Listen Here

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to rate and review on Apple or Spotify. When you rate and review the show, you help Jaime reach more people.

Have you ever asked God for another chance?

Maybe you were in a moment of desperation. Maybe you knew you had made a mistake. Maybe you cried out and said, “Lord, if You get me out of this, I will do things differently.”

And then He answered.

The question is not whether God gives second chances. He does. The real question is what you are doing with the one you have been given.

In this message, I want to walk you through the life of King Hezekiah and show you a powerful truth found in Scripture. There is a hidden sin that often follows blessing and success. If we do not recognize it, it can cost us more than we ever imagined.

But there is also a remedy.

The Story of Hezekiah and God’s Miraculous Deliverance

Hezekiah was a good king. He honored God. He tore down idols. He restored worship. He prayed boldly and believed God for the impossible.

When the Assyrian army came against Judah, they were outnumbered and outmatched. There was no natural way to win. But Hezekiah did what he always did. He went to God in prayer.

God answered.

The enemy was defeated without a battle. Historians even call it one of the most important battles that never happened. God stepped in and delivered His people.

Then something else happened.

Hezekiah became known among the nations. He was elevated. He was honored. He was recognized for what had taken place.

And this is where things began to shift.

The Sin That Follows Success

Scripture shows us something subtle but dangerous. After Hezekiah’s victory, his heart was lifted up.

Pride had entered.

Pride does not always look obvious. It hides. It justifies itself. It allows us to take credit for what God has done. It causes us to accept glory that does not belong to us.

Hezekiah did not give God the glory the way he should have. Instead, he allowed himself to be exalted in the eyes of others.

That is the danger.

When success comes, when influence grows, when recognition increases, pride is often right there waiting. It is the sin that crouches at the door.

When God Allows Affliction

Because of this pride, Hezekiah became sick to the point of death.

That can feel harsh, but we need to understand something. God was not trying to destroy Hezekiah. He was trying to save him.

Sometimes affliction reveals what is in our hearts.

Hezekiah responded the right way in that moment. He turned to the wall and prayed. He wept. He humbled himself before God.

And God answered again.

God added fifteen more years to his life.

That is mercy. That is a second chance.

What Are You Doing With Your Second Chance

This is where the message becomes personal.

Have you been given a second chance?

What did you do with it?

Hezekiah had another opportunity to walk in humility and give God the glory. But later in his life, when visitors came from Babylon, he showed them all his treasures. He displayed everything he had.

He did not point them to God. He pointed them to himself.

That decision had consequences that went beyond his own life. It affected future generations.

We have to understand that our choices are not just about us. The way we handle God’s blessing, God’s favor, and God’s mercy impacts those who come after us.

The Warning We Cannot Ignore

The Bible repeats Hezekiah’s story in multiple books. That is not by accident. It is a warning.

Pride will cost you.

Not always immediately, but eventually. It separates you from God. It shifts your focus. It makes you believe that you are the source instead of recognizing that God is the source.

And when we stop giving God the glory, we put ourselves in a dangerous position.

The Remedy for Pride

The good news is that God always provides a remedy.

The answer is humility.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is seeing clearly. It is recognizing that everything you have comes from God. It is giving Him the glory that belongs to Him.

It is returning quickly when you recognize that something is off.

It is choosing to bow your heart before God instead of exalting yourself.

Even Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, who did great evil, found mercy when he humbled himself and prayed. That should encourage every one of us.

It is never too late to turn back.

God Is Greater Than Anything You Face

In Isaiah 40, we are reminded of who God truly is.

He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand. He weighs the mountains. The nations are like a drop in a bucket before Him.

Nothing is beyond Him.

And yet this same God cares about your heart. He cares about your life. He is willing to correct you, restore you, and strengthen you.

When you wait on Him, He renews your strength. He lifts you up. He sustains you.

Reflection

If you recognize pride in your life, do not ignore it.

If you know God has given you another chance, do not waste it.

Humble yourself. Return to Him. Give Him the glory.

He is not looking to take from you. He is looking to bless you. But He will not share His glory.

Walk closely with Him. Stay in a place of humility. And let your life point back to Him in everything.

Prayer

Father, we just thank You for Your might, for Your power, for all that You have given us and all that You have created that You made a way for us to escape. You made a way. You’ve shown us through Your word the path that we are to take that leads to blessing in life. Help us, Father, to walk in that way, bringing glory to Your name, always shining the light on You, furthering Your kingdom and accomplishing every good work that You have put us here to accomplish. Father, I ask that You would help expose our own hearts to us that we are willing to look with eyes of humility, where we would bow before You and recognize that You have saved us from the curse and the sin, from the death that was imminent, and instead You want to extend our life. Father, may we walk in those ways and in the blessing that You have given us. Strengthen Your people today, encourage Your people, comfort them, God, today. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

• Social captions tied to this post

Just say the word.

