Your God

Our gospel lesson text this morning is taking from 2 Chronicles, we're looking through the book of 2 Chronicles as we have been for a while now. And we look at 2 Chronicles, chapter 35, we'll begin in verse 20. And if you're using the Bible that are in your seats on page 333, I'll give you a moment to find that or if you're using a Bible that you brought from home. 2 Chronicles is a little bit to the left of Psalms and Job there. These are ancient words given to us by inspiration, the Holy Spirit, probably somewhere around 520 BC yet relevant to us today. Here now God's word, this is the word of the Lord. After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neko, King of Egypt, went up to fight at Carcomish on the Euphrates. And Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Neko sent messengers to him saying, what coral is there between you and me, O King of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry to stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you. Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Neko had said at God's command, but went to fight him on the plane of McGueta. Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, take me away, I am badly wounded. So they took him out of his chariot, put him in the other chariot he had, and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah, and to this day all the men and women's singers commemorate Josiah in the laments. These became a tradition in Israel, and are written in the laments. The other events of Josiah's reign, and his acts of devotion, according to what is written in the law of the Lord, all the events from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And the people of the land took Jehoah as Son of Josiah, and made him King in Jerusalem in place of his father. Here in our reading we have a response of thankfulness written for us, here in our bulletin to give thanks to the Lord for giving us this word, let us respond and thanks the word of the Lord.

Let us pray, our father we are grateful to you that by your spirit you have given us this your word. And we are grateful that you are an amazing God who takes events from long ago, recorded long ago, and speaks to men and women boys and girls of all ages. Show us your truths that you had put down here in Scripture to benefit your people of all ages. Show us by your spirit and by your word your character, your good news, that we might live our lives according to it and give us hearts and minds, that by your spirit are receptive to this, that hear your word and adjust and follow, that we might experience your joy. Preach to us Jesus by this your word and by your spirit we ask in your name. Amen. You see here this morning that titled this Gospel lesson the following, your God and your King, what? We've talked about before if you've been around here a while that the idea of King is a harder idea for us to get than say somebody in Great Britain. In Great Britain they well they kind of have a King they have a Prince right now but they have a royal family don't they? And they understand better than us what it's like to be a King but even they would have some trouble because it's a figure had kind of King. And it's hard for us because in our day to day life we are not used to the fact that there would be somebody who is raining over us who in a day can make a decree that drastically affects our lives. We aren't citizens of a kingdom with a King in the civil government in which we are. We've got a president we've got various legislatures at various levels and it's a it's a hodgepodge of things. But the Bible speaks of a King very often whether it's the King of Israel David in his sons or whether it's Jesus the son of David a King himself declaring it's the good news the Kingdom of God has come among you. And indeed as Jesus preaches his good news as he preaches the gospel over and over again something that just kind of doesn't register with us. And I know for years and years and years of my life and being a Christian and trying to follow Jesus when he talked about the Kingdom of God I just always said what what is that why is that the good news. Yet the idea of King is not something that's that's difficult for us to understand it's just that we're not used to it. But it gets at what we've some of you if you are fans of music from the from the sixties like I kind of am Bob Dylan song everybody got to serve somebody and that's that's the concept of King. Everybody's got to serve somebody or maybe even more accurately everybody is serving somebody or something or some goal. An Olympic athlete may spend four years of this life or maybe eight years of her life with one goal and everything will serve that goal. Michael felps you know we'll eat how many 12,000 calories a day you know serving that goal that he can have an energy to to race all those races that he does. But for other people can be various things it can be a prestige in a in a job and having this goal to to to climb up in the corporate structure or the goal can be money. And that the object that's aimed at would be having everything I need in a material way and so what things are done and things serve that king. Having everything that I need materially or that king like with Michael felps having those eight gold medals that was awesome by the way him getting all those. But various things can serve as our king so we don't have to have a physical king over us in our civil government in the United States to understand this idea of being a king or having a king. We can understand king in the essence of this meaning that is what is it that we're serving. What is it that directs what primary thing or