Wednesday Night Service 7PM -

never fail. Hello everyone. Let's start with a word of prayer. Dear God, thank you so much for gathering us all together to be with fellow believers and to fellowship together and get refreshed for the rest of the week that we have ahead of us. Please help us to completely turn our focus onto you and give you the praise and the worship that you deserve. In Jesus'

name I pray. Amen. Will you guys stand for the first song? Be able to get something from tonight's message and that each of us needs to know and apply to our own and just to grow in our knowledge and our relationship with you. And I pray for us as we go into the rest of our week that we turn our focus back to you throughout the day. When we feel ourselves getting distracted,

that we can refocus our hearts and minds back on you where it should be. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Perfect. Remember how I told you about microphones on Sunday? Still true. If you would open up in your Bibles to the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 32. 2 Chronicles 32. Good to be back here on a Wednesday night. Would you mind giving us some lights? Are they slowly? Wow, that's really weird how they

just slowly. 2 Chronicles 32. Well, last time that we were together, we were looking at Hezekiah. And probably one of the best kings that Judah had. And Hezekiah had instituted an incredible amount of reforms. Lots of good things were going on. He ultimately had a dad that was very idolatrous. But he overcame that bad history. He overcame that bad family trait and became one of

the greatest kings of Judah. And when we last left him, he had been attacked by the Assyrian army. We said, no matter how good you do, there's always another battle. You're going to face. This is what happened to him. He was attacked by the Assyrian army. They had encamped all the way around him. And all he could do really was pour out his heart to the Lord and just ask God to move. And that's exactly what God did. God moved in a powerful way. And he

sent an angel that wiped out 180,000 of the enemy in one night. One angel. And God delivered him from the hand of the Assyrians. And so now we kind of come to the conclusion of Hezekiah. We couldn't

So we pick up in verse 22 of chapter 32 of Second Chronicles. And it says this. So the Lord saved Hezekiah 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. And many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all the nations thereafter. In those days,

he was mortally ill and he prayed to the Lord and the Lord spoke to him and he gave a sign. Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received because his heart was proud. Therefore, wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah. And he had immense riches and honor. He made for himself treasuries for silver,

gold, precious stones, spices, shields. and all kinds of valuable articles, storehouses for the produce, grain, wine, oil, pens for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds for the flocks. So Hezekiah, up to that point in time, had done so good, so phenomenal. And you would think we would be able to escape without one bad trait in the life of Hezekiah because ultimately, all of a sudden, all of these people are bringing riches to Hezekiah.

It kind of becomes well-known and very popular in the region. And Hezekiah had met a lot of battles very well. He had survived the temptation of fear. He had survived the temptation of idolatry. But unfortunately, he struggled when it came to the temptation of success. And like many of the kings of Israel and Judah, he struggled with success. And when things went really well,

he struggled with pride in his heart. And so it tells us this story. And the story is that Hezekiah had become mortally ill. As a matter of fact, God had told him, you need to get your affairs in order because you're going to die. And it says Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and he cried out to the Lord and begged God for a longer life. Now, in defense of Hezekiah,

he was probably in his 50s when this happened. So he wasn't a particularly old guy at this point in time. He begged God. And so God said, I will give you 15 more years. He said, what sign would you like for me to give you? And Hezekiah asked for a really bold sign. He said, make the sun go back 10 degrees. And that's what God said. And that's exactly what it did.

The sundial went back 10 degrees, added a little bit of time to the day. And God gave him this sign. And so ultimately, Hezekiah was healed of this disease. But the only problem was, in that moment, he sort of allowed pride to fill his heart. Not only had God extended his life, but he had all of this wealth and all of this riches and all of this prestige. Well, there came a point in time when Babylon,

who was an empire on the rise at that point in time, sent a delegation. To Hezekiah. And he'll talk about it at the end of this chapter. Sent a delegation to check out things that were going on. What he didn't realize was, is this was actually probably a spy delegation that came in to sort of spy out the riches of the land. And he takes them around and he shows them everything.

