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2 Kings 23 (Part 1) Bible Study (Josiah's Reforms) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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What we're doing here every Friday is a partial fulfillment
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of the Great Commission. What's the Great Commission?
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People kind of limit it to 1 dimension.
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Go therefore make disciples of all nations, right?
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But Jesus didn't end there. He said what following that,
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baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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And did he end it there? What's the third component of
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the Great Commission? Does anybody know teaching them
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to observe all that I've commanded you?
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Again, people limit the Great Commission to go.
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Let's go to the nation's, let's go to the streets, the highways
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and the and the byways and let's win souls.
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OK, but what are you going to do with those souls?
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The Great Commission includes people being baptized, making
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that commitment, that first step of obedience, and it's a
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perpetual reality. Teaching them to observe all
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that I've commanded you so. If you're a person here and
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you've wondered or you've. Potentially even yearn to be
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discipled. What does it mean to be
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discipled? What does it mean for me to be
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discipled? I'll tell you this in great
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part. In fact, the main part is you
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being taught what Jesus said. You're being discipled here
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every Friday, including Sunday. So hopefully that encourages
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you, that encourages me to know that we are fulfilling in part,
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the Great Commission for what we do here every Friday evening.
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Well, that being said, let's. Come to our Bibles now.
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And let's meet together in Second Kings chapter 23, Second
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Kings chapter 23. And as you and I prepare to come
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to this chapter, I actually would like to begin not in verse
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one, but in verse 25. The verse that we're going to
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read. Verse 25 is a statement from the
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author that comes just before Josiah's death and it really
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serves as a summary of his life and the comment made in this
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verse will also be used to shape the direction of our Bible study
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this evening. Second Kings 23, verse 25, the
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word of God says about Josiah. Before him there was no king
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like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all
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his soul, and with all his might, according to.
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All the law of Moses, nor did any king or any like him, rather
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arise after him. Can we pray together?
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We ask, Father, that You would help us in this study.
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We are not concerned, Lord, with the length of it.
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We're not concerned about any component of this delivery apart
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from Your power being realized in it, your voice being heard
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through it, your truth being understood because of it.
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We long, Lord, to be conformed by this truth.
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And we pray that every step that we take, we would sense your
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leadership. And Lord, as we open the service
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with we, we pray that there would be a tangible joy that
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would accompany this study. We ask these things in the
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matchless name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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I I trust that the verse that we just read, what was said about
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Josiah is something that you long for to be said of you, that
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your devotion to Christ would not be partial, but it would
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truly consume all your heart, all your soul, and all your
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might. And if you are someone who
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shares in that holy ambition, then I want you to be encouraged
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this evening because Josiah is not just an outstanding leader
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that stands out from both his predecessors and successors.
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He's been given to us as an exceptional example of what true
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devotion to God looks like. And though this is a rather
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lengthy section of Scripture. We have a detailed outline for
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why it is that Josiah was crowned with this uncommon
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praise regarding faithfulness to the Lord.
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There are two main characteristics that I want us
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to leave with, just two qualities that are striking.
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But if we rightly understand them and more importantly apply
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them, I guarantee that you and I will be set on a path that will
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promise the testimony of being wholeheartedly devoted to the
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Lord Jesus Christ. What are those two qualities #1
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the motive of Josiah's obedience?
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What was his motive? Well, it's spelled out for us
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between verse one and verse 3, and not just his motive, but
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secondly the extent of His obedience.
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And that is found beginning in verse 4 down to verse 20.
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And that's what we're going to be covering tonight.
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Second Kings 23 beginning in verse one.
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Down to verse 22, Main headings, 2 main characteristics of this
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man that can position us to know what it means to have every part
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of our lives truly set apart unto Christ.
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Again, let me repeat it. The motive of his obedience.
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Why did he do what he did and the extent of his obedience
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where he was willing to go with his trust and his faithfulness
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to Christ. And yes, although this is to the
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Lord and Christ comes to the New Testament, we interpret all
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things in light of the new covenant.
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And so these are principles for us in our walk with the Lord.
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And so we're going to begin tonight with the first
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characteristic, the motive of Josiah's obedience.
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Let's read from verse one down to verse 3.
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Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem
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were gathered to him, and the king went up to the House of the
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Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants
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of Jerusalem, and the priest and the prophets, all the people,
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both small and great. And he read in their hearing all
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the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in
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the House of the Lord. And the king stood by the
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pillar, made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the
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Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies
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and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to
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perform the words of this covenant that were written in
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this book. And all the people joined in the
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covenant. As impressive as Josiah's
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conviction and leadership are in this moment, we will not know
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their full impact unless we remember how chapter 22 ended.
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Do we remember what happened last week?
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Josiah discovered the book of the Law.
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It was read in his presence. It cut his heart, and without
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any hesitation he sent for a prophetic voice to give him
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guidance of what he ought to do with the truth that he just
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discovered. And he was told by prophetess
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named Holda that judgment against the people of Judah was
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certain. It was imminent and it was
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fixed. Nothing could change the fate of
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this people, and I want us to be reminded of that.
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Scroll up to chapter 22, verse 17.
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Notice what Holda the prophetess said to the messengers who came
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on behalf of King Josiah. Second Kings 2217 because they
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have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that
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they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their
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hands. Therefore my wrath will be
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kindled against this place and it will not be quenched.
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Highlight the last part. Nothing will change what has
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been determined for this people. The verdict is final.
