Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / 2 Kings 22 (Part 2) Bible Study (Josiah Repairs the Temple) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Transcript

2 Kings 22 (Part 2) Bible Study (Josiah Repairs the Temple) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

0:00
Mimi in Second Kings Chapter 22, and let's give our attention to
0:05
this wonderful chapter. I've been looking forward to
0:09
coming to this text again and continuing in the study,
0:12
especially because the last time we were together, we just begun
0:17
exploring the inspirational biography of this wonderful man,
0:21
one of the greatest kings in Judah's history, King Josiah.
0:27
And if you recall, we did not advance beyond verse 2 of this
0:31
chapter. And the reason is we included
0:36
details from Second Chronicles chapter 34 to help us get a full
0:42
picture of what this young man was able to accomplish
0:45
spiritually in the early stages of his career.
0:51
And now tonight we arrive at a new timestamp in his reign, and
0:56
it's found there, verse 3. And we get the impression that
1:02
this particular year of Josiah's reign is of great importance.
1:06
Why? Because the rest of this chapter
1:09
will detail what took place in that one year.
1:15
So naturally we should ask what was it that took place at that
1:20
point that merits such attention?
1:24
And the answer initially is the repairing of the temple, the
1:29
restoration of the central place of worship.
1:34
Now let me begin by asking a question, and if you know the
1:36
answer, you can actually give your answer.
1:39
Does anybody recall at what point in Josiah's reign that he
1:44
began to purge the land of idolatry?
1:49
Who remembers? It was 2 weeks ago, but
1:52
hopefully we still what year of his reign?
1:56
Not his age? Well, the answer is according to
2:00
Second Chronicles 34, verse 3, in the 12th year of his reign.
2:04
In the 12th year of his reign, he began to bring reformation
2:08
not just to the Kingdom of Judah, but to the entire land of
2:11
Israel. And now we come to the 18th year
2:16
of his reign, which tells me at least one thing, just how deeply
2:22
entrenched the people of God were in falsehood.
2:26
I mean, it took that long for Josiah and his leaders to
2:30
cleanse the country before he could shift his energy and his
2:36
efforts to the House of God and restore it.
2:40
That's remarkable to me, and as significant as the cleansing of
2:46
the temple may be, that's actually not the focus of this
2:50
passage. There's going to be a discovery
2:53
that is made in that process within the temple.
2:58
That will be the central theme of this text because the
3:02
discovery of this item is so astounding that it will actually
3:09
serve as a catalyst and launch a fresh reformation for the people
3:15
of God. I'm eager to get to that, but
3:19
I'll let you know from now. We're not going to go there just
3:21
yet. We have to pick up where we left
3:24
off in Second Kings 22, verse 3, and we will read down to verse
3:27
7. And that will be the focus of
3:30
our Bible study this evening. So let's read these verses in
3:35
one sitting and then we'll begin to explore them in detail.
3:38
Are you with me here? Second Kings 22 verse 3 In the
3:43
18th year of King Josiah, the king sent Chiffon the son of
3:46
Azalea, son of Meshulam the secretary, to the House of the
3:51
Lord, saying, Go up to Hill Kai the high priest, that he may
3:55
count the money that has been brought into the House of the
3:57
Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from
4:01
the people. And let it be given into the
4:03
hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the House of the
4:05
Lord. And let them give it to the
4:07
workmen who are at the House of the Lord, repairing the house,
4:11
that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the
4:15
Masons. And let them use it for buying
4:19
timber, and queried stone to repair the house.
4:23
But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is
4:27
delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.
4:32
Let's pray together, Lord, you promised for the man or the
4:38
woman who delights in your law and who meditates on a day and
4:41
night. They will be like a tree planted
4:44
by streams of water, and they will bear fruit in its season,
4:50
and their leaf will never, ever wither.
4:56
And all that he or she does, they will prosper.
5:01
We claim this promise as we choose tonight as your church,
5:06
to deepen our roots in the truth.
5:10
May the SAP of life that comes from your Word be felt and known
5:15
this evening, and may you receive glory as we sense our
5:19
souls being fed. We ask these things in the
5:23
precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
5:29
It's a sobering sight, isn't it? To see the very House of God
5:34
that was designed to host the glory and the presence and the
5:37
majesty of God, to be reduced to such destitution, to be so weak
5:45
and desolate and deteriorated by the people of God and their
5:50
neglect. And though the fragile condition
5:55
described here refers to the physical structure of the
5:58
temple, it is equally possible for God's spiritual house to be
6:04
impoverished. Paul makes this incredible
6:09
commentary about the church. He makes many of them.
