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What we're doing here every 
Friday is a partial fulfillment 

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of the Great Commission. 
What's the Great Commission? 

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People kind of limit it to 1 
dimension. 

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Go therefore make disciples of 
all nations, right? 

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But Jesus didn't end there. 
He said what following that, 

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baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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And did he end it there? 
What's the third component of 

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the Great Commission? 
Does anybody know teaching them 

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to observe all that I've 
commanded you? 

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Again, people limit the Great 
Commission to go. 

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Let's go to the nation's, let's 
go to the streets, the highways 

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and the and the byways and let's
win souls. 

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OK, but what are you going to do
with those souls? 

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The Great Commission includes 
people being baptized, making 

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that commitment, that first step
of obedience, and it's a 

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perpetual reality. 
Teaching them to observe all 

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that I've commanded you so. 
If you're a person here and 

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you've wondered or you've. 
Potentially even yearn to be 

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discipled. 
What does it mean to be 

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discipled? 
What does it mean for me to be 

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discipled? 
I'll tell you this in great 

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part. 
In fact, the main part is you 

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being taught what Jesus said. 
You're being discipled here 

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every Friday, including Sunday. 
So hopefully that encourages 

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you, that encourages me to know 
that we are fulfilling in part, 

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the Great Commission for what we
do here every Friday evening. 

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Well, that being said, let's. 
Come to our Bibles now. 

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And let's meet together in 
Second Kings chapter 23, Second 

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Kings chapter 23. 
And as you and I prepare to come

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to this chapter, I actually 
would like to begin not in verse

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one, but in verse 25. 
The verse that we're going to 

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read. 
Verse 25 is a statement from the

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author that comes just before 
Josiah's death and it really 

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serves as a summary of his life 
and the comment made in this 

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verse will also be used to shape
the direction of our Bible study

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this evening. 
Second Kings 23, verse 25, the 

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word of God says about Josiah. 
Before him there was no king 

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like him, who turned to the Lord
with all his heart and with all 

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his soul, and with all his 
might, according to. 

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All the law of Moses, nor did 
any king or any like him, rather

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arise after him. 
Can we pray together? 

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We ask, Father, that You would 
help us in this study. 

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We are not concerned, Lord, with
the length of it. 

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We're not concerned about any 
component of this delivery apart

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from Your power being realized 
in it, your voice being heard 

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through it, your truth being 
understood because of it. 

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We long, Lord, to be conformed 
by this truth. 

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And we pray that every step that
we take, we would sense your 

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leadership. 
And Lord, as we open the service

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with we, we pray that there 
would be a tangible joy that 

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would accompany this study. 
We ask these things in the 

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matchless name of Jesus Christ, 
Amen. 

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I I trust that the verse that we
just read, what was said about 

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Josiah is something that you 
long for to be said of you, that

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your devotion to Christ would 
not be partial, but it would 

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truly consume all your heart, 
all your soul, and all your 

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might. 
And if you are someone who 

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shares in that holy ambition, 
then I want you to be encouraged

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this evening because Josiah is 
not just an outstanding leader 

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that stands out from both his 
predecessors and successors. 

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He's been given to us as an 
exceptional example of what true

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devotion to God looks like. 
And though this is a rather 

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lengthy section of Scripture. 
We have a detailed outline for 

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why it is that Josiah was 
crowned with this uncommon 

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praise regarding faithfulness to
the Lord. 

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There are two main 
characteristics that I want us 

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to leave with, just two 
qualities that are striking. 

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But if we rightly understand 
them and more importantly apply 

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them, I guarantee that you and I
will be set on a path that will 

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promise the testimony of being 
wholeheartedly devoted to the 

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Lord Jesus Christ. 
What are those two qualities #1 

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the motive of Josiah's 
obedience? 

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What was his motive? 
Well, it's spelled out for us 

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between verse one and verse 3, 
and not just his motive, but 

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secondly the extent of His 
obedience. 

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And that is found beginning in 
verse 4 down to verse 20. 

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And that's what we're going to 
be covering tonight. 

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Second Kings 23 beginning in 
verse one. 

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Down to verse 22, Main headings,
2 main characteristics of this 

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man that can position us to know
what it means to have every part

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of our lives truly set apart 
unto Christ. 

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Again, let me repeat it. 
The motive of his obedience. 

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Why did he do what he did and 
the extent of his obedience 

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where he was willing to go with 
his trust and his faithfulness 

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to Christ. 
And yes, although this is to the

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Lord and Christ comes to the New
Testament, we interpret all 

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things in light of the new 
covenant. 

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And so these are principles for 
us in our walk with the Lord. 

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And so we're going to begin 
tonight with the first 

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characteristic, the motive of 
Josiah's obedience. 

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Let's read from verse one down 
to verse 3. 

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Then the king sent, and all the 
elders of Judah and Jerusalem 

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were gathered to him, and the 
king went up to the House of the

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Lord, and with him all the men 
of Judah and all the inhabitants

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of Jerusalem, and the priest and
the prophets, all the people, 

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both small and great. 
And he read in their hearing all

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the words of the book of the 
covenant that had been found in 

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the House of the Lord. 
And the king stood by the 

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pillar, made a covenant before 
the Lord, to walk after the 

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Lord, and to keep his 
commandments and his testimonies

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and his statutes with all his 
heart and all his soul, to 

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perform the words of this 
covenant that were written in 

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this book. 
And all the people joined in the

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covenant. 
As impressive as Josiah's 

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conviction and leadership are in
this moment, we will not know 

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their full impact unless we 
remember how chapter 22 ended. 

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Do we remember what happened 
last week? 

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Josiah discovered the book of 
the Law. 

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It was read in his presence. 
It cut his heart, and without 

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any hesitation he sent for a 
prophetic voice to give him 

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guidance of what he ought to do 
with the truth that he just 

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discovered. 
And he was told by prophetess 

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named Holda that judgment 
against the people of Judah was 

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certain. 
It was imminent and it was 

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fixed. 
Nothing could change the fate of

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this people, and I want us to be
reminded of that. 

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Scroll up to chapter 22, verse 
17. 

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Notice what Holda the prophetess
said to the messengers who came 

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on behalf of King Josiah. 
Second Kings 2217 because they 

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have forsaken me and have made 
offerings to other gods, that 

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they might provoke me to anger 
with all the work of their 

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hands. 
Therefore my wrath will be 

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kindled against this place and 
it will not be quenched. 

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Highlight the last part. 
Nothing will change what has 

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been determined for this people.
The verdict is final. 

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There will be horrific judgement
that will visit this people and 

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Josiah was to hear this, 
although it was not the final 

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message from Holda. 
In addition to that, Josiah was 

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personally comforted with what 
that he would not witness the 

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tragedies of God's chastisement,
but that he would be ushered 

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into the grave with peace. 
He would not behold the horrors.

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He would live his. 
Life. 

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At rest, knowing that it would 
come at a later time. 

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Now I want you to pause and 
think for a moment. 

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Does that leave much motivation 
for Josiah to continue to invest

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in this people? 
Think about it. 

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If judgment is determined, if 
nothing will change the future, 

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then what's the point of really 
leading this people onto 

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holiness? 
What's the point of really 

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continue to be an example of 
what it means to be consecrated 

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unto the Lord? 
Why not just sit back and relax 

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and not worry about it? 
That's not what we find. 

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Instead, the first verse that we
read in chapter 23 shows us the 

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opposite, that this man was 
catapulted in the direction of 

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doing what he can to bring this 
people to God. 

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Now, there are some who assume 
that the reason why Josiah is 

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ready to bring this reform to a 
new level is because he hopes 

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that this verdict will be 
reversed somehow, that this 

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indictment will be pushed aside,
will maybe even be cancelled if 

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his people are brought back to 
renew their covenant with God. 

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But I don't believe that because
there's no indication that that 

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is his motive and there is no 
hint that he was granted that 

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that was even possible, that the
course can be changed. 

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As we just read, the prophet has
said it will not be quenched, 

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nothing can be done to alter it,
and yet he still wants to obey 

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God and he still wants to lead 
this people to repentance and 

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obedience to the one and only 
God. 