Full Transcript

This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you

Jaime Luce (00:00.078)
Hey, welcome everyone. Today we’re going to be talking about the hidden sin that kills. But the good news is we’re going to also talk about the remedy, the remedy. Thank God. Thank God for Jesus, the remedy. Um, there’s more to it than that. So stick with me. We’re going to be in second Kings. We’re also going to be in second Chronicles. And then lastly in Isaiah. And we’ve been talking about King has a Kaia.

and what a great king he was. And for most of his reigning life, he really was. I mean, it was miraculous, the change of events that he brought about in Judah, not just reestablishing Passover, but destroying every kind of idol, every high place, tearing down all of these things and destroying them, rebuilding the temple. He also had many feats of building

things such as the water system that they used that they literally had burrowed a hole out of Solid rock to move water so that they had water come into the city He did really great things. He was known as a really great king We also know that he was quite a king of real prayer fervent prayer Believed God to do the miraculous there was one

historian, a military battle historian. His name was William McNeil and when he speaks about the battle that King Hezekiah was up against with Sennacherib and with the armies of Syria. Am I saying that right?

make sure I’m giving you the right info. Assyria. knew, I knew that wasn’t sure about that. Assyria different than Syria, Assyria. that battle was Judah up against 250,000 plus strong in their military. And this is what William McNeil calls the most important battle that never happened. That never happened because

Jaime Luce (02:18.562)
God went in and destroyed the enemy and they left. This was, they were a formidable foe. They were ready to destroy Judah. They had the capacity, they had the strength, they had the manpower. But God, because Hezekiah believed in the strength of God for deliverance, because Hezekiah would get up in the house of God and would pray and seek the face of God, God would honor

those bold prayers and come and answer according to the prayers of King Hezekiah. So Hezekiah was a great King. But when we read about the end of Hezekiah’s life, we realized that there was a sin that was detrimental. It almost cost him his life and it not only would cost him almost his own life, but it would cost him

future generations and what would come after him. This is a serious, serious issue. And I want you to see what he did. And the reason we’re going to be in both second Kings, second Chronicles and Isaiah is because you need all three of them to get the whole picture. If you read it in second Kings, you don’t necessarily see what God said about these things and, and what was detrimental, what was wrong.

But if we read all of them, it will give you a full picture. You’ll be able to see it. So many times, and I don’t want you to be discouraged right off the bat, because I’m letting you know, yeah, there is a problem. We’re going to talk about the problem. And many times, we run into this problem more often than not. And if you’ve had any success in your life, if you have had any success, this tends to be

the sin that is crouching at the door. It’s just waiting, just waiting for an opportunity to pounce. its penalty is severe. It’s usually very severe and it hurts. It’s of consequence, real, real consequence. So I hope that you will listen and stay glued to your word because…

Jaime Luce (04:38.136)
The word not only shows us what the problem is, but the word shows us the solution. The word shows us that we don’t have to be stuck. We don’t have to be afraid. That we can know that with God all things are possible. And there is an answer. God has always provided, we know Jesus is the answer, he’s always the answer, but there are answers we can find related to these issues found in the scriptures.

one of which we read in Isaiah. I may give that to you as well. There’s the following chapter in Isaiah versus the one that we’re going to look at is a very powerful one, and I may give you some of that as well. And we’re going to touch on Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, a stark difference from his father, but they carry a similar quality.

which is the remedy, which is the remedy. So no matter how bad it is, there’s a remedy. You know, if you were dealing with a stage four cancer of some sort and they said, even though it’s this advanced, even though it’s this bad, this deadly, and it could cost you your life. If they said we have the solution, we have the remedy, it’s like getting a snake bite and saying, that’s okay, we have what you need that will destroy that venom.

We have the antidote. have, you know, that I heard this not long ago and I had forgotten about it. And yet it’s even, it’s so true in real life. It is comical that this is so plainly seen in nature. Did you know that the anti-venom, the solution to a snake bite is lamb’s blood? It’s found in lamb’s blood. I just, that is, I could sit there and.

Marvel at that. But anyway, I want you to turn with me to second Kings. If you’re new to this, this is the Jaime Luce podcast. Thanks for joining me. We love the word of God. We love to dig into the word of God. We love to study the word of God and dig up all the treasure that’s found there so that we can live the life that we have been called to live, to bring God glory, to advance his kingdom, to receive every good gift that he has for us.

Jaime Luce (07:02.29)
to make this life worth living that we can stand before him one day and hear those words well done thou good and faithful servant enter now into the joy of the Lord okay second Kings were in chapter 20 chapter 20 okay verse one says in those days Hezekiah was sick and near death

And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz went to him and said to him, thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord saying, remember now, O Lord, I pray how I walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what was good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept.

bitterly and it happened before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court that the word of the Lord came to him saying return and tell Hezekiah the leader of my people thus says the Lord the God of David your father I have heard your prayer I have seen your tears surely I will heal you on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord

And I will add to your days 15 years. I will deliver you and the city from the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. Then Isaiah said, take a lump of figs. So they took and laid it on the boil and he recovered. And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, what is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?

Then Isaiah said, this is the sign for you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing which he has spoken, shall the shadow go forward 10 degrees or go backward 10 degrees. And Hezekiah answered, is an easy thing for the shadow to go down 10 degrees? No, but let the shadow go back 10 degrees. So Isaiah the prophet cried out to the Lord and he brought the shadow.