maybe we have a couple are driving the things that we do in our lives. Well this passage speaks of something clearly to us as we read about Josiah king of God's people and as we read about Josiah's response to his God and king and heaven above. And this passage speaks forward to Jesus because Josiah was a son of David and Jesus is the son of David. In this passage says to us and if you'd like to fill out blanks in an outline you have an outline in your bulletin and you can follow along in that and fill that out if you want to or if you want to just listen you can just listen and that's fine too. But God says to us first of all this morning that Jesus is the only king worthy of your trust. And we see this in verses 20 through 24 and verse 1 of chapter 36. And we're saying here that Jesus is the only leader and guide in life that is worthy of you following. Now what's going on in this passage here with Josiah and Neko king of Egypt the Pharaoh there and Neko saying the Lord is told to be this and back off what's going on. What we see here is Josiah the king of God's people located in Jerusalem goes out to fight a battle that's not his. And we see that in this passage here Neko says what do I have with you and why are you fighting against me I'm not fighting against you I'm fighting against another royal house. And this house is up on the Euphrates River and that tells us that this house is Babylon. Neko king of Egypt had gone up to fight against the king of Babylon and he was leaving Israel to itself. But Josiah goes up and even with warnings Josiah continues to fight and this reveals for something that we know from history that Josiah is faithful as he was and all kinds of things had entered into an alliance with the king of Babylon. He had entered into an alliance with the king of Babylon a foreign king and why did kings enter into these alliances for protection. It's like in our day our country has certain alliances and it protects us or maybe more recently in our day if you're on survivor you have certain alliances or on the office and that first season you have certain alliances that you establish for your own protection. And well being that's Freddie's favorite episode of the office by the way the alliance the survivor episode Josiah had done this. Now we read about in Psalm 118 this morning it is better to take refuge in the Lord than the trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. And Josiah gets out of whack here. He gets out of a court God's word forbid God's kings David and his sons from forming alliances for their own protection because why the Lord said I am your protection. I am the one who guards you. I am the one who keeps you safe in the promised land. I am the one who gives you milk and honey. I am the one who's brought you out of Egypt out of your slavery and given you this land have your trust your hope always be in me. But Josiah thought for his protection and safety he would need to enter into this alliance with the king of Babylon. Now for us how does this relate to today? Well the Bible and Jesus speak of what we don't like to speak of hell. Jesus talked about it a bunch the Bible talks about it a bunch old the New Testament talks of hell and this is the ultimate in unprotection if such as a word. The ultimate in unprotection that is this is the thing that every human being must face one day or the other their own mortality their own death. And when that day comes for you and for me each one of us needs protection. Needs protection from Satan we read Bob read for us this morning that we've been delivered Paul's he went around preaching what he was doing was helping people be delivered from the kingdom of darkness the kingdom of Satan brought into the kingdom of Jesus. And so the question for each person becomes where are you where am I going to get my protection as I face my own death and judgment. This is an enemy far worse than Josiah had to deal with during his day. What does God say to us about this in this text? Well it tells us this that Josiah got it wrong. Joseph said Josiah for all his faithfulness throughout the rest of his life in this manner he got it wrong. And how do we know he gets it wrong? Well we're told that the Lord himself has said Josiah back off. And then when Josiah doesn't back off when he doesn't turn away from what he was planning to do he dies. Josiah looks to other alliances. He looks to other things that might protect him and so as I like to do often if you've been around here awhile to ask the doctor Phil question how's that working for you Josiah trusting in other things. Or we ask ourselves in our day how's that working for me trusting in other things besides Jesus to be my king and protector in life and in death. Well when we ask Josiah the question how's that working for you trusting in another king besides the Lord is king to protect you how's that working for you Josiah says well not too well it got me killed. In other words for Josiah this text communicates to us that trusting in something or someone else other than God himself is disaster. So when you think about eternal life when you think about hardships in your life point number one in your outline here look to and trust that's your blank there trust look to interest in Jesus for your well being for your well being now for your well being in your eternity he is the only deliverer and king worthy of your trust. That is in progressing on in your outline here eternal life and freedom from God's judgment against your sins is the Bible says entirely that's your blank entirely based on whether or not you trust Jesus for forgiveness. The Bible makes it that clear it makes it that simple