6:13
But one of them that is dripping with Old Testament allusion and
6:16
parallel is in Ephesians 221 to 22 where he says that the church
6:21
is a temple in the Lord being built up to be a dwelling place
6:28
for God by the Spirit. That is shocking because up to
6:35
this point the only thing that could be said was hosting the
6:39
glory of God. The presence of God was the
6:41
Tabernacle and then the temple, and then now in the new
6:45
covenant, Paul says by the Spirit that it's not a physical
6:49
building that does such a thing. It's the gathering of the people
6:53
of God in community that has such a privilege.
6:57
God's address for His glory to be manifest is when blood bought
7:02
Christians come together and function as the church.
7:06
Amazing. And many of us in here are
7:11
honest enough and familiar enough with the church to humbly
7:15
confess that it's possible for the House of God today to be
7:23
lifeless and to actually be littered with idolatry in the
7:30
same way the temple was on so many occasions.
7:35
But I believe the verses that we just read, those 5 verses,
7:39
provide a recipe for wisdom and insight of how the House of God
7:45
can know vitality and rejuvenation.
7:51
Again. In other words, there is a set
7:57
of principles here that can instruct the church today, I
8:00
believe, of how they can be redirected to be the place of
8:05
worship the way God intended it to be, to host the glory of God,
8:12
to bring life to the people of God, to be that place of
8:16
strength and joy and exuberance. Once again, There's something
8:21
here, and for the sake of organizing our thoughts, I want
8:26
you to take note mentally or on paper or whatever screen you're
8:29
holding, of three things that we find in these verses that are
8:33
absolutely necessary, not limited to them, but absolutely
8:36
essential in order for any local assembly.
8:41
Again today being the House of God that hosts the glory of God,
8:46
to be redirected, re strengthened, realigned to be
8:53
the house that God intended it to be. 3 things.
8:56
What is required? The first thing that I want us
8:59
to see is found in verse 3. We need godly leaders.
9:04
Any ministry, any church, no matter the size, if it wants to
9:08
be the true temple of God in the new covenant requires the right
9:13
kind of leaders. Now who is the one who is
9:16
initiating this construction and cleansing project for the
9:20
temple? No, other than King Josiah, he
9:23
was the one who delegated and dispatched different officers
9:26
and even the high priest to gather the money that was
9:29
donated, to count it and to distribute it in order for this
9:33
project to ensue. And what's so wonderful about
9:39
Josiah here is that he's yet another reminder for us.
9:42
I hope you and I've studied carefully the books of Kings to
9:47
come to the conclusion of how important leaders are in
9:52
influencing and inspiring others towards godliness.
9:58
It's a thread throughout the Bible.
10:01
Even in the New Testament we read that God gifts the church
10:05
leaders for the sake of their furnishing and maturing.
10:09
No matter what you feel about leaders, and I know many
10:12
disappoint people, you also have to understand that God raises
10:16
them up, gifts them so that they can be extensions of His grace
10:19
to the people of God. And if you hold any position of
10:23
leadership within the body of Christ, no matter the number, no
10:28
matter what your ministry looks like, take note of Josiah's
10:31
helpful example. Before he can make any
10:35
significant impact in the House of God, he first developed a
10:40
rich and real personal relationship with the Lord.
10:45
Hopefully you remember what we studied 2 weeks ago.
10:48
Does anybody recall what we learned about Josiah in the
10:51
eighth year of his reign when he was 16 years old?
10:56
What are the chronicles say about the king at 16?
10:59
That at 16 he began to seek the God of his father's?
11:04
At 16, he owned his faith. At 16, he began to seek the face
11:09
of God. At 16, he began to experience
11:12
God for himself. And I'm persuaded that that
11:18
pattern is not accidental, that in the eighth year he developed
11:24
a relationship with God, and in the 18th year he was able to
11:28
bless the House of God. You and I can't even begin to
11:34
hope to make any kind of impact on the community of believers
11:40
unless we first cultivate a deep personal fellowship with the
11:46
Lord Jesus, and that's especially true for leaders.
11:50
There has to be this awareness that I must allow myself and my
11:55
convictions and my character to be shaped by His presence and by
11:59
His truth in private when no one's looking.
12:04
It has to be real for me before it's real for anybody else.
12:09
Lasting influence can only be the overflow of intimacy with
12:14
Christ. There is no shortcut.