Jaime Luce (09:26.094)
10 degrees backward by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

Jaime Luce (09:35.85)
Now at that time, is verse 12, Buradoc Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters as a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick and Hezekiah was attentive to them and showed them all the house of his treasures, the silver and gold.

the spices and the precious ointment and all his armory, all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, what did these men say? And from where did they come to you?

So Hezekiah said, they came from a far country from Babylon. And he said, what have they seen in your house? So Hezekiah answered, they have seen all that is in my house. There’s nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord. Behold the days are coming when all that is in your house.

and what your fathers have accumulated until this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord, and they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.” That means they’re going to be castrated to serve.

So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, the word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. For he said, will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?

Jaime Luce (11:36.43)
Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, all his might and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? So Hezekiah rested with his father’s, the Manasseh, his son reigned in his place. Okay, that’s the story of his sickness being healed of his sickness. 15 years added to his life with a major, major sign from God, moving the sundial back 10 degrees.

And then Hezekiah showing everything to these men who have come to congratulate him and have heard about this healing he received, this miraculous healing. So now go to second Chronicles.

And I want you to go to chapter 32.

And we’re gonna start.

Jaime Luce (12:39.348)
In verse, let’s go to verse 22. So chapter 32 verse 22. Now this is right after the king of Assyria has made all of these threats and God totally answers. It’s the miracle I told you about the battle that never happened. And this king is dealt with one of them dies.

but in verse 22, says, thus the Lord saved has a Kaia and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others and guided them on every side. I mean, this is really beautiful. What God has done and many brought gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and presence to has a Kaia king of Judah so that he was exalted.

in the sight of all the nations thereafter. Very interesting. This is very important. The scripture is in here for a reason. He was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter. After this miraculous thing, this deliverance of this massive, they should have been annihilated and they weren’t.

And because they weren’t, this was something that caught the attention of all the other kings of the other nations. And this is something that brought exaltation to King Hezekiah. Go to verse 24. In those days, Hezekiah was sick and near death. Okay, do you see a correlation here? In those days, what days?

The days that Hezekiah was exalted in those days.

Jaime Luce (14:48.066)
He was sick and near death. And he prayed to the Lord and he spoke to him and gave him a sign. So it is appearing in scripture that there was a pride from this being lifted up, this exalted position, this position of success that

now that he has recognition and is exalted amongst all the nations that God is displeased with Hezekiah’s heart. Why? Because Hezekiah is a major, major man of influence now. His influence is not just over Judah. His influence is now over all the nations that surround them.

And instead of bringing glory to God and exalting God for what God has done, Hezekiah is exalted. That’s pride. There is pride in his heart. I’m sure he didn’t know it was there. I’m sure he didn’t recognize what was there. Pride is so subtle. It doesn’t find fault in itself because that’s the essence of pride.

It really, it can hide so well. Pride is the sneakiest of all. This is why Adam and Eve fell. This is why Satan used it. It is why Satan fell. Pride exalts itself, which means it finds no fault in itself. It is easily justified. It does not see its own error. It does not see that it is a position of the,

precursor to a great fall. It does not see it. To see your own pride really takes some doing. It takes the opposite of pride to see it. It takes humility. And usually the only thing that humbles someone who is caught in pride is an issue that comes to them that they have no power to change. It’s actually the mercy of God.

Jaime Luce (17:15.16)
When you are full of pride and you are now smacked in the face with something you can do nothing about, no prestige, no influence, no amount of money, no amount of power can change the issue, which causes you to remember your actual state that you have no reason to be proud that it wasn’t you who exalted you to this position.

Because if it was you who exalted you to this position, you could do something about it and hold that position. That’s why it’s hilarious to me, the pride and the arrogance of people who serve in public office, because they think they have so much power. The problem is you have to hold, you have to continue that power. We’ve watched a couple of them fall recently in the last few weeks. They think that they can keep themselves there. And usually the only way they last for a time

is because of the corrupt behavior. It just piles itself on. I mean, it just piles itself on.

but we can know that God is God, that he is above all things. In fact, I will read you that later. You’ve there in Isaiah following the very story of this, we hear the most beautiful eloquent speech about God coming from the heart of God, the spirit of God through the prophet Isaiah about God so that you can remember your state.

And yet it can bring us confidence in God when we are dealing with those who are proud around us and make it their goal to usurp our authority or autonomy and to

Jaime Luce (19:04.814)
cause slavery to their agenda. If that’s if I can say it that way, it’s the way I feel it anyway. Okay, let’s go back to the scripture. Let’s read verse 24 again. those days has a Kaio was sick and near death and he prayed to the Lord and he spoke to him and gave him a sign. He is capitalized there. That means God and he God spoke to him and gave him a sign.

But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him for his heart was lifted up. Therefore, wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. So now we hear a little bit more. It’s obvious that pride has moved in.

He did not repay according to the favor that was shown him.

So this looming death, this sickness that came over him was because his heart was lifted up in pride. He did not give God the glory for the favor that God showed him to bring the victory in the situation. Here he had prayed for God to intervene and God did. But then when it came time to give credit for where credit’s due, Hezekiah let the credit fall on him.

instead of giving the honor and the glory to God. Verse 26, then has a Kaia humbled himself for the pride of his heart. He and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which meant he called all of them to humble themselves with him, that they, are beholden to God and God alone.