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Why this is? 
Why? 

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Because you love God. 
Consider this. 

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There is no circumstance then or
in the future that would deter 

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Josiah from doing whatever he 
could to be in total alignment 

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with God's will for his life 1st
and then as a leader of God's 

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people. 
It didn't matter if what he 

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learned concerning God's will 
was met with difficulty, was met

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with appreciation, or even 
heavenly reward. 

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Josiah would obey God for one 
main reason. 

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He loved his God, full stop. 
There is no other incentive. 

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There is no other pull. 
There is no other ambition. 

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It was simply this. 
If God says it, then I will do 

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it. 
And that was the reward for him.

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You see, Josiah wasn't leading 
this nation toward God because 

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he wanted to evade punishment or
because he wanted to secure some

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kind of prize. 
Instead, punishment was 

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guaranteed. 
And yet this man still. 

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Wanted to honor and please God. 
That in itself was his pursuit. 

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That was the end of his pursuit.
That was the goal. 

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Can I ask you a question now? 
What would become of our 

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sanctification if we had a 
similar goal? 

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What would become of our 
consistency with Christ? 

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If we find total satisfaction in
knowing that our choices and our

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commitments please God, and 
that's all we want, just to 

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bring delight to his heart, just
to bless the Lord, What could 

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become of the purity of God's 
church? 

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What could become of every facet
of our life as we walk with 

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Christ if He is our ultimate 
goal? 

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Just Him. 
Not what He can give us, not 

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what He can protect us from, 
Just Him. 

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I'm doing it for the Lord, and 
though Josiah is a wonderful 

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inspiration, Christ is a greater
one. 

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I'm reminded of the words of 
Jesus in John 829 when he said 

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the following. 
He who sent me is with me, and 

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He has not left me alone. 
For I always do the things that 

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are pleasing to him. 
You see that? 

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The Son of God lived his human 
life with that as the banner 

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over his obedience. 
I do everything for what reason 

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Lord to please the Father, to 
please him. 

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Now we should be grateful that 
Christ perfect obedience is 

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imputed unto us. 
Is it not that there was not a 

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moment where Jesus did not 
please the Father? 

200
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:49,600
Every millisecond of his life 
brought perfect delight to God. 

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And when we accept Christ by 
faith, that level of obedience 

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is now given to us in our 
account before the throne. 

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It's a wonderful thought, but 
don't make the mistake that so 

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many make where they celebrate 
what they've inherited in their 

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justification and fail to see 
how Christ is also an example 

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00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:17,320
for our own sanctification. 
As much as we see what we 

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receive in His obedience, we 
also receive instruction. 

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I always do the things that are 
pleasing to him. 

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00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,680
The same John who recorded the 
words of Jesus here says 

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00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,040
something to Christians and his 
first epistle. 

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00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,320
It's found in first John chapter
3 verse 22. 

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What did John say there? 
And whatever we ask, we receive 

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from him, because we keep his. 
Commandments and do what pleases

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him. 
John isn't speaking about Jesus 

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here. 
He did that in John 829. 

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He's speaking about Christians 
here. 

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And what does he say about 
Christians? 

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We do what pleases God. 
Can I ask you something? 

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Is that the heartbeat of your 
obedience? 

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Is that? 
Is that why you serve the 

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00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:12,200
church? 
Is that why you want to 

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represent them in any context 
you find yourself in? 

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Is that the reason why you 
reject sin and deny the flesh 

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and come to him in repentance 
when you act up in the? 

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Flesh. 
Is it because down deep inside 

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you really want to please God, 
Not your pastors, not your 

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mother, not your father, not 
your older sibling, not your 

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friend who's spiritual and loves
Christ? 

229
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Is it because ultimately you 
want to please him? 

230
00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,480
A singular devotion to Christ 
that was Josiah. 

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00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,440
I just, it blows my mind. 
It really does. 

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00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,120
What do you do with that kind of
prophetic report? 

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00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,920
Nothing that you can do is going
to change the judgement that's 

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00:15:56,920 --> 00:16:00,840
coming on the horizon. 
It didn't matter to him, God 

235
00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,200
still said it. 
So I'm going to do it well. 

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00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,080
Why Josiah? 
Because I want to please God. 

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00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,080
As simple as that. 
Now let's come back to our main 

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taxes in Second Kings 23. 
I want you to notice a couple of

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00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,840
things with me in the first 3 
verses that we read. 

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00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,560
First, I want you to see how 
Josiah was the director of all 

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00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:21,120
the movement here. 
Look at verse one. 

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00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:27,800
Then the king sent verse 2 and 
the king went up verse 3, and 

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00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,880
the king stood by the pillar, 
made a covenant before the Lord.

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00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,920
The impression that you have 
here is that this is coming from

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00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:37,520
this man's heart. 
He's the one who's orchestrating

246
00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,040
all of this. 
He's the one who is urgent. 

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00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:42,640
You can sense the urgency. 
You can sense the enthusiasm 

248
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:47,040
here, even though there is a 
very great lack of shared 

249
00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,920
concern. 
He's moving all the pieces. 

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00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,720
He's setting up the meeting. 
He is doing it. 

251
00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,320
And here's what I want to leave 
with you. 

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00:16:56,240 --> 00:17:01,080
It's a wonderful portrait of the
power of the word of God at work

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00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:06,040
in the human spirit. 
What's energizing Josiah here? 

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00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,680
What we read last week, the word
of God being revealed to him, 

255
00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,800
this is what moved him in the 
direction that he was moving in.

256
00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:16,920
And that's the power that the 
Word of God contains. 

257
00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,240
It is able to energize you and 
I. 

258
00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:25,599
It is able to motivate. 
It's able to compel you to this 

259
00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:29,720
kind of level of obedience even 
though nobody else has it. 

260
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,960
It's a remarkable thing to 
witness because it does compel 

261
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,760
us to live for Him, but also 
moves you to be unashamed of the

262
00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,160
truth and to even be bold to 
call others to embrace it. 

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00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,440
Did you notice another word that
appears here in the first 3 

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00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:46,880
verses? 
It's the word all. 

265
00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:52,640
Look again, verse one that the 
king sent and all the elders of 

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00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,560
Judah and Jerusalem. 
Look at verse 2. 

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00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:56,680
And the king went up to the 
House of the Lord, and with him 

268
00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,720
all the men of Judah and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and 

269
00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,480
the priests and the prophets, 
all the people. 

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00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:06,520
And finally he says that again 
in verse 3. 

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00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:11,000
All, all, all, all. 
Now, my sanctified imagination, 

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00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,360
I step back after reviewing this
today, and I just enjoyed the 

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00:18:15,360 --> 00:18:17,920
thought because you read here 
that there was prophets, 

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00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,120
priests, men, women, small. 
Great. 

275
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:25,840
What a sight it must have been 
to see Josiah elevated with the 

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00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,640
copy of God's law in his hand, 
reading it plainly. 

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00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,880
And there you have the priest, 
and there you have the prophets,

278
00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,960
who? 
Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and others 

279
00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:42,720
like them, silently absorbing 
all that God was saying in his 

280
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,200
word. 
It's just a spectacular thing to

281
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,280
think about. 
But that's not the main point. 

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00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,280
The main point is that Josiah 
desired that every person be 

283
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,920
under the reading of God's Word 
and that there wouldn't be one 

284
00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,880
person left out from the 
covenant that he was about to 

285
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:04,400
establish. 
Again, all. 

286
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,480
Now Speaking of covenant, did 
you notice how the scriptures 

287
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,800
are referred to in the first 3 
verses that we read? 

288
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,640
What's the title that's given to
the scriptures? 

289
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,800
Anybody miss it? 
The book of the Covenant? 

290
00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,720
Why is that striking? 
How is it introduced to us in 

291
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:25,320
chapter 22? 
What was it called? 

292
00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,000
The Book of the Law? 
Why the change? 

293
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:37,360
Any idea why did we go from the 
book of the Law in chapter 22 to

294
00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:39,640
now the book of the Covenant in 
chapter 23? 