In particular, the storehouses, the treasure houses, not only of Hezekiah, but also of the temple. And one day, Isaiah comes in and sees what's going on. He says, what have you done? Who is this delegation? Oh, they're from Babylon. It's okay. They're here to see you. See the wealth of the nation. He goes, well, what all did you show them? He said, everything.

And Hezekiah said, that was foolish. Or Isaiah said, that was foolish on your part. Because all of this nation is going to be taken over by the Babylonians and you've just shown them all of the wealth of the nation. And that was sort of that moment of pride in the heart of Hezekiah. And he ultimately repented of that and had a good ending. But it's kind of interesting how that was still an issue that he had.

And so it goes on in verse 30. We say, It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David. And he prospered in all that he did, even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon. That's the story I just told you. Who sent of him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land.

God left him alone only to test him that he might know all that was in his heart. Now listen, that's an interesting line right there. I hadn't even intended to talk about that. I think it needs to be addressed. God sent Hezekiah that test of the envoys of Babylon because he wanted to see what was in his heart. And as I heard a couple of different Bible teachers to say,

it really that he should not be capitalized there because God knew what was in Hezekiah's heart. He really needed to show Hezekiah what was in his heart. And that was the pride that had welled up, which God ultimately dealt with in his life. But oftentimes God sends us tests to reveal what's on the inside of us. Not because God doesn't know what's in there,

but because we need to see the areas where we still need to grow in our lives. The areas where sin has cropped up its ugly head and it needs to be dealt with in our life. And so that's what happened with those Babylonian envoys. It says, Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion. Behold, 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. So he slept with his fathers and they buried him in the upper section of the tombs. The sons of David and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him in his death and his son Manasseh became king in his place. Brings us to chapter 33. Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem.

And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abomination of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. I think as shocking as it is that Hezekiah came from the father, that he came from and ultimately became one of the most godly kings that the nation of Judah had ever seen. It is maybe equally, if not more shocking, that from Hezekiah, one of the most godly kings that the nation would ever see, would become one of the most evil kings that the nation of Judah, if not the nation of Israel in total, had ever seen. And it just reminds us that the best that we can do is pour the truth of God into the next generation.

As parents, as grandparents, as pastors, as youth pastors, the best we can do is just give the truth. Ultimately, everyone has to make their decision. What are you going to do with the truth that you've been given? What are you going to do with the light that's been revealed to you? And at some point in time, the best thing that you can do is give out the truth and then trust God with the results.

That was an area I had to come to as a youth pastor. It's a place I've had to come to and am in the process of coming to as a pastor. And honestly, it's the place I have to be as a father. Because I have to say, the best that I can do is present the truth. Because God has given the right to anyone to become the children of God, to those that will believe on His name.

But not those who are born of the will of man. Not those who are born of the will of the flesh. But those who are born of God. In other words, it's ultimately a work of God in the life of each individual. Everyone has to make their own decisions. And so Manasseh comes along. And interestingly enough, he reigns 55 years in Jerusalem. One of the most evil kings with one of the longest reigns.

And it says, He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the sons of Israel. He goes on to describe, and I'll discuss that in just a moment. But he describes exactly what that means. It says, He rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah, his father, had broken down. And he erected altars for the Baals.

And he made Asherim. And he worshipped all the hosts of heaven. And he served them. Essentially, he reestablished all of the things that Hezekiah did. All of the things that Hezekiah had done away with. He sort of thumbed his nose at his dad and at God in this. And he rebuilt all of the altars to Baal. Which was ultimately the god of the crops. The god of the land.

And then they rebuilt the statues of Asherim. Which was essentially the god of fertility. Or if we would say, the god of pleasure. The god of sex. And then also he set up worship of the entire solar system. The stars and the moon. Interestingly enough, which came from Babylon. That's where a lot of that worship came from. And so he established that. And so he establishes all of this worship.

But it goes on from there. Verse 4. He built altars in the house of the Lord. Of which the Lord had said, My name shall be in Jerusalem forever. In other words, he built altars actually in the temple. To the foreign gods. He built altars for all the hosts of heaven. In the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his sons pass through the fire. In the valley of Ben-Hinnom.