that Jesus alone is the one who can protect us from the eternal condemnation that each one of us deserves and that this offer of protection is available for every person. It's a call that goes out and as many as believe to them he gives eternal life and the right to become children of God. So eternal life and scripture is entirely based on whether or not you trust in Jesus for forgiveness we saw this at the end of the acts passage that Bob read for us this morning Paul says in this message that as many as believe in Jesus it's those who believe who have their sins forgiven. And going on in your outline to look somewhere else for your well being for eternity is like it was for Josiah disaster. To look somewhere else for your well being and eternity is disaster so the message for us don't look to other that's your blank don't look to other things for your well being. Here's some other things that are common for us knowing who we are as people as human beings as individuals what's common for us to look to for our well being a number of things God says to you don't look to your own righteousness that's your first blank there in this series not to your own righteousness. God spends a lot of time talking to us and scripture about this that our righteousness is not good enough for him each of us at our best is not righteous enough for him he is completely and utterly holy and sinless. And so we read in Isaiah that God considers our righteousness our best as filthy rags let's just be real on God says your righteousness to me is as filthy rags so this passage teaches us just like Josiah should have listened don't trust in a foreign king don't trust in someone else besides God for your forgiveness for your eternal life trust in God got along trust in God. And Jesus alone because if you trust in your own righteousness that's not good enough that's a foolish bet that your righteousness will be good enough Jesus said unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and Sadducees you will not obtain eternal life. So don't trust in your own righteousness nor should you look like look for for your own well being to material well that's your next blank there to material wealth and that can be a goal of many of us and many as they live their life in this world that I just had enough stuff if I could buy everything that I wanted to then I would be happy my well being would be assured. Betsy and I are enjoying sometimes when we're dumb enough to stay up this late we've been watching the it's 50 point 50 point to on the digital scale and it comes in somewhere in some other channels it's it's the retro network retro TV network RTN I think is what they call that and they've got they've got on their all these old shows like Khoi 50 and magnum PI. Night gallery and old Rod Sirling thing from 1972 they also have the old Alfred Hitchcock show and we watch the Alfred Hitchcock show I think Friday night it comes on like at 12 30 and now we're sitting there just you know it's one of the times where you just don't turn off the TV when you should have turned it off an hour ago. But it was just a story that's half hour show show show about this guy and he finds on the street this wall and this wall it contains 5200 dollars which at that time could have bought a house. And so they debate what to do and they're going to turn the money into the police and hopefully get a reward but the husband keeps this from his wife he just keeps the money and tells his wife that he he went to the the family that had advertising the newspaper. That they had lost the wallet he tells his wife that he had returned it but didn't get a reward but he keeps the money and she finds out and it ends up it's kind of a Romeo and Juliet scene at the end. He gets mad at her because she found the money has been kept and so she buys a fur coat she buys all this new furniture she buys all this stuff in this. He's a guy so drives him crazy buying stuff at the store but she's mad at him because that he's not letting her buy anymore so she poisons his coffee and so at the end he hits her over the head with this statue thing that she's bought and she dies but then he drinks her coffee that she's poison. So they both end up dead but you know something we've seen in a lot of film and stories but something we've also seen like with lottery winners for instance it ruins their lives the friendships are severed relationship with relatives are severed. So some money and material things we can see just from common life are not the answer for our well being in fact they can make things worse in some instances. So don't look to material well for your well being and don't look to next thing and abundance of friends now I remember talking to one of my high school friends probably about my two about two years after graduating from high school and he had a new philosophy of life his name is Tom and Tom was telling me you know college isn't about the stuff you learn but it's about the friends you make. So we're going to have those friends for a lifetime now subtext here I don't want to study and I'd rather party and this gives me an excuse but you know for those of you who have been out of school for a while you know how well if you've moved away that you're keeping up with your college or high school friends not not real well I wonder what Tom is saying right now sometimes events can change and all your friends can turn away from you it's the lesson of Jesus he invested three years of his life in twelve people and when his hour of need came when everybody turned away from him so did they friends are a shaky thing don't trust in friends for your well being rejoice when you have them but