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There will be horrific judgement that will visit this people and
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Josiah was to hear this, although it was not the final
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message from Holda. In addition to that, Josiah was
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personally comforted with what that he would not witness the
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tragedies of God's chastisement, but that he would be ushered
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into the grave with peace. He would not behold the horrors.
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He would live his. Life.
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At rest, knowing that it would come at a later time.
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Now I want you to pause and think for a moment.
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Does that leave much motivation for Josiah to continue to invest
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in this people? Think about it.
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If judgment is determined, if nothing will change the future,
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then what's the point of really leading this people onto
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holiness? What's the point of really
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continue to be an example of what it means to be consecrated
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unto the Lord? Why not just sit back and relax
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and not worry about it? That's not what we find.
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Instead, the first verse that we read in chapter 23 shows us the
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opposite, that this man was catapulted in the direction of
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doing what he can to bring this people to God.
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Now, there are some who assume that the reason why Josiah is
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ready to bring this reform to a new level is because he hopes
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that this verdict will be reversed somehow, that this
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indictment will be pushed aside, will maybe even be cancelled if
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his people are brought back to renew their covenant with God.
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But I don't believe that because there's no indication that that
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is his motive and there is no hint that he was granted that
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that was even possible, that the course can be changed.
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As we just read, the prophet has said it will not be quenched,
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nothing can be done to alter it, and yet he still wants to obey
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God and he still wants to lead this people to repentance and
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obedience to the one and only God.
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Why this is? Why?
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Because you love God. Consider this.
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There is no circumstance then or in the future that would deter
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Josiah from doing whatever he could to be in total alignment
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with God's will for his life 1st and then as a leader of God's
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people. It didn't matter if what he
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learned concerning God's will was met with difficulty, was met
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with appreciation, or even heavenly reward.
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Josiah would obey God for one main reason.
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He loved his God, full stop. There is no other incentive.
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There is no other pull. There is no other ambition.
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It was simply this. If God says it, then I will do
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it. And that was the reward for him.
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You see, Josiah wasn't leading this nation toward God because
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he wanted to evade punishment or because he wanted to secure some
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kind of prize. Instead, punishment was
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guaranteed. And yet this man still.
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Wanted to honor and please God. That in itself was his pursuit.
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That was the end of his pursuit. That was the goal.
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Can I ask you a question now? What would become of our
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sanctification if we had a similar goal?
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What would become of our consistency with Christ?
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If we find total satisfaction in knowing that our choices and our
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commitments please God, and that's all we want, just to
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bring delight to his heart, just to bless the Lord, What could
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become of the purity of God's church?
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What could become of every facet of our life as we walk with
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Christ if He is our ultimate goal?
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Just Him. Not what He can give us, not
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what He can protect us from, Just Him.
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I'm doing it for the Lord, and though Josiah is a wonderful
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inspiration, Christ is a greater one.
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I'm reminded of the words of Jesus in John 829 when he said
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the following. He who sent me is with me, and
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He has not left me alone. For I always do the things that
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are pleasing to him. You see that?
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The Son of God lived his human life with that as the banner
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over his obedience. I do everything for what reason
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Lord to please the Father, to please him.
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Now we should be grateful that Christ perfect obedience is
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imputed unto us. Is it not that there was not a
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moment where Jesus did not please the Father?
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Every millisecond of his life brought perfect delight to God.
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And when we accept Christ by faith, that level of obedience
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is now given to us in our account before the throne.
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It's a wonderful thought, but don't make the mistake that so
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many make where they celebrate what they've inherited in their
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justification and fail to see how Christ is also an example
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for our own sanctification. As much as we see what we
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receive in His obedience, we also receive instruction.
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I always do the things that are pleasing to him.
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The same John who recorded the words of Jesus here says
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something to Christians and his first epistle.
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It's found in first John chapter 3 verse 22.
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What did John say there? And whatever we ask, we receive
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from him, because we keep his. Commandments and do what pleases
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him. John isn't speaking about Jesus
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here. He did that in John 829.
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He's speaking about Christians here.
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And what does he say about Christians?
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We do what pleases God. Can I ask you something?
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Is that the heartbeat of your obedience?
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Is that? Is that why you serve the
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church? Is that why you want to
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represent them in any context you find yourself in?
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Is that the reason why you reject sin and deny the flesh
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and come to him in repentance when you act up in the?
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Flesh. Is it because down deep inside
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you really want to please God, Not your pastors, not your
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mother, not your father, not your older sibling, not your
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friend who's spiritual and loves Christ?
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Is it because ultimately you want to please him?
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A singular devotion to Christ that was Josiah.
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I just, it blows my mind. It really does.
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What do you do with that kind of prophetic report?
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Nothing that you can do is going to change the judgement that's
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coming on the horizon. It didn't matter to him, God
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still said it. So I'm going to do it well.
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Why Josiah? Because I want to please God.
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As simple as that. Now let's come back to our main
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taxes in Second Kings 23. I want you to notice a couple of
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things with me in the first 3 verses that we read.
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First, I want you to see how Josiah was the director of all
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the movement here. Look at verse one.
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Then the king sent verse 2 and the king went up verse 3, and
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the king stood by the pillar, made a covenant before the Lord.
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The impression that you have here is that this is coming from
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this man's heart. He's the one who's orchestrating
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all of this. He's the one who is urgent.
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You can sense the urgency. You can sense the enthusiasm
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here, even though there is a very great lack of shared
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concern. He's moving all the pieces.
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He's setting up the meeting. He is doing it.