295
00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:41,920
If you have an answer you you 
should feel free to answer. 

296
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:51,680
Can I give you a hint? 
Another question, when was the 

297
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,400
last time we saw this title The 
book of the Covenant? 

298
00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:03,620
Any idea? 
When was the last time we saw 

299
00:20:03,620 --> 00:20:06,620
this? 
You have to. 

300
00:20:06,620 --> 00:20:11,620
Turn that I will not just tell 
you it's an Exodus chapter 24. 

301
00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,920
This is the first time it 
appears and this is the last 

302
00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,120
time it appears before this 
chapter in Second Kings 23 and 

303
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:21,880
it's very telling. 
I believe that there is a 

304
00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:24,640
connection that's to be made 
between this chapter and what we

305
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,400
find in chapter 24 of the book 
of Exodus. 

306
00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,800
This is where the covenant 
between the people of Israel and

307
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:36,040
God is being ratified through 
the mediating work of Moses. 

308
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,160
And notice what I said here in 
Exodus 24, verse 6. 

309
00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,640
And Moses took half of the blood
and put it in basins, and half 

310
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:44,440
of the blood he threw against 
the altar. 

311
00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:49,040
Then he took the book of the 
covenant and read it in the 

312
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:51,120
hearing of the people. 
Sound familiar? 

313
00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,040
And they said, All that the Lord
has spoken we will do, and we 

314
00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,160
will be obedient. 
And Moses took the blood and 

315
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,640
threw it on the people and said,
Behold, the blood of the 

316
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,840
covenant that the Lord has made 
with you. 

317
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:09,640
In accordance with all these 
words, it seems as though the 

318
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:15,640
Spirit of God is using the same 
term to parallel Josiah's 

319
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:20,920
actions with the foundational 
moment of the covenant being 

320
00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,760
established at Sinai. 
He wants us to link them 

321
00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,880
together. 
He wants us to read chapter 23 

322
00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:29,440
and think, oh, the book of the 
covenant. 

323
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,920
Yeah, well, we saw that in 
Exodus chapter 24. 

324
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,120
For what reason? 
To show us that Josiah is 

325
00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:39,760
bringing the people back to 
their original promise to God. 

326
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,800
In other words, by using this 
title, Josiah is being portrayed

327
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:48,000
as a leader bringing the people 
back to what God intended for 

328
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,000
them from the beginning. 
He's renewing the original 

329
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,280
covenant. 
Additionally, by using Book of 

330
00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,400
the Covenant, there's an 
emphasis being made, and the 

331
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,880
emphasis is on the relational 
binding nature of God's Word. 

332
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,880
Josiah is not just standing 
before the nation enforcing 

333
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:12,040
rules and regulations and laws. 
He's reminding them, listen, we 

334
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,520
got to enter back into 
relationship with God. 

335
00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:19,360
This is a covenant. 
This is not just about abiding 

336
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:23,960
by certain precepts. 
No, this is about coming back 

337
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,480
into communion with God. 
Listen, that's the purpose of 

338
00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,120
the Bible. 
By the way, the Bible is not an 

339
00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:35,800
end in itself. 
It's a wonderful means to 

340
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,480
relationship with the Lord. 
The only means, the primary 

341
00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,160
means, yes, there's prayer and 
fellowship with the Saints, all 

342
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:46,240
that, but the Scriptures is 
meant to bring you and I closer 

343
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,040
to God and remain in fellowship 
with God. 

344
00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,640
It's through this window and 
this window alone. 

345
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,600
So that's the emphasis being 
made here. 

346
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,640
Josiah is calling the people 
back into covenant, not just to 

347
00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,880
the law. 
So this is significant. 

348
00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,240
The author is being very 
strategic. 

349
00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,400
This is a very pivotal moment 
for the people of Israel because

350
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,160
the last time we saw the book of
the covenant was when the people

351
00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,680
entered into covenant with God 
in the desert. 

352
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:15,840
So we're supposed to feel the 
weight of. 

353
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:17,360
This. 
This is massive. 

354
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:21,920
But remember, we're considering 
the motive of Josiah's obedience

355
00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,520
because we we want to know how 
can it be said of me not, not 

356
00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,840
from others, from God, that with
all my heart and all my soul and

357
00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:34,080
all my might, I truly am His. 
It's his motive. 

358
00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:38,840
And here's my final question 
before we move on to the second 

359
00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:43,720
characteristic, that the people 
who are being prepared to enter 

360
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,440
into covenant with God again 
share Josiah's motive. 

361
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,320
Look at the end of verse 3, the 
last sentence there, and all the

362
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:59,480
people joined in the covenant 
seems so, or else why would they

363
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:05,440
join in the covenant? 
But as I pause in my reading of 

364
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,280
this chapter and visited the 
parallel account in Second 

365
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,960
Chronicles, I discovered 
something that was 

366
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:16,000
disappointing. 
I don't mean to disappoint you, 

367
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:18,440
but I think it will enrich your 
understanding of this passage. 

368
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,640
So look at this one verse. 
In Second Chronicles 34. 

369
00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:31,920
In verse 32, In Second 
Chronicles 34, verse 32. 

370
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:38,120
Then he being Josiah, made all 
who are present in Jerusalem and

371
00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:41,360
in Benjamin join in it. 
In the inhabitants of Jerusalem,

372
00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:44,000
that according to the covenant 
of God, the God of their 

373
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:45,760
fathers. 
Read the first part again. 

374
00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:51,800
Then he made all who are present
in Jerusalem and in Benjamin 

375
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:58,640
join it. 
I get the impression that this 

376
00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:05,840
isn't really voluntary. 
Instead, I think that the people

377
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,200
are just doing this because 
they're being told to. 

378
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,800
He made them do it. 
And if you doubt the 

379
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,760
interpretation of this verse, 
remember that Jeremiah was 

380
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:19,280
raised up by God to be the 
prophetic voice during Josiah's 

381
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,080
reign. 
And what was his repeated 

382
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:23,560
message to the same people who 
entered into this covenant with 

383
00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:26,080
God? 
You're not really in it with 

384
00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:31,120
your whole heart. 
You're partial, you're half 

385
00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:33,040
hearted. 
He called them out for their 

386
00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,840
apathy. 
He he continually called them 

387
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:40,600
out for their shallow surrender.
That's what you find throughout 

388
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:44,960
just Jeremiah's writings. 
And so that really confirms what

389
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:47,640
we find here in this verse that 
the people were. 

390
00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:51,240
Made to do it. 
And unfortunately you have you 

391
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,560
have some. 
Who imitate the Israelites here 

392
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,640
in their devotion to Christ? 
In what way? 

393
00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:05,120
Well, yeah, they're willing to 
become Christians, but for what?

394
00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:10,080
Well, maybe they respect the 
leader who presented in the 

395
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:11,960
gospel, or maybe there was 
somebody over their life that 

396
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,160
they looked up to, so they just 
really want to honor them and 

397
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,480
maybe just imitate them in. 
OK. 

398
00:26:18,360 --> 00:26:19,560
You're a Christian. 
OK, great. 

399
00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:21,280
Yeah, I like it too. 
I like you. 

400
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,800
So I'll be a Christian. 
Well, how many people sign up to

401
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,320
serve Christ because they get 
caught up in the momentum of a 

402
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,000
movement? 
Or they see others being moved 

403
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,160
by the truth and they just want 
to be part of the. 

404
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,920
Group and so sign me up. 
I'll follow Jesus. 

405
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,640
There's there's so many other 
ways somebody could be made to 

406
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,400
come into covenant with the Lord
and then not being the real 

407
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,480
reason. 
Again, we're we're discussing 

408
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:57,280
the motive of Josiah obedience. 
What a contrast here. 

409
00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,560
You have a man, it didn't matter
who had the same zealism or the 

410
00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:01,680
ambition. 
I'm going to do it. 

411
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:07,080
I'm I'm making this happen. 
And he stood out from millions 

412
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:13,680
who joined in the covenant. 
For who knows what reasons, it's

413
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,080
striking, it's sobering, but 
it's the truth. 