And he practiced witchcraft. And used divination. And practiced sorcery. And he dealt with mediums. And spiritists. And he did much evil in the sight of the Lord. Provoking him to anger. And he put the carved image of the idol. Which he had made in the house of God. Of which God had said. In this house. And in Jerusalem. Which I have chosen. For my name of the tribes of Israel.

I will put my name forever. And I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land. Which I have appointed for your fathers. If only they will observe. To do all that I have commanded. According to all the law. The statutes and the ordinances given through Moses. Thus Manasseh misled. Judah. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem. To do more evil than the nations of whom the Lord.

Destroyed before the sons of Israel. It's interesting the commentary that's given to us. Because of Manasseh. It said he did more evil than all of the nations. That the Lord had dispossessed. Therefore what God did to the nations. That he dispossessed. Of Canaan. He was now going to do. To the nation of Israel. And I think it's important to point something out here.

God doesn't care what your last name is. God doesn't care what your first name is. God doesn't care who you're the king of. God doesn't care which political party you're a part of. If you have led people into sin. He will deal with you. Because the nations. That were the enemies of God. Who were sinning in such an evil way. Think the Epstein list. Who were sinning in such an evil way.

God had to dispossess from the land. And he said I will never. Nation of Israel. Kick you out of this land. As long as you don't act like them. As long as you seek me. And as long as you don't give in to all the sins of the land. Of the people that I've driven out before you. I will never dispossess you from this land. But. If you begin to give in to all of the sins of the nations.

That I have dispossessed. I will do to you. As I thought to do to them. You see. God is not a respecter of persons. God is a respecter of holiness. And if you will. Pursue God. He doesn't care what your background. Or your last name. Or anything else is. You are his people. But if you disobey God. He doesn't care what your background is. Or what your name is.

Or what church you attend. He's against you. I think that's important in the world that we live in right now. Because what I see is. I see a very divided nation that we live in right now. And all of the people on the left. Say the people on the right are evil. And God is going to judge them. And all of the people on the right. Say all of the people on the left are evil.

And God is going to judge them. And to the people on the left and the people on the right. I say you all are evil. And God is going to judge you. And we've got to stop doing what we are doing right now. Which is when we see somebody on the opposite political party of us. Doing something insanely evil. And God is going to judge them. The only problem is both parties are the same when it comes to this.

Do we understand this right now? Do we understand that both of the political parties. Are full of an incredibly evil group of people. And God is not a respecter of politics. And God is not a respecter of people. God deals with sin. And if you will repent. And turn to God. He doesn't care whether you have an R or a D next to your name. He will absolutely welcome you into the kingdom.

And if you refuse to repent of sin. He doesn't care if you have an R or a D next to your name. You still have sin. You still will have to deal with judgment. I say this because I am listening to these political conversations go on. All of the time. And we use this equivocation where we say. Well at least we are not as bad as them. Or you know they did the exact same thing.

That's right and both sides are going to have to face the judgment. That goes along with that. I am reminded of the statement that was made. When Joshua was getting ready to. Go into the land to. To take over the land that God had sent him to. And the day before. He was supposed to lay out the battle plan. It says the angel of the Lord. Which we know is an Old Testament appearance of Jesus shows up.

And Joshua says something very interesting. Joshua says. Are you on our side? Or are you on their side? And the angel of the Lord says. No. You be on my side. And we have to remember that. That God desires us to be on his side. He has not chosen sides in this world. And as much as these are God's chosen people. He is still going to have to deal with judgment.

In the same way that he dealt with the nations. That he dispossessed. Before them. And I just think. That there is just something about verse 9. That is somewhat shuddering and sobering. That says. Manasseh misled Judah. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem. To do more evil. Than the nations whom the Lord destroyed. Before the sons of Israel. You got to be pretty bad.

To be worse than the people that God said. Don't make a treaty with them. Don't marry their sons. Don't marry their daughters. Do away with them. Destroy them. And their idols. Because otherwise. That sin will destroy you. Brothers and sisters. God does not waste his words. And God doesn't speak in hyperbole. When it comes to these things. He says what he means.