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And here's what I want to leave with you.
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It's a wonderful portrait of the power of the word of God at work
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in the human spirit. What's energizing Josiah here?
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What we read last week, the word of God being revealed to him,
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this is what moved him in the direction that he was moving in.
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And that's the power that the Word of God contains.
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It is able to energize you and I.
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It is able to motivate. It's able to compel you to this
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kind of level of obedience even though nobody else has it.
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It's a remarkable thing to witness because it does compel
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us to live for Him, but also moves you to be unashamed of the
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truth and to even be bold to call others to embrace it.
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Did you notice another word that appears here in the first 3
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verses? It's the word all.
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Look again, verse one that the king sent and all the elders of
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Judah and Jerusalem. Look at verse 2.
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And the king went up to the House of the Lord, and with him
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all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
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the priests and the prophets, all the people.
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And finally he says that again in verse 3.
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All, all, all, all. Now, my sanctified imagination,
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I step back after reviewing this today, and I just enjoyed the
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thought because you read here that there was prophets,
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priests, men, women, small. Great.
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What a sight it must have been to see Josiah elevated with the
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copy of God's law in his hand, reading it plainly.
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And there you have the priest, and there you have the prophets,
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who? Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and others
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like them, silently absorbing all that God was saying in his
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word. It's just a spectacular thing to
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think about. But that's not the main point.
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The main point is that Josiah desired that every person be
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under the reading of God's Word and that there wouldn't be one
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person left out from the covenant that he was about to
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establish. Again, all.
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Now Speaking of covenant, did you notice how the scriptures
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are referred to in the first 3 verses that we read?
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What's the title that's given to the scriptures?
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Anybody miss it? The book of the Covenant?
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Why is that striking? How is it introduced to us in
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chapter 22? What was it called?
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The Book of the Law? Why the change?
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Any idea why did we go from the book of the Law in chapter 22 to
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now the book of the Covenant in chapter 23?
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If you have an answer you you should feel free to answer.
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Can I give you a hint? Another question, when was the
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last time we saw this title The book of the Covenant?
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Any idea? When was the last time we saw
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this? You have to.
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Turn that I will not just tell you it's an Exodus chapter 24.
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This is the first time it appears and this is the last
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time it appears before this chapter in Second Kings 23 and
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it's very telling. I believe that there is a
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connection that's to be made between this chapter and what we
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find in chapter 24 of the book of Exodus.
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This is where the covenant between the people of Israel and
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God is being ratified through the mediating work of Moses.
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And notice what I said here in Exodus 24, verse 6.
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And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half
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of the blood he threw against the altar.
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Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the
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hearing of the people. Sound familiar?
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And they said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we
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will be obedient. And Moses took the blood and
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threw it on the people and said, Behold, the blood of the
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covenant that the Lord has made with you.
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In accordance with all these words, it seems as though the
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Spirit of God is using the same term to parallel Josiah's
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actions with the foundational moment of the covenant being
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established at Sinai. He wants us to link them
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together. He wants us to read chapter 23
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and think, oh, the book of the covenant.
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Yeah, well, we saw that in Exodus chapter 24.
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For what reason? To show us that Josiah is
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bringing the people back to their original promise to God.
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In other words, by using this title, Josiah is being portrayed
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as a leader bringing the people back to what God intended for
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them from the beginning. He's renewing the original
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covenant. Additionally, by using Book of
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the Covenant, there's an emphasis being made, and the
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emphasis is on the relational binding nature of God's Word.
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Josiah is not just standing before the nation enforcing
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rules and regulations and laws. He's reminding them, listen, we
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got to enter back into relationship with God.
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This is a covenant. This is not just about abiding
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by certain precepts. No, this is about coming back
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into communion with God. Listen, that's the purpose of
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the Bible. By the way, the Bible is not an
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end in itself. It's a wonderful means to
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relationship with the Lord. The only means, the primary
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means, yes, there's prayer and fellowship with the Saints, all
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that, but the Scriptures is meant to bring you and I closer
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to God and remain in fellowship with God.
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It's through this window and this window alone.
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So that's the emphasis being made here.
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Josiah is calling the people back into covenant, not just to
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the law. So this is significant.
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The author is being very strategic.
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This is a very pivotal moment for the people of Israel because
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the last time we saw the book of the covenant was when the people
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entered into covenant with God in the desert.
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So we're supposed to feel the weight of.
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This. This is massive.
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But remember, we're considering the motive of Josiah's obedience
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because we we want to know how can it be said of me not, not
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from others, from God, that with all my heart and all my soul and
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all my might, I truly am His. It's his motive.
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And here's my final question before we move on to the second
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characteristic, that the people who are being prepared to enter
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into covenant with God again share Josiah's motive.
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Look at the end of verse 3, the last sentence there, and all the
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people joined in the covenant seems so, or else why would they
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join in the covenant? But as I pause in my reading of
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this chapter and visited the parallel account in Second
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Chronicles, I discovered something that was
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disappointing. I don't mean to disappoint you,
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but I think it will enrich your understanding of this passage.
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So look at this one verse. In Second Chronicles 34.
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In verse 32, In Second Chronicles 34, verse 32.
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Then he being Josiah, made all who are present in Jerusalem and
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in Benjamin join in it. In the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
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that according to the covenant of God, the God of their
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fathers. Read the first part again.
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Then he made all who are present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin
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join it. I get the impression that this
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isn't really voluntary. Instead, I think that the people
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are just doing this because they're being told to.
