201 00:24:35.225 --> 00:24:38.325 So I'm Judy, listen, my husband Tim or the Bradleys, 202 00:24:38.465 --> 00:24:42.645 and we've been going to Hope Church since 2020, 203 00:24:42.785 --> 00:24:47.565 so about four years. So to give you a brief explanation of what Lighthouse is, 204 00:24:47.835 --> 00:24:52.765 it's its opportunity to serve families who have children that are 205 00:24:52.905 --> 00:24:55.525 or have went through childhood cancer. For. 206 00:24:55.525 --> 00:24:57.205 Us, our first experience at Lighthouse, 207 00:24:57.345 --> 00:25:02.325 it was just connecting to the families and the children's that we 208 00:25:02.326 --> 00:25:05.125 were serving and the families that we were serving with. 209 00:25:05.965 --> 00:25:08.405 'cause we could never imagine losing one of our children. 210 00:25:08.945 --> 00:25:13.484 And so all of these families have faced potentially losing a child and the 211 00:25:13.565 --> 00:25:17.805 children had actually faced death. So for us with Lighthouse, um, 212 00:25:18.065 --> 00:25:20.765 it was an opportunity for the kids to come and be kids. 213 00:25:20.835 --> 00:25:25.765 Whether they're in the pool swimming or playing nine Square or cornhole. Um, 214 00:25:25.785 --> 00:25:27.005 the fire trucks come, 215 00:25:27.006 --> 00:25:30.845 they'll bring fire trucks and police cars and emergency vehicles. 216 00:25:30.945 --> 00:25:35.205 And it's just a time for the families to relax and to finally not just be 217 00:25:35.275 --> 00:25:38.645 focused on one person in the family and for the parents. 218 00:25:38.795 --> 00:25:42.975 They finally got to spend time with other people that have been through 219 00:25:42.976 --> 00:25:46.095 something similar. It was really good in that aspect to, 220 00:25:46.195 --> 00:25:48.855 to just let them feel normal for a week. 221 00:25:48.855 --> 00:25:53.415 Lighthouse tells you that every year at retreat you'll hear someone 222 00:25:53.675 --> 00:25:55.695 ask, why are all these people here for us? 223 00:25:56.234 --> 00:25:59.295 And Tim got to hear that on our first trip. 224 00:25:59.715 --> 00:26:01.535 The dad asked, uh, 225 00:26:01.635 --> 00:26:06.494 how they had so many people there and I told him it was all for their two and a 226 00:26:06.575 --> 00:26:09.535 half year old that was on his shoulders. You know, we couldn't, 227 00:26:09.994 --> 00:26:14.415 we couldn't understand what they had went through. And, um, 228 00:26:14.835 --> 00:26:19.175 having a two and a half year old that had faced death and being the parents and 229 00:26:19.176 --> 00:26:24.135 having to deal with that. And so the least we could do is to come and serve. 230 00:26:24.875 --> 00:26:28.095 If we all just treated everybody else the way we wanted to be treated, 231 00:26:28.805 --> 00:26:32.415 life would just be so much easier. And so for us, 232 00:26:32.605 --> 00:26:37.095 it's just going there and taking the time to just love on people 233 00:26:37.435 --> 00:26:41.175 and to let 'em know that they're important and that they don't have to, 234 00:26:42.165 --> 00:26:44.605 they don't have to fight these fights alone. You know, 235 00:26:44.606 --> 00:26:45.725 they're not by their self. 236 00:26:46.425 --> 00:26:50.925 It is probably the most enjoyable and also one of the most 237 00:26:51.234 --> 00:26:56.125 emotional, um, missions that we've served on. But it's, 238 00:26:56.395 --> 00:27:00.365 it's local. You don't need a passport. You don't have to fly anywhere. 239 00:27:00.585 --> 00:27:01.845 You can take your kids. 240 00:27:02.225 --> 00:27:05.885 You know, oftentimes you hear just do it right, just go do it. Go follow. 241 00:27:06.525 --> 00:27:10.605 And it is as easy as that. But it is as hard as that too, um, 242 00:27:10.606 --> 00:27:15.565 because of the unknown and the, um, opportunity that fear cripples. 243 00:27:16.185 --> 00:27:21.125 And what if, and I just can't urge you enough, urge someone enough to just, 244 00:27:21.425 --> 00:27:23.085 not to consider it, but to just do it. 245 00:27:31.484 --> 00:27:35.285 Hello? Is everybody doing All right? Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Well, 246 00:27:35.286 --> 00:27:38.645 we are gonna go ahead and get rolling quick 'cause we have a lot of ground to 247 00:27:38.725 --> 00:27:40.244 cover today. Uh, as you heard earlier, 248 00:27:40.625 --> 00:27:42.845 we are starting a brand new series this week called, 249 00:27:43.205 --> 00:27:47.845 this is the Word of the Lord, and this entire series is about the Bible. 250 00:27:48.744 --> 00:27:50.405 And maybe you hear that and you're like, well, Aaron, 251 00:27:50.406 --> 00:27:53.845 don't we talk about the Bible every week? , uh, sort of kind of, right? 252 00:27:53.846 --> 00:27:57.244 Like we talk from the Bible, we teach from the Bible, 253 00:27:57.285 --> 00:28:01.285 usually there's a passage and we walk through it and we, we talk about, uh, 254 00:28:01.345 --> 00:28:02.365 the things that are in here. 255 00:28:02.385 --> 00:28:06.645 But what we're actually gonna be talking about for the next four weeks is what 256 00:28:06.646 --> 00:28:10.365 is the Bible? What is it, what is it not? How do we read it? 257 00:28:10.385 --> 00:28:11.445 How do we not read it? 258 00:28:11.744 --> 00:28:15.325 And I know there may be some people in here who you feel like this feels a 259 00:28:15.525 --> 00:28:19.805 little bit basic or it feels a little bit elementary like, okay, like we, 260 00:28:19.905 --> 00:28:22.405 we get it, it's the Bible, we pull it out every week and you know, 261 00:28:22.406 --> 00:28:23.805 that's how we go. But um, 262 00:28:23.965 --> 00:28:27.165 I actually wanna take a moment before we get too far into things and I want us 263 00:28:27.166 --> 00:28:30.645 to go through an assessment together, okay? And, uh, these questions, 264 00:28:30.725 --> 00:28:34.885 I don't want you to answer them out loud, but they're not rhetorical either. 265 00:28:35.395 --> 00:28:37.925 Sometimes you hear a question and you're just like, Hmm, that's a good question. 266 00:28:37.945 --> 00:28:41.045 But then you don't actually answer it in your brain. So it's not rhetorical. 267 00:28:41.165 --> 00:28:44.685 I actually want you to think about your honest answer to these and don't answer 268 00:28:44.686 --> 00:28:48.365 these the way you think you should. This is a moment between you and God, 269 00:28:48.366 --> 00:28:51.765 answer them honestly, give yourself an honest assessment. Okay? So here we go. 270 00:28:52.985 --> 00:28:55.685 How important is the Bible to you? 271 00:28:59.305 --> 00:29:00.138 Number two, 272 00:29:00.705 --> 00:29:04.685 how many times a week do you interact with the Bible 273 00:29:05.235 --> 00:29:07.245 outside of church or small group? 274 00:29:10.795 --> 00:29:12.885 Have you read the Bible in its entirety? 275 00:29:15.285 --> 00:29:19.185 And are you sure , because I know that was me for a long time. I'm like, 276 00:29:19.186 --> 00:29:20.865 surely I've covered all the ground by now, right? 277 00:29:20.866 --> 00:29:22.665 I've been in church for a long time, but honestly have, 278 00:29:22.666 --> 00:29:25.505 do you know for a fact that you've covered everything that's in there? 