12:18
Doesn't matter how many degrees you get, doesn't matter what
12:20
kind of books you stuff in your library.
12:22
Nothing will ever replace true intimate relationship with
12:27
Christ that's based on His Word. That's shaped by the truth here
12:33
and that's sought after with intentionality and even
12:36
intensity. Josiah was such a man.
12:39
He was a man who knew how in secret to know God, received
12:43
from God. And then the overflow again of
12:46
that was now the House of God being blessed, being blessed.
12:52
You know, these old preachers that a lot of them who are dead,
12:55
they had marvelous insight into not just the Scriptures, but
12:58
personal piety and true ministry.
13:01
And there was one who had said that the greatest contribution
13:03
that a leader can make to his church is personal holiness.
13:10
His life. Being consecrated will be the
13:14
greatest thing that he can offer to the people that have been
13:17
entrusted to him. Now listen.
13:20
The importance of not just leadership, but quality
13:23
leadership is emphasized From Genesis to Revelation.
13:27
It's found throughout. And when I was meditating on
13:29
Josiah, my mind went to a set of verses that the apostle Paul
13:34
gave to a young pastor by the name of Timothy.
13:38
And there's something that he said in these rapid fire
13:42
exhortations that will help any leader that would give the
13:47
secret ingredient to being of great impact to others.
13:53
And listen, lest you clock out and think, though this is not
13:57
applicable to me because I don't hold any authoritative role.
14:00
All Scripture is breathed out by God and it's beneficial to every
14:03
single one of us to mature as men and women of God.
14:06
So I want just I want us to see these verses in First Timothy
14:08
chapter 4. Look at them.
14:09
They're precious, they're powerful.
14:12
He tells Pastor Timothy and First Timothy 4 beginning in
14:16
verse 14, what are we studying here?
14:22
What is necessary for the House of God to operate as it should
14:26
with the glory of God and the life of God?
14:30
We need godly leaders. And listen, even if you're not a
14:34
leader in God's house, you have the choice of submitting your
14:38
life to leaders. That's your responsibility.
14:41
What kind of leaders are you going to give yourself over to
14:44
husbands, fathers? What kind of leaders are you
14:46
going to allow your wives and your children be instructed by?
14:51
So this is, this is not a one-dimensional point here.
14:54
It's multifaceted. Here's what Paul told Timothy in
14:59
First Timothy 414. Do not neglect the gift you
15:02
have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of
15:05
elders laid their hands on you in that interesting verse, verse
15:10
15. Practice these things, immerse
15:14
yourself in them so that all may see your progress.
15:17
Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.
15:20
Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and
15:25
your hearers. Now can I give you a side point
15:27
that blessed me? I'm encouraged by this because
15:30
it shows that even leaders have room for growth.
15:35
Did you see that? Look at the end there of verse
15:38
15 so that all may see your progress.
15:41
Implying what? Nobody begins in ministry with
15:45
Immaculate abilities. Nobody begins in ministry with a
15:50
perfect attitude. Don't you wish?
15:55
If you are a leader in this place or you're aspiring to be a
15:57
leader, can Ioffer you some counsel?
16:01
Be patient with yourself and be patient with God's work in your
16:05
life. And let me say this to those who
16:08
have leaders over their lives. Be patient with your leaders and
16:12
understand that they're human. They're not cherubim, they're
16:16
not seraphim, they're human, and they need the same truth and the
16:22
same power of the Holy Spirit to conform them as you do.
16:27
But that's not the main take away.
16:28
The main take away from these verses is this, that Timothy's
16:31
public growth and influence among the broader body of
16:34
believers would only be possible if he first chose to be fully,
16:39
fully, fully absorbed in his calling and his personal
16:46
devotion. Can I say that again, any
16:52
observable growth or impact would only be possible if this
16:57
man first chose to be completely consumed in his calling and his
17:03
personal devotion? Or else what else does Paul mean
17:06
when he says immerse yourself in them?
17:11
Do you see that in the middle of verse 15?
17:12
Practice these things, Timothy, Immerse yourself in them.
17:16
In what? What's the context suggesting
17:19
your gifts, your duties, your personal consecration?
17:25
Look at verse 16. Keep a close watch on yourself
17:30
and your overall calling as a leader in God's house.
17:34
Don't have divided devotion, Timothy.
17:37
Don't treat your position or your ministry as a job.
17:40
Be absolutely immersed in these things.
17:47
Any leader who wants to be of great impact needs to regularly
17:52
do some inventory and ask, am I immersed in what God's called me
17:57
to do? Am I immersed?