And can I say. If God hated sin that much. Then we can know. That he hates it that much now. And if we don't destroy the sin. That we still struggle with in our lives. Listen. It will destroy you. And so God begins to deal with them. But notice what it says verse 10. Then the Lord spoke to Manasseh. And his people. And if you are an underliner. You might underline the end of verse 10.

Right after that conjunction there. But. You have to pay attention. And listen. When we won't listen to what God says. He has to begin to use action. What we will not do in obedience. He will do in judgment. This is what he does to the nation. It says therefore. Since they would not listen. Since they would not pay attention. The Lord brought the commanders of the army.

Of the king of Assyria against them. They captured Manasseh with hooks. They bound them with bronze chains. They took him to Bethlehem. To Babylon. Isn't it interesting. The very nation that God protected Hezekiah against. Because he sought the Lord. Has now taken Manasseh captive. Because he would not seek the Lord. And so they literally put a hook in his jaw.

And chained them all together. And they took them to Babylon. But I want you to notice verse 12. Because verse 12 is maybe one of the sweetest verses. In all of 2 Chronicles. And when he was in distress. He entreated the Lord. He was God. And he humbled himself greatly. Before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him. He meaning the Lord was moved.

By his entreaty. And he heard his supplication. And he brought him again. To Jerusalem. To his kingdom. And then Manasseh knew. That the Lord was God. There is just something incredibly precious. About those 2 verses in scripture. That in the midst of Manasseh. Being arguably the worst king. That Israel had seen. Arguably the most evil king. That they had seen.

Because not only did he lead them into sin. As great as Ahab and Jezebel. Which is what we have read about some of the other kings. He led them into sin. That was greater than even the nations. That God had dispossessed. And yet. When he cried out to the Lord. When he humbled himself before the Lord. God heard his cry. God was moved. With compassion. When he heard.

The repentance. In the heart of Manasseh. I am reminded of what we are told. In the book of Romans. I believe it is chapter 10. Might be 11. All who call on the name of the Lord. Shall be saved. All who call on the name of the Lord. And I just think that is a promise. That we have to continue to claim. And to those. That we know in the world. That are as lost as anything.

As they could possibly be. I think it is important that they understand. That all who call on the name of the Lord. Can be saved. That there is no such thing as too far gone. There is no such thing. As having sinned too much. There is no such thing. As unsavable. By God. There is only those that are willing. To call on the name of the Lord. And those who aren't.

That are willing to call on the name of the Lord. Can't be saved. But I am here to tell you right now. The entire movement that we are a part of. With Calvary Chapel. Is built on the truth of the fact. That God saves all who call upon him. I would really encourage you. To read a book. It is called Harvest. I think we have a couple of copies of it. In our library here.

But it is a story of a lot of the original Calvary pastors. There is another fantastic book. It is called Love of Mike. It is the story of Mike McIntosh. And it is beautiful to see how God took. Some of the people who were as far gone as possible. That the rest of the world would have said. They are too far gone to ever be used by God. And he built a global movement.

Out of losers. He built a global movement. Out of people. That the world said. Are too far gone. To be used by God. And definitely too far gone. To be saved by God. That God delights. To show grace and mercy. To all who will call upon him. And that is what Manasseh does. Manasseh calls on the name of the Lord. And I love this. The end of verse 13. And then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Now after this. So what is not included here. That is included in the account of 2 Kings. Is that he was brought back to Jerusalem. And I always wonder something. In situations like this. What Jerusalem was like. Right. Like the anticipation that he felt. To see Jerusalem. But also the shame that he felt. Knowing that the situation that Jerusalem was in. Was his fault.

That all he could do now. Is go back and try to undo all of the things. That he did wrong. And I just wonder what that trip back. Kind of like. I wonder what Paul thought. When he sat there in that home in Damascus. When he was prayed for. When those great scales of. Those great scales fell from his eyes. And he could see again. I was wondering what those three days.

When he was blinded felt like. And all of the things that he thought of. Listen the important thing is. Is that you come home. So that is what he does. He comes back to Jerusalem. It says after this. He built the outer wall of the city of David. On the west side of Gihon. In the valley. Even to the entrance of the fish gate. To Judah. He also removed the foreign gods.