279 00:29:26.725 --> 00:29:30.825 And then if you have, do you believe everything that the Bible has to say? 280 00:29:33.015 --> 00:29:35.055 Why do you believe everything that the Bible has to say? 281 00:29:36.835 --> 00:29:40.815 If you bumped into someone on the street who you knew relatively well, 282 00:29:40.835 --> 00:29:43.965 but they knew nothing about God, they knew nothing about Christianity, 283 00:29:44.035 --> 00:29:46.805 they knew nothing about the Bible, and they asked you, Hey, 284 00:29:47.065 --> 00:29:49.885 can you describe the book to me? What would you say? 285 00:29:53.625 --> 00:29:54.458 How about this one? 286 00:29:55.035 --> 00:29:59.965 When was the last time that you challenged yourself to memorize a verse or a 287 00:29:59.966 --> 00:30:02.445 passage of scripture to have the word written on your heart? 288 00:30:05.395 --> 00:30:06.365 This one's a little bit tough. 289 00:30:06.395 --> 00:30:09.725 When was the last time that you read something in scripture that bothered you? 290 00:30:11.265 --> 00:30:12.325 And then what did you do with it? 291 00:30:16.095 --> 00:30:18.355 So in light of those questions, I want to ask you one more, 292 00:30:19.635 --> 00:30:24.235 I wanna revisit where we started. How important is the Bible to you really? 293 00:30:27.495 --> 00:30:29.235 Now, if you're anything like me, you know, 294 00:30:29.345 --> 00:30:31.555 this assessment that I've just asked you to give yourself, 295 00:30:31.556 --> 00:30:33.035 it's not gonna be graded, but in your brain, 296 00:30:33.215 --> 00:30:35.395 you probably give yourself a pass fail, right? 297 00:30:35.396 --> 00:30:39.795 Either I'm doing really good or I'm doing really bad, or somewhere in between. 298 00:30:40.395 --> 00:30:43.275 Lemme talk to my really bad people for just a second. Uh, 299 00:30:43.455 --> 00:30:47.475 the bar for pass isn't as high as you may think it is. Um, 300 00:30:47.695 --> 00:30:49.315 the American Bible Society, 301 00:30:49.755 --> 00:30:52.435 they're this organization who every year they publish, uh, 302 00:30:52.436 --> 00:30:56.515 what they call the state of the Bible. And basically what they do is they, uh, 303 00:30:56.945 --> 00:31:00.835 take polls and census throughout America to figure out what is America's 304 00:31:01.035 --> 00:31:02.835 relationship with the Bible. 305 00:31:02.935 --> 00:31:07.195 And so they wanted to figure out how many Americans, uh, 306 00:31:07.345 --> 00:31:10.075 have an ongoing relationship with their Bible. 307 00:31:10.655 --> 00:31:13.635 And the number comes in at 39%. Okay? 308 00:31:13.795 --> 00:31:17.155 39% of Americans would say that they have an ongoing relationship with their 309 00:31:17.156 --> 00:31:19.275 Bible. Here's where the problem comes in. 310 00:31:20.975 --> 00:31:24.675 In order to kind of put parameters around this and define what is a relationship 311 00:31:24.676 --> 00:31:26.755 with the Bible looks like they askeded. 312 00:31:26.855 --> 00:31:31.555 How many of you interact with the Bible at least three or four times 313 00:31:32.635 --> 00:31:37.635 a year outside of a church setting? That's not a week, 314 00:31:37.636 --> 00:31:39.715 that's not a month over the course of a year. 315 00:31:40.255 --> 00:31:42.875 And so you think about it for anybody who would say, yeah, 316 00:31:42.876 --> 00:31:44.795 the Bible is important to me. Even if you haven't, 317 00:31:44.796 --> 00:31:46.875 if somebody asks you that question, you'd probably be like, well, 318 00:31:46.876 --> 00:31:49.075 surely I opened it three or four times this year, right? 319 00:31:49.255 --> 00:31:53.355 So realistically that 39% is probably even a little bit lower than that. 320 00:31:54.855 --> 00:31:57.995 And so there's this crisis that's going on, I would say, in our country, 321 00:31:58.095 --> 00:32:01.715 in our world, and that crisis is biblical illiteracy. 322 00:32:01.716 --> 00:32:05.195 And that's really what we're gonna be addressing through the course of this 323 00:32:05.196 --> 00:32:08.155 series. And so I want you to think about this book. You know, 324 00:32:08.156 --> 00:32:11.955 one of the questions I asked you was how would you describe the Bible to someone 325 00:32:12.055 --> 00:32:17.035 on the street? And I think in its simplest, most profound, uh, way, 326 00:32:17.775 --> 00:32:21.795 we define this as the word of the Lord. 327 00:32:23.335 --> 00:32:26.435 And I want you to think about it that way and then kind of ask yourself some of 328 00:32:26.436 --> 00:32:28.795 those questions again. Right? So what if we, 329 00:32:28.796 --> 00:32:31.675 what if we rephrase those from earlier? What if I asked you, Hey, 330 00:32:32.335 --> 00:32:34.875 how important is the word of the Lord to you? 331 00:32:37.295 --> 00:32:40.245 And don't change your answer because it's the same question, right? 332 00:32:41.025 --> 00:32:45.725 How important is God's message or his opinions or his promises or his character 333 00:32:46.005 --> 00:32:47.205 in the way he reveals that to you? 334 00:32:48.355 --> 00:32:51.965 When was the last time that God spoke to you and it immediately affected the way 335 00:32:51.966 --> 00:32:55.605 that you live your life? And lemme paraphrase that one question I had, 336 00:32:55.725 --> 00:33:00.685 you revisit, how important is God's voice to you? And again, 337 00:33:00.686 --> 00:33:03.485 don't change the answer because we're still talking about the same thing. 338 00:33:03.486 --> 00:33:06.285 This is how he reveals himself to us. 339 00:33:08.345 --> 00:33:12.045 And so we realize that there are some natural hurdles that we all have as we go 340 00:33:12.046 --> 00:33:14.525 through scripture. And so those are the things that, um, 341 00:33:14.595 --> 00:33:17.005 that we're gonna address. Okay? Um, 342 00:33:17.015 --> 00:33:19.805 we're talking about the idea of biblical literacy, and I've been kind of, 343 00:33:19.995 --> 00:33:23.445 I've been toying around with this working definition of what biblical literacy 344 00:33:23.505 --> 00:33:25.845 is. Um, because lemme tell you what it's not, 345 00:33:26.435 --> 00:33:31.285 it's not being able to crush Bible trivia like that alone is not 346 00:33:31.605 --> 00:33:33.165 biblical literacy. Lemme tell you this, uh, 347 00:33:33.166 --> 00:33:36.445 when I was at the University of New Orleans, I had a professor, 348 00:33:36.625 --> 00:33:40.205 an English professor, who was a very outspoken atheist. 349 00:33:40.665 --> 00:33:44.445 And the next semester I was signing up for classes and I was scroll looking down 350 00:33:44.446 --> 00:33:44.686 the list, 351 00:33:44.686 --> 00:33:49.565 and I realized she was teaching a class called the Bible is Literature. Uh, 352 00:33:49.566 --> 00:33:53.125 and so as an English teacher, she knew the nuances of the Bible. 353 00:33:53.225 --> 00:33:56.645 She could pinpoint all of the connections between the Old Testament and the New 354 00:33:56.845 --> 00:33:57.765 Testament. She, uh, 355 00:33:57.766 --> 00:34:00.885 could talk about all the different literary styles and the different genres of 356 00:34:00.886 --> 00:34:01.345 the Bible. 357 00:34:01.345 --> 00:34:04.245 She knew that it was originally written in the Hebrew and the Aramaic and the 358 00:34:04.246 --> 00:34:05.325 Greek. And how do we, uh, 359 00:34:05.326 --> 00:34:07.965 take those and translate them into our English language? But guess what? 360 00:34:08.105 --> 00:34:11.565 She never had a profound and genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit. 361 00:34:13.065 --> 00:34:16.565 And I think for us, even as Bible carrying believers, 362 00:34:16.715 --> 00:34:19.725 it's very common and very easy for that to happen. 