414
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:20,800
What's your motive in following 
Christ today? 

415
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:27,320
Your reaction before that 
question is even completed is 

416
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,000
Christ. 
Christ. 

417
00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:34,760
It's his smile that I'm after. 
It's His fellowship that I 

418
00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,760
treasure. 
It's that face to face meeting 

419
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,600
that I will have when I give up 
my final breath that I always 

420
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,800
have before me in my life 
day-to-day. 

421
00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:50,200
I want to please Him. 
Surely that's one major reason 

422
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,520
why Josiah was crowned with such
wonderful praise at the end of 

423
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,720
this chapter. 
But we're also considering the 

424
00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,520
extent of Josiah's obedience, 
not just his motive. 

425
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:02,640
Maybe you're still there. 
Hopefully. 

426
00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,480
Second Chronicles 34. 
Look at the next verse we read 

427
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:06,960
32. 
Look at 33. 

428
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,120
And Josiah took away all the 
abominations from all the 

429
00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:13,280
territory that belonged to the 
people of Israel and made all 

430
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,800
who were president Israel serve 
the Lord their God. 

431
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,920
All his days. 
They did not turn away from 

432
00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:20,320
following the Lord, the God of 
the Father. 

433
00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:21,800
So there's just further 
confirmation. 

434
00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,600
All his days, as long as Josiah 
lived, we'll live for God. 

435
00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:29,440
The moment the man died, you're 
going to find out next week that

436
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,680
they returned to their vomit. 
But that's not the point that I 

437
00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:36,080
want to bring up. 
What is briefly stated in the 

438
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:40,640
single verse is elaborated and 
expanded in great detail in our 

439
00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:42,760
original text in Second Kings 
23. 

440
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:48,120
In other words, this one verse 
is stretched out through 16 

441
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:53,040
verses, Teens, chapter 23, verse
4 down to verse 20. 

442
00:28:54,640 --> 00:29:00,760
And it's this very precise 
unfolding of the abominations 

443
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:05,240
that Josiah confronted and 
cleansed after this covenant was

444
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:09,680
made with the nation. 
And we're going to read them in 

445
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:11,360
a moment, but I want to just 
give you a summary. 

446
00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:13,640
Here's the summary of what we're
about to discover. 

447
00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,720
Josiah is going to remove 
vessels of Baal, Ashra and all 

448
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:22,720
the hosts of heavens that were 
placed in the temple of God. 

449
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:24,880
He's going to remove. 
These articles of false worship 

450
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,360
from the House of God. 
Beyond that, he deposed the 

451
00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:34,400
priests who previous kings have 
ordained to orchestrate 

452
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:38,960
sacrifices at high places. 
Beyond that, he will break down 

453
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:42,880
the high places and the houses 
of mill cult prostitutes. 

454
00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,800
It doesn't even end there. 
He will defile these stations 

455
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:51,200
that were set apart to sacrifice
children to false gods. 

456
00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:58,040
Moreover, he will destroy horses
and Chariots that were dedicated

457
00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:02,960
to the worship of the Sun if 
you're not. 

458
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,240
Overwhelmed yet? 
He will dismantle and burn 

459
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:08,240
various altars, including the 
original ones that Jeroboam 

460
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:15,760
built in Bethel. 
That's not even everything, and 

461
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:19,800
the fact that these are just 
just laid out for us in rapid 

462
00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,080
succession is meant to cause you
to feel shock. 

463
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,600
This is just how corrupt the 
nation. 

464
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,360
Has become We're not talking 
about Israel, by the way. 

465
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:31,720
We're talking about the King of 
the Judah. 

466
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,480
The one that was led by the 
dynasty of David. 

467
00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:38,320
This is how low they have 
reached. 

468
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:43,720
This is how dark it became. 
Now I step back and I thought to

469
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:48,240
myself, two things. 
One, this just makes Josiah's 

470
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,960
devotion to God all the more 
amazing, because with all the 

471
00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,800
wickedness that surrounded him 
and tented him as though there 

472
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,240
was. 
Nothing around him. 

473
00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,120
He obeyed the Lord 
wholeheartedly. 

474
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:08,080
But it got me thinking, Is this 
what we're about to read? 

475
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:14,480
Josiah's initial reform? 
Is it his initial attempt to 

476
00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:18,320
cleanse the land of idolatry? 
Let me ask you this way, what 

477
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:19,880
year are? 
We in in Josiah's reign. 

478
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,560
Anybody know? 
Let me give you a hint. 

479
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,800
It didn't change from last week.
Good. 

480
00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,320
We're in the 18th year of his 
reign. 

481
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:35,640
What year did he? 
Begin to purge the land of 

482
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,080
idolatry. 
The 12th year, yes. 

483
00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:45,200
So here's what I'm thinking as I
was reading the rest of this 

484
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,320
chapter in chapter 23 and all 
the things that Josiah still 

485
00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:54,560
helped had to confront and 
cleanse what was really 

486
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,680
accomplished in the past six 
years of reform. 

487
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,560
Is that a legitimate inquiry? 
Not to say he didn't do 

488
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:06,800
anything. 
Now one can answer, well, that's

489
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:10,040
just the the depth of iniquity 
that the people were swimming 

490
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:11,440
in. 
Sure, you can say that. 

491
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,240
But I think there's a more 
powerful statement being made 

492
00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:18,600
here. 
It is that whatever Josiah was 

493
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:22,840
trying to do in the past six 
years, he was able to do in one 

494
00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:24,360
year because of one key 
component. 

495
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:29,360
He had the Bible this time. 
He had the Bible this time. 

496
00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:35,840
True reformation, true 
restoration, true renewal, true 

497
00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,920
healing, true salvation can 
never be realized apart from 

498
00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,680
God's Word. 
It can't. 

499
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,120
All these silly attempts and 
ideas and outreaches and 

500
00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:55,760
movements and events that try to
usher in revival with little to 

501
00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:00,560
no attention to the Word of God.
It's just silly. 

502
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:06,680
It's really futile. 
One year with the Bible 

503
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:12,000
outshined what Josiah was trying
to do in six years without it. 

504
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:17,960
Now let's bring it into our own 
lives. 

505
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:19,800
Let's bring it into something 
that we deal with on a 

506
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:21,640
day-to-day. 
How many marriages are trying to

507
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:26,800
be healed without the Bible? 
How many hearts are trying to be

508
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:31,160
fixed without God's Word? 
How many peeler people are 

509
00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:35,080
trying to manage their financial
situation, their friendships, 

510
00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:37,920
whatever it may be, apart from 
the scriptures? 

511
00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:43,440
You are wasting time and energy 
unless you invested and based 

512
00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:47,640
your efforts in this. 
Truth, the wisdom of God, The 

513
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:53,880
power of God, the breath of God.
Awaits to breathe on whatever it

514
00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:59,080
is you need to see restored. 
That's what I see here. 

515
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,240
It just reinforces my trust in 
the scriptures. 

516
00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,360
Just give. 
People the Word of God and let 

517
00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:10,639
the Word do the work. 
But let's look at these things 

518
00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:14,840
now in greater detail. 
I want us to look at the extent 

519
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:19,920
of Josiah's obedience. 
It's one thing to say I want to 

520
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,920
live for the Lord Jesus. 
I want to obey him. 

521
00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,480
I do obey him with all my heart 
and all my soul and all my 

522
00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:25,800
might. 
But when you really. 

523
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:29,400
Break it down. 
It's helpful to see if that is 

524
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,239
the case. 
The first thing I want us to 

525
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:34,960
look at, and there are three PS 
by the way, the first thing I 

526
00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,760
want us to consider is the 
permanency of His obedience. 

527
00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,280
The permanency of His obedience.
Let's read verse 4 down to verse

528
00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:42,840
6. 
And the king commanded Hilkiah, 

529
00:34:43,159 --> 00:34:45,600
the high priest and the priest 
of the 2nd order. 

