Announcement: Service for February 16, which is family day weekend, will be online only probably by Saturday night. Also our Lenten Journey will begin February 14 on Wednesday. Our journey this year will be about confession. Interestingly Lent starts on Valentines Day, but this journey will be much more than giving up chocolate but giving up our lives to Jesus so that any vice can be taken from us. This is not about our strength but the strength we receive when we totally give ourselves up before God.
Call to Worship: Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Songs: A New Anointing - The ZOE Group
He Reigns with Awesome God - Travis Cottrell
Love the Lord - Lincoln Brewster
Jesus, Firm Foundation - Chapman, Mandisa, Mark Hall, Mike Donehey & Steven Curtis
Scripture: Philippians 2:1 “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Song: All Who Are Thirsty Brenton Brown
Scripture: to those who say where is your God the answer is in Psalm 42. Psalm 42:11 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Sermon: The Weak Become Strong!
Closing Song: I Give You My Heart Michael W. Smith
Benediction: Hebrews 10:19 “Therefore since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
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Sermon: "The Weak Become Strong"
Sermon: "The Weak Become Strong"
One of the amazing things about Christianity is that its power is not based on our strength but our weakness and humility. It has nothing to do with who we are but who we are in Christ. Psalm 68:35 “You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!” Isaiah 40:29 “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” I think that makes it pretty clear that this journey we are on is about God giving us strength. Next week we are going to prepare for our Lenten journey by gaining a better understanding of what it means to be in captivity and not knowing it. We are there because those who went before us decided to do it in their own strength and wisdom of which angered God. We will also look at the hope of freedom those who do understand our present desolation have. Until we see we are in captivity we will never be desperate enough to plead and cry out for mercy as we have been told to do. Until we come before God as nothing we will never go forward. We have to bow low to be raised high. As we read in our scripture reading, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” In Matthew 10 we have this amazing chapter that describes His disciples. He gave them “authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” He then sent them like “sheep among wolves” while warning them to guard themselves but at the same time said don’t worry about it. “19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Then he makes this statement, 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.” When Jesus came he turned everything upside down. You see most people will not put God before themselves nor will they stand for him at all cost. Of course many will sing about it on a Sunday but actually to really understand that 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, will cause most to turn away even though they will still attend church but these are our directives as a disciple and “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Yes people will let you know you are out of your mind but who are you standing before, the king of Kings or the people who simply refuse to repent. The truth is you would be out of your mind to follow anyone but Jesus, and as I said last week stupidity would be choosing death and destruction over life and prosperity. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:13 “If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Most people are not willing to make that step to live for Jesus instead of living for themselves. Remember living for Jesus is not what you do when you are at church for that hour on Sunday, it is about the commands you follow all the time. Jesus said John 14:15 “ If you love me, keep my commands.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” There cannot be both as you are either a new creation or you are not. Colossians 3:1 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
The only way to do this is by humbling ourselves before Jesus our Saviour and King. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” When we read this verse we must always understand they would have been in captivity for not obeying. The verse before this starts off by saying 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people.” When you ask or people ask “Why did this happen?” we see they were warned in the following verses. 19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’” If you honestly think that this does not apply to us today, then you have been greatly deceived.
So as we move through our Lenten journey our journey will be one of confession because we have been directed to cry out for God to hear our cry but this captivity has deceived most into believing that they are safe and secure while they are about to die and don’t even know it. We saw this in a horrible situation that I will let you read about in Judges. Because of the abomination that was committed, the Israelites had to fight against their fellow Israelites the Benjamites. Them after much fighting, Judges 20:34 “The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was.” This is how it is with us now Jeremiah 5:30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” Jeremiah also said in Jeremiah 18:11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’”
We can see this same thing if we are to look at heart disease known as the silent killer. Since we are already in February this is known as Heart month. I saw on the American Heart Association’s website this statement. “There’s a reason it’s often called the “silent killer” Most of the time, high blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) has no obvious symptoms to indicate that something’s wrong. The best ways to protect yourself are being aware of the risks and making changes that matter. High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms. Many people with high blood pressure don’t even know they have it. High blood pressure develops slowly over time and can be related to many causes. High blood pressure cannot be cured. However, it can be managed very effectively through lifestyle changes and, when needed, medication.” By the way you can go to Bosson’s Pharmacy on Thursday mornings and have your blood pressure checked for free. Another site said “It’s silent because you may not realize it’s stalking you. ‘Most often it does not have symptoms,’ says Dr. Richard Ward, a family physician with Calgary Foothills Primary Care Network. If you aren’t checking your blood pressure regularly, there’s no sure way to know if it’s within a healthy range. As for ‘killer,’ that may sound melodramatic. But the damage this condition does to your body is no act.” They then go on to describe the murder plot against you.