that's not the solid thing in which word in which word of trust and then next don't trust in accomplishment this is a big one for me when I was growing up thinking that if I can accomplish so much or reach a certain position in life that that will bring me happiness and many of you know the story of Pete Maravitch and his goal in life was to use a basketball player if he had an NBA championship ring then he would be satisfied and so he practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced you know he went to brought in high school here in Raleigh and went to Louisiana State and played well there and then got into the NBA and just maybe the most talented shooter in basketball of all time even including Michael Jordan and the things he could do dribbling just great but one year with the Boston Celtics he won an NBA championship ring and he writes in his biography and my life was completely empty and I was completely surprised fortunately Pete found where that satisfaction that well being comes from and he found Jesus he turned to Jesus to be his king to be his source of well being and he died in that faith so last blank for you here in this section forgiveness is only through faith in Jesus don't look other places keep that in your focus that forgiveness is only in Jesus look to and trust Jesus for your well being here now in an eternity second thing this morning that God communicates to us that God tells us in this text now God in his kindness here tells us that a well being in this life is related to what we see in that first verse in chapter 36 what's that verse about chapter 36 first verse it's when God's people after Josiah's death they bring this the son of David the son of Josiah to be their king they bring a man and they they enthroned him and that's a message for us today not to not to enthrone the son of Josiah Jehovah has as King but to make the son of David the ultimate son of David the ultimate one in the line of David your king and my king and so that's our point number two God says to you and to me this morning make Jesus your king your leader this is an example to us where Josiah is an example of what not to do to trust in other things for our well being the people of Jerusalem here the God's own people are an example of what in fact we should be doing enthroning the son of David over us as king and leader of each of our lives what does this mean to make Jesus your king this means next blank for you to follow his instructions to follow his instructions and in verses 21 and 22 we see a necocent messengers to Josiah saying what quarrel is there between you and me oh king of Judah is it not you it is not you I'm attacking at this time but the house with which I'm at war in other words I'm attacking Babylon then he says this God has told me to hurry so stop opposing God who is with me or he will destroy you however Josiah would not turn away from him but disguise himself to engage him in battle he would not listen to what neko had said at God's command but went to fight him on the plane of me get out anyway now we see God speaking sometimes through prophets sometimes through priests sometimes through animals a donkey of Balan speaks the words of God and sometimes it's through foreign kings we see the word of God coming through Cyrus the king of Persia for one and other kings as well but we see here that God brings his word to neko king and Pharaoh of Egypt and this word he has spoken to Josiah at God's command to not fight to withdraw and this teaches us that when God speaks we should follow again Josiah is a negative example here this means for us in our lives that you and here's your couple of blanks here this means that you turn away that you turn away from what from what you've decided to do sometimes that's where we are in our lives an occurrence comes up an event a set of circumstances a decision we need to make and we decide to do something and we even tell others about what we're going to do and we make steps to do that thing this all describes Josiah here but what God says to us here and please with us here as his children don't because you've decided to do something don't because you've made steps to enact what you've decided to do don't keep going in that way if I tell you in my word to do otherwise sometimes a person might make us angry sometimes a person might hate us and do things against us and our natural reaction will be to plan revenge or to say something bad about this person but God in his word tells us to use our mouths to love our enemies and he tells us to those who are enemies or those who even persecute us to pray for them and God tells us in his word vengeance is mine say it the boy don't take vengeance to yourself David came David almost six vengeance for himself once and he's he's prevented to by Abigail and he rejoices and David is a good example here of already commanding his troops to go out against Naval who has spurned him and to put Naval to death Abigail comes out with God's word and she says no don't do this thing and David responds as we should respond he turns away from his original plan he turns away from what he had decided to do because God has spoken to him so this means you turn away from what you've decided to do when God tells you in his word the Bible that you should be doing something else that's your that's your blank there at the end of that sentence now note here I'm not talking about impressions sometimes God wants you to do something that's going to be very difficult for you to do and if you go by impressions at that point you're going to bail if you're anything like me you're going to bail on doing what God would want you to do and so we're