363 00:34:19.905 --> 00:34:22.925 So when I talk about biblical literacy, what are we talking about? It's this, 364 00:34:23.085 --> 00:34:25.605 and we're gonna leave it up for a while for my note takers in case you need some 365 00:34:25.606 --> 00:34:28.125 time to go through it. 'cause a little long. 366 00:34:28.745 --> 00:34:33.645 But biblical literacy is the ability to know the scriptures and the 367 00:34:33.646 --> 00:34:34.605 God who inspired them, 368 00:34:35.825 --> 00:34:40.645 and to rightly interpret and apply its 369 00:34:40.646 --> 00:34:44.805 meaning to our lives in ways that shape us into the image of Jesus. 370 00:34:46.645 --> 00:34:48.925 Okay? So this is kind of a, it's a four part thing, okay? 371 00:34:48.945 --> 00:34:52.685 The first is to know the scripture. So that just starts on a basic level. 372 00:34:52.705 --> 00:34:55.605 You gotta read it and know what it says, but beyond that, 373 00:34:55.625 --> 00:34:59.605 to have a relationship with the God who wrote it, uh, who inspired them, 374 00:35:00.225 --> 00:35:03.445 and then to be able to rightly interpret them. So I read this, 375 00:35:03.446 --> 00:35:08.245 but now I'm trying to figure out what does it mean and then to apply that truth 376 00:35:08.265 --> 00:35:12.925 to our lives in a way that shapes us into the image of Jesus. That four part, 377 00:35:13.485 --> 00:35:16.925 um, it's almost like this puzzle made up of four parts that when we, uh, 378 00:35:17.165 --> 00:35:18.125 internalize all of those, 379 00:35:18.355 --> 00:35:21.485 that is how we can know if we're truly biblically literate. And so, uh, 380 00:35:21.486 --> 00:35:23.125 every week when we talk about the Bible, you know, 381 00:35:23.126 --> 00:35:27.325 I want you to think about those weeks kind of as, uh, us giving you a fish. 382 00:35:27.765 --> 00:35:30.765 And the next four weeks is gonna be us, you teaching you how to fish, 383 00:35:31.385 --> 00:35:32.445 how when you're on your own, 384 00:35:32.446 --> 00:35:34.765 when you're trying to navigate this book to walk through it. 385 00:35:34.885 --> 00:35:38.165 And so lemme just give you a quick preview of what to expect next week. Um, 386 00:35:38.315 --> 00:35:41.525 Jason's gonna be back and he is going to hold your breath, 387 00:35:42.364 --> 00:35:46.445 leave you through the entire story of scripture, like Genesis to Revelation, 388 00:35:46.665 --> 00:35:49.125 what's going on there, because I think a lot of us, uh, 389 00:35:49.126 --> 00:35:52.045 what we know of the Bible is just kind of these verses that have been picked out 390 00:35:52.046 --> 00:35:54.645 or maybe these random stories and things like that. 391 00:35:54.745 --> 00:35:59.525 But the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, even though it's 66 different books, 392 00:35:59.875 --> 00:36:01.925 it's one collection that tells one story. 393 00:36:01.926 --> 00:36:05.965 So he's gonna talk to us about what that story is. Um, the following week, 394 00:36:05.995 --> 00:36:09.205 I'll be back with you and we're gonna be talking about how we can be sure that 395 00:36:09.364 --> 00:36:13.605 scripture is true. We live in an information age right now, 396 00:36:14.105 --> 00:36:19.085 and there is so much misinformation and false theology and false doctrine 397 00:36:19.086 --> 00:36:19.919 flying around. 398 00:36:20.145 --> 00:36:23.325 And I can't tell you how many people I know who have been lifelong Christians 399 00:36:23.555 --> 00:36:25.765 that see one thing on the internet and they're like, man, 400 00:36:25.864 --> 00:36:28.685 my faith feels like a house of cards that's crumbling down. 401 00:36:28.705 --> 00:36:33.245 So the purpose of that week will be to how do we, uh, discern truth from lies? 402 00:36:33.965 --> 00:36:37.525 Um, and how do we learn to trust the Bible more than TikTok? 403 00:36:37.844 --> 00:36:40.325 And then week four, uh, 404 00:36:40.385 --> 00:36:42.605 I'm actually really excited about at all of our campuses, 405 00:36:42.606 --> 00:36:45.085 we're gonna have live teaching from all of our campus pastors. 406 00:36:45.085 --> 00:36:48.205 And basically this is gonna be a workshop, uh, uh, to teach is Us, 407 00:36:48.225 --> 00:36:49.485 how do I actually read the Bible? 408 00:36:49.585 --> 00:36:53.485 So what we want you to do for that is we've set up a way for you to kind of send 409 00:36:53.505 --> 00:36:54.765 in some questions to us. 410 00:36:54.864 --> 00:36:59.645 You can text the word question to 7 2 9 8 9 or questions 411 00:36:59.705 --> 00:37:03.085 we text tested both, both of them work. Uh, but you can text that, 412 00:37:03.235 --> 00:37:06.925 that word to 7 2 9 8 9, and it'll give you a form where you can just say, Hey, 413 00:37:07.025 --> 00:37:10.405 here's some of the questions. Here's some of the biggest hurdles that I have. 414 00:37:10.465 --> 00:37:13.925 And then in week four, we're just gonna address those. And so bring your Bible, 415 00:37:13.935 --> 00:37:16.445 bring your highlighters, bring your pens, bring your notebooks. 416 00:37:16.585 --> 00:37:18.005 It might kind of feel like class, 417 00:37:18.145 --> 00:37:20.844 but I think it's gonna be one of the most practical weekends, um, 418 00:37:20.845 --> 00:37:23.445 that we've had that, uh, hopefully will be able to help you to get started. 419 00:37:23.545 --> 00:37:26.965 So that's the next couple of weeks. But what about today? Uh, 420 00:37:26.975 --> 00:37:29.765 today we are going to talk about, you know, we, 421 00:37:29.825 --> 00:37:32.045 we mentioned that biblical literacy is, uh, 422 00:37:32.046 --> 00:37:35.565 reading the Bible in a way that transforms us into the image of Jesus. 423 00:37:35.745 --> 00:37:40.364 But how does that happen? What does that process actually look like? 424 00:37:40.545 --> 00:37:44.325 So if you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn to Second Kings chapter 22. 425 00:37:45.625 --> 00:37:49.364 And I just kinda wanna get a pulse of where we all are. Uh, very simply, 426 00:37:49.565 --> 00:37:52.364 I just want to ask you this, this part is a little bit of trivia, uh, 427 00:37:52.975 --> 00:37:56.805 based on the name, excuse me. First and Second Kings, 428 00:37:57.235 --> 00:37:59.685 what do you think the books of Kings are about? 429 00:38:02.135 --> 00:38:04.515 If you said kings, give yourself a round of applause. Okay? 430 00:38:04.545 --> 00:38:06.795 Give yourself your first gold sticker. You're doing it, 431 00:38:06.796 --> 00:38:09.035 you're learning the Bible. I'm really, really proud of you. Yeah, 432 00:38:09.065 --> 00:38:11.995 it's the story of King. Some of y'all were like, is this a trick question? 433 00:38:12.075 --> 00:38:14.555 I feel like it's gonna be, when I used to do middle school ministry, 434 00:38:14.675 --> 00:38:16.795 I used to ask kids all the time who wrote John? They're like, 435 00:38:16.796 --> 00:38:20.594 John who wrote Matthew? Matthew who wrote Timothy? They're like Timothy, like, 436 00:38:20.595 --> 00:38:24.435 no, Paul got suck it. Um, I used to have so much fun with that. 437 00:38:24.695 --> 00:38:26.795 But it's about, uh, 438 00:38:27.015 --> 00:38:30.075 the kings of Israel we're dropping in on the nation of Israel. 439 00:38:30.076 --> 00:38:32.795 And at this point they've gone through a lot. Okay? Um, 440 00:38:32.796 --> 00:38:34.995 they were in captivity to the nation of Egypt. 441 00:38:35.085 --> 00:38:36.925 They were enslaved for hundreds of years. 