The idol from the house of the Lord. As well as all the altars. Which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord. And in Jerusalem. He threw them outside the city. And he set up the altar of the Lord. And sacrificed peace offerings. And thank offerings on it. He ordered Judah. To serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places.

Although only to the Lord. The words of the seers who spoke to him. In the name of the Lord God of Israel. Behold they are among the records of the kings of Israel. His prayer also. And how God was entreated by him. And all his sin. His unfaithfulness. And the sites on which he built the high places. And erected the ashram. And the carved images before he humbled himself.

Behold they are written in the records of Hosea. Manasseh slept with his fathers. And they buried him in his house. And Ammon his son became king in his place. And he had to undo some of the things that he did. Unfortunately the revival under him was short lived. And it was half hearted. As a matter of fact. Many of the prophetic books. That we know of Isaiah, Jeremiah.

And some of the minor prophets. Were written during not only his time. But also the time of the king that we are going to talk about in just a minute. And that was Josiah. And even though there were a certain amount of things. That were instituted within the land. To try to bring about revival. The heart of the people was always a little half hearted. The heart of the people was never fully to follow the Lord.

And unfortunately. He was to blame. It says in verse 21. And Ammon his son. Was 22 years old when he became king. And he reigned two years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. As Manasseh his father had done. And Ammon sacrificed all the carved images. Which his father had made. And he served them. Moreover he did not humble himself before the Lord.

As his father Manasseh had done. But Ammon multiplied guilt. Finally. His servants conspired against him. And they put him to death in his own house. And the conspirators against king Ammon. And the people of the land made Josiah. The son. His son king in his place. I think probably the saddest part about Ammon. Two years obviously. Short lived reign. Young man.

Grew up in a really terrible home. Dad wasn't even around very much. Unfortunately. Not only did he sin the way his father did. But he was a great man. He was a great man. He was a great man. And now comes Josiah. What I will call the bright spot. Of maybe the entire book of 2 Chronicles. It says this. Josiah was 8 years old when he became king. And he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem.

And he did right in the sight of the Lord. And he walked in the ways of his father David. And he did not turn aside to the right. Or to the left. I always wonder what it must have been like to anoint an 8 year old king. In the first 8 years of his life. You know I've got a 14 year old and a 17 year old. And I can't imagine putting them in charge of a kingdom.

Let alone my 8 year olds. When they were that age. They weren't really good at being in charge of their dolls. Although Nora did run a strict house when it came to her dolls. But I can't imagine what it would have been like. To have an 8 year old as king. But we are told of Josiah. That he did right in the sight of the Lord. Again. His grandfather was Manasseh.

His father was Ammon. Why? Why did Josiah do what was right in the sight of the Lord? Especially since he took over as an 8 year old king. But not only did he do right in the sight of the Lord. He did right in the sight of the Lord. Like David his father had done. He didn't turn aside to the right or to the left. In other words. He was wholeheartedly following the Lord.

But I've never noticed this. Until this time around. But I want you to look at verse 3 with me. It says. In the 8th year of his reign. While he was still a youth. He began to seek the God of his father. And in the 12th year. He began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places. The Ashram. The carved images. And the molten images. So 8 years into his reign.

Quick math tells me that means he was 16 years old. And I don't know what happened. Matter of fact I've got a question mark right here. What happened at the age of 16. In the life of Josiah. Because it doesn't say this in 2 Kings. This is the place where it says this. Let me read it to you again. In the 8th year of his reign. While he was still a youth. And I think it's important to point that out.

While he was still a youth. He began to seek the God of his fathers. At the age of 16. Something happened in the life of Josiah. Something significant. That caused such a life changing event for him. That it says he began to seek the Lord God of his fathers. That word to seek there. Is kind of interesting. One of the commentators that I read said this. The idea of the word seeking.

In 2 Chronicles. Means that he began a habit. Of looking to God in every situation. Perhaps at the age of 16. He looked at the shambles that was. The nation of Judah. He looked at what his father had done. He looked at what his grandfather had done. And finally he said to himself. I don't want this to be my legacy. I don't want this to be what I leave behind.