Jaime Luce (21:09.536)
so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Now let’s continue reading. Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items, storehouses, for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil, and stalls, for all kinds of livestock and folds for the flocks.

Moreover, he provided cities for himself and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very much prosperity or property. This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of the upper Gihon and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works. I mean, that is an amazing

declaration to be said about him that God had prospered the work of his hands not just some of it all of it all of it he had prospered everything Hezekiah touched he prospered however regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon whom they sent to him

to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land. Now, when we read it in Second Kings, we say that they bring congratulations to him because of being healed. But we see even more what their agenda was. It says that they had come to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land. How did they get victory? The wonder.

Jaime Luce (23:17.528)
How did they do what they did? These are spies. This is Intel.

Jaime Luce (23:25.08)
Then it goes on to say, God withdrew from him in order to test him that he might know all that was in his heart.

We’ve seen this verse, this kind of wording used before to test him to see what was in his heart. What this scripture is saying is that God had withdrawn himself because of the pride of Hezekiah’s heart. It wasn’t that God stepped away from Hezekiah just to taunt him, to put a carrot in front of him and see what he would do.

The pride of his heart caused God to withdraw from him. And now it would be evident to see what was in Hezekiah’s heart. And sadly, what was evident was pride. Pride.

Jaime Luce (24:33.579)
Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his goodness, indeed, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Okay, so it tells us this is also written about in Isaiah. Do you understand that this is such a warning to us that it is literally written in three separate books of the Bible in detail?

detail. Some of these kings get like a one or two verse mention. They reigned for this many years and they were buried with their fathers. I mean sometimes we get barely anything. Hezekiah is such a prominent person in the history of Israel that he is written about extensively in three books of the Bible. But the parts that are repeated are both what he got right

and what he got wrong. These are warnings for us as well as remedy. We can see what is necessary for us to do it right, that all the work of our hands prospers, that we are delivered from things we should die from, that we receive the

favor of God where there should have been death 15 years are added because he’s so humbled himself when he cried out to God. You can’t tell me Hezekiah didn’t know how to pray. This man knew how to pray and we see constantly when he got into trouble what was the first thing he did. The first thing he did was pray every time Hezekiah would go to God. It reminds me a lot of King David. King David would get things wrong too.

But he would humble himself before God. He would humble himself before God. And this is something we need to understand. The answer, no matter what you’re facing, even if you are guiltless, when an enemy comes against you, your best and first foremost point of action should be to pray. The very first thing on your agenda should to be humbling yourself.

Jaime Luce (26:56.098)
before your God and to know the power of your God and submit yourself under His mighty hand. Okay.

We see that this is really striking to me because Hezekiah fell to pride. He knew it was pride by his prayer and asking God to remember what he did for the Lord and recognizing he had no power, crying out to God with bitter tears. I mean, bitter tears to the point that God said, I’ve heard your prayer and I’ve seen your tears. I see how humble you have made yourself before me, how much you rely on me.

I hear those prayers. But what’s crazy is God gives Hezekiah a second chance. A second chance. Have you ever been given a second chance? Hi, my name is Jaime Luce. I wanted to share with you some information about a brand new book entitled, Don’t Need Money, You Just Need God. It’s a playbook for miraculous provision. And I want to share it with you because it solves the problem we are all facing right now.

economy is going crazy. Gas prices are soaring. There’s wars and rumors of wars. We’ve got everything hitting us all at once with interest rates rising. You need to know what to do. And so many times we think we need the money, but you don’t need money. I’m telling you the answer is you need God. And that’s exactly what we want to teach you through this book. We’ll give you practical ways to know what to do and how to do it so that you get answers now. You can find my book on Amazon.

You can also go to jaimeluce.com. You can also find this book at youdon’tneedmoneyyoujustneedgod.com. This book is available today.

Jaime Luce (28:46.904)
Have you ever prayed something and said, if you get me out of this, I promise I, whatever that is, and you get a second chance.

If you have been given a second chance, I have a very serious question for you. I want you to stop right now and think about it, literally. If you know God has given you a second chance.

about anything. Here’s the question. What are you doing with it?

What are you doing with your second chance?

Jaime Luce (29:27.944)
Are you, like Hezekiah, falling back into the very thing that took you to the place that you needed God to give you a second chance?

This can sound like a very harsh scripture, a very graphic scripture, but boy is it poignant and true. We do not want to be like the dog who returns to his vomit.

Jaime Luce (29:58.2)
Have you gone back to the thing you were delivered from? Have you fallen back into those old patterns? Even if it’s not pride.

whatever second chance you’ve been given, you have an opportunity even right this minute to humble yourself before your God.

and say, God, I can see it. I can see it. I’m doing it again. I need the grace of God. I need the help that you offer.

We will pray at the end, but I want you to sit with that for just a moment. I want you to think about that for just a moment. And I want you to go with me to Isaiah.

Jaime Luce (30:59.358)
In Isaiah chapter 37, we see the entire story about the battle that God delivered Hezekiah from in detail. But I want you to go to chapter 38.