442 00:38:37.225 --> 00:38:40.165 And God sends along a man named Moses to set them free. 443 00:38:40.225 --> 00:38:43.485 And so they're released from their slavery. Uh, 444 00:38:43.555 --> 00:38:47.645 they move into a new land and God says, Hey, I want to be your king. 445 00:38:47.705 --> 00:38:49.645 And they go, no, actually the other nations, 446 00:38:49.715 --> 00:38:52.685 they have human kings and we know how infallible they are. 447 00:38:52.686 --> 00:38:56.285 So can we get one of those instead? And so God, uh, 448 00:38:57.285 --> 00:39:01.125 somewhat reluctantly, he, uh, anoints a man named Saul and says, okay, 449 00:39:01.126 --> 00:39:04.725 if you guys want a king, I will give you a human king that you can follow. 450 00:39:05.305 --> 00:39:08.125 And then we read the stories of Saul and then of David, 451 00:39:08.425 --> 00:39:11.245 and then of David's sons Solomon. Uh, 452 00:39:11.265 --> 00:39:13.844 and then in the books of First and second Kings, 453 00:39:13.845 --> 00:39:16.685 we get the list of kings who ruled over Israel. 454 00:39:16.686 --> 00:39:19.885 And let me just spoil this for you. They, most of them, 455 00:39:19.945 --> 00:39:24.245 the majority of them completely ruin it. They drive the nation into the ground. 456 00:39:24.844 --> 00:39:28.325 Uh, the nation is divided into two. Um, uh, 457 00:39:28.326 --> 00:39:32.325 they're split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of 458 00:39:32.415 --> 00:39:35.125 Judah. So the entire nation has a, a split that happens. 459 00:39:35.385 --> 00:39:38.325 And today we're gonna focus in on the kingdom of Judah. Uh, 460 00:39:38.425 --> 00:39:40.965 and most of their kings were evil. 461 00:39:42.235 --> 00:39:45.565 They tended to drift further and further and further away from God. 462 00:39:45.705 --> 00:39:49.725 God called them to be unified, holy nation that follows him. 463 00:39:49.785 --> 00:39:52.165 But after amount of time, a certain amount of time, 464 00:39:52.315 --> 00:39:57.205 they end up becoming defiled by things like idol worship and injustice and 465 00:39:57.206 --> 00:40:02.205 slavery and warfare. These are the new defining marks of a society that has, uh, 466 00:40:02.206 --> 00:40:03.605 pushed God to the side. 467 00:40:04.625 --> 00:40:08.765 And they reach a point where the idea of God has been so lost 468 00:40:09.675 --> 00:40:11.205 that they're struggling so deep. 469 00:40:12.105 --> 00:40:16.805 But then there comes along an 8-year-old boy named Josiah . 470 00:40:17.385 --> 00:40:20.285 And Josiah, this 8-year-old becomes their king. 471 00:40:21.385 --> 00:40:23.405 And you thought our political situation was scary, right? 472 00:40:23.405 --> 00:40:26.965 Could you imagine if we go pull some kid outta Kid City and say, Hey, 473 00:40:26.966 --> 00:40:31.245 figure it out, right? That's basically what happened here. And so, uh, 474 00:40:31.246 --> 00:40:33.325 the Bible tells us that there was, uh, uh, 475 00:40:33.485 --> 00:40:37.445 Josiah's dad was this king of Judah named Amen. He dies, 476 00:40:37.505 --> 00:40:39.925 his son becomes the new king of Judah. Uh, 477 00:40:39.945 --> 00:40:43.605 and there's something special about Josiah. If you read through Kings, 478 00:40:43.606 --> 00:40:45.685 you'll notice there's a recurring, uh, 479 00:40:45.715 --> 00:40:50.085 description of all of the evil kings who rule over, uh, the nation. Um, 480 00:40:50.145 --> 00:40:51.485 it sounds something like this, it'll say, 481 00:40:51.505 --> 00:40:54.405 so and so was X amount years old when they began to reign, 482 00:40:54.545 --> 00:40:57.125 and they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Uh, 483 00:40:57.126 --> 00:40:58.765 they served and worshiped idols. 484 00:40:58.766 --> 00:41:01.165 They abandoned the Lord just that their Father had done. 485 00:41:01.166 --> 00:41:02.885 And there was this idea of like, man, they're, 486 00:41:02.886 --> 00:41:05.765 they're really following in the footsteps of their bad leadership, 487 00:41:05.785 --> 00:41:09.205 but not Josiah. We get a different description for him. 488 00:41:09.344 --> 00:41:13.005 If you look at two Kings 21 starting in verse one, it says, 489 00:41:13.185 --> 00:41:18.085 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned 490 00:41:18.086 --> 00:41:22.485 31 years in Jerusalem. He dropped down to verse two. 491 00:41:22.505 --> 00:41:27.205 It says he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the way of 492 00:41:27.206 --> 00:41:29.165 his, of David, his father. You're like, wait a minute. 493 00:41:29.166 --> 00:41:31.045 I thought you said amen was his father. Yeah, he, 494 00:41:31.046 --> 00:41:34.485 this is just the Bible's way of saying he followed, followed the pathway of, 495 00:41:34.745 --> 00:41:39.405 of a spiritual leader, if that makes sense. He walked in the way of David, 496 00:41:39.505 --> 00:41:42.765 his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. 497 00:41:42.766 --> 00:41:47.205 And for the next two chapters, the Bible describes to us what the life of, 498 00:41:47.565 --> 00:41:50.765 of the rule of King Josiah was like. Um, during his reign, 499 00:41:51.145 --> 00:41:54.205 the Jerusalem had a temple and that temple had been destroyed. 500 00:41:54.505 --> 00:41:59.045 And so under Josiah's leadership, he said, Hey, I'm gonna take my, my secretary, 501 00:41:59.175 --> 00:42:03.165 whose name was Shain. There's a lot of confusing names in here, okay? So just, 502 00:42:03.166 --> 00:42:05.165 you gotta, you gotta focus in for just a minute. But he's like, 503 00:42:05.166 --> 00:42:09.045 I'm gonna take Shain, my secretary, and I'm gonna ask him to go to the, 504 00:42:09.305 --> 00:42:13.445 the temple which has been, uh, demolished, go to that temple, 505 00:42:13.505 --> 00:42:17.085 but they've still been collecting money. Take the money they've collected, 506 00:42:17.545 --> 00:42:20.485 use that to buy the supplies needed to repair the temple. 507 00:42:20.665 --> 00:42:24.445 So Shahan goes to the temple and when he gets there, he meets a man named Hel 508 00:42:26.045 --> 00:42:29.525 Heah is the high priest. Think of him kind of as the lead pastor of this temple, 509 00:42:29.535 --> 00:42:31.405 right? And he goes, Hey, hel kayah, 510 00:42:31.406 --> 00:42:34.245 can I get the money from you because we want to do some repairs to the temple. 511 00:42:34.246 --> 00:42:38.405 And Hill Kayah goes, yeah, uh, we can. But um, real quick, uh, 512 00:42:38.815 --> 00:42:41.645 while I was cleaning out in the temple, uh, 513 00:42:41.765 --> 00:42:46.364 I found the book of the Law of Moses. Um, do you want it? 514 00:42:47.745 --> 00:42:51.685 And Chaffin's like, I, I don't really know what that is, but sure, 515 00:42:51.715 --> 00:42:55.405 I'll I'll take it. Long story short, what the book of the law of Moses was, 516 00:42:55.406 --> 00:42:58.205 scholars believe it was a portion of the book of Deuteronomy. 517 00:42:58.745 --> 00:43:00.965 It would've been the only Bible that they had to this point, 518 00:43:00.966 --> 00:43:04.165 but it had been lost in all of the destruction of the temple. 519 00:43:04.305 --> 00:43:08.005 So Israel had been doing their own thing without this, uh, 520 00:43:08.006 --> 00:43:09.325 knowledge of who God was. 521 00:43:09.326 --> 00:43:13.405 Imagine a church trying to find its own way without the Bible and then just, uh, 522 00:43:13.765 --> 00:43:15.165 succumbing to the culture around it, right? 523 00:43:15.905 --> 00:43:20.525 So they end up bringing this back to Josiah. And uh, here's what happens. 