530
00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,800
And the keepers of the threshold
to bring out of the temple of 

531
00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:52,159
the Lord all the vessels made 
for Baal, for Asherah, and for 

532
00:34:52,159 --> 00:34:55,000
all the hosts of heaven. 
He burned them outside Jerusalem

533
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:59,000
in the fields of the Kidron, and
carried their ashes to Bethel. 

534
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,240
And he'd opposed the priest whom
the kings of Judah had ordained 

535
00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:05,120
to make offerings in the high 
places at the cities of Judah 

536
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:08,440
and around Jerusalem. 
Those also who burned incense 

537
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:10,200
to. 
Baal to the sun, and to the 

538
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,520
moon, and to the constellations,
and all the hosts of the 

539
00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,360
heavens. 
And he brought out the ashra 

540
00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:19,400
from the House of the Lord 
outside Jerusalem to the Book 

541
00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:23,840
Brook Kindred, and burned it at 
the Brook Kidron and beat it to.

542
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:28,440
Dust and cast the dust of it 
upon the graves of the common 

543
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:31,400
people. 
Is there anything that stands 

544
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:33,040
out to you From the verses that 
we just read? 

545
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,200
We've seen idols being burned 
before, correct? 

546
00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:43,600
We've seen idols being crushed 
before, have we not? 

547
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:46,560
But there is something that does
stand out. 

548
00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:51,080
What is it? 
Look at the last part. 

549
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:57,920
And cast the dust of it upon the
graves of the common people. 

550
00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,120
Why are you doing that, Josiah? 
Why are you taking the dust of 

551
00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:07,480
the altars and the different 
items of false worship and 

552
00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:10,360
sprinkling them on the graves of
the common people? 

553
00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,160
It gets even more strange as you
continue. 

554
00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:15,640
I want to read to you three 
other passages in this text. 

555
00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,960
Scroll down here to verse 14. 
And he broke in pieces the 

556
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:24,520
pillars, and cut down the 
ashram, and filled their places 

557
00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:28,040
with the bones of men. 
Huh. 

558
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:34,720
Verse 16 And as Josiah turned, 
he saw the tombs there on the 

559
00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:39,160
mount, and he sent and took the 
bones out of the tombs, and 

560
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,560
burned them on the altar and 
defiled. 

561
00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,440
It according to the word of the 
Lord that the man of God 

562
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,880
proclaimed who had predicted 
these things. 

563
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,680
If we didn't get it, there's one
more verse. 

564
00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,560
Verse 20 And he sacrificed all 
the priests of the high places 

565
00:36:55,600 --> 00:37:00,480
who were there on the altars and
burned human bones on them. 

566
00:37:00,720 --> 00:37:06,360
Then he returned to Jerusalem. 
So with almost every site of 

567
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:13,760
destruction, Josiah chooses to 
take bones of humans and to 

568
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,880
sprinkle their bones on these 
altars or these. 

569
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,880
Different artifacts and in the 
original case he took the 

570
00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:23,840
artifacts and he sprinkled them 
on the graves of the common 

571
00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,440
people. 
Any idea why he is doing this? 

572
00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:28,840
Is it just to be? 
Cruel. 

573
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:37,880
Let me give you a hint. 
This is ring any bell to a law 

574
00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:43,400
in the Old Testament relating to
the people of Israel and what 

575
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:46,640
was to happen if they engage 
with anything that is dead. 

576
00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:52,680
Here's a scripture reference 
that you want to put in your 

577
00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:58,960
margin, Numbers 19, verse 16. 
Here's the reason why Josiah is 

578
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:02,840
doing this, and it's brilliant. 
It's absolutely brilliant, and 

579
00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,160
there is a deep spiritual truth 
attached to it. 

580
00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,400
Notice what the law says in 
Numbers 1916. 

581
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,680
Whoever in the open field 
touches someone who was killed 

582
00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,480
with a sword or who died 
naturally, or touches a human 

583
00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:20,000
bone or a grave shall be 
unclean. 7 days. 

584
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:23,560
You see what Josiah is doing 
now? 

585
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:30,840
After destroying these false 
things, he ensures that they are

586
00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:35,200
defiled by linking them with 
that which was dead. 

587
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,520
For what reason? 
To make it that much more 

588
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:42,320
difficult for those who would be
tempted to return to false 

589
00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:46,160
worship, because in coming in 
contact with those things, they 

590
00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:48,600
would come into contact with 
human bones and they would 

591
00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:54,800
become ceremonially unclean. 
What is Josiah doing? 

592
00:38:55,440 --> 00:39:01,280
He is putting up obstacles and 
hurdles for the people to not go

593
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:08,800
back to false worship. 
He really wants us to be a final

594
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:14,080
commitment to the Lord. 
In other words, Josiah is doing 

595
00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:17,280
this to make a statement. 
We're not going back. 

596
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,280
We're not. 
Those things are buried. 

597
00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:22,840
Those things are now defiled. 
And if you really want to go 

598
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,400
back to it, you're going to have
to go through a lot to resurrect

599
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:30,040
false worship, because now 
they're associated and linked 

600
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,120
with human bones, with the 
graves of common people. 

601
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:39,240
In your pursuit of obedience and
mind, can I ask you a very, very

602
00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:43,200
important question? 
What do we do? 

603
00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:48,680
What are we doing to make it 
more difficult for us to return 

604
00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:50,080
to the things that we once 
worshipped? 

605
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:59,200
What do we really do to cut off 
old ways to separate ourselves 

606
00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:02,200
from patterns that dishonored 
God? 

607
00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:11,920
Or have you found yourself 
making it very easy to return to

608
00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:19,160
things that you once denounced? 
Is it easy for you to return to 

609
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:24,160
ways of thinking and behaviors 
and places and people that you 

610
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:25,640
vowed that you would never 
return to? 

611
00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:32,160
I'll never forget a meeting long
before I was ever in ministry 

612
00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:39,000
where someone who I knew was 
entrenched in drugs and the 

613
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,320
party lifestyle and he was sick 
of it. 

614
00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:43,400
So he came to a meeting. 
He couldn't even make it to the 

615
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:44,680
meeting. 
He was just weeping through it 

616
00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:47,520
all. 
And finally he just said, I'm 

617
00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:48,400
done. 
I'm sick of it. 

618
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:50,920
I want to repent. 
I want to, I need a change here.

619
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,240
And as he was trying to even 
catch his breath, because he was

620
00:40:56,240 --> 00:41:00,560
heaving, and we discussed the 
gospel with this individual. 

621
00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,000
We eventually called them to 
make a decision. 

622
00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:07,120
Listen, you got to cut off your 
past. 

623
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:12,040
You got to cut off your past. 
And it's as though the Holy 

624
00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:14,520
Spirit on that moment just LED 
that conversation for a few 

625
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:20,400
friends, People who love this 
young man, pick up your phone, 

626
00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,680
go through your contacts and 
delete all the numbers of your 

627
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:25,800
drug dealers. 
You know, it was amazing to 

628
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:27,640
witness. 
How difficult it was for this 

629
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:35,320
person to do that. 
Cut it off, sprinkle death on 

630
00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:39,920
it, make it that much more 
difficult for you to return to 

631
00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:44,200
your sin. 
And so you see, the extent of 

632
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,760
Josiah's obedience here is that 
he determined for it to be a 

633
00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:51,320
permanent choice, and he 
determined to make it that much 

634
00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,000
more difficult for him and 
others to go back to their way 

635
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:58,800
of life. 
So when we repent, we're really 

636
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,440
saying I, I crucify those 
things. 

637
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:03,720
And I myself am crucified to the
world. 

638
00:42:04,800 --> 00:42:08,160
That's what we see here. 
It's brilliant, but it's not the

639
00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:09,760
only thing. 
It's not just the permanency of 

640
00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:11,720
His obedience. 
We also see the priority of it, 

641
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:15,800
the priority of His obedience. 
Let's look at verse 7 and we'll 

642
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:21,640
read down to verse 13. 
And he broke down the houses of 

643
00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,240
the male called prostitutes who 
were in the House of the Lord. 