For my son. Surely there's something better than this. I want you to bear in mind something. He had not read the law. As a matter of fact it won't be for another. I think 10 years. Before he even reads the law. This is just simply God's grace in his life. This is just simply his. Common knowledge of what holiness was. That caused this in his life. And in that moment he said.

I'm going to begin a habit. Of looking to God in every situation. And when did this habit begin for him? When he was a youth. I think it's really important. That we need to. Understand the importance of reaching. Kids at a young age. That we reach people. When they are young. And they can begin a habit. Of seeking the Lord. Because I'm here to tell you right now.

I can almost guarantee you. Every habit that you struggle with in your life. Began when you were a teenager. Just like most of your good habits. Began when you were young. Because that's when you're forming. So much of your idea. And your identity. This is why reaching this next generation. Is of such vast importance. Because we want them to begin a habit. Of seeking the Lord.

This is why the work. That we do as adults. Is massively important. Do not look at this next generation. And say they don't want to hear from me. Yes they do. Don't look at this next generation and say. They're lost and no one can reach them. Yes they can. They can be reached. And just be annoyed and irritated. With them all the time. Because if you complain about this next generation.

Listen they won't want to listen to you. Just like if every week. I showed up and told you how terrible you were. You wouldn't want to listen to me right. That's eventually how you feel. But if we look at this next generation. And say. Let's reach them while they're a youth. So that they can begin to have habits. Of seeking God. In every situation. Then we start to see a generation change.

That's why I will always say. The work that goes on down at that end of the hallway. And at that end of the hallway. Is the most important work that takes place. In this church. Because that is not the church of tomorrow. It's the church of today. But it won't be the church of today. If we don't do our job. And I don't know who reached. Josiah at a young age.

I don't know who got to him when he was 16 years old. That he began this habit. Of seeking the Lord. Somebody told him the story of his grandfather. Perhaps somebody said. I need to let you know. Kind of how we've landed where we are today. This is what your grandfather did wrong. And these are all the things that he did wrong. But listen this is what he did right.

And maybe that's what did it. We're given no other commentary other than that. But when he was a youth. 16 years old. He began a habit of seeking the Lord. And then in the 12th year. In other words when he was 20 years old. He began to do the serious work. He began to purge. Judah and Jerusalem. Of the high places of the ashram. Of the carved images. And of the molten images.

They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence. The incense altars that were high above them. He chopped them down. Also the ashram. The carved images. The molten images he broke in pieces. Ground the powder. And scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. Then he burned the bones of the priests. On their altars. And he purged Judah.

And Jerusalem. Interestingly enough. This is a fulfillment of a prophecy. That was made somewhere in the neighborhood. 350 years before this. If you remember all the way back to first kings. I believe it was when. Oh I can't remember the name of the king. One of the early kings of Israel. Was told that there would be. A king who would come along named. Josiah.

Who would ultimately burn the bones of all of these priests. And purge Jerusalem. Of its idolatry. And this is the fulfillment. Of that prophecy from 350 years before. It says. In the cities of Manasseh. Ephraim. Simeon. Even as far as Naphtali. And their surrounding regions. He also tore down the altars. And beat the ashram. And the carved images into powder.

Chopped down all the incense altars. Throughout the land of Israel. So this is what revival starts to look like. Is when all of a sudden. You start to seek God. In every instance of your life. You begin a process of saying. This is the habit that I'm going to have. Is to seek God in everything that I do. And then God begins to reveal to you. The idols in your life.

And so you say you know what. Not only am I going to seek God. But I'm going to tear down the idols. That are keeping me from knowing God. And then once you've torn down the idols. You're going to realize. That Jesus The Lord is God. He's saying in chapter 3. That the money that was brought into the house. From the house of Mennasseh and Ephraim. And brought to Israel.