524 00:43:20.526 --> 00:43:25.045 We're gonna read this from um, uh, chapter 22 verses 11 through 13. Now, 525 00:43:25.046 --> 00:43:28.525 buckle up. There's a lot of long confusing names in here, but, 526 00:43:28.545 --> 00:43:30.445 but I believe in you. I believe we can all do this together. 527 00:43:30.465 --> 00:43:32.245 If I can read it out loud in front of a group of people, 528 00:43:32.246 --> 00:43:35.045 you can listen and follow along. All right? And I need a number. 529 00:43:35.125 --> 00:43:37.725 I love grace here. So starting in verse 11, it says, 530 00:43:37.726 --> 00:43:40.005 when the king heard the words of the book of the law, 531 00:43:40.006 --> 00:43:44.844 he tore his clothes and the king commanded kuah the priest and 532 00:43:45.165 --> 00:43:48.325 ha hacha, here we go, the son of Shain and Aor, 533 00:43:48.326 --> 00:43:52.525 the son of Maiah and Shain the secretary, and Isaiah the king servant. 534 00:43:52.526 --> 00:43:54.605 That's just the way of saying he got a bunch of people together. 535 00:43:54.715 --> 00:43:57.965 Wish it would've said that. Uh, verse 13, he says, 536 00:43:58.305 --> 00:44:03.205 go inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning 537 00:44:03.206 --> 00:44:08.125 the words of this book that has been found for great is the wrath of the Lord. 538 00:44:08.125 --> 00:44:12.725 That it is kindled against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of 539 00:44:12.726 --> 00:44:16.325 this book to do according to all that was written concerning us. 540 00:44:16.565 --> 00:44:18.205 So Josiah's like, look man, 541 00:44:18.206 --> 00:44:20.965 you found this book and there's a lot of stuff in there that don't seem good for 542 00:44:20.966 --> 00:44:22.285 anyone who turns their back on God. 543 00:44:22.286 --> 00:44:26.085 We need you to go and find someone to talk to God for us and let us know what we 544 00:44:26.086 --> 00:44:29.565 should do. So this group of people goes and they find a prophet, um, 545 00:44:29.665 --> 00:44:33.844 and she goes to God on their behalf and says, Hey, listen, yeah, 546 00:44:33.845 --> 00:44:36.725 you're right man. Y'all made a covenant with God and you broke it. 547 00:44:36.726 --> 00:44:39.965 And so as a result of that covenant, there are going to be punish, 548 00:44:40.015 --> 00:44:43.844 there is gonna be punishment because sin always has consequences. 549 00:44:44.105 --> 00:44:46.645 But God says, listen, Josiah, 550 00:44:47.075 --> 00:44:49.205 because you responded a certain way, 551 00:44:50.385 --> 00:44:55.165 you're gonna experience something different. So in verse 18, uh, it says, 552 00:44:55.265 --> 00:44:59.565 but to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, 553 00:44:59.715 --> 00:45:03.445 thus shall say to him, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 554 00:45:03.795 --> 00:45:07.605 regarding the words you have heard, because your heart was penitent. 555 00:45:08.225 --> 00:45:10.485 And because you humbled yourself before the Lord, 556 00:45:10.486 --> 00:45:14.405 when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, uh, 557 00:45:14.406 --> 00:45:16.805 that they should become a desolation and a curse. 558 00:45:16.864 --> 00:45:19.605 And because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, 559 00:45:20.125 --> 00:45:23.645 I also have heard you declares the Lord. Therefore, behold, 560 00:45:23.646 --> 00:45:27.445 I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in 561 00:45:27.446 --> 00:45:29.725 peace and your eyes shall not see, um, 562 00:45:29.735 --> 00:45:32.445 shall not see all the disaster that I'll bring upon this place. 563 00:45:32.505 --> 00:45:35.405 And they brought back that word to the king. So God's basically saying, listen, 564 00:45:35.785 --> 00:45:38.125 Josiah, because you were, uh, sorry, 565 00:45:38.126 --> 00:45:42.725 because you were deeply hurt by the things that you realize to be true. Um, yes, 566 00:45:43.325 --> 00:45:46.364 uh, Judah is gonna suffer but not in your lifetime. 567 00:45:48.105 --> 00:45:53.085 And so we keep reading along and Josiah immediately he goes to all the people 568 00:45:53.105 --> 00:45:56.245 and decides, Hey, listen, some things have to change. Okay, 569 00:45:56.246 --> 00:45:58.364 here's the last big chunk of scripture that we're gonna go through, 570 00:45:58.365 --> 00:46:00.364 but it's super important for where we're gonna go today. Okay? 571 00:46:00.365 --> 00:46:04.685 So I want you to lean in Second Kings 23 verses one through three. 572 00:46:05.725 --> 00:46:05.886 It says, 573 00:46:05.886 --> 00:46:09.844 then the king sent and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to 574 00:46:09.845 --> 00:46:12.685 him. And the king went up to the house of the Lord and with him, 575 00:46:12.745 --> 00:46:16.364 all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priest and the 576 00:46:16.365 --> 00:46:19.005 prophets, all the people, both small and great. 577 00:46:19.185 --> 00:46:23.645 And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant that had 578 00:46:23.646 --> 00:46:24.805 been found in the house of the Lord. 579 00:46:24.905 --> 00:46:27.525 So all that segment of Deuteronomy that they had found, 580 00:46:27.526 --> 00:46:28.925 he read it out loud to all the people. 581 00:46:29.825 --> 00:46:33.805 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before God to walk after 582 00:46:33.864 --> 00:46:38.125 the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with 583 00:46:38.145 --> 00:46:40.085 all his heart, all his soul, 584 00:46:40.505 --> 00:46:43.005 to perform the words of the covenant that were written in the book. 585 00:46:43.006 --> 00:46:46.245 And all the people joined in on that covenant. So basically, uh, 586 00:46:46.285 --> 00:46:47.364 Josiah's saying, Hey, listen, 587 00:46:47.585 --> 00:46:52.525 all the people that I have control over we're team God now and things 588 00:46:52.585 --> 00:46:54.364 are going to change. And so Josiah, 589 00:46:54.365 --> 00:46:58.325 he sends a team of people out across the land and they start doing everything 590 00:46:58.645 --> 00:47:03.445 and anything they can to rid Judah of anything that doesn't point them towards 591 00:47:03.545 --> 00:47:05.125 God. So, uh, Josiah, 592 00:47:05.145 --> 00:47:09.205 he sends leaders to the temple to remove all of the false idols that had been 593 00:47:09.206 --> 00:47:13.205 there. Uh, he uh, has all of the priests who led people in idol worship. 594 00:47:13.225 --> 00:47:16.765 He says, you guys are fired. Y'all are out of office. There was land, uh, 595 00:47:16.766 --> 00:47:20.085 where these idols had been worshiped. He's like, destroy the land. 596 00:47:20.295 --> 00:47:25.245 There were people who had been buried, um, in the name of these false gods. 597 00:47:25.545 --> 00:47:29.725 Josiah said, Hey, those dead people dig their bones up and burn them. 598 00:47:29.825 --> 00:47:33.125 And then he went over to the bones and like beat 'em some more to make sure they 599 00:47:33.126 --> 00:47:36.165 were like dust. And then bring those all the way outta the city. Okay? 600 00:47:36.166 --> 00:47:37.165 This dude's being serious. 601 00:47:37.166 --> 00:47:41.605 There were horses that had been dedicated to the sun gods. And so Josiah says, 602 00:47:41.606 --> 00:47:44.245 Hey, you know what? We don't need these horses anyway. Take the collar off, 603 00:47:44.485 --> 00:47:47.685 open the front door, let 'em run, burn their chariots. Uh, 604 00:47:47.725 --> 00:47:49.085 he got rid of all the mediums, 605 00:47:49.105 --> 00:47:52.685 all the psychics that were in the land like he is cleaning house. 