644
00:42:24,240 --> 00:42:25,960
Just pause for a second. 
Can you believe it? 

645
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:31,600
So God is about to use Babylon 
to remove this people from the 

646
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:33,440
promised land. 
And here you have people 

647
00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:35,560
thinking, don't you think that's
just a little bit too harsh? 

648
00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:37,120
Don't you think it's a little 
bit too extreme? 

649
00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:39,840
OK, think about this. 
In the temple of God you had 

650
00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:46,160
male cult prostitutes in the 
place that was to be 

651
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:48,360
consecrated, in the place that 
was hosting the very glory of 

652
00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:51,560
God. 
You had prostitutes not down the

653
00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:55,680
street in the place. 
And people dare to sit on the 

654
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:57,440
judgement seat and criticize 
God. 

655
00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:02,480
And he broke down the House of 
the male called prostitutes who 

656
00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,680
were in the House of the Lord, 
where the woman wove hangings 

657
00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:08,840
for the ashra. 
It is believed that these women 

658
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:14,720
put together curtains so that 
people can perform sexual acts 

659
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:17,120
behind those veils in the House 
of God. 

660
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:23,440
Verse 8 And he brought all the 
priests out of the cities of 

661
00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:27,760
Judah and defiled the high 
places where the priest had made

662
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:30,080
offerings from Giba to 
Beersheba. 

663
00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:33,200
And he broke down the high 
places of the gates that were at

664
00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:35,560
the entrance of the gate of 
Joshua, the governor of the 

665
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:38,680
city, which were on one's left 
at the gate of the city. 

666
00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:41,280
So another thing that he does, 
hey, all the priests come here, 

667
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:46,480
all of you that worship at these
high places and help the people 

668
00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:49,040
worship at these places that 
were not designated to the true 

669
00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,440
God and not even designated 
places to worship the true God. 

670
00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:59,720
You're fired. 
You're all fired, the priority, 

671
00:43:59,720 --> 00:44:04,520
and we're going to continue. 
Josiah didn't allow people and 

672
00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:07,840
even people in certain positions
to determine from obeying God. 

673
00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:13,360
It's one thing to remove sinful 
entertainment, sinful items, 

674
00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:16,040
sinful decisions. 
It's another thing to remove 

675
00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:20,480
sinful people. 
Sin doesn't just appear out of 

676
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:23,520
the air. 
Sin is encouraged, sin is 

677
00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:27,000
nurtured. 
Sin is invented by people. 

678
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:32,040
And Josiah understood this. 
And so you priest that encourage

679
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:35,520
people in this direction, you're
gone, you're out of here. 

680
00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:38,560
But notice what he does 
Something, something moving. 

681
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:40,880
In verse nine. 
However, the priests of the high

682
00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:44,320
places did not come up to the 
altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, 

683
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:48,280
but they ate unleavened bread 
from among their brothers. 

684
00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:54,840
Here's what's happening that as 
zealous as Josiah was, he did 

685
00:44:54,840 --> 00:45:01,560
not become merciless, and I 
believe Josiah is operating in 

686
00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:05,360
the spirit of the law. 
From the Old Covenant we find 

687
00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:08,960
that there were instructions for
the priests, even priests who 

688
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:12,680
disqualified themselves from 
serving in the Temple primarily 

689
00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:16,360
because of bodily defects. 
One of the ways in which the 

690
00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:19,720
Lord assured their livelihood is
that even though they were 

691
00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:23,080
disqualified from serving in the
House of God, they were still 

692
00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:26,000
allowed to eat from the bread of
the House of God. 

693
00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:29,840
You find that in Leviticus 21. 
You don't have to turn there. 

694
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:34,040
So it could be that Josiah is 
operating with this in mind, 

695
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:36,520
that he's borrowing from the 
spirit of that law. 

696
00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:41,320
And because the priests were 
solely depended upon the 

697
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,120
provisions and the donations in 
the House of God for their own 

698
00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:47,200
survival, he didn't cut that off
from them completely. 

699
00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:49,840
He didn't allow them to starve 
to death. 

700
00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:54,720
And so even in his pursuit, his 
very passionate pursuit for 

701
00:45:54,720 --> 00:45:59,840
purity, this man didn't become 
void of compassion. 

702
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:01,920
And grace. 
And I think that's a temptation 

703
00:46:01,920 --> 00:46:03,600
for people who really want to 
obey God. 

704
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,160
In their great angst, and even 
maybe in their righteous 

705
00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:11,680
indignation, if you're not 
careful, you can go beyond what 

706
00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:19,080
God says and you can begin to 
unnecessarily punish and condemn

707
00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:23,840
and push people away. 
That's not what he's doing here,

708
00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:27,320
is it? 
This is a real reformation. 

709
00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:31,600
And yet he is mindful. 
He is mindful of God's heart for

710
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:34,280
people. 
This is just an incredible 

711
00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:36,000
display of wisdom here and 
grace. 

712
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:38,440
It's just it moved my soul this 
week. 

713
00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:42,120
We're talking about the priority
of his obedience. 

714
00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:46,160
Let's read on in verse 10 and he
defiled Topheth, which is in the

715
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:50,280
valley of the son of Henom, that
no one might burn his son or his

716
00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:52,040
daughter as an offering to 
Molech. 

717
00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:55,480
And he removed the horses at the
kings of Judah had dedicated to 

718
00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:59,520
the son at the entrance of the 
House of the Lord by the Chamber

719
00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:03,760
of Nathan Melek the Chamberlain,
which was in the precincts, And 

720
00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:06,200
he burned the Chariots of the 
sun with fire. 

721
00:47:06,200 --> 00:47:10,360
Let me pause here. 
They got so creative with their 

722
00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:13,360
idolatry that they even 
dedicated. 

723
00:47:13,520 --> 00:47:16,720
It's one thing for kings, 
remember to have many horses. 

724
00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:20,480
Now you had horses with Chariots
that were dedicated to what? 

725
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:28,400
The Sun verse 12 And the altars 
on the roof of the upper Chamber

726
00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:31,800
of Ahaz, which the kings of 
Judah had made, and the altars 

727
00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:34,360
that Manasseh had made in the 
two courts of the House of the 

728
00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:36,520
Lord. 
He pulled down and broke in 

729
00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:39,600
pieces and cast the dust of them
into the brook. 

730
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:43,760
Kidron. 
And the king defiled the high 

731
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,080
places that were east of 
Jerusalem, to the South of the 

732
00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:50,800
Mount of Corruption, which 
Solomon the king of Israel, had 

733
00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:54,680
built for Ashraf, the 
abomination of the Sidonians, 

734
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,040
and for Kimosh the abomination 
of Moab, and for Milkham the 

735
00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:01,880
abomination of the Ammonites. 
And he broke in pieces the 

736
00:48:01,880 --> 00:48:04,480
pillars and cut down the ashram 
and filled their places with the

737
00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:09,040
bones of men. 
The one thing I want to 

738
00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:11,560
highlight, as we're considering 
now the priority of his 

739
00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:15,320
obedience, is how he went to 
this mount called the Mount of 

740
00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:18,800
Corruption. 
And we discussed this when we 

741
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,320
looked at the life of Solomon. 
Because we read there in First 

742
00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:25,760
Kings 11/7. 
That he erected these false 

743
00:48:25,760 --> 00:48:29,960
altars, these false places of 
worship on a mountain east of 

744
00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:31,960
Jerusalem. 
And most believe it was the 

745
00:48:31,960 --> 00:48:34,920
Mount of Olives, at least a part
of the Mount of Olives. 

746
00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:39,240
And over time it developed this 
reputation among the righteous. 

747
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:41,840
It was called the Mount of 
Corruption. 

748
00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:47,320
And what moves me here about 
Josiah is that though this 

749
00:48:47,320 --> 00:48:50,880
mountain and though these things
that were built were associated 

750
00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:53,560
and linked to Solomon, he could 
care less. 

751
00:48:55,800 --> 00:48:58,480
He could care less. 
God's word says this doesn't 

752
00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:02,800
matter what Solomon did for good
didn't matter what his story 

753
00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:05,440
ended up being like this is 
evil, this is sin. 