From all the made in Israel. The money was brought into the house of God. And sent to the land of Israel. And when he had purged the land. Of the house he sent. Shaphan the son of Azaliah. And Maaseah an official of the city. And Joeah the son of Joahaz. ephraim from all the remnant of israel judah benjamin the inhabitants of jerusalem they gave it into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the lord and the workmen

were working in the house of the lord and they used it to restore repair the house they in turn gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings to make beams for the houses which the kings of judah had let go to ruin the men did the work faithfully with foremen over them to supervise jahath and obadiah the levites the sons of merari zachariah mashulam the sons of the koathites and the levites all who were skillful with musical instruments they were also over the burden bearers and supervise all the workmen from job to job but some of the levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers something struck me as i was

studying this and and i thought how many times have we watched this cycle take place feels like every week the same thing happens right every week that we're in koran chronicles there's a king that was bad and that king that was bad caused issues and put up all these idols and let the temple go into disrepair then you got a good king that comes along and the good king comes along and he gets rid of all of the idolatry he rebuilds the temple it's it's a cycle that the nation of israel is constantly in you know what that reminds me of our lives because sometimes we go through these cycles in our lives don't we like like one minute you're doing really really good you go through a season where man you are pursuing god you are seeking god life is

awesome but then things happen whether it's success whether it's failure whatever it is you slip back into the areas of sin and start establishing some idols in your life and you you let the the house of worship begin to fall apart in other words you you start to give in to the sins of the world and and your devotional life falls apart your prayer life falls apart and pretty soon you're like i don't like my life the way it is right now i gotta purge myself of the idols then you begin to build back up that that worship of the lord again you get your devotional life back wouldn't it be great if we could just break that cycle and just always live in the place where we're doing really good see if we can begin to identify

the idols the things that keep tripping us up maybe we can start to avoid the cycle children of israel couldn't do it just know it's something we struggle with in this life and so they rebuild the temple they get everything back going again but then something strange happens it says when they were bringing the money which had been verse 14 which had been brought into the house of the lord hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the lord given by moses and he said i'm going to make an offering for you i'm going to abandon the house of the lord i will be a son of jesus that he bestowed upon him and gav san vih one of the most valuable things about him since he was 16

it's about giving to god for the first time as a son of jesus hilkiah responded and said to shafaan the scribe i found the book of the law in the house of the lord hilkiah gave the book to shafan shafaan brought the book to the king and reported further word to the king everything that was Saying, Hilkiah the priest gave me a book. And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. I don't know how you see this scene going down. This is the way I see this scene going down.

He says, I found this book. It's the law. Would you mind if I read it to you? Yeah, that's great. So the king sits down and he starts to read to him. I want you to understand what he would have read to him. He would have read to him the law. We're talking the book of Leviticus. We're talking the book of Deuteronomy. Right? All the books that you struggle through, Shaphan starts reading to Josiah.

Now remember, Josiah is walking with the Lord at this point in time. He's doing everything the way he's supposed to do. But he never really heard the law. He was going off of the best he could to follow God. But now that he has a clearer understanding of God's law, I want you to notice how he reacts. It says, when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.

And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahicham, the son of Shaphan, Abdon, the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Esaiah the king's servant, saying, Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which have been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us, because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord to do according to all that is written in this book. There is something spiritually powerful that happens in our lives when we will just get into the word of God for ourselves. Because when we get into the word of God for ourselves, and it begins to describe the righteous nature of God.

It begins to describe the righteous requirements of God that we start going, oh gosh, that's not good. Had somebody message me yesterday that's just now getting into the word. I love seeing it. They send me questions. And so the question was, I'm reading through the book of Exodus, and I just came across the Ten Commandments. What are these supposed to be for the believer today?

And of course my first response was, ooh, good question. We don't think about that enough. What do we do with the law of God? Well, the law of God reveals our sin. That's what it does for us. The law of God reveals God's righteous standard for humanity. And if we will really allow the word of God to do what's necessary. In our lives, the first thing it will do is it will convict us.

The second thing it will do is it will drive us to our knees. To where all we can say is, Lord, you're going to have to forgive me for that one. Because that was bad. Lord, please do your work in my heart and in my life. And every time God's word is used the way it's intended to be used. It does powerful things in the life of people. Do you know how we came out of the dark ages?

We came out of the dark ages through the word of God. Getting into the hands of the people in a language that they could understand. Which is why the powers of the church that be at that point in time that were controlling people. Did not want them to get the word of God into their hands. Because they knew if they read it for themselves. They would realize they did not need a priest.