18:01
A lot of things go wrong for leaders when they get distracted
18:05
by the things of this life or they're pulled in different
18:08
directions. No, no, you have to be
18:12
completely immersed because as the leader grows, so will the
18:18
church to a certain degree, but if he's lazy or again, if he's
18:26
distracted, the church entrusted them will inevitably suffer.
18:33
So what we find with King Josiah, I believe, based on what
18:36
we've been given about him, is that as a man of God, he was
18:40
consumed by God. And the result of that is he can
18:43
contribute greatly to the House of God.
18:47
Godly leaders, I've said this before.
18:50
Would you permit me to say it again then when people tend to
18:53
come up and ask questions like what should I look for in a
18:55
church? How do I know if something or
18:57
some place is the right assembly or ministry that I should yoke
19:01
myself to? My go to answer is always the
19:03
same. Look to the leadership.
19:06
Look no further. How do they handle the word of
19:12
God? How do they apply the Word of
19:16
God? How do they share the Word of
19:18
God? Because whether you like it or
19:23
not, the pulpit and who stands behind it is sitting in the
19:28
driver's seat of that church. And the Scripture tells us that
19:33
over and over again. Josiah knew God for himself.
19:38
And the overflow of that is that he wanted others to worship the
19:41
God that he worshipped, and he did so with great zeal and
19:44
passion. But that's not the only thing.
19:45
Can we come back to our main text?
19:47
That's just the first thing. The second ingredient that is
19:51
required for the House of God to host the glory of God and to
19:54
function the way that God designed it to be with the life
19:57
of God and the impact that it was designed to give to people
20:01
and to worshippers. You also need what we find here
20:07
in verse 4. Go up to Helkai the high priest,
20:11
that he may count the money that has been brought into the House
20:13
of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected
20:15
from the people. And let it be given it to the
20:17
hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the House of the
20:19
Lord. And let them give it to the
20:21
workmen who are at the House of the Lord, repairing the house,
20:24
that is, to the carpenters and to the builders and to the
20:27
Masons. And let them use it for buying
20:29
timber and courage stone to repair the house #2 you have to
20:34
have, yes, godly leaders, but you also need sacrificial
20:38
people. Sacrificial people.
20:41
Notice how many kinds of people are involved in this work.
20:44
You had those who gave money, you had those who had oversight
20:48
over the House of the Lord, managers, if you will, leaders,
20:54
and finally you have workmen who are repairing the house.
20:56
You had carpenters and builders and Masons.
20:59
And throughout every stage of redemptive history you find this
21:04
truth. All of God's people are invited
21:08
to actively participate in His work, especially in His house.
21:15
And that is true even in the Old Testament, where it seems to be
21:19
more restricted to priests who operate and function and are
21:23
active in the House of God. So I have a question for you
21:26
tonight, a Bible study, and you are free to answer if you are
21:29
confident to answer. Besides sacrifices and
21:35
offerings, in what way? At least one way where the
21:41
people of Israel called to contribute to the House of God.
21:47
Any idea besides offerings, besides bringing and honoring
21:52
the feast? And what other ways?
21:56
Anything come to mind? This is where if you were with
22:00
us in the book of Exodus, you would have answers.
22:06
I'll wait a few minutes, maybe not minutes.
22:10
Any idea? OK, music and praises.
22:18
Yes, we find that more in the temple.
22:21
Let's go back. Let's go back.
22:22
Let's talk about the Tabernacle. When things first started.
22:25
Any instructions that God gave to the people?
22:30
Not really the priest. Let me give you what came to
22:34
mind for me. Exodus 27.
22:36
Let's turn there. It's worth it.
22:39
And look at verse 20 of Exodus 27.
22:45
What are we doing here? We're looking at sacrificial
22:49
people who are called to support the House of God for it to be
22:56
the house that God called it to be.
22:58
Exodus 27, verse 20. What the Lord says to the
23:02
nation, you shall command the people of Israel that they bring
23:08
to you. Pause.
23:09
Who are we talking about here? The priest?
23:11
No, no, the people of Israel. What are they to bring?
23:14
Pure beaten olive oil for the light that a lamp may regularly
23:22
be set up to burn in the tent of meeting outside the veil that is
23:26
before the testimony. Aaron and his sons shall tend it
23:29
from evening to morning before the Lord.
23:32
It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their
23:35
generations by the people of Israel.
23:38
Have you ever thought about this?