754
00:49:05,440 --> 00:49:08,760
I'm, I'm getting rid of it. 
And I bring that up because you 

755
00:49:08,760 --> 00:49:12,360
have some people who are not 
really fully, truly, 

756
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:16,240
wholeheartedly obeying God 
because of things like their 

757
00:49:16,240 --> 00:49:20,120
heritage. 
I met people like this, the 

758
00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:24,920
history of their ethnicity, 
right? 

759
00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:31,800
The traditions that they've 
always known, that their 

760
00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:35,640
families have passed down, that 
they were accustomed to it in 

761
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:42,040
different expressions within 
Christendom, the testimonies 

762
00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:44,520
associated with those who 
developed these traditions and 

763
00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:48,080
these ideas and these teachings,
even though they are anti 

764
00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:51,400
biblical. 
And so you have many who 

765
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:56,120
prioritize. 
Things like history and heritage

766
00:49:56,120 --> 00:50:02,720
and ethnicity and nationality 
and tradition over God's Word. 

767
00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,640
This man could care less if it's
not in God's Word. 

768
00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:12,440
More importantly, if it 
contradicts God's Word, I'm 

769
00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:15,440
removing it from my life. 
Do you see the? 

770
00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:22,840
Extent of Josiah's obedience. 
There's one final thing, the 

771
00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:25,880
priority of His obedience we 
just read, but there's also the 

772
00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:29,000
progression of it, the 
progression of His obedience. 

773
00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:35,520
Let's read down here verse 15 to
the last verse of our section of

774
00:50:35,520 --> 00:50:38,160
our study. 
Moreover, the altar at Bethel, 

775
00:50:38,360 --> 00:50:41,920
the high places erected by 
Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, who 

776
00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:45,200
made Israel to sin. 
That altar with the high place 

777
00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:47,960
he pulled down and burned, 
reducing it to dust. 

778
00:50:48,320 --> 00:50:52,120
He also burned the ashrae, and 
as Josiah turned, he saw the 

779
00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:55,160
tombs there on the mount, and he
sent and took the bones out of 

780
00:50:55,160 --> 00:50:58,080
the tombs and burned them on the
altar and defiled it according 

781
00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:00,600
to the word the Lord that the 
man of God proclaimed who had 

782
00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:03,680
predicted these things. 
You remember this right back in 

783
00:51:03,680 --> 00:51:07,880
First Kings 13, there was a man 
who prophesied Josiah by name 

784
00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:11,840
300 to 350 years before he came 
into existence. 

785
00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:16,280
And now that prophetic word is 
coming to pass, verse 17. 

786
00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:19,160
Then he said, what is that? 
Monument that I see. 

787
00:51:19,400 --> 00:51:22,520
And the men out, the men of the 
city told them it is the tomb of

788
00:51:22,520 --> 00:51:25,120
the man of God who came from 
Judah and predicted these things

789
00:51:25,280 --> 00:51:27,280
that you've done against the 
altar at Bethel. 

790
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:31,280
And he said let him be. 
Let no man move his bones, so 

791
00:51:31,280 --> 00:51:33,720
they let his bones alone with 
the bones of the prophet who 

792
00:51:33,720 --> 00:51:37,680
came out of Samaria. 
And Josiah removed all the 

793
00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:40,600
shrines, also the high places 
that were in the cities of 

794
00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:43,120
Samaria. 
Which kings of Israel had made, 

795
00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:46,320
provoking the Lord to anger. 
He did it to them according to 

796
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:50,720
all that he had done at Bethel, 
And he sacrificed all the 

797
00:51:50,720 --> 00:51:53,200
priests of the high places who 
were there on the altars and 

798
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:56,480
burned human bones on them. 
Then he returned to Jerusalem. 

799
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,760
What's different about Josiah's 
actions here? 

800
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:08,160
Any idea? 
The hint is the geography. 

801
00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:12,320
Where did Josiah begin? 
The temple. 

802
00:52:13,080 --> 00:52:16,560
Then he moved outside of 
Jerusalem and what's the first 

803
00:52:16,560 --> 00:52:19,080
thing that we read after he had 
dealt with the amount of 

804
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:21,640
corruption? 
Where was he? 

805
00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:24,880
Somebody said at verse 15, the 
altar at Bethel. 

806
00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:28,200
He went to Bethel, and after 
Bethel, what happened? 

807
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,640
Look down at verse 19. 
He went to the cities of 

808
00:52:31,640 --> 00:52:34,560
Samaria. 
Why is that important to 

809
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:40,120
realize? 
Is Josiah the king of Israel? 

810
00:52:41,560 --> 00:52:44,160
No, he's the king of what, 
Judah? 

811
00:52:45,120 --> 00:52:49,280
These cities are located in the 
northern tribes where the 

812
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:54,800
northern Kingdom of Israel was. 
Now, are the people of Israel in

813
00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:57,600
Samaria and at Bethel? 
No, they were exiled by the 

814
00:52:57,600 --> 00:53:00,480
Assyrians and there was just a 
small population that remained. 

815
00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:05,160
But for whatever reason, Josiah 
felt the need to go beyond his 

816
00:53:05,160 --> 00:53:09,840
area of influence and leadership
and to cleanse as much of God's 

817
00:53:09,840 --> 00:53:15,520
land as possible. 
So this speaks of the 

818
00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:19,920
progression of his obedience, 
that there was not one area that

819
00:53:19,920 --> 00:53:25,040
he left untouched, that as much 
as it was possible, he would 

820
00:53:25,040 --> 00:53:29,800
want every piece of real estate 
to become holy on to God. 

821
00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:34,400
You and I are not dealing with 
properties in our spirituality, 

822
00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:37,080
are we? 
We're dealing with these bodies,

823
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:42,880
these souls, and yet there's 
still instruction here for us 

824
00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:46,840
that we should grow in our 
obedience, that we should long 

825
00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:51,440
for every part of who we are to 
come under His influence and to 

826
00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:54,640
be permeated by His presence and
His power and His truth. 

827
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:58,360
So we see the extent of his 
obedience, right? 

828
00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:05,240
May we imitate this man if we 
long for us to carry the same 

829
00:54:05,240 --> 00:54:08,320
badge of honor. 
Let me end it with this. 

830
00:54:09,240 --> 00:54:16,000
The mount of corruption again, 
it's believed to be the Mount of

831
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:20,840
Olives. 
I see Jesus in this. 

832
00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:30,320
Isn't it significant that this 
place that hosted filth and vile

833
00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:35,800
practices was, yes, cleansed by 
one of these kings, but clearly 

834
00:54:35,800 --> 00:54:41,600
didn't have a lasting impact? 
And yet one king would come, and

835
00:54:41,600 --> 00:54:45,800
he would, with total 
intentionality, make his way to 

836
00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:52,440
the Mount of Olives, and he 
would pray, and he would sweat 

837
00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:57,960
drops of blood, and he would cry
out for the Father's will to be 

838
00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:02,880
accomplished. 
And that very place that was 

839
00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:11,120
littered and polluted by false 
idols hosted the King of Kings 

840
00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:18,120
who would bring a permanent end 
to all kinds of corruption, who 

841
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:23,880
would begin his victorious, 
vicarious death on that mountain

842
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:29,960
and would willingly surrender 
his life to these wicked, vile 

843
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:34,720
men who thought that they had 
authority over him when he, with

844
00:55:34,720 --> 00:55:36,560
his own authority, lay down his 
life. 

845
00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:41,160
And we'll make a statement from 
that mountain. 

846
00:55:42,080 --> 00:55:44,440
I'm going to bring an end to all
corruption. 

847
00:55:45,280 --> 00:55:51,720
Even in this, as wonderful as 
Josiah is, he points to Jesus. 

848
00:55:52,880 --> 00:55:57,240
I leave you with that thought 
and I want to let you know that 

849
00:55:57,240 --> 00:56:01,040
the motive for true obedience 
and the possibility of your 

850
00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:07,440
obedience to be like this man is
only available in Christ. 

