Todays’ church does not want to hear there is something wrong nor do they want to hear they need to tear down faulty traditions, reasoning and experiences. This should not come as a surprise as Israel did not want to hear it either. Nehemiah 9:26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had admonished (rebuked) them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.” Jesus said, Luke 11:47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.” 1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone 16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.” Matthew 23:37-39 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
There is a resistance to hearing the word of the Lord especially when it comes to making a change. Many Christians are set in stone and refuse to examine themselves to see if they are actually on track. They especially do not want to hear it from the pulpit. Sadly many pastors are afraid of the crowds so they do not teach the whole counsel of the word of God. They do not want to loose their jobs nor do they teach true repentance because they may offend someone and they might leave the church. That actually can be a good thing. James 3:1 warns us” Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (heavier judgment or greater condemnation).” Malachi 2:7 “the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty.” In an effort to satisfy the apathetic narcissists in the congregation and there are many, they have offended God by not speaking the truth.
Today I want to look at King Josiah. Be prepared to dig deep as this is not a tweet. The modern church as someone once said is a mile wide and an inch deep. It should be the other way around, a mile deep and an inch wide. 2 Kings 23:25 “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.”
2 Chronicles 34:8 “In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God. They then “found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” Obviously they had not been using it. “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.” They then sought the Lord. “22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.” 23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Now I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”
Now Josiah then called the leaders together and they renewed the covenant. Then everyone pledged themselves also to obey. “9 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. 32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
This is the part where action is taken. Sure you can stand and renew the covenant but what are you going to do about it? You can pledge yourself to it to what cost. Will you lay down your life for Jesus Christ or will you just sing “I Surrender All” on Sunday or when you take communion will it be real. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:29 “For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” This is happening in the church because communion has become a ritual and people are unwilling to be transformed nor are they willing to lay down their lives. Many people say they will surrender on Sunday morning but like Peter when crunch time comes will they? John 13:37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! Matthew 26:35 “But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Josiah then 2 Chronicles 34:33 “removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. Please read 2 Kings 23 as this is very important. King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29 did the same. “3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6 Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord.”
This part of 2 Kings 23 is interesting. “16 Then Josiah looked around, and when he saw the tombs that were there on the hillside, he had the bones removed from them and burned on the altar to defile it, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God who foretold these things. 17 The king asked, “What is that tombstone I see?” The people of the city said, “It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it.” 18 “Leave it alone,” he said. “Don’t let anyone disturb his bones.” So they spared his bones and those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.” Josiah was prophesied about in 1 Kings 13. Yesterday in Sundays’ service we talked about Rehoboam and Jeroboam. The prophesy about Josiah came to Jeroboam in his disobedience to the word of God. 1 Kings 13:1 “By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out. And as always most don’t like prophets and Jeroboam was no different. 4 When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. 5 Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.”
Yes if you read 2 Kings 23 you would see this is a life and death commitment. We are required to take action and it always involves tearing something down and trust me when I say, some people are always offended by it. The original plan was to tear down when they took the Promised Land. Numbers 33:50 “On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho the Lord said to Moses, 51 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.” The Israelites were told by God in Leviticus 18:1 “The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord. Solomon was told 1 Kings 9:6 “But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’”
So just like Josiah we must tear down what our hands have made. First the word of God must be found again. Then we must renew the covenant and then take action. This is going to get personal. It will require boldness from the Lord. It will also require great discernment from the Lord. Most are unwilling to admit most of the church today is man made. Nor will they admit they worship things of this world as well as the ways of this world. Matthew 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Because of God’s amazing grace 1 Samuel 2:35 He will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind.” This is what happened with Josiah and Gideon. Gideon situation was much the same as ours in this day. Judges 6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” Then the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” This is the part of the story that is the same as our modern day church. Gideon replied, 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 2:10 states, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.” We are in the same situation. Where are all his wonders?
Now God has chosen Gideon to save Israel from the hands of their enemies who had been ravaging their land. Judges 6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Since Gideon was not sure what was happening he asked for a sign and when it came “24 Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.” I bet you know what is coming. Yes he had to tear something down. “25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.” This is where boldness comes in. Family is hard ministry. I think all can agree on that. Matthew 10:37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” There is good news concerning this verse. Remember the story of Joseph. Even though his family tried to kill him, God had a bigger plan. Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Mark 28:28 “Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” As far as townspeople we all know they are always pictured with pitchforks and torches.
“When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it. 30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” Yes people may want to kill you but a command is a command. Tearing down involves total commitment to the word of God and discernment as given by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
The results Gideon saw could only have happened with God. Judges 6:7 “The Lord said to Gideon, With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.” Don’t ever think you cannot be used by God. If he calls you he will empower you. Judges 6:5 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” All through scripture we are told to tear down. Jesus said repent for the kingdom of God is near but as you see with the Pharisees they were offended by Jesus and looked for a way to kill him from the beginning. Matthew 10:25 “It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” Yes the message of the true gospel will cause people to be offended. Matthew 13:57 “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own town and in his own home.” Mark 6:3 “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”
But if you obey, God will turn the curses into blessings and He will do the same for us as he did for Joshua. God said to Joshua 1:5 “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” We too have dome idols to tear down in the church today. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to do this because at this point everyone does as they see fit and think they are on track because of what they think they see.
First start with your own life. Make sure you tear down the idols of tradition, experiences and reason and replace them with the way, the truth and the life. If God calls you to go further, then obey his directions but make sure don’t be afraid to tear down in broad daylight.