23:39
Has anybody remember this, that one of the things that the
23:43
people were to regularly bring to the House of God was not a
23:47
lamb, not a bull, not a goat, not just those things, but
23:49
actually olive oil. Well, there it is, olive oil,
23:55
because we know that there are particular furnishings in the
23:58
household of God, and one of them was a lamp.
24:02
Why was this important? Two reasons.
24:06
Number one, that lamp was symbolic.
24:08
It was symbolic of God's continuous presence and guidance
24:12
and awareness in the midst of God's people.
24:16
And it was to continually burn. Do you know why?
24:18
To represent how God never slumbers or sleeps.
24:21
He's always awake. The lights are always on.
24:26
So that message had to be protected as it reflected God's
24:29
character. The people would bring the oil,
24:33
the priest would tend it and watch over it to ensure that at
24:36
no point, even at night, would it be extinguished.
24:39
It must continually burn. But there's a practical purpose.
24:44
Question again. Not the temple.
24:47
The Tabernacle didn't have any windows.
24:51
OK, so there is no light. So the only source of
24:54
illumination was this lamp. Can you imagine the priest
25:01
operating as mediators without light?
25:06
The stumbling and the tripping and the falling?
25:07
It would be problematic. So this would offer light to the
25:11
priest so that the priest can function as they were called.
25:15
Now what's beautiful about that point is, in God's wisdom, both
25:19
the message and the function of the lamp depended on the
25:22
participation of God's people. It was the people who are
25:27
responsible of bringing the fuel for that lamp.
25:31
And what's so beautiful about this, you can easily miss this,
25:34
is that that kind of contribution would actually be a
25:37
blessing to the people. Why?
25:41
Because these priests stood in the gap.
25:43
They represented the people as well as representing God.
25:46
They were mediators. So without the light, they would
25:49
not be serving the way they were called, and the people would not
25:52
benefit from that kind of poor service.
25:57
So it was a return of investment.
25:59
They would come with the oil, it would help the priest, it would
26:02
give the right message, and the people would be blessed as they
26:06
walk away from that place. Is it any different for the
26:11
church today? What do I mean by that?
26:16
Will the testimony of God shine as brightly?
26:20
And will leaders in God's house be able to serve with the
26:24
effectiveness that they are able to offer unless the people of
26:29
God show support and are ready to come with their hands full
26:37
and not just to receive? Here's another detail that we
26:43
might miss. What kind of oil were they
26:45
supposed to bring? Look at again verse 20.
26:49
Bring pure beaten olive oil. Don't just bring any kind of
26:56
oil. God says I want the cleanest and
27:01
the costliest oil that you can get.
27:06
And the way that you were able to retrieve this kind of oil is
27:09
by taking those olives and crushing them.
27:12
It's a tedious process, and you would extract the substance free
27:19
from contamination in a way that would preserve its purity and
27:23
its natural properties. What's the message behind that?
27:29
People of Israel, when you come and contribute this oil that
27:32
will help the church function as it is called to function, Bring
27:37
your best, bring the highest quality oil you can bring.
27:47
And the danger is people sometimes, often times may bring
27:55
something, but it's not the highest quality.
28:00
In fact, it's in danger of being contaminated or diluted.
28:05
It's not what God deserves. And this gives us a wonderful
28:10
lesson for believers today. He doesn't want us to just give
28:14
anything. You and I are to give our
28:17
highest dedication and wholehearted commitment to His
28:19
cause. Anything less than that will not
28:23
do. Fortunately, people are too
28:26
content and fail to recognize that God is after mindful
28:31
investment and genuine sacrifice.
28:33
I mean you got to understand that that took time.
28:35
They didn't have machinery like we do.
28:38
So to gather those olives. Remember, the average citizen
28:41
was supposed to do this. Gather a cluster of olives,
28:44
bring it back home, crush it, finally protect it from anything
28:48
else spoiling it and just doing that over and over to comes with
28:51
something worthy to bring to the House of God.
28:53
The next time you would go to it, the Lord says that's what
28:57
I'm after. So here's how this applies to
29:01
you and I Whatever you do in God's house, give the best
29:06
version of it. Do you do the graphics for your
29:10
church? Do those graphics make those
29:14
graphics copy, paste Photoshop with excellence in
29:18
intentionality? Do you gather lessons and put
29:25
together teachings for Sunday school?
29:28
Do it with your heart and don't think to yourself you know it's,
29:35
it's not really worth my energy and my effort.
29:37
They're just kids anyway. They won't really retain it.