606 00:47:53.505 --> 00:47:58.205 But he also re institutes the Passover, which was this meal that they had, uh, 607 00:47:58.206 --> 00:48:02.565 that God had given them as a way to remember that he was their savior, 608 00:48:03.315 --> 00:48:04.844 that he was their true king. 609 00:48:06.285 --> 00:48:11.165 And the second kings 2325 says this, this is, this is the, 610 00:48:11.405 --> 00:48:15.125 the, the final, um, description that we have of Josiah. 611 00:48:15.785 --> 00:48:20.765 It says that before him there was no king like him who turned to 612 00:48:20.766 --> 00:48:23.485 the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might 613 00:48:23.635 --> 00:48:25.685 according to all the law of Moses, 614 00:48:25.985 --> 00:48:30.205 nor did any like him arise. I know that's a lot. 615 00:48:30.206 --> 00:48:32.325 We just covered two scriptures worth of text. 616 00:48:32.326 --> 00:48:34.565 But it's weird to do a series called, this is the Word of the Lord, 617 00:48:34.625 --> 00:48:36.485 not spend Time in the Word of the Lord, right? . 618 00:48:38.165 --> 00:48:42.565 I wanna make a couple of observations from this story about how biblical 619 00:48:42.566 --> 00:48:43.805 transformation happens. 620 00:48:44.005 --> 00:48:48.085 I think there's a couple of steps that we see in Josiah's life that I think we 621 00:48:48.086 --> 00:48:50.565 all need to deeply internalize. And the first one is this, 622 00:48:50.755 --> 00:48:55.125 it's a sense of remorse. It's a sense of remorse. 623 00:48:56.245 --> 00:48:59.844 Second Kings 2211 said that when Josiah heard the words of the book of the law 624 00:48:59.845 --> 00:49:03.005 that he tore his clothes. That's a weird response, right? 625 00:49:03.515 --> 00:49:06.205 I've never preached a sermon so good that somebody got up and started stripping. 626 00:49:06.235 --> 00:49:08.605 Like that's thankfully that has never happened. 627 00:49:08.685 --> 00:49:12.205 And hopefully tonight's not the night. But he does this. Why? 628 00:49:12.206 --> 00:49:15.645 Because it was an ancient way of showing grief. And I want to ask you, 629 00:49:15.646 --> 00:49:19.844 when is the last time that you read the word of the Lord and actually felt a 630 00:49:20.085 --> 00:49:22.765 sense of grief? Like, 631 00:49:22.766 --> 00:49:27.605 when's the last time that you had an interaction with the Bible that showed 632 00:49:27.625 --> 00:49:31.605 you something in you that was wrong to the point that it actually kind of like 633 00:49:31.885 --> 00:49:35.565 bothered you a little bit. Like I'll say if, 634 00:49:35.566 --> 00:49:39.125 if every time you read the Bible you walk away feeling encouraged and like 635 00:49:39.126 --> 00:49:41.005 rainbows and sunshines, you might have, 636 00:49:41.025 --> 00:49:44.125 you might wanna go back and read it one more time 'cause there's some hard 637 00:49:44.126 --> 00:49:47.485 truths in there. Now the goal of this is not shame. 638 00:49:47.715 --> 00:49:51.525 That is never the Bible's goal. We'll show you where this remorse leads to, 639 00:49:51.526 --> 00:49:52.035 but man, 640 00:49:52.035 --> 00:49:55.364 when was the last time you read the Bible and it bothered you like a rock in 641 00:49:55.365 --> 00:49:56.285 your shoe where you're like, 642 00:49:56.465 --> 00:49:59.405 I'm not going to be right until I get this thing taken care of. 643 00:50:00.545 --> 00:50:04.605 My relationship with God is gonna feel off until this situation gets taken care 644 00:50:04.606 --> 00:50:07.605 of. Have you ever felt that way? Listen, 645 00:50:07.725 --> 00:50:09.565 I talk to people all the time who tell me, man, you know, 646 00:50:09.585 --> 00:50:12.485 I'm pretty sure I've been saved since I was a baby. 647 00:50:12.486 --> 00:50:15.285 Like I just can't remember a single time where I didn't have God in my life. 648 00:50:15.285 --> 00:50:19.285 And listen, with all due respect, that's impossible, 649 00:50:21.205 --> 00:50:22.965 like genuinely, because there has to come a moment. 650 00:50:23.075 --> 00:50:25.125 Even if you grew up in a godly household, 651 00:50:25.225 --> 00:50:27.405 you've been living with godly morals your entire life. 652 00:50:27.535 --> 00:50:31.045 There hap something happens when you open this book with the power of the Holy 653 00:50:31.046 --> 00:50:35.045 Spirit that points out how sinful you are and how holy God is. 654 00:50:35.105 --> 00:50:37.925 And you think woe is me God, I need you to work on me. 655 00:50:39.585 --> 00:50:42.285 So even if you've been raised around these things all your life, 656 00:50:42.286 --> 00:50:46.364 there has to be a moment where the Bible helps you recognize your sinfulness in 657 00:50:46.365 --> 00:50:48.405 light of God's holiness. And remember, 658 00:50:48.585 --> 00:50:51.885 Josiah had to send somebody a way to dig this out, to find this. 659 00:50:52.385 --> 00:50:55.645 We live with this word all the time and barely touch it. 660 00:50:57.835 --> 00:51:01.525 There's so many truths in here that deeply impact us that we claim, 661 00:51:01.526 --> 00:51:04.245 we believe that we don't interact with on a regular basis. 662 00:51:04.344 --> 00:51:08.605 And I just wonder how many of us are missing out on the work that the Holy 663 00:51:08.606 --> 00:51:09.885 Spirit wants to do inside of us? Listen, 664 00:51:09.905 --> 00:51:13.165 if you've ever read scripture and you felt something inside of you like, man, 665 00:51:13.166 --> 00:51:16.085 something is off here, there's a word for that. It's called conviction. 666 00:51:17.505 --> 00:51:21.805 And conviction is this thing that the Holy Spirit does where he rises up inside 667 00:51:21.806 --> 00:51:25.285 of us to let us know that there's some aspect of our life that doesn't bring 668 00:51:25.495 --> 00:51:29.844 honor to God. Listen, a few years ago I saw a clip from Dr. Phil. 669 00:51:30.135 --> 00:51:34.885 Don't judge me, um, Dr. Phil. So me and my wife, 670 00:51:35.085 --> 00:51:37.364 whenever we travel, we, the first thing we do, we get in the hotel room, 671 00:51:37.365 --> 00:51:41.125 we turn on the tv, and we look for either Dr. Phil or Diners Drive in and dives. 672 00:51:41.126 --> 00:51:44.165 Those are like, and they just sit on the TV the entire time. We're away. 673 00:51:44.166 --> 00:51:44.999 It's just what we do. 674 00:51:45.065 --> 00:51:49.485 But there was a story on Dr. Phil about a boy who was born with a rare disease 675 00:51:49.486 --> 00:51:52.805 where he does, like his nerve endings don't work, so he doesn't feel any pain. 676 00:51:53.665 --> 00:51:55.844 And maybe you think about that and you're like, man, what a lucky kid. Right? 677 00:51:56.825 --> 00:52:00.685 But actually his parents were so distraught over it because, uh, 678 00:52:00.745 --> 00:52:05.605 he would go and put his hand on the stove and just watch it sin and never pull 679 00:52:05.606 --> 00:52:06.844 back. 'cause he didn't feel anything. 680 00:52:07.344 --> 00:52:10.725 He would climb trees and fall out and break a leg and then go and try to walk on 681 00:52:10.726 --> 00:52:12.925 that leg because he, he didn't have that feeling. 682 00:52:14.385 --> 00:52:17.205 And I think this is what happens with a lot of us in the Bible. 683 00:52:18.965 --> 00:52:23.605 I think we've lost our nerve endings. I think we've gone through the, 684 00:52:23.745 --> 00:52:28.685 the motions of Christianity for so long that we're not susceptible to 685 00:52:28.686 --> 00:52:29.505 that pain anymore. 