King Manasseh: Repentance and Forgiveness (2 Chronicles 33)

King Manasseh, his repentance and forgiveness, is dramatic, because he was one of the evilest men in Scripture. Read, watch, or listen to this message to be encouraged by his example in 2 Chronicles 33. https://youtu.be/boFipYX3MN8 King Manasseh, his repentance and forgiveness, is dramatic, because he was one of the evilest men in Scripture. Read, watch, or listen to this message to be encouraged by his example in 2 Chronicles 33. Table of ContentsLessons for King Manasseh: Repentance and ForgivenessFamily Worship Guide for King Manasseh: Repentance and ForgivenessSermon Notes for Bear Fruit Worthy of RepentanceLesson 1: In affliction you can harden or humble yourself.Lesson 2: Genuine repentance bears fruit.Lesson 3: Forgiveness doesn’t mean no consequences (part I) we might not be able to undo what we did.Lesson 3: Forgiveness doesn’t mean no consequences (part II) for others.Lesson 3: Forgiveness doesn’t mean no consequences (part III) our kids might carry on our sins.Lesson 4: Manasseh shows God’s mercy knows no bounds. Lessons for King Manasseh: Repentance and Forgiveness Lesson 1: In affliction you can harden or humble yourself. Lesson 2: Genuine repentance bears fruit. Lesson 3: Forgiveness doesn’t mean no consequences: (Part I) We might not be able to undo what we did. (Part II) For others. (Part III) Our kids might carry on our sins. Lesson 4: Manasseh shows God’s mercy knows no bounds. Family Worship Guide for King Manasseh: Repentance and Forgiveness Day 1: Read 2 Chronicles 16:7-12 and discuss: How did Asa respond to God in the midst of his affliction? Can you discuss a time you were afflicted and you humbled yourself? What about a time you hardened yourself? What can you do to ensure you humble, versus harden, yourself when suffering? Day 2: Read Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8; Ephesians 4:22-32; Colossians 3:8-12 and discuss: How do we know if repentance is genuine? Why do many people fail when it comes to repentance/producing lasting change? What is a temptation you struggle with? To develop victory in this area, what do you need to “put on,” or in other words, what fruit needs to be produced in its place? Day 3: Read 2 Chronicles 33:1-21 and discuss: What is forgiveness? What does forgiveness not mean? What consequences were in Manasseh and the Jews’ lives as a result of Manasseh’s sins? Can you think of other people in Scripture who repented, were forgiven, but still suffered consequences? Despite Manasseh’s wickedness, why is the end of his life so encouraging? What does Manasseh teach us about God’s forgiveness and mercy, or another way to say it is: what do we learn about Christ’s sacrifice? Sermon Notes for Bear Fruit Worthy of Repentance The title of this morning’s sermon is, “Fruit Worthy of Repentance.” We’re going to look at one of the evilest men who ever lived. I can’t think of anyone, Jew or Gentile, that approached the wickedness Manasseh engaged in throughout his lifetime. Please turn to 2 Chronicles 33:1… 2 Chronicles 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. That's the longest reign of any king in the OT. Just to put this in perspective, Saul, David, and Solomon each reigned 40 yrs. 2 Chronicles 33:2 But 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. 3 For he (Manasseh) rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped ALL THE HOST OF HEAVEN and served them. He worshipped everything you could worship EXCEPT God. Now for a moment, let me pause our reading about Manasseh, so I can share something w/ you that will give context for what we just read… Manasseh’s father was Hezekiah. He was one of the greatest reformers in the OT. Let me share a few verses w/ you…  2 Kings 18:4-6 [Hezekiah] REMOVED the high places and BROKE the sacred pillars, CUT DOWN the wooden image and BROKE in pieces the bronze serpent. [There] was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. It could just say Hezekiah removed sin from the land, but notice the repetition of verbs: removed, broke, cut down. He attacked sin like it was a cancer. His ruthlessness and severity is a great picture of the ruthlessness and severity we need to demonstrate toward sin. We tend to treat sin too lightly, but God wants us to remove sin from our lives like Hezekiah removed sin in his nation. As you read about many of the kings in the OT, it will say a king was good, but then it will also say, “But the high places remained.” Hezekiah has the unique distinction of being one of the few kings great enough to remove even the high places. It was a tremendous accomplishment. I mention all this, b/c if you look at verse 3 it says [Manasseh] rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down. Manasseh became king and reversed the great things his father did for the Lord. Here’s what else makes Manasseh so terrible… He rejected one of the godliest heritages anyone ever had. Everything he did would’ve been bad even if he came from an evil father, but considering Hezekiah was his father makes his actions even worse. I think there’s application for children and parents: The application for children is, your accountability is higher if you’re raised in a Christian family. If you’re a child and you’re sitting here right now b/c your parents bring you to church each week, that’s a blessing, but it also makes you more responsible. The application for parents is, I think Manasseh can be an encouragement to godly parents whose children turn from the Lord. I imagine this must be very hard for parents, but Manasseh shows that even children raised by Hezekiah can rebel against the Lord. Let’s look at verse 4… 2 Chronicles 33:4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord (notice he put these altars in God’s temple!), of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord (notice he also put these altars in God’s temple). 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. It seems like he filled the temple w/ as many idols he could fit. According to God’s Law, everything Manasseh did was punishable by death, but the worst sin has to be sacrificing his sons – plural – to the false god Molech. I can’t think of anything wickeder than that. The parallel account in 2 Kings 21:16 says Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another. This refers to all the child sacrificed he performed. The end of verse 6 says Manasseh’s actions [provoked God] to anger. His sins include soothsaying, mediums, and spiritists. The modern-day equivalents are astrology, horoscopes, and fortune-tellers. We might not think these actions are as bad as murder and adultery, but they provoked God to anger in Manasseh’s day and they do the same to God in our day. If you’re a Christian you have no business being involved in these practices. Look at verse 7… 2 Chronicles 33:7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God 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; A few things make this particularly bad… First, notice this was an idol HE MADE! There were countless idols in the land, but that wasn’t enough for him. He needed to make it his own. Second, where did he put it? He put it in the temple! The parallel account in 2 Kings 21:7 says the idol was of Asherah, the Canaanite goddess of fertility. She was worshipped through ritual prostitution. Manasseh turned God’s temple into a place of sexual immorality. Take a look at verse 8… 2 Chronicles 33:8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do MORE EVIL THAN THE NATIONS WHOM THE LORD HAD DESTROYED BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. In other words, Manasseh led Judah to act WORSE than the Canaanites that Israel drove out of the land. This means Manasseh introduced evil that was literally unheard of up to this point. When you think of the evilest people in the OT, you think of the Canaanites. Manasseh led Israel to be worse than that. It was as though he sought unusual and outlandish sins. Look at verse 10… 2 Chronicles 33:10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. God graciously warned Manasseh and his people, referring to the Jews. It’s easy to look at this verse and NOT see ourselves in it, but I would ask… Do we read God’s Word, and disregard what He’s saying to us through it? Do we hear God through Scripture, and then ignore what He’s saying to us? If so, we’re doing the same thing as the Jews. Jam 1:22 says we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Look at verse 11… 2 Chronicles 33:11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them (the people of Judah) the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters(these are just shackles or chains like inmates or prisoners wear), and carried him off to Babylon. Since Manasseh and Judah wouldn’t repent, God was forced to judge them. If He didn’t judge them, He’d be unjust....