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He made them do it. And if you doubt the
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interpretation of this verse, remember that Jeremiah was
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raised up by God to be the prophetic voice during Josiah's
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reign. And what was his repeated
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message to the same people who entered into this covenant with
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God? You're not really in it with
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your whole heart. You're partial, you're half
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hearted. He called them out for their
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apathy. He he continually called them
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out for their shallow surrender. That's what you find throughout
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just Jeremiah's writings. And so that really confirms what
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we find here in this verse that the people were.
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Made to do it. And unfortunately you have you
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have some. Who imitate the Israelites here
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in their devotion to Christ? In what way?
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Well, yeah, they're willing to become Christians, but for what?
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Well, maybe they respect the leader who presented in the
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gospel, or maybe there was somebody over their life that
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they looked up to, so they just really want to honor them and
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maybe just imitate them in. OK.
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You're a Christian. OK, great.
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Yeah, I like it too. I like you.
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So I'll be a Christian. Well, how many people sign up to
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serve Christ because they get caught up in the momentum of a
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movement? Or they see others being moved
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by the truth and they just want to be part of the.
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Group and so sign me up. I'll follow Jesus.
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There's there's so many other ways somebody could be made to
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come into covenant with the Lord and then not being the real
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reason. Again, we're we're discussing
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the motive of Josiah obedience. What a contrast here.
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You have a man, it didn't matter who had the same zealism or the
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ambition. I'm going to do it.
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I'm I'm making this happen. And he stood out from millions
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who joined in the covenant. For who knows what reasons, it's
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striking, it's sobering, but it's the truth.
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What's your motive in following Christ today?
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Your reaction before that question is even completed is
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Christ. Christ.
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It's his smile that I'm after. It's His fellowship that I
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treasure. It's that face to face meeting
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that I will have when I give up my final breath that I always
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have before me in my life day-to-day.
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I want to please Him. Surely that's one major reason
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why Josiah was crowned with such wonderful praise at the end of
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this chapter. But we're also considering the
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extent of Josiah's obedience, not just his motive.
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Maybe you're still there. Hopefully.
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Second Chronicles 34. Look at the next verse we read
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32. Look at 33.
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And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the
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territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all
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who were president Israel serve the Lord their God.
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All his days. They did not turn away from
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following the Lord, the God of the Father.
28:20
So there's just further confirmation.
28:22
All his days, as long as Josiah lived, we'll live for God.
28:25
The moment the man died, you're going to find out next week that
28:29
they returned to their vomit. But that's not the point that I
28:32
want to bring up. What is briefly stated in the
28:36
single verse is elaborated and expanded in great detail in our
28:40
original text in Second Kings 23.
28:43
In other words, this one verse is stretched out through 16
28:48
verses, Teens, chapter 23, verse 4 down to verse 20.
28:54
And it's this very precise unfolding of the abominations
29:00
that Josiah confronted and cleansed after this covenant was
29:05
made with the nation. And we're going to read them in
29:09
a moment, but I want to just give you a summary.
29:11
Here's the summary of what we're about to discover.
29:14
Josiah is going to remove vessels of Baal, Ashra and all
29:18
the hosts of heavens that were placed in the temple of God.
29:22
He's going to remove. These articles of false worship
29:25
from the House of God. Beyond that, he deposed the
29:28
priests who previous kings have ordained to orchestrate
29:34
sacrifices at high places. Beyond that, he will break down
29:38
the high places and the houses of mill cult prostitutes.
29:43
It doesn't even end there. He will defile these stations
29:47
that were set apart to sacrifice children to false gods.
29:51
Moreover, he will destroy horses and Chariots that were dedicated
29:58
to the worship of the Sun if you're not.
30:02
Overwhelmed yet? He will dismantle and burn
30:05
various altars, including the original ones that Jeroboam
30:08
built in Bethel. That's not even everything, and
30:15
the fact that these are just just laid out for us in rapid
30:19
succession is meant to cause you to feel shock.
30:25
This is just how corrupt the nation.
30:28
Has become We're not talking about Israel, by the way.
30:30
We're talking about the King of the Judah.
30:33
The one that was led by the dynasty of David.
30:36
This is how low they have reached.
30:38
This is how dark it became. Now I step back and I thought to
30:43
myself, two things. One, this just makes Josiah's
30:48
devotion to God all the more amazing, because with all the
30:51
wickedness that surrounded him and tented him as though there
30:56
was. Nothing around him.
30:59
He obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly.
31:03
But it got me thinking, Is this what we're about to read?
31:08
Josiah's initial reform? Is it his initial attempt to
31:14
cleanse the land of idolatry? Let me ask you this way, what
31:18
year are? We in in Josiah's reign.
31:23
Anybody know? Let me give you a hint.
31:26
It didn't change from last week. Good.
31:29
We're in the 18th year of his reign.
31:32
What year did he? Begin to purge the land of
31:35
idolatry. The 12th year, yes.
31:40
So here's what I'm thinking as I was reading the rest of this
31:45
chapter in chapter 23 and all the things that Josiah still
31:49
helped had to confront and cleanse what was really
31:54
accomplished in the past six years of reform.
31:59
Is that a legitimate inquiry? Not to say he didn't do
32:03
anything. Now one can answer, well, that's
32:06
just the the depth of iniquity that the people were swimming
32:10
in. Sure, you can say that.
32:11
But I think there's a more powerful statement being made
32:15
here. It is that whatever Josiah was
32:18
trying to do in the past six years, he was able to do in one
32:22
year because of one key component.