686 00:52:29.505 --> 00:52:32.725 But this is why we need to invite the Holy Spirit into our time in the word, 687 00:52:32.726 --> 00:52:35.045 because the Holy Spirit works like heat from the stove. 688 00:52:36.355 --> 00:52:40.045 It's a warning that lets you know that something in your life is not right, 689 00:52:40.105 --> 00:52:43.965 but that, that remorse, that conviction, it leads to the next step. 690 00:52:43.966 --> 00:52:47.765 And that's repentance. I was reading earlier, uh, 691 00:52:47.766 --> 00:52:51.245 this week in two Corinthians, um, chapter seven, if you want to check it out. 692 00:52:51.275 --> 00:52:52.685 It's, it's pretty funny actually. 693 00:52:52.686 --> 00:52:55.725 But Paul is writing to the church in Corinth and he's telling him, he's like, 694 00:52:55.726 --> 00:52:58.285 Hey, listen, I wrote y'all a letter before and I heard y'all really like, 695 00:52:58.286 --> 00:53:01.285 got down in the dumps about it. He's like, I'm sorry, I, 696 00:53:01.364 --> 00:53:03.485 I think I went a little bit too hard on you guys. But then he goes, 697 00:53:03.505 --> 00:53:06.925 you know what, maybe I'm not, because it led you to repentance. 698 00:53:07.864 --> 00:53:10.565 And repentance is not just this idea of saying, Hey, I'm sorry, 699 00:53:11.515 --> 00:53:16.485 it's saying I'm sorry, followed by an actionable step. And this is a, a state, 700 00:53:16.645 --> 00:53:20.925 a stature of the heart. We saw this in Josiah as well, right? In chapter 22, 701 00:53:20.926 --> 00:53:21.446 verse 19, 702 00:53:21.446 --> 00:53:25.285 it says that his heart was penitent and he humbled himself before the Lord. 703 00:53:26.385 --> 00:53:26.955 Listen, 704 00:53:26.955 --> 00:53:31.565 hearing the word of God and feeling remorse means absolutely nothing 705 00:53:31.785 --> 00:53:35.765 if it doesn't lead to a deep dependence on the Holy Spirit to bring about 706 00:53:35.965 --> 00:53:36.885 tangible change in your life. 707 00:53:37.785 --> 00:53:41.805 The goal of scripture is not just to make you feel bad, is to say, Hey, listen, 708 00:53:41.825 --> 00:53:44.885 the reason why you feel bad is because you're moving in a direction you were 709 00:53:44.886 --> 00:53:46.925 never designed to move in. Repent, 710 00:53:46.926 --> 00:53:51.725 which means to take a complete 180 run away from those things and run into the 711 00:53:51.726 --> 00:53:55.685 arms of God. That's what scripture, uh, calls us into. 712 00:53:55.825 --> 00:53:57.165 The same thing is true of preaching. 713 00:53:58.635 --> 00:54:01.245 Like how many times do we come into church and we sit down and we hear a 714 00:54:01.246 --> 00:54:04.045 message? And our only takeaway from that was, that was a good message. 715 00:54:04.185 --> 00:54:07.245 Or I really lost him when he started using all those big words in the Old 716 00:54:07.445 --> 00:54:09.085 Testament. Like, 717 00:54:09.086 --> 00:54:12.285 how many times do we walk into church and we actually walk out saying, man, 718 00:54:12.286 --> 00:54:14.965 there's some, there's some soul work that needs to be done. 719 00:54:14.985 --> 00:54:18.045 Now I was talking to some of the other pastors on our staff earlier this week 720 00:54:18.065 --> 00:54:21.565 and we were joking, but I, I don't know how much of a joke it really is, 721 00:54:21.566 --> 00:54:24.325 but man, sometimes we walk into church so excited, like, man, 722 00:54:24.326 --> 00:54:26.005 I'm gonna walk in here encouraged and feel great. 723 00:54:26.105 --> 00:54:29.445 I'm gonna walk out and have a big smile on my face when I wonder if sometimes we 724 00:54:29.446 --> 00:54:33.085 should walk into church like we're walking into a funeral because we trust that 725 00:54:33.105 --> 00:54:37.005 God wants to put to death something inside of us that doesn't glorify him. 726 00:54:38.795 --> 00:54:43.485 What does that look like? Do we even think of that as a possibility? 727 00:54:44.585 --> 00:54:47.325 Do we imagine the word of God as being transformative? 728 00:54:47.326 --> 00:54:49.285 Because that's how the Bible describes itself. 729 00:54:49.685 --> 00:54:53.844 two Timothy three 16 through 17 says that all scripture is breathed out 730 00:54:53.905 --> 00:54:58.765 by God and is profitable for teaching because there's some stuff 731 00:54:58.766 --> 00:55:01.645 you don't know. It's, it's, um, 732 00:55:01.995 --> 00:55:05.725 used for reproof and correction because we don't get things right all the time 733 00:55:06.505 --> 00:55:10.325 and for training in righteousness because this life in this faith takes 734 00:55:10.725 --> 00:55:10.886 practice. 735 00:55:10.886 --> 00:55:15.765 You don't just figure it out overnight so that the man or woman 736 00:55:15.905 --> 00:55:20.645 of God may be complete equipped for every good 737 00:55:20.646 --> 00:55:21.479 work. 738 00:55:22.205 --> 00:55:27.045 If there's a part of your life where you feel incomplete or un whole or like you 739 00:55:27.055 --> 00:55:30.645 can't, uh, uh, accomplish every good work that ha God has designed for you, 740 00:55:30.725 --> 00:55:35.605 I wonder if it's because we're trying to conjure these things without the word 741 00:55:35.606 --> 00:55:39.844 of God in our lives. Many of us want to live like Jesus, 742 00:55:39.864 --> 00:55:43.445 but that's impossible without a deep internalization of God's word. 743 00:55:45.655 --> 00:55:49.925 Repentance, true repentance is impossible without action. 744 00:55:50.825 --> 00:55:53.565 And this is the third thing and the last thing that we see in Josiah's life, 745 00:55:53.566 --> 00:55:56.925 this is the idea of reform. You know, 746 00:55:56.926 --> 00:55:59.405 once the word of God has convicted us and calls us to repentance, 747 00:55:59.406 --> 00:56:01.485 there has to be a tangible change as well. 748 00:56:01.486 --> 00:56:03.805 And we see Josiah do this aggressively, right? 749 00:56:03.825 --> 00:56:07.245 He goes through the town and he's like, anything that resembles anything sinful, 750 00:56:07.445 --> 00:56:11.445 I wanna get it outta here. Why not? So that, uh, 751 00:56:11.465 --> 00:56:13.245 we could be on um, um, 752 00:56:13.515 --> 00:56:16.485 good terms with God so that he only blesses us and all this other stuff, 753 00:56:16.486 --> 00:56:17.844 but because he realizes, man, 754 00:56:18.025 --> 00:56:21.965 we have been offending God and now something needs to change. 755 00:56:21.966 --> 00:56:24.090 There's a part of the story we didn't get into, but I love it. 756 00:56:24.091 --> 00:56:24.924 I find it hilarious, 757 00:56:25.225 --> 00:56:29.285 but he's like throwing stuff out and stumping on bones and he sees a grave like 758 00:56:29.286 --> 00:56:31.925 in the distance and he's like, Hey, what's up with that grave over there? 759 00:56:31.926 --> 00:56:33.405 And they're like, oh no, that guy's cool. 760 00:56:33.435 --> 00:56:35.805 He's actually a prophet who said that this day will come. And he is like, 761 00:56:35.965 --> 00:56:38.685 all right, leave that grave alone . What else can we burn? 762 00:56:38.686 --> 00:56:39.645 What else do we need to get rid of? 763 00:56:40.785 --> 00:56:45.085 And I just love that aggressive elimination of sin 764 00:56:46.114 --> 00:56:49.925 from their land. What would that look like in our lives 765 00:56:51.825 --> 00:56:55.844 For us to say, Hey, listen, uh, we're going to make some changes around here. 766 00:56:56.844 --> 00:56:58.315 Maybe that's your schedule. 