29:39
No, no, that's not pure beaten olive oil.
29:44
Give your best musicians, hone your craft, develop your skill.
29:55
Don't just show up week after week just to go through another
29:58
service that's not pure beaten olive oil.
30:05
The lesson here in Exodus 27, whatever you do for God in this
30:10
place or whatever place you represent, give the best version
30:13
of it. Again, nothing else would do.
30:20
So let's, let's extend and let's brought in this application the
30:25
sacrifice and the sweat and the time and the energy that would
30:28
be required to crush that set of olives, that cluster of olives.
30:35
Only that would do for the light to shine in the Tabernacle.
30:40
In the same way, only sacrifice and only the willingness to
30:44
offer the best will make God's house shine.
30:53
Lesser quality will will dim the light.
30:58
It will impact the way leaders are called to govern and plan
31:03
and direct. So we see the marriage, I'm sure
31:06
here, right? Godly leaders, but sacrificial
31:09
people. It's found even in an obscure
31:11
passage like this where yes, the leaders are supposed to watch
31:14
over that lamp, but the people are responsible for the fuel.
31:18
They both need each other. The parallel account to 2nd
31:24
Kings 22 emphasizes on that point in Second Chronicles 34.
31:28
Let me read it to you from Second Chronicles 34 verse 11.
31:34
It sounds almost identical, but it's expounded.
31:39
It says in Second Chronicles 3411 they gave it to the
31:42
carpenters. That is the money.
31:44
They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried
31:46
stone and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the
31:50
kings of Judah had let go to ruin.
31:53
And the men did work faithfully. Highlight that they worked
32:01
faithfully, the men did. Over them were set Jihad and
32:06
Obadiah, the Levites of the sons of Murari and Zechariah and
32:09
Meshulam of the sons of the Koathites to have oversight.
32:13
The Levites, all who are skillful with instruments of
32:16
music. We're over the burden bearers
32:19
and directed. All who did work in every kind
32:22
of service highlight that. And some of the Levites were
32:26
scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
32:28
So do you see this? There was faithfulness and every
32:33
kind of service between the leaders and the workers.
32:39
And let me add something else. Do you get any hint in this
32:43
collection of people that there is rivalry, competitiveness,
32:50
dissatisfaction with what God has given to me in His
32:53
Providence? Any jealousy here?
32:57
Is there any indifference? Absolutely not.
33:01
Harmony. You have Josiah, you have these
33:04
officials, you have the high priest, you have Levites who
33:06
were sub leaders, overseers. You have the workers, you have
33:10
those who can't. It's just this beautiful sight
33:15
of godly leaders and sacrificial people who are making the House
33:21
of God what it was supposed to be.
33:23
I have one more point for us tonight.
33:30
As challenging as it might be to get people to do, to serve, to
33:36
offer, and as needful as that might be, none of what was just
33:44
said matters. And this may be a little
33:47
redundant, but it's it's noted here in Second Kings.
33:51
The third and last thing that is needed for the House of God to
33:54
be what it's called to be is integrity and holiness.
33:59
Let's look at the last verse of our study in Second Kings 22,
34:01
verse 7. It's this interesting note that
34:04
is made by the author, Josiah says, But no accounting shall be
34:11
asked from them for the money that is delivered into their
34:14
hand, for they deal. Honestly, whenever a verse seems
34:22
maybe out of place or supposedly random, take the time to ask the
34:28
question why? And that's what I spent my time
34:32
doing. Why?
34:33
Why do I need to know that the people who were in charge of the
34:38
finances and the donations did not have to give a detailed
34:43
report of what came in, what was going out, because they were
34:46
honest? Well, if we're sticking with the
34:50
theme of God's house being restored with life and vitality
34:55
and glory, then it makes total sense.
35:00
Because character matters. Can you imagine the blow that it
35:08
would have been to the people of God in terms of their morale or
35:13
the momentum to this entire campaign if it had been
35:15
discovered that those who were in charge of the money were
35:18
misusing the funds or dipping their hands in the donations for
35:24
personal gain? That would be devastating.
35:28
That would be absolutely tragic, but instead, the opposite is
35:32
true. And thankfully, it's true.
35:34
You have transparency, you have honesty, you have
35:37
trustworthiness. Marking the culture of this
35:41
group under Josiah's leadership. Can you imagine?
35:47
You don't need to record what came in and what's being
35:51
distributed. Because these men are honest, we
35:53
can trust them. We don't have to review
35:55
anything. That tells me something else, by
35:57
the way, some of the fruit of Josiah's reformation, right?