32:24
He had the Bible this time. He had the Bible this time.
32:31
True reformation, true restoration, true renewal, true
32:35
healing, true salvation can never be realized apart from
32:39
God's Word. It can't.
32:44
All these silly attempts and ideas and outreaches and
32:49
movements and events that try to usher in revival with little to
32:55
no attention to the Word of God. It's just silly.
33:01
It's really futile. One year with the Bible
33:08
outshined what Josiah was trying to do in six years without it.
33:16
Now let's bring it into our own lives.
33:18
Let's bring it into something that we deal with on a
33:19
day-to-day. How many marriages are trying to
33:21
be healed without the Bible? How many hearts are trying to be
33:26
fixed without God's Word? How many peeler people are
33:31
trying to manage their financial situation, their friendships,
33:35
whatever it may be, apart from the scriptures?
33:39
You are wasting time and energy unless you invested and based
33:43
your efforts in this. Truth, the wisdom of God, The
33:47
power of God, the breath of God. Awaits to breathe on whatever it
33:53
is you need to see restored. That's what I see here.
34:00
It just reinforces my trust in the scriptures.
34:03
Just give. People the Word of God and let
34:06
the Word do the work. But let's look at these things
34:10
now in greater detail. I want us to look at the extent
34:14
of Josiah's obedience. It's one thing to say I want to
34:19
live for the Lord Jesus. I want to obey him.
34:21
I do obey him with all my heart and all my soul and all my
34:24
might. But when you really.
34:25
Break it down. It's helpful to see if that is
34:29
the case. The first thing I want us to
34:31
look at, and there are three PS by the way, the first thing I
34:34
want us to consider is the permanency of His obedience.
34:37
The permanency of His obedience. Let's read verse 4 down to verse
34:40
6. And the king commanded Hilkiah,
34:43
the high priest and the priest of the 2nd order.
34:45
And the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of
34:48
the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for
34:52
all the hosts of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem
34:55
in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.
34:59
And he'd opposed the priest whom the kings of Judah had ordained
35:02
to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah
35:05
and around Jerusalem. Those also who burned incense
35:08
to. Baal to the sun, and to the
35:10
moon, and to the constellations, and all the hosts of the
35:13
heavens. And he brought out the ashra
35:16
from the House of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the Book
35:19
Brook Kindred, and burned it at the Brook Kidron and beat it to.
35:23
Dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common
35:28
people. Is there anything that stands
35:31
out to you From the verses that we just read?
35:37
We've seen idols being burned before, correct?
35:41
We've seen idols being crushed before, have we not?
35:44
But there is something that does stand out.
35:47
What is it? Look at the last part.
35:53
And cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people.
35:59
Why are you doing that, Josiah? Why are you taking the dust of
36:03
the altars and the different items of false worship and
36:07
sprinkling them on the graves of the common people?
36:11
It gets even more strange as you continue.
36:13
I want to read to you three other passages in this text.
36:16
Scroll down here to verse 14. And he broke in pieces the
36:19
pillars, and cut down the ashram, and filled their places
36:24
with the bones of men. Huh.
36:29
Verse 16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the
36:34
mount, and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and
36:39
burned them on the altar and defiled.
36:41
It according to the word of the Lord that the man of God
36:44
proclaimed who had predicted these things.
36:48
If we didn't get it, there's one more verse.
36:51
Verse 20 And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places
36:55
who were there on the altars and burned human bones on them.
37:00
Then he returned to Jerusalem. So with almost every site of
37:06
destruction, Josiah chooses to take bones of humans and to
37:13
sprinkle their bones on these altars or these.
37:18
Different artifacts and in the original case he took the
37:20
artifacts and he sprinkled them on the graves of the common
37:23
people. Any idea why he is doing this?
37:27
Is it just to be? Cruel.
37:28
Let me give you a hint. This is ring any bell to a law
37:38
in the Old Testament relating to the people of Israel and what
37:43
was to happen if they engage with anything that is dead.
37:50
Here's a scripture reference that you want to put in your
37:52
margin, Numbers 19, verse 16. Here's the reason why Josiah is
37:58
doing this, and it's brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant, and
38:02
there is a deep spiritual truth attached to it.
38:05
Notice what the law says in Numbers 1916.
38:09
Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed
38:12
with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human
38:16
bone or a grave shall be unclean. 7 days.
38:22
You see what Josiah is doing now?
38:25
After destroying these false things, he ensures that they are
38:30
defiled by linking them with that which was dead.
38:36
For what reason? To make it that much more
38:38
difficult for those who would be tempted to return to false
38:42
worship, because in coming in contact with those things, they
38:46
would come into contact with human bones and they would
38:48
become ceremonially unclean. What is Josiah doing?
38:55
He is putting up obstacles and hurdles for the people to not go
39:01
back to false worship. He really wants us to be a final
39:08
commitment to the Lord. In other words, Josiah is doing
39:14
this to make a statement. We're not going back.
39:17
We're not. Those things are buried.
39:20
Those things are now defiled. And if you really want to go
39:22
back to it, you're going to have to go through a lot to resurrect
39:26
false worship, because now they're associated and linked
39:30
with human bones, with the graves of common people.
39:35
In your pursuit of obedience and mind, can I ask you a very, very
39:39
important question? What do we do?
39:44
What are we doing to make it more difficult for us to return
39:48
to the things that we once worshipped?
39:53
What do we really do to cut off old ways to separate ourselves
39:59
from patterns that dishonored God?