saying the center of our focus the way God speaks to today is through his word the Bible if God tells us in the Bible to pray for those who persecute us when someone persecutes us we don't seek revenge we pray for them that's just one example but when God's word tells us to do something even if we're well involved in enacting a different plan the issue here is that we repent we return we turn away as Josiah should have done in this passage to not listen to the review of the Lord through Pharaoh Pharaoh Neko king of Egypt was Josiah's disaster so realize this about God because God loves you because God loves his children he gives us the Bible and through it he corrects us that's your blank there because God loves his children he corrects them and so when you're in that place where you've decided something to do and you read God's word and tells you what you're doing is wrong and that you need to do something else be encouraged God loves you and because he loves you he's correcting you he's preventing you from trouble he's protecting you from harm and destruction just like he was trying to do for Josiah his son here God corrects his children for their own good and the case in point that we have before us here is Josiah you know my dad was a great corrector my father corrected me all the time but he never nagged me he was a really good corrector and the way he was a good corrector and he's a good teacher too he got in my shoes so to speak and I didn't realize that he was doing this and I even realized that more as I was preparing this gospel lesson for us this morning my dad got in my shoes and the way he did this is he'd say if there was a situation he was you know my dad played basketball and I played basketball and he'd say you know John when you're playing and sometimes this situation comes up he'd get in my shoes I'd say yeah and all of a sudden we were together he was he was with me and I was with him we had identified a common problem instead of saying John you keep doing this and it's wrong and you got to do this other thing and my dad didn't do it that way he could have corrected me that way and if I were wise I would have listened to him but he didn't do it that way it's a John you know when you're going in for a layup and you're going into a crowd of people and you get fouled you're getting hacked and you hear the whistle blow you know how your natural reaction when that all that's going on you hear the whistle blow is to quit that is you know you got the foul shots coming up because you heard the whistle blown they called the foul and you quit and you don't try to make the layup when that happens get the ball be strong and you grab my grab my forearm sorry he grabbed my forearms and said get some strength in your arms and get that ball up there and get that in the hoop because if you get it you don't know if you're going to make those two foul shots and if you score those two points there you could make three points see my dad loved me and he wanted me to succeed whether it was on a basketball court who cares how significant is that but whether it's on a basketball court or in life he wanted me to succeed and so he corrected me because he loved me I don't know how many points I scored because of his correction I started doing that when I get hacked I get I get strength in my arms and go up anywhere and fight through it and get that ball on the on the backboard where I needed to get it so I could drop in so maybe I'd have chance a chance for for three points instead of have no points and then maybe miss both of the foul shots and it's the same with God God's a good father and he loves us and that's why God corrects us he wants us to get three points instead of none so to speak so here God now and this is your last blank here as a Christian always respond always respond to God's correction God has your best interests God is loving you as he corrects you in his word sometimes it won't make sense sometimes God will tell you something to do in his word that is completely counterintuitive and just the opposite of what you would have done on your own but trust him don't trust in Babylon don't trust in any other king don't rely yourself with the prince of your mind that's thinking something else different but trust in the Lord and in him and refuge in him and entrusting him he will help you in your life experience his protection and his blessing let's pray Jesus you are a good king and as a human being taking on human flesh you are not like Josiah going in a different route than God your father wanted you to go but you went the very route that your father told you to go that is to the cross and trusting in your father going to the cross your father was faithful and he raised you from the dead and gave you the name that is above every name as he seated you at his right hand to be honored worshipped and glorified you are our example Jesus help us to trust in you and you alone for our protection for our well-being and so that we get to be with you in heaven as well when that day comes when we take our last breath but help us as well Lord in this life as you correct us through your word to always respond to always change direction to go in the direction that you say we should be going thank you for giving us your spirit by which you strengthen us to do that we know that no temptation you that comes to us is stronger than what we are able to say no to no direction you call us to go is beyond what we are able because we have your spirit thank you for this causes to be strong causes to always look to you for our well-being and eternity and our well-being here as we listen to your word we ask Jesus in your name Amen