They did not need a sacrament. They just needed Jesus. And they could get past the shadow into the substance. And that's exactly what happened. That's how we came out of the shadow of the dark ages. And we came into the substance of the Protestant Reformation.

Is by the word of God getting into the hands of the people of God so that they could understand it for themselves and listen I harp on this a lot and I will until the day that I die just start getting into God's word I don't understand what it says Ryan then read until you do and do the best that you can with the knowledge that you have can you imagine being the first person to read the law in all of these years you've never heard it before can you imagine he's like okay leprosy leprosy leprosy. Can you imagine being the first person to read the law in all of these years you've never heard it before can you imagine he's like okay leprosy leprosy.

Can you imagine being the first person to read the law in all of these years you've never heard it before can you imagine he's like okay leprosy leprosy. Okay let's skip out of the leprosy stuff. And then you get into all of the law and you're like oh my gosh what have we done. I don't understand what any of that other stuff means but I know what that means.

I don't understand what any of that other stuff means but I know what that means. Listen just read it anyway. Let God's word do what it's going to do in your life. Let God's word do what it's going to do in your life. Because the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, able to pierce between bone and marrow, able to identify the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

And this is exactly what happens to Josiah. His heart was tender enough to receive what God's word has to say. And his heart was tender enough to say I have offended God. They tore his clothes. That was the greatest sign of a broken heart before the Lord. The tearing of the clothes. And so this is what he did. We've got to seek God. I need somebody. So Hilkiah, verse 22, and those whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess,

the wife of Shalom, the son of Tokath, the son of Hazra, the keeper of the wardrobe. I love that. They went to the girl that kept the clothes. Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke to her regarding this. And she said, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, tell the man who sent you to me, thus says the Lord, behold, I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants.

Even all the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah, because they have forsaken me. They have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands. Therefore, my wrath will be poured out on this place, and it shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, thus says the Lord, God of Israel, regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender.

Because you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants. And because you clothed yourself with humility before me, tore your clothes and wept. Behold, I have truly heard you, declares the Lord. I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to the grave in peace. So your eyes will not see all the evil which I brought on this place and on its inhabitants.

They brought back word to the king, and the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up to them and said, I will gather you to the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people from the greatest to the least. And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord. Because he humbled himself before the Lord, because his heart was tender towards God, God said, I've heard you.

And even though I've got to bring judgment because of sin, it will not come in your days, because your heart was humble before me. Your heart was tender to the conviction that came about. And so, Josiah did not waste God's grace. He did not squander God's grace. What he did is he gathered all of the people. He said, everybody needs to hear this. So he gathers all the people together.

And what did he do? He just simply reads the words of the law to them. And God begins to move among the people. Now, unfortunately, this move was short-lived. Because the entire book of Jeremiah is written to the people to let them know. Because you have not tried. You have not truly rendered your hearts before me. That this is a lot of lip service, I will still have to bring judgment.

But it was a short-lived revival in the life of the nation of Judah. So he gathers them together. He reads the law to them. It says in verse 31, Then the king stood in his place, and he made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord, to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart, with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant in this book.

Moreover, he made all. He made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand with him. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of the God of their fathers. And Josiah removed the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel. And made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God throughout his lifetime.

They did not turn from following the Lord, the God of their fathers. So what a beautiful moment in the nation of Israel. As Josiah's heart is fully turned towards the Lord. And in some way, shape, or form, the people followed him. But listen. Today, we can't be in charge of what everybody else does. We can only be in charge of what we do. We can't be in charge of whether or not everybody else follows the Lord God with all their heart.

All we can be in charge of is our own hearts. What are you going to do with Jesus? What are you going to do with the truth of God's word? Is he going to make you follow God with all of your heart? Or will it just be lip service in hopes of avoiding the judgment? That's between you and the Lord. Amen. Father, we come before you, and I just thank you for this time in your word.

And the examples of your word. And God, I pray that we would get into your word for ourselves. And let it do its good work in our hearts. Father, just continue to draw us near to you. And keep our hearts tender towards you, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. Be blessed.