And in chapter 38, it says, those days, Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz went to him and said to him, thus says the Lord, set your house in order for you shall die and not live. I don’t know about you, but we read that also in, it was either second Kings or second Chronicles. You shall live and not die, or you shall die and not live.

That scripture, when you read that, do you realize the weight and the implication of that scripture?

God has already pronounced a judgment, a just judgment. And we will read about his justice in a moment. We are so gentle to ourselves and so forgiving of ourselves and so justifying of ourselves. We coddle our flesh.

And we always think that God is too mean, too strong, too powerful. So we diminish him in our eyes. And then we live at a level where we have no fear of God.

Jaime Luce (32:40.76)
Child of God, don’t you realize that it is the fear of God that will cause you to walk in all of his ways? It is the fear of God that will keep you from harm. Why did God bring these warnings to Hezekiah? Because he wanted to bless Hezekiah. Look at the proof of everything he did for him up to that point.

This will be the end of you. We look at it like God says, I’m ending you. You don’t realize that God’s justice is always at play because the laws that God has already provided are at work. The law of sin is at work. If you don’t address it, it will play out and the end of sin is death. It will have its way with you. God doesn’t have to do anything but withdraw.

And his withdrawing is simply that he cannot be where sin is. That’s why he resides in us and we are forgiven and made sinless before him with the righteousness of Christ, not our own righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ so that he can come near and dwell in us. There could be no sin. That’s why the temple was a picture for us. That’s why the tabernacle

was a picture for us. The sacrifices took place outside the temple that you had to sacrifice first and let the blood be shed before you could ever enter in to the presence of God.

It’s not that God is doing something to you. It’s that sin is doing something to you. And God constantly gives warnings. Constantly. He tells them, if you will live the way I tell you to live, if you will follow my commandments, if you will do the things that I’ve instructed you to do.

Jaime Luce (34:36.568)
You will be safe. will go well with you. All will be well. You will be blessed. You’ll be blessed in your, in your coming in and you’re going out. You’ll be blessed in the field and blessed in the city. You’ll be blessed in your kneading bowl. You’ll be blessed with the animals. No one will be barren among you. mean, he just goes on and on and on about the blessings, but the curses of not doing so are not the curses of God on you. It is the curse of sin, the curse of sin.

It is sin that destroys you. It is the separation that you choose from God that destroys you. It’s not God who’s destroying you. It is sin. God’s first act when Adam and Eve sinned was to cover them with the shed blood of an animal and skin, not fake leaves, not something that’s not eat that you can’t cover skin. thought of skin covering the skin. Do you understand they were naked?

So he used skin to cover the nakedness. It’s God has always wanted to make a way to bless his children, to love them, but sin in and of itself is death. And if we don’t heed the warnings of God, if we look at warnings as negative, then you are, it’s like saying to the doctor, I don’t want to hear about the remedies.

I don’t want to hear about the remedies. I’m sick, but I’ll be fine. This will lead to death, but it’ll be fine. Do you see the absurdity of that kind of thinking? You have to understand that God loves you. Anything that he calls you out of, anything that he wants you to separate from, anything that he wants you to put your hand to, all of it is for your blessing and for the goodness of God to come on your life. For his love.

His protection for your prosperity. He wanted to prosper Hezekiah and he did. All the works of his hands were prospered. Everything. He had abundance in everything. He had to build extra storehouses just to hold all the stuff.

Jaime Luce (36:54.402)
He had to build extra cities to handle all the stuff.

but you can’t let the stuff get so in you. You can’t let the glory get in you. He shares his glory with no one. You have to allow him to take all the glory because it belongs to him. You know, have you heard of when someone has stolen valor? Do you know what stolen valor is? That’s when someone puts on

a military suit who didn’t actually serve and they’re trying to get the freebies from that. It’s a very serious offense, stolen valor. You’re not just lying about who you are. You’re trying to take the glory from someone who sacrificed a great deal to wear that uniform. This is not yours to take. It’s not your glory to take. Do we realize God’s glory is not ours to take?

It’s stolen valor, folks. And we have to give God all the glory. And when we don’t give him the glory, when we take it to ourselves, when we allow others to see us with that, when we cover everything so much that we don’t tell the truth, so that we put out that Instagram face forward where everything is good and everything is…

covered over and filtered out so that everyone thinks everything is good. And the truth is that that’s not the full picture. That’s not the whole truth. Where we’re trying to get recognition, that’s pride. Pride. It hides in all of us. But it is truly an enemy to those with success. To those with influence.

Jaime Luce (38:55.722)
If you’re going to be able to be trusted with true riches, true blessing, you have to understand the danger of that so that you stay close in humility to the one who is blessing your hand.

Jaime Luce (39:17.29)
It is his glory and his alone. And anything that happens to us after that is not God’s doing, it was our doing. We chose to pull away. We chose to allow sin to take God’s place. In our hearts, we sat ourselves on that throne for a little while to see how we looked in front of others. Dangerous, dangerous thing to do.

What are you doing with your second chance? Let’s go back to the scripture. Thus says the Lord set your house in order for you shall die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the Lord and said, remember now, O Lord, I pray how I walked before you in truth and with a loyal heart and have done what is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah saying, go and tell Hezekiah, thus says the Lord, God of David, your father, I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Surely I will add to your days. 15 years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city.