36:03
Because remember, we're here in the 18th year.
36:05
He began to reform in the 12th year.
36:06
So there's some change now. It wasn't as impactful and as
36:10
deep as it should have been because Jeremiah, we remember,
36:13
came in like a lot of you are hypocrites actually, But there
36:16
is some fruit, there's some kind of budding, which makes me
36:20
happy. There was a level of integrity
36:23
that was inspired. So listen, as vital as donations
36:28
are, as necessary as practical service was, none of it would
36:33
have mattered if godly character was not intact.
36:38
Is it any different for the Church of Jesus Christ today?
36:41
No, it's no different. In fact, when meditating on
36:46
this, my mind, as it usually does when I study the Old
36:49
Testament, went to another New Testament passage, again with
36:56
Paul, who is instructing not Pastor Timothy, but Pastor
37:01
Titus. And what he said in a set of
37:05
verses there, I believe, makes what we're learning here in
37:09
Second Kings 22 a wonderful illustration of a consistent
37:12
truth relating to the necessity of holiness and integrity in the
37:16
House of God if it's going to really shine with God's power
37:20
and his warmth. Here's our final passage in our
37:23
Bible study. Let's go to Titus chapter 2.
37:32
This is going to wrap up our study perfectly.
37:35
So listen, Titus is receiving in Titus chapter 2, at least the
37:39
first part, instruction after instruction of how he was to
37:43
exhort different demographics in his church, older men, older
37:47
woman, younger woman, younger men.
37:51
And he comes to the conclusion of those exhortations by dealing
37:56
with bond servants in the church.
38:00
Translation slaves. So there were people in Titus's
38:07
congregation and multiple congregations really, who were
38:11
Christians and were slaves. Now that's a whole different
38:15
discussion for a whole different Bible study.
38:19
But in many cases, these slaves, though treated differently,
38:22
could be also seen as employees. And notice what he says to them
38:27
in verse 9 of chapter 2. Bond servants are to be
38:31
submissive to their own masters in everything.
38:35
They are to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not
38:38
pilfering, but showing all good faith so that in everything they
38:43
may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
38:49
What's pilfering? Anybody have an idea?
38:52
Pilfering, stealing. But it's not the same as theft.
38:57
It's kind of like petty theft. It's taking small things that
39:02
may not seem of great value in a casual manner.
39:07
And the reason why Paul is saying this to servants is
39:10
because it was common at this time for servants bond servants
39:14
and slaves to steal from their masters.
39:16
In this way. It was like the norm.
39:21
In fact there was ongoing saying such as the more servants 1
39:24
inherits the more thieves he gets.
39:26
It was it was just a known thing of this time where bond servants
39:31
would just casually take things in their masters homes, put them
39:34
in their pockets, eat of it, save it, give it to others
39:39
family. And Paul approaches the
39:42
believers in this situation in life and says, don't be like the
39:46
rest of those bond servants. Don't be pilfering, don't take
39:51
advantage. Even if it's small, even if you
39:53
think in your mind it's not a big deal.
39:54
Your master is rich and wealthy. They're not going to notice.
39:56
No. And you can imagine how bond
40:01
servant and Paul's day might have viewed themselves as
40:04
insignificant and disadvantaged, right?
40:08
But he reminds these believers, listen, He reminds these
40:11
Christians who are in lowly positions that they have a
40:14
golden opportunity to do what? To make an impact.
40:20
For the glory of God, notice what he says.
40:22
You bond. Servants are able to adorn the
40:24
doctrine of God, our Savior. He's not speaking to elders.
40:28
He's not speaking to evangelists, He's not speaking
40:29
to prophets. He's Speaking of the lowest of
40:32
the low. And he says you, yes, you
40:34
servants with unbelieving bosses who mistreat you, who maybe even
40:39
abuse you. Do you understand that you in
40:42
the Kingdom of God have a purpose.
40:44
You're not nothing. You're not marginalized in God's
40:47
eyes. You have the ability to adorn
40:51
the doctrine of God. Do you know what the word adorn
40:57
is in the Greek? Tell me if it sounds familiar,
40:59
Cosmio. That's where we get the word
41:02
cosmetics. And we shouldn't believe here or
41:08
think for a second that Paul is implying that the gospel message
41:12
or any Christian truth needs improvement or a little bit of
41:17
makeup. That's not what he's implying.
41:21
What he is saying is you and I as truth bearers, as followers
41:24
of this Christ, can make the word of God more attractive.