40:05
Or have you found yourself making it very easy to return to
40:11
things that you once denounced? Is it easy for you to return to
40:19
ways of thinking and behaviors and places and people that you
40:24
vowed that you would never return to?
40:27
I'll never forget a meeting long before I was ever in ministry
40:32
where someone who I knew was entrenched in drugs and the
40:39
party lifestyle and he was sick of it.
40:41
So he came to a meeting. He couldn't even make it to the
40:43
meeting. He was just weeping through it
40:44
all. And finally he just said, I'm
40:47
done. I'm sick of it.
40:48
I want to repent. I want to, I need a change here.
40:52
And as he was trying to even catch his breath, because he was
40:56
heaving, and we discussed the gospel with this individual.
41:02
We eventually called them to make a decision.
41:05
Listen, you got to cut off your past.
41:07
You got to cut off your past. And it's as though the Holy
41:12
Spirit on that moment just LED that conversation for a few
41:14
friends, People who love this young man, pick up your phone,
41:20
go through your contacts and delete all the numbers of your
41:22
drug dealers. You know, it was amazing to
41:25
witness. How difficult it was for this
41:27
person to do that. Cut it off, sprinkle death on
41:35
it, make it that much more difficult for you to return to
41:39
your sin. And so you see, the extent of
41:44
Josiah's obedience here is that he determined for it to be a
41:47
permanent choice, and he determined to make it that much
41:51
more difficult for him and others to go back to their way
41:54
of life. So when we repent, we're really
41:58
saying I, I crucify those things.
42:01
And I myself am crucified to the world.
42:04
That's what we see here. It's brilliant, but it's not the
42:08
only thing. It's not just the permanency of
42:09
His obedience. We also see the priority of it,
42:12
the priority of His obedience. Let's look at verse 7 and we'll
42:15
read down to verse 13. And he broke down the houses of
42:21
the male called prostitutes who were in the House of the Lord.
42:24
Just pause for a second. Can you believe it?
42:29
So God is about to use Babylon to remove this people from the
42:31
promised land. And here you have people
42:33
thinking, don't you think that's just a little bit too harsh?
42:35
Don't you think it's a little bit too extreme?
42:37
OK, think about this. In the temple of God you had
42:39
male cult prostitutes in the place that was to be
42:46
consecrated, in the place that was hosting the very glory of
42:48
God. You had prostitutes not down the
42:51
street in the place. And people dare to sit on the
42:55
judgement seat and criticize God.
43:00
And he broke down the House of the male called prostitutes who
43:02
were in the House of the Lord, where the woman wove hangings
43:05
for the ashra. It is believed that these women
43:09
put together curtains so that people can perform sexual acts
43:14
behind those veils in the House of God.
43:19
Verse 8 And he brought all the priests out of the cities of
43:23
Judah and defiled the high places where the priest had made
43:27
offerings from Giba to Beersheba.
43:30
And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at
43:33
the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the
43:35
city, which were on one's left at the gate of the city.
43:38
So another thing that he does, hey, all the priests come here,
43:42
all of you that worship at these high places and help the people
43:46
worship at these places that were not designated to the true
43:49
God and not even designated places to worship the true God.
43:52
You're fired. You're all fired, the priority,
43:59
and we're going to continue. Josiah didn't allow people and
44:04
even people in certain positions to determine from obeying God.
44:09
It's one thing to remove sinful entertainment, sinful items,
44:13
sinful decisions. It's another thing to remove
44:16
sinful people. Sin doesn't just appear out of
44:20
the air. Sin is encouraged, sin is
44:23
nurtured. Sin is invented by people.
44:27
And Josiah understood this. And so you priest that encourage
44:32
people in this direction, you're gone, you're out of here.
44:36
But notice what he does Something, something moving.
44:38
In verse nine. However, the priests of the high
44:40
places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem,
44:44
but they ate unleavened bread from among their brothers.
44:51
Here's what's happening that as zealous as Josiah was, he did
44:54
not become merciless, and I believe Josiah is operating in
45:01
the spirit of the law. From the Old Covenant we find
45:05
that there were instructions for the priests, even priests who
45:08
disqualified themselves from serving in the Temple primarily
45:12
because of bodily defects. One of the ways in which the
45:16
Lord assured their livelihood is that even though they were
45:19
disqualified from serving in the House of God, they were still
45:23
allowed to eat from the bread of the House of God.
45:27
You find that in Leviticus 21. You don't have to turn there.
45:30
So it could be that Josiah is operating with this in mind,
45:34
that he's borrowing from the spirit of that law.
45:37
And because the priests were solely depended upon the
45:41
provisions and the donations in the House of God for their own
45:44
survival, he didn't cut that off from them completely.
45:47
He didn't allow them to starve to death.
45:51
And so even in his pursuit, his very passionate pursuit for
45:54
purity, this man didn't become void of compassion.
46:00
And grace. And I think that's a temptation
46:01
for people who really want to obey God.
46:05
In their great angst, and even maybe in their righteous
46:08
indignation, if you're not careful, you can go beyond what
46:11
God says and you can begin to unnecessarily punish and condemn
46:19
and push people away. That's not what he's doing here,
46:23
is it? This is a real reformation.
46:27
And yet he is mindful. He is mindful of God's heart for
46:31
people. This is just an incredible
46:34
display of wisdom here and grace.
46:36
It's just it moved my soul this week.
46:39
We're talking about the priority of his obedience.