And this is the sign to you from the Lord that the Lord will do this thing which he has spoken behold I will bring the shadow on the sundial which has gone down with the sun.

on the sundial of Ahaz, 10 degrees backward. So the sun returned 10 degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.

Jaime Luce (41:11.072)
It goes on to say that Hezekiah, he basically wrote this and prayed this to the Lord. I’m going to give you some of it. Verse 10, or verse nine, this is the writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered from his sickness. So he wrote this after he had recovered. I said in the prime of my life, I shall go to the gates of Sheol, which means to death.

I am deprived of the remainder of my years. I said, I shall not see Yah, the Lord in the land of the living. I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world. My lifespan is gone, taken from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have, listen, I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom. Did you hear that?

I cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom. He’s saying that while I had this life, I’m the one who did this. That’s the humility talking now. He understood it was pride before. It was his pride that cut him off. was, he cut himself off. So then God had to finish it. That’s his justice. He cuts me off from the loom.

From day until night you make an end of me. I have considered until morning like a lion so he breaks all my bones. From day until night you make an end of me. Like a crane or a swallow so I chattered. I mourned like a dove. My eyes fail from looking upward. Lord I am oppressed. Undertake for me.

We can see part of what he must have prayed that day if he’s writing this in hindsight and how he felt that he was under such judgment that God was breaking all of his bones. This is the judgment he felt because he had cut himself off with pride. What shall I say? He has both spoken to me and he himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years.

Jaime Luce (43:33.334)
in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. So you will restore me and make me live. Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness.

It was for my own peace that I had great bitterness. He understood that God allowed this in order to help him, to save him, to give him more years because he was, death was looming. God had stepped in. Death was sure. It was imminent. It was going to happen.

And yet God stepped in wanting to extend his life, not take his life. The heart of God was to give more to Hezekiah, not to take from him. So in his mercy to him, he allowed him to taste the bitterness of his soul in the sickness that would lead to death so that it would lead to his peace. He would wake up and humble himself.

so that God could be merciful to him. Indeed, it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness. But you have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. For Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you,

Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living man, he shall praise you as I do this day. The father shall make known your truth to the children. The Lord was ready to save me. Therefore, we will sing my song with string instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

Jaime Luce (45:44.078)
Now Isaiah had said, let them take up a lump of figs and apply it as a postage on the boil and he shall recover. And Hisakiah had said, what is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? That’s the end of chapter 38. Now, before I read to you a little bit from Isaiah chapter 39, or I’m sorry, actually I’ll skip 39, we’ll go to 40.

Jaime Luce (46:12.366)
Chapter 439 is when oh gosh should I give that to you? Okay? Bear with me. What time is it? How long have we got? Okay, we’ve got just a few minutes I’m gonna go ahead and read to you this because I think you need to see this This is an Isaiah as well chapter 39 at the time Meridock ballad and the son of ballad and king of Babylon sent letters as a present to Hezekiah for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered and Hezekiah was pleased with them

and showed them the house of his treasures, the silver and the gold, the spices and the precious ointment and all his armory, all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. Then, then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and said to him, what did these men say? And from where did they come to you? So Hezekiah said, they came to me from a far country from Babylon. And he said, what

Have they seen in your house? So has a kayak answered they have seen all that is in my house There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them then Isaiah said to has a kayak here the word of the Lord of hosts Behold the days are coming when all that is in your house and what your fathers have accumulated until this day shall be carried to Babylon Nothing shall be left says the Lord and they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you whom you will beget And they shall become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. So has a kayak said to Isaiah

The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. For he said, at least there will be peace and truth in my days. It’s actually a sad commentary for him to end it that way. That Hezekiah understood that obviously God was not pleased.

And it was evident that God was not pleased. We read that in second Chronicles that he removed himself from him during that time. And that there would be great judgment that would come not only on the line of Hezekiah, but on all of Israel. And Hezekiah says it’s good because at least in my days, there will be peace. It’s a sad commentary because right after this,

Jaime Luce (48:30.754)
When he dies after those 15 years, his son Manasseh takes his place as king. And Manasseh is, he’s nothing like his father. In fact, let’s go to Second Kings real quick. And we’ll be looking at chapter 21.

Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king and he reigned for 55 years in Jerusalem. And when I read this to you, you’re going to see how devastating

not keeping the fire of God burning the way it needed in Hezekiah because Manasseh was a boy. He may not have seen all that his father had done and understood all that he had done. He was only 12 years old. So what Manasseh saw was only the pride of his father as the majority of his life. He didn’t see

and learn from the prayers that his father had prayed. He wasn’t old enough. The last prayer that’s recorded for us to see of Hezekiah was that he’d get 15 more years. Manasseh’s only 12 years old. Everything is now a story and the people from Babylon have come and Hezekiah has had the notoriety of all the nations. And let’s look at what happens to Manasseh.

Jaime Luce (50:17.58)
His mother’s name was Hefzeba and he did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. What you do with your second chance matters folks. It’s not just about you. Listen to this. Verse three, for he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed.

