In the history of Israel, there were low points - “all Israel abandoned the Lord’s teaching” (2 Chronicles 12:1) - as well as high points - “Asa did what the Lord his God considered right and good” (2 Chronicles 14:2). Even Asa was not consistently faithful to the Lord. Despite the statement, “Asa remained committed …