851
00:56:08,280 --> 00:56:10,680
It's his power in you. 
It's. 

852
00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:13,880
The grace that he showers over 
your life that gives you the 

853
00:56:13,880 --> 00:56:19,160
motivation to say I want to live
purely for him and I want to 

854
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:23,120
prioritize him. 
I want my obedience to progress 

855
00:56:24,640 --> 00:56:28,840
and I want it to be permanent. 
You can't do it without Christ, 

856
00:56:30,200 --> 00:56:33,560
and He's here ready to help us. 
Can we ask Him to help us? 

857
00:56:34,120 --> 00:56:53,190
Let's do that. 
Father, we acknowledge that this

858
00:56:53,190 --> 00:56:58,190
book is your book. 
This book is alive. 

859
00:56:58,190 --> 00:57:03,270
This book is your voice. 
This book has been granted to 

860
00:57:03,270 --> 00:57:11,040
mankind to provide the wisdom of
God unto salvation and 

861
00:57:11,040 --> 00:57:16,720
transformation into Your image. 
Lord, we thank you for King 

862
00:57:16,720 --> 00:57:20,920
Josiah's example. 
We thank You that You've shown 

863
00:57:20,920 --> 00:57:24,520
us how it is possible to have 
every part of who we are given 

864
00:57:24,520 --> 00:57:28,000
over to who You are. 
Give us the true motive for 

865
00:57:28,000 --> 00:57:33,000
obedience and give us the 
ability to know the extent of 

866
00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:39,920
this caliber and quality of 
obedience may be permanent, may 

867
00:57:39,920 --> 00:57:44,320
it progress, and may be our 
utmost priority no matter what 

868
00:57:44,320 --> 00:57:48,640
it costs us. 
Lord, tonight we afresh give 

869
00:57:48,640 --> 00:57:52,840
ourselves to You joyfully 
because You are a worthy King. 

870
00:57:53,400 --> 00:57:58,520
Thank You that you climbed that 
mountain and you prayed for us 

871
00:57:59,040 --> 00:58:03,320
and You fulfilled the Father's 
will so that you would deliver 

872
00:58:03,320 --> 00:58:09,600
us from every sin imaginable, 
from every bondage, every chain,

873
00:58:09,600 --> 00:58:15,000
anything that has kept us, any 
addiction, any mindset, any 

874
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:19,320
brokenness. 
Lord, You are able to deliver us

875
00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:21,680
from it. 
And if there's even one person 

876
00:58:21,680 --> 00:58:25,240
in here who has not truly been 
saved, we pray that today would 

877
00:58:25,240 --> 00:58:29,480
be the day where they can know 
the power of your obedience on 

878
00:58:29,480 --> 00:58:33,760
our behalf. 
Maybe so in Jesus name, Amen. 

879
00:58:34,640 --> 00:58:36,120
Why don't we stand and worship 
the Lord together? 

880
00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:45,840
So as we conclude this study, 
let me leave you one final 

881
00:58:45,840 --> 00:58:47,880
thought. 
Because sometimes when a message

882
00:58:47,880 --> 00:58:52,280
that's, you know, strictly or 
exclusively on obedience, 

883
00:58:52,280 --> 00:58:54,520
obedience, it can kind of 
overwhelm people, maybe even 

884
00:58:54,520 --> 00:58:56,840
discourage them. 
But there is a point in that 

885
00:58:57,280 --> 00:58:59,960
study that we didn't really 
expound on. 

886
00:59:00,480 --> 00:59:05,240
When Josiah was coming to Bethel
and he was ready to, you know, 

887
00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:08,400
approach Samaria, he had 
encountered the monuments, the 

888
00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:12,880
grave sites of the prophet who 
had predicted his arrival and 

889
00:59:12,880 --> 00:59:15,520
his mission. 
And when he learned of the man 

890
00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:17,480
of God, he had said, nobody 
touches bones. 

891
00:59:18,280 --> 00:59:21,120
Now, what you see in that, I 
believe from God's perspective, 

892
00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:25,360
is that he supervises. 
And he assured that the bones of

893
00:59:25,360 --> 00:59:29,000
his servant back in First Kings 
13 would not be defiled like he 

894
00:59:29,000 --> 00:59:33,200
honored the gravesite of that 
man of God who spoke about 

895
00:59:33,200 --> 00:59:35,560
Josiah. 
And here's what moves me about 

896
00:59:35,560 --> 00:59:37,400
that. 
We remember the. 

897
00:59:37,400 --> 00:59:39,480
Prediction that that man made 
the man of God. 

898
00:59:39,520 --> 00:59:43,160
He was unnamed. 
Was his obedience perfect 

899
00:59:44,520 --> 00:59:46,240
answer? 
No. 

900
00:59:46,760 --> 00:59:49,560
He he went to Jeroboam. 
He pointed his Bony. 

901
00:59:49,560 --> 00:59:52,000
Finger in his face, he told them
what was going to happen to this

902
00:59:52,000 --> 00:59:56,000
altar, to his dynasty, and God 
told them, don't go back the 

903
00:59:56,000 --> 01:00:00,120
same way you came, and don't 
stop for any food, any drink. 

904
01:00:00,120 --> 01:00:02,200
Head back home in a different 
direction. 

905
01:00:02,400 --> 01:00:05,320
Did he fulfill that request? 
No, he failed. 

906
01:00:06,560 --> 01:00:10,760
He failed to the degree that a 
lion killed him on his way home.

907
01:00:13,520 --> 01:00:15,880
It's not very inspirational in 
terms of obedience, right? 

908
01:00:17,680 --> 01:00:22,960
But he was still a man of God, 
and he still lived for God, and 

909
01:00:22,960 --> 01:00:26,720
God still honored him even in 
his death. 

910
01:00:28,360 --> 01:00:32,080
The faithfulness and the 
kindness of God, even in our 

911
01:00:32,080 --> 01:00:36,720
failures, even in our attempt to
serve and obey Him, and we fall 

912
01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:40,160
short, God still finds a way to 
honor us. 

913
01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:42,720
It's remarkable to think about 
his grace. 

914
01:00:43,200 --> 01:00:47,240
So I want you to leave here 
encouraged, not beat up, not 

915
01:00:47,240 --> 01:00:50,360
more exhausted when you came in,
but invigorated, knowing that 

916
01:00:50,360 --> 01:00:53,640
God's grace is not ready to 
supply you the energy to move 

917
01:00:53,640 --> 01:00:56,360
forward, but to even pick you up
if you ever fall. 

918
01:00:57,760 --> 01:01:02,520
Help us remember that Lord, we 
pray, O God, that we would find 

919
01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:06,600
it a joyful thing to live for 
you as we sang earlier. 

920
01:01:06,600 --> 01:01:09,640
Purify our hearts, make us like 
gold. 

921
01:01:11,000 --> 01:01:12,680
Lord, do a work in us to a 
degree. 

922
01:01:12,680 --> 01:01:14,760
Where you see as you see are 
your own reflection. 

923
01:01:14,760 --> 01:01:19,280
And then when people see as they
see your reflection, we trust 

924
01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:22,720
you're able to help us and we 
thank you in advance for it. 

925
01:01:23,240 --> 01:01:26,480
In Jesus name we pray Amen and 
Amen. 

926
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:31,000
Greet someone, bless someone. 
Lord willing, we'll be reunited 

927
01:01:31,000 --> 01:01:33,240
here Sunday as we continue in 
Revelation. 

928
01:01:33,920 --> 01:01:37,800
Listen, in Revelation we are 
looking at the seven seals that 

929
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:41,520
Jesus will break and each of 
them deal with an event that is 

930
01:01:41,520 --> 01:01:44,800
to arrive on the earth preceding
the soon return of the Lord. 

931
01:01:44,800 --> 01:01:46,320
And we're also breaking bread 
together. 

932
01:01:46,320 --> 01:01:48,800
So come with anticipation as we 
worship together. 

933
01:01:48,800 --> 01:01:50,000
God bless you. 
We'll see you soon.