41:31
In what way? Your eloquence, how you can
41:35
debate and argue with your illustrations, with philosophy?
41:41
No, what did you say? Don't be pilfering, be honest,
41:51
be men and women of integrity, and in doing so you will adorn
41:56
the doctrine of God our Savior. So in great part, Paul was
42:05
saying what we're seeing there in Second Kings 22, that these
42:09
men who are overseers contributed not just in their
42:13
management abilities, not just in the way they were able to
42:18
direct others because they were men of integrity, they won the
42:24
trust of others. They were men of good rapport.
42:28
They were men who had testimonies.
42:30
There were men who could be relied on.
42:33
And Paul wants the same for servants.
42:36
More important than a renovated building or a wide range of
42:40
church programs is the virtue of God's people.
42:45
Beyond these meetings is Paul instructing these bond servants
42:51
to be faithful and honest in the church?
42:54
No. When you go to work, when the
42:58
elders aren't there and the music isn't there and the people
43:00
aren't there and the Christianese isn't there, there
43:04
you have an opportunity to adorn the doctrine of God, and it's
43:08
going to be through your conduct.
43:09
Youth servants that will make the church more attractive.
43:14
There's no way around it. So these are the lessons that we
43:21
can take for ourselves. Pray for your leaders that they
43:25
would be true, that they would be immersed in their calling.
43:33
And if there's any leadership that you want to put yourself
43:35
and your family under, it's leadership that are absolutely
43:40
on fire for what God has called them to do.
43:43
Beware of those who handle their position or the church as a way
43:47
of income, as job security. Now look for somebody who walks
43:56
with God and you don't need much discernment to understand this
44:00
is a person who really believes what they're preaching, who
44:03
really takes the word of God seriously.
44:07
They have to be immersed, sacrificial people.
44:11
I praise God for the people of this church.
44:12
I mean, even in God's Providence, yesterday was our
44:16
clean up day and 60 people came with oil, if I can use that
44:20
analogy. But let me ask you this for
44:25
those who may be visiting here every week, and we're so glad
44:27
that you do, what kind of oil do you bring to the church?
44:32
And whatever you do bring, is it pure?
44:36
Is it developed from sacrifice and intentionality and priority
44:40
in God's Kingdom, or is He second?
44:43
Third, God wants pure, beaten olive oil.
44:48
Whatever you do for God, give him your best.
44:53
And lastly, all of that can crumble unless it is maintained
44:58
by holiness and integrity. And so May God help us know how
45:05
to adorn the doctrine of God as much as preaching the gospel is
45:12
necessary. And there's no other way for
45:14
people to be saved but to hear the truth.
45:17
How we walk, how we talk, how we interact, how we do business are
45:22
all sermons. They're all messages.
45:28
They would either make the gospel more attractive or less
45:30
attractive. That's what Paul is getting at.
45:34
May we make it more attractive. Let's pray.
46:02
Father, You never cease to amaze us of how every portion of
46:09
Scripture can be a heavenly morsel for our souls.
46:20
It is astounding and breathtaking to be reminded week
46:25
after week of how you can make Your Word so applicable,
46:31
historical texts and records from thousands of years ago that
46:35
can instruct us today. We praise you for your wisdom,
46:41
your beauty, your power. There is no doubt in our minds
46:47
that this is indeed your book. Would you, Lord, preserve the
46:54
leadership of this ministry and every ministry that's
46:56
represented here? Would you inspire the people of
47:02
God to live sacrificially? Remind us with all the business
47:07
and the plans of our lives that the Kingdom of God comes first?
47:13
And Lord, may we never fall into the trap of justifying sin
47:18
because we are involved in some kind of ministry.
47:20
Lord, may we understand that true ministry comes from
47:22
holiness and integrity. That is the shield, Lord.
47:26
Integrity is the shield to our service.
47:30
For these truths we say thank you.
47:32
From the bottom of our hearts we say we love you.
47:35
Receive our praise now and may the light of your glory continue
47:39
to shine. And may we know greater
47:43
illumination and warmth as the dwelling place of God continues
47:47
to manifest the presence of Jesus Christ.
47:51
In Jesus name we pray, Amen. If you need to stay seated to do
47:56
business with God, do business with God.
47:59
If you want to stand and give him glory and song, you're free
48:01
to do that as well. Well, let's let's take the next
48:03
few moments here to really, really engage ourselves and to
48:07
seek the Lord and and commune with him as his people.