46:42
Let's read on in verse 10 and he defiled Topheth, which is in the
46:46
valley of the son of Henom, that no one might burn his son or his
46:50
daughter as an offering to Molech.
46:52
And he removed the horses at the kings of Judah had dedicated to
46:55
the son at the entrance of the House of the Lord by the Chamber
46:59
of Nathan Melek the Chamberlain, which was in the precincts, And
47:03
he burned the Chariots of the sun with fire.
47:06
Let me pause here. They got so creative with their
47:10
idolatry that they even dedicated.
47:13
It's one thing for kings, remember to have many horses.
47:17
Now you had horses with Chariots that were dedicated to what?
47:20
The Sun verse 12 And the altars on the roof of the upper Chamber
47:28
of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars
47:31
that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the House of the
47:34
Lord. He pulled down and broke in
47:36
pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook.
47:39
Kidron. And the king defiled the high
47:43
places that were east of Jerusalem, to the South of the
47:47
Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel, had
47:50
built for Ashraf, the abomination of the Sidonians,
47:54
and for Kimosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milkham the
47:58
abomination of the Ammonites. And he broke in pieces the
48:01
pillars and cut down the ashram and filled their places with the
48:04
bones of men. The one thing I want to
48:09
highlight, as we're considering now the priority of his
48:11
obedience, is how he went to this mount called the Mount of
48:15
Corruption. And we discussed this when we
48:18
looked at the life of Solomon. Because we read there in First
48:22
Kings 11/7. That he erected these false
48:25
altars, these false places of worship on a mountain east of
48:29
Jerusalem. And most believe it was the
48:31
Mount of Olives, at least a part of the Mount of Olives.
48:36
And over time it developed this reputation among the righteous.
48:39
It was called the Mount of Corruption.
48:43
And what moves me here about Josiah is that though this
48:47
mountain and though these things that were built were associated
48:50
and linked to Solomon, he could care less.
48:55
He could care less. God's word says this doesn't
48:58
matter what Solomon did for good didn't matter what his story
49:02
ended up being like this is evil, this is sin.
49:05
I'm, I'm getting rid of it. And I bring that up because you
49:08
have some people who are not really fully, truly,
49:12
wholeheartedly obeying God because of things like their
49:16
heritage. I met people like this, the
49:20
history of their ethnicity, right?
49:27
The traditions that they've always known, that their
49:31
families have passed down, that they were accustomed to it in
49:35
different expressions within Christendom, the testimonies
49:42
associated with those who developed these traditions and
49:44
these ideas and these teachings, even though they are anti
49:48
biblical. And so you have many who
49:51
prioritize. Things like history and heritage
49:56
and ethnicity and nationality and tradition over God's Word.
50:04
This man could care less if it's not in God's Word.
50:09
More importantly, if it contradicts God's Word, I'm
50:12
removing it from my life. Do you see the?
50:15
Extent of Josiah's obedience. There's one final thing, the
50:22
priority of His obedience we just read, but there's also the
50:25
progression of it, the progression of His obedience.
50:29
Let's read down here verse 15 to the last verse of our section of
50:35
our study. Moreover, the altar at Bethel,
50:38
the high places erected by Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, who
50:41
made Israel to sin. That altar with the high place
50:45
he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust.
50:48
He also burned the ashrae, and as Josiah turned, he saw the
50:52
tombs there on the mount, and he sent and took the bones out of
50:55
the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it according
50:58
to the word the Lord that the man of God proclaimed who had
51:00
predicted these things. You remember this right back in
51:03
First Kings 13, there was a man who prophesied Josiah by name
51:08
300 to 350 years before he came into existence.
51:12
And now that prophetic word is coming to pass, verse 17.
51:16
Then he said, what is that? Monument that I see.
51:19
And the men out, the men of the city told them it is the tomb of
51:22
the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things
51:25
that you've done against the altar at Bethel.
51:27
And he said let him be. Let no man move his bones, so
51:31
they let his bones alone with the bones of the prophet who
51:33
came out of Samaria. And Josiah removed all the
51:37
shrines, also the high places that were in the cities of
51:40
Samaria. Which kings of Israel had made,
51:43
provoking the Lord to anger. He did it to them according to
51:46
all that he had done at Bethel, And he sacrificed all the
51:50
priests of the high places who were there on the altars and
51:53
burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
51:59
What's different about Josiah's actions here?
52:03
Any idea? The hint is the geography.
52:09
Where did Josiah begin? The temple.
52:13
Then he moved outside of Jerusalem and what's the first
52:16
thing that we read after he had dealt with the amount of
52:19
corruption? Where was he?
52:22
Somebody said at verse 15, the altar at Bethel.
52:24
He went to Bethel, and after Bethel, what happened?
52:28
Look down at verse 19. He went to the cities of
52:31
Samaria. Why is that important to
52:34
realize? Is Josiah the king of Israel?
52:41
No, he's the king of what, Judah?
52:45
These cities are located in the northern tribes where the
52:49
northern Kingdom of Israel was. Now, are the people of Israel in
52:55
Samaria and at Bethel? No, they were exiled by the
52:57
Assyrians and there was just a small population that remained.
53:01
But for whatever reason, Josiah felt the need to go beyond his
53:05
area of influence and leadership and to cleanse as much of God's
53:09
land as possible. So this speaks of the
53:15
progression of his obedience, that there was not one area that
53:19
he left untouched, that as much as it was possible, he would
53:25
want every piece of real estate to become holy on to God.