He raised up altars for Baal and made a woman wooden image as Ahab, King of Israel had done. And he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He also built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said in Jerusalem, I will put my name. And he built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. He was building these altars in God’s house to serve the hosts of heaven.

Also, he made his son pass through the fire, practice soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted with spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. He even set a carved image of Asherah that he himself had made in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name

forever and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers only if they are careful listen I’ve mentioned this before but look at this God has given them the parameters on how to live he gives his warnings he says I want to bless you he tells you all the goodness that’s going to come listen to the warning and this is what he had promised Israel and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers only if

They are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. But they paid no attention. They paid no attention to the warnings. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spoke by his servants and the prophets to Manasseh saying,

Jaime Luce (52:45.954)
Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abominations, he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him and has also made Judah sin with his idols. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel, behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears it, both his ears will tingle.

Jaime Luce (53:12.034)
And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plum and the plumet of the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. So I forsake the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies and they shall become victor victims of plunder to all their enemies because

They have done evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day. Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other, besides his sin by which he had made you to sin in doing evil in the sight of the Lord. And then over in second Chronicles, now the rest of the, let’s see, Manasseh, sorry. And the Lord spoke to Manasseh. This is really interesting.

It repeats the same information in 2 Chronicles 33, but I want to jump down to verse 10 and it says in the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. He keeps trying to warn them. If you do these things, this is what’s going to happen. Why will it happen? Because my anger is kindled. Yes, my anger is kindled.

But my anger is kindled because I’m just. You’re serving idols. You make your children pass through the fire. You do terrible demonic things and you shed innocent blood. He’s not just angry like you made me mad folks. He is just and righteous. Why was God so angry with all the other nations of the world? Because they were devil worshipers.

These people did terrible, awful, horrible things. And now Judah is doing the very same things. Would it not be just? I mean, when the enemy’s doing those things, we want God to get on God. But if you’re doing those very same things, don’t, that’s mean. No, it’s not mean, it’s just.

Jaime Luce (55:34.24)
It doesn’t matter if the, remember years and years ago, there was an actress, Winona writer, believe is the name of the actress. She was a successful actress, successful, really did well, could take care of herself. This same woman who has means to care for herself was caught and

jailed for shoplifting.

So it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. Recently, a very famous singer, one of the back street, not back street boys, one of, in sync. what’s his name? Justin Timberlake was arrested for drunk driving.

We want drunk drivers jailed. We want them taken off the streets because we do not want to be injured by them. I know a pastor. He was a pastor, a minister and his whole family who was hit head on by a drunk driver and they all had physical ailments that they had to live with the rest of their life because of this car accident at the hands of a drunk driver. I know them personally. if you are drinking

and are caught, you want mercy.

Jaime Luce (57:07.278)
You have to understand justice is justice. You break the law. doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. It doesn’t matter if you’re famous or just infamous. You don’t have any fame. God’s justice. has just weights. Doesn’t matter who gets on those weights. This is sin. And if you commit that sin, you are weighed against and the balances of those justice of that justice of that sin.

God is angry for a reason. He’s not just angry with them because he’s a big, bad, mean God. And anyone who thinks they can stand and tell God what is just and unjust is a fool. are so full of pride if you think, how can the clay say to the potter, you’re doing this wrong? You’re just a created being. We’re gonna read that in just a second.

I want you to see this though. Something that Manasseh did, there is hope. Child of God, there is hope. If you’ve gotten it wrong to this point, if you know people who have gotten it wrong, we have to wake them up, we have to warn them, we have to tell the truth, but there is hope. As wicked as Manasseh was, wicked. I want you to see this.

Jaime Luce (58:27.422)
to verse 10. We’re going to finish reading this out. He wouldn’t listen. verse 10, the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the kings of Assyria. So here comes this army again. We’re going to use them again.

who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.

Just what God said. Now, when he was in affliction, when he was in affliction, remember his father had said, I was in bitterness and this was good. My peace came because of this bitterness that I was in. Now, when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord, his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and prayed to him. And he received his entreaty.

God listened to his prayer, heard his supplication and brought him back to Jerusalem in his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. Jump down to verse 15. He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord and all the altars that he had built.

in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he cast them out of the city. He also repaired the altar of the Lord, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the Lord their

Jaime Luce (01:00:28.898)
not where God told them to do it, but they were still serving the Lord. What a change. What a difference. What are you doing with your second chance? Manasseh made the right decision with his second chance. He made the right decision. Go to Isaiah 40. I want you to hear this. There are some very famous scripture scriptures that we read that we are familiar with found in this. And I will end with this and then we will pray.

But the remedy folks is a King who will always do right, who will always be just, who will bless his people and never falter. We have King Jesus, a King who can never fail, a righteous King who has sacrificed on our behalf. We no longer have to offer these sacrifices. We no longer have to shed the blood, the innocent blood.

to be forgiven. He shed his perfect blood for us. He cared. Unlike Hezekiah, who was saying, at least there’s peace in my days and I don’t have to see what’s gonna happen to my kids. Manasseh had to deal with that. Manasseh had to deal with that. But we serve a king who says, I have paid once and for all that your children can be saved. You don’t have to worry about a curse being passed to your children. Let’s pray, humble ourselves and pray.

seek his face. Let’s heed his warnings so that we can be saved so we can live in the blessing and the righteousness of God. Look at chapter 40, Isaiah chapter 40. Comfort, yes comfort my people says God, says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned.

