The King Who Changed Everything

Info

Series: Bible Stories

Title: The King Who Changed Everything The story of Josiah. #Bible #law

Preached:

  • 2012-08-18: 광주

  1. Intro: Lost cell phone
  2. 2 Kings 22, 23: The story of King Josiah
    1. Father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) were wicked kings
    2. Nevertheless, he was determined to follow God
    3. Halfway through his reign, he hires workers to repair the long-neglected temple: Verses 3-5
    4. Verse 8, 10: The book of the law is found
      1. God’s word was still in effect, but it had been forgotten
      2. What is our stance toward reading the Bible? How often do we read it?
      3. Some people only read the Bible at church, or at a Bible study, or in some other group function.
      4. Psalm 1:1, 2: What does it mean to meditate on God’s law?
      5. Deuteronomy 6:6-9: God’s word (and His law) is to be foremost in our lives. It should take first place in all that we do. But we can’t put God’s word in its rightful place if we aren’t putting it into our hearts and minds on a daily basis.
    5. 2 Kings 22:11-13: Josiah repents
      1. Tearing robes was the way people showed great sorrow in Bible times.
      2. Even though he followed God wholeheartedly (v. 2), there were many things he didn’t know, and wrong things he had done out of ignorance.
      3. God’s law brought conviction to his heart, and he decided to make a change.
      4. When we read the Bible, we must allow the Holy Spirit to speak through it and convict us of any sins in our lives.
      5. Hebrews 4:12, 13: God’s word acts in our lives to change us and to expose those things that must be eliminated.
      6. Once something has been exposed, we have to choose how we will deal with it. Will we give it to God in confession and repentance, or will we stubbornly hold on to it in rebellion?
    6. Josiah takes action
      1. 2 Kings 23:1-3: Josiah teaches the people about God’s law and leads them in renewing God’s covenant
        1. Remember, part of the law he read was the command we read earlier to teach the law.
        2. We each have some sort of leadership responsibility, whether it be an official title, or merely our interactions with other people. We have a duty to teach God’s word to those people for whom we have responsibility.
      2. Verse 4ff; verses 21-23; verse 25: Josiah put into practice what he had read in the Law.
        1. Previous kings, even good kings, didn’t destroy all of the high places (places for worship of pagan gods), but Josiah did.
        2. James 1:22-25: Be doers of the word
          1. When we resist God’s word, we make it more difficult to follow Him later.
          2. God is not a thief. He won’t ask us to do anything that isn’t for the better.
          3. Illustration re: the law that gives freedom: My teenage years
  3. Appeal:
    1. Commit to reading the Bible
    2. If you’re resisting God, stop.