53:31
You and I are not dealing with properties in our spirituality,
53:34
are we? We're dealing with these bodies,
53:37
these souls, and yet there's still instruction here for us
53:44
that we should grow in our obedience, that we should long
53:46
for every part of who we are to come under His influence and to
53:51
be permeated by His presence and His power and His truth.
53:56
So we see the extent of his obedience, right?
54:00
May we imitate this man if we long for us to carry the same
54:05
badge of honor. Let me end it with this.
54:09
The mount of corruption again, it's believed to be the Mount of
54:16
Olives. I see Jesus in this.
54:23
Isn't it significant that this place that hosted filth and vile
54:30
practices was, yes, cleansed by one of these kings, but clearly
54:35
didn't have a lasting impact? And yet one king would come, and
54:41
he would, with total intentionality, make his way to
54:45
the Mount of Olives, and he would pray, and he would sweat
54:52
drops of blood, and he would cry out for the Father's will to be
54:57
accomplished. And that very place that was
55:02
littered and polluted by false idols hosted the King of Kings
55:11
who would bring a permanent end to all kinds of corruption, who
55:18
would begin his victorious, vicarious death on that mountain
55:24
and would willingly surrender his life to these wicked, vile
55:29
men who thought that they had authority over him when he, with
55:34
his own authority, lay down his life.
55:38
And we'll make a statement from that mountain.
55:42
I'm going to bring an end to all corruption.
55:45
Even in this, as wonderful as Josiah is, he points to Jesus.
55:52
I leave you with that thought and I want to let you know that
55:57
the motive for true obedience and the possibility of your
56:01
obedience to be like this man is only available in Christ.
56:08
It's his power in you. It's.
56:10
The grace that he showers over your life that gives you the
56:13
motivation to say I want to live purely for him and I want to
56:19
prioritize him. I want my obedience to progress
56:24
and I want it to be permanent. You can't do it without Christ,
56:30
and He's here ready to help us. Can we ask Him to help us?
56:34
Let's do that. Father, we acknowledge that this
56:53
book is your book. This book is alive.
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This book is your voice. This book has been granted to
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mankind to provide the wisdom of God unto salvation and
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transformation into Your image. Lord, we thank you for King
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Josiah's example. We thank You that You've shown
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us how it is possible to have every part of who we are given
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over to who You are. Give us the true motive for
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obedience and give us the ability to know the extent of
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this caliber and quality of obedience may be permanent, may
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it progress, and may be our utmost priority no matter what
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it costs us. Lord, tonight we afresh give
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ourselves to You joyfully because You are a worthy King.
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Thank You that you climbed that mountain and you prayed for us
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and You fulfilled the Father's will so that you would deliver
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us from every sin imaginable, from every bondage, every chain,
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anything that has kept us, any addiction, any mindset, any
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brokenness. Lord, You are able to deliver us
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from it. And if there's even one person
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in here who has not truly been saved, we pray that today would
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be the day where they can know the power of your obedience on
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our behalf. Maybe so in Jesus name, Amen.
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Why don't we stand and worship the Lord together?
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So as we conclude this study, let me leave you one final
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thought. Because sometimes when a message
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that's, you know, strictly or exclusively on obedience,
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obedience, it can kind of overwhelm people, maybe even
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discourage them. But there is a point in that
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study that we didn't really expound on.
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When Josiah was coming to Bethel and he was ready to, you know,
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approach Samaria, he had encountered the monuments, the
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grave sites of the prophet who had predicted his arrival and
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his mission. And when he learned of the man
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of God, he had said, nobody touches bones.
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Now, what you see in that, I believe from God's perspective,
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is that he supervises. And he assured that the bones of
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his servant back in First Kings 13 would not be defiled like he
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honored the gravesite of that man of God who spoke about
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Josiah. And here's what moves me about
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that. We remember the.
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Prediction that that man made the man of God.
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He was unnamed. Was his obedience perfect
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answer? No.
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He he went to Jeroboam. He pointed his Bony.
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Finger in his face, he told them what was going to happen to this
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altar, to his dynasty, and God told them, don't go back the
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same way you came, and don't stop for any food, any drink.
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Head back home in a different direction.
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Did he fulfill that request? No, he failed.
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He failed to the degree that a lion killed him on his way home.
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It's not very inspirational in terms of obedience, right?
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But he was still a man of God, and he still lived for God, and
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God still honored him even in his death.
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The faithfulness and the kindness of God, even in our
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failures, even in our attempt to serve and obey Him, and we fall
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short, God still finds a way to honor us.
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It's remarkable to think about his grace.
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So I want you to leave here encouraged, not beat up, not
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more exhausted when you came in, but invigorated, knowing that
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God's grace is not ready to supply you the energy to move
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forward, but to even pick you up if you ever fall.
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Help us remember that Lord, we pray, O God, that we would find
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it a joyful thing to live for you as we sang earlier.
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Purify our hearts, make us like gold.
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Lord, do a work in us to a degree.
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Where you see as you see are your own reflection.
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And then when people see as they see your reflection, we trust
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you're able to help us and we thank you in advance for it.
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In Jesus name we pray Amen and Amen.
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Greet someone, bless someone. Lord willing, we'll be reunited
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here Sunday as we continue in Revelation.
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Listen, in Revelation we are looking at the seven seals that
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Jesus will break and each of them deal with an event that is
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to arrive on the earth preceding the soon return of the Lord.
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And we're also breaking bread together.
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So come with anticipation as we worship together.
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God bless you. We'll see you soon.