For she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Was that not the promise of Jesus to come? That we can be comforted because Jesus would be coming? This was what John the Baptist would cry out? And every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low.

Jaime Luce (01:02:50.38)
The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. The voice said, cry out. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field and the grass withers. The flower fades.

because the breath of the Lord blows upon it. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Zion who bring good tidings get up into the high mountain Jerusalem you who bring good tidings lift up your voice with strength Lift it up. Do not be afraid says the cities of Judah Behold your God behold the Lord God shall come with a strong hand and his arm shall rule for him Behold his reward is with him and his work before him

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?

weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.

Jaime Luce (01:04:41.09)
Who has directed the spirit of the Lord or as his counselor has taught him? With whom did he take counsel and who instructed him and taught him in the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding? There is none above him, folks.

You can’t teach him. All wisdom comes from him. Everything created by him. So small, so nothing that he measures the mountains of the world in balanced scales. So little, so nothing. Behold, the nations are a drop in a bucket. Here we are. Me too. Fearing.

all the craziness that’s going on in the world and these nations and the wars and the rumors of wars and there’s no oil and there’s oil and then they’re fighting and they’re not fighting and there’s rockets going off and people are dying and there’s islam is taking over in the united states it’s already taken over the uk we’re seeing we’re seeing craziness from the nations of the world that has now invaded our soil here behold the nations are a drop

in a bucket and are counted as the small dust on the scales. Just a piece of dust on the scales. Look, he lifts up the aisles as a very little thing and Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing.

And they are counted by him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God? Who can you compare him to? Or what likeness will you compare him to? The workman molds an image, the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silver smith casts silver chains. Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a tree that will not rot.

Jaime Luce (01:07:06.924)
He seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter. Have you not known? He’s saying you work and work to build ridiculous images hoping they don’t fall over. Have you not known and have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and his inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth useless.

Scarcely shall they be planted, scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth. When he will also blow on them and they will wither and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. To whom will you liken me or to whom shall I be equal? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high.

and see who’s who has created these things, who brings out their hosts by number. He calls them all by name, by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power. Not one is missing. Why do you say, Jacob and speak, Israel, my way is hidden from the Lord and my just claim is passed over by my God. Can you imagine the, the pride

And the arrogance to think that I think I have a just claim and God just passes it by and that everything I do is hidden from God. Have you not known and have you not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might, he increases strength.

Jaime Luce (01:09:22.24)
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” What a promise. What a promise.

What are you doing with your second chance?

Jaime Luce (01:09:54.136)
Our God is just and He is good. He is faithful to hear the cries of His children. Today, hear the warning. Humble yourself. Walk before the Lord with a humble spirit. Give Him the glory that is due Him. Call on the name of Jesus.

who has taken your sins and cast them behind his back. There is nothing that you have to fear when you have called on the name of Jesus. We have a King who has paid the price. All glory to God on high. All glory to God.

I hope today, I know this was a lot of scripture. I read you chapters and chapters of scripture, but I have no power in what I say. It is the word of God that is life. The word is the bread of life. It is what sustains us. It is what cleanses us, feeds us, nourishes us, strengthens us. Knowing his word is knowing how to live. It’s knowing how to navigate. It’s having

The remedy. Yes, sin kills. But Jesus is the answer. His remedy is found in his word. Eating from his bread is the remedy. So my hope today is that you will look, that you will open your eyes, that you will see the warnings, that you will be looking for ways to glorify God, that you will

Stand in the strength that God gives you knowing he will bless the work of your hands You have influence. I talked about this a couple weeks ago. You have influence It’s it’s so important how you use it But you do not let yourself be the influenced You don’t let the the glory of the world try to find its way into your heart We glorify God and God alone

Jaime Luce (01:12:11.126)
and He will bless and carry you. He will lift you up. He will strengthen you. He will deliver you. He will help you in your time of need. Let me pray for you. Father, we just thank you for your might, for your power, for all that you have given us and all that you have created that you made a way for us to escape. You made a way. You’ve shown us through your word.

the path that we are to take that leads to blessing in life. Help us father to walk in that way, bringing glory to your name, always shining the light on you, furthering your kingdom and accomplishing every good work that you have put us here to accomplish. Father, I ask that you would help expose our own hearts to us that we are willing to look.

with eyes of humility, where we would bow before you and recognize that you have saved us from the curse and the sin, from the death that was imminent, and instead you want to extend our life. Father, may we walk in those ways and in the blessing that you have given us. Strengthen your people today, encourage your people, comfort them, God, today. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

Thanks for spending time with me today. I’d love to hear from you. You can send me an email with either a prayer request or praise report. You can do that at mail at JaimeLuce.com. You can go to my website JaimeLuce.com, find out everything else. I have blogs in there that are written in the past. I also have my book available there. You don’t need money, you just need God. I would love to hear from you. It was great to be with you and we’ll see you next time.