Well there is a murderous plot a foot and most people have no idea what’s coming against them. We cannot serve other gods and not keep God’s commands without having some form of retribution. We have been warned very clearly. Just like the Israelites were vomited out of the land but Revelation tells us the same will happen to any who do not love God with all their heart soul and mind. Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Next week we will be looking into this silent killer more in depth and the captivity we are in but know that there is hope if we confess. Now if we were talking about the heart only, get your blood pressure taken regularly and take care to make those healthy lifestyle changes, but since we are talking about our spiritual heart there is only one way and that way is Jesus. We must turn from our wicked ways and humble ourselves. Oddly the greatest advice to fix the heart has been left out. There is no talk of turning to Jesus. This verse describes to us what happens when we disobey as described in Revelation 3. Deuteronomy 4:5 “After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, 26 I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.” This is the captivity / desolation we are in because we have hot followed wholeheartedly. We must turn to him with all of our hearts. Then an amazing thing happens. Ezekiel 11:14 The word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’ 16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’ 17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ 18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel also says in Ezekiel 36:24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” This is the hope Jesus gives us. 1 Samuel 10:6 “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.” This is the power the Holy Spirit clothes us with. Always remember we must always obey even after God changes our heart as we saw what happened to Saul. Hebrews 6:4 “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
In Christianity our weakness is our greatest strength. This is good news because you are in a spot where God can use you. This is not about what we can accomplish with our own hands but what God will do through us in His name and power. We do not have to get ourselves to a certain place in life so God can use us. We don’t have to have it all together, have all our ducks in a row, have our retirement figured out, educate ourselves nor do we have to be of standing in our community. Our life can be a disaster in our eyes but as we turn to him, God will create in us a new heart as we read in our call to worship. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul said 1 Corinthians 2:1 “And so it was with me, when I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. But we have the mind of Christ.” If we want to be powerful for God we need to be weak and bow before him in humility. You may think you have it all together but I can guarantee you, you don’t unless you have the power of the Holy Spirit. Here is a good example of the strong becoming weak. 1 Chronicles 5:20 “They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.” These were not just your regular type of men; these were warriors. They were “able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle.” Yet they called out to the Lord.
If we will not do this, we will not see the power of God. We will continue down this empty path unless we are willing to bow before him. James 4:6 “God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Peter tells us 1 Peter 5:5 “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Psalm 25:9 “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Matthew 23:12 “ For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Psalm 149:4 “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.”
Humility leads to victory but how many truly tremble at his word. Ezra 9:4 “Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. Malachi 3:16 “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. 17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” Because most do not tremble at His word they simply refuse to bow before him. Repentance and humility do not go together with our North American attitude of look what my hands have made even though God says Isaiah 66:2 “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit ( contrite means repentant - feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses) , and who tremble at my word.” Instead as Jeremiah tells us Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” The deception is so great that most think everything is great until that day where the end comes even though we have been warned over and over. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Ezekiel tells us how the shepherds have not done their job. Ezekiel 34:2 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. 11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken. 25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” I trust you are seeing the connection. John 14:10 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” Then we see in Malachi a continued warning to the priests. Malachi 2:1 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. 3 “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. 4 And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. 5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For 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. 9 “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”
We are to be true priests with true instruction from our mouths. We are to seek Him with all our heart, soul and mind and expect to be filled with the power of His Spirit. We are to fix the breaches in the walls. Unlike Ezekiel 13:4 “Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.” We are to warn people of the coming disaster, those who sit comfortably week after week and never repent from their wicked ways. They continue to follow false gospels as if they were truth. Like Josiah we need to come to the realization that we have lost His word and have gone astray thus the captivity we will be talking about next week. He tore his robes as he was distraught over what he heard and turn around. Then the prophetess gave this message to Josiah. 2 Kings 22:19 “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.” But before him was King Manasseh. 2 Chronicles 33:2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.” 2 Chronicles 33:9 “But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites. 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. 15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.” Amon his son succeeded him as king. 21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. 22 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. 23 But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt. He then was killed and Josiah took his place.” Even Ahab humbled himself before God. This shows just how powerful humility and repentance is. 1 Kings 21:29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Following Josiah his sons did evil in the eyes of the Lord and 2 Kings 24:20 “in the end he thrust them from his presence.” If we want to be victorious we cannot be like those who have gone before us and have settled with foreign gods and worship as they do. We cannot be content to follow these false gospels down this path of destruction. We have to get off and turn around. We have to be repairers of the walls, Amos 9:11 “In that day “I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be,” Isaiah 58:12 “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” 2 Kings 19:30 “Once more a remnant of the kingdom of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.” We must cry out for mercy and expect God to hear us when we cry out. He said hold fast so we hold fast. James 1:2 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