767 00:56:59.364 --> 00:57:02.755 Maybe that's the things you allow yourself to watch or the accounts that you 768 00:57:02.756 --> 00:57:03.995 follow on social media. 769 00:57:04.165 --> 00:57:08.075 Maybe it's pornography or alcohol or some other addiction. 770 00:57:08.076 --> 00:57:12.675 Maybe it's the way that you live with your spouse or maybe it's the way that you 771 00:57:12.855 --> 00:57:13.356 and, uh, 772 00:57:13.356 --> 00:57:16.475 your significant other who you're not married to or living in a way that is 773 00:57:16.915 --> 00:57:19.835 opposite of the word of God. Maybe uh, 774 00:57:19.985 --> 00:57:24.635 it's a commitment that you have as a family to come to and attend church 775 00:57:24.915 --> 00:57:28.675 together. Maybe it's the way that you talk to or about other people. Listen, 776 00:57:28.685 --> 00:57:31.675 these are the things that we all need to assess and say, Hey God, 777 00:57:32.005 --> 00:57:34.475 every area of my life, here's an open hand. 778 00:57:34.695 --> 00:57:39.475 Do it at what you will because I trust your way more than my own because your 779 00:57:39.715 --> 00:57:40.548 word says it 780 00:57:43.535 --> 00:57:48.235 to be reformed is to allow yourself to be shaped by another way. 781 00:57:49.055 --> 00:57:52.475 Romans 12, two says, don't be conformed, um, to this world, 782 00:57:52.495 --> 00:57:57.235 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And you know how that happens. 783 00:57:57.255 --> 00:58:00.315 You know how you renew your mind. It's by what you put into it. 784 00:58:01.265 --> 00:58:05.035 It's by spending time meditating on this and thinking about this. Listen, 785 00:58:05.355 --> 00:58:07.875 I want to ask you right now, especially in this political season right now, 786 00:58:08.095 --> 00:58:12.275 how much junk is going into your brain? Like without even thinking about it, 787 00:58:14.185 --> 00:58:16.455 Let's just look at politics, okay? 788 00:58:17.545 --> 00:58:22.295 Every time you start a YouTube video, so and so is out to ruin your life. 789 00:58:23.315 --> 00:58:28.015 If you don't do this, your family's going to uh, whatever, fill in the blank, 790 00:58:28.016 --> 00:58:32.935 right? You get text messages on your phone if coming from every angle, 791 00:58:33.235 --> 00:58:33.755 man, 792 00:58:33.755 --> 00:58:37.535 how do you think you can make it through a day without filtering this through 793 00:58:37.536 --> 00:58:40.455 your brain to make sense of all of that noise and all of that nonsense? 794 00:58:41.595 --> 00:58:44.935 Donald Whitney puts it this way in a quote that I absolutely love. He says, 795 00:58:44.936 --> 00:58:49.575 little input of God's word results in little resemblance of God's son. 796 00:58:51.925 --> 00:58:54.985 If we want God to make us like Jesus, 797 00:58:55.725 --> 00:59:00.705 we have got to spend time reflecting on what he said. Oh God, 798 00:59:00.765 --> 00:59:04.185 why don't you speak to me? I'm so clueless about the situation. Where do I go? 799 00:59:04.186 --> 00:59:08.785 What do I do that he wrote you 66 books of his best stuff 800 00:59:09.015 --> 00:59:10.905 that hasn't changed ever. 801 00:59:13.165 --> 00:59:15.825 If we would just pick it up and engage with it. 802 00:59:18.685 --> 00:59:22.885 The word of God, it brings about remorse, repentance, 803 00:59:23.435 --> 00:59:28.045 reformation, but it's a lifelong process. We have to repeat it, 804 00:59:30.345 --> 00:59:32.925 we have to repeat it. This is a lifelong thing. 805 00:59:33.485 --> 00:59:36.845 I had a professor who I was talking to about the Bible one time and he's like, 806 00:59:36.846 --> 00:59:39.725 yeah, this is like my 38th time reading through it cover to cover. 807 00:59:40.765 --> 00:59:42.205 And I was like, you still get stuff out of it? He goes, man, 808 00:59:42.206 --> 00:59:46.285 I get something new out of it every time because the word of God is living and 809 00:59:46.286 --> 00:59:47.119 active. 810 00:59:49.005 --> 00:59:53.125 And so maybe through these few minutes you've had something kind of spark inside 811 00:59:53.126 --> 00:59:54.485 of you where you realize, man, you know what? 812 00:59:54.486 --> 00:59:56.805 Maybe I haven't been prioritizing this the way that I should. 813 00:59:57.845 --> 01:00:00.245 I want to give you a couple of next steps, um, 814 01:00:00.675 --> 01:00:04.565 that I hope will just get the ball moat rolling in the meantime. Okay? 815 01:00:05.385 --> 01:00:08.405 The first is this. Read your Bible. 816 01:00:09.565 --> 01:00:11.485 probably didn't see that one coming, right? . 817 01:00:12.425 --> 01:00:15.005 And I would say just to pick a place and start, 818 01:00:15.025 --> 01:00:17.325 and I actually know this is one of the number one, 819 01:00:17.326 --> 01:00:18.285 I sat around with some of the, 820 01:00:18.286 --> 01:00:20.125 the other teaching pastors this week and I was like, Hey, 821 01:00:20.225 --> 01:00:23.205 what's the number one question you get about like, 822 01:00:23.206 --> 01:00:25.525 the hurdles that people face when read in scripture? And they said, 823 01:00:25.605 --> 01:00:26.385 I don't know where to start. 824 01:00:26.385 --> 01:00:29.445 So here are a couple of recommendations if you're looking for a simple way to 825 01:00:29.446 --> 01:00:30.445 get started. Okay? Uh, 826 01:00:30.446 --> 01:00:33.525 something that I did that actually was really helpful for me is I looked up 827 01:00:33.526 --> 01:00:38.445 online and I found a list of the books of the Bible by word count and 828 01:00:38.485 --> 01:00:41.885 I started at the bottom . So which one's the shortest? 829 01:00:42.025 --> 01:00:44.725 Now I'll tell you now, it's like one of the like Johns, 830 01:00:44.726 --> 01:00:47.125 it's either second or third John probably read first, second, 831 01:00:47.126 --> 01:00:50.365 and third John together. That way you're not like so disjointed. But I mean, 832 01:00:50.366 --> 01:00:51.965 you can read all three of them in about 15, 833 01:00:52.015 --> 01:00:56.005 maybe 20 minutes and just keep doing that and kind of build up and build up. 834 01:00:56.006 --> 01:00:58.205 And after a while you'll notice yourself developing a habit. 835 01:00:59.595 --> 01:01:01.965 Another option is just to start at the beginning. 836 01:01:02.835 --> 01:01:05.525 Next week Jason's gonna get into the grand narrative of scripture, 837 01:01:05.545 --> 01:01:08.085 but it's easier to understand what the book is about if you just start at the 838 01:01:08.086 --> 01:01:10.285 beginning and work your way through. Um, 839 01:01:10.286 --> 01:01:12.845 if you're looking for really practical stuff, like, man, 840 01:01:12.865 --> 01:01:16.085 I'm looking for the stuff that's, that's just really clear and to the point. 841 01:01:16.325 --> 01:01:18.805 I wanna recommend the Sermon on the Mount to you. Uh, 842 01:01:18.806 --> 01:01:22.805 this is Matthew chapters five, six, and seven. I call it Jesus's greatest hits. 843 01:01:23.505 --> 01:01:28.085 And if you are looking for a passage of scripture that will bring up 844 01:01:28.605 --> 01:01:32.685 remorse and lead you to a desire for repentance and for reformation, 845 01:01:32.805 --> 01:01:36.965 I can't think of a better place to start than that. And then as a church, um, 846 01:01:37.065 --> 01:01:38.725 and I realize some of you may not realize this, 847 01:01:38.785 --> 01:01:41.605 but we have an app called the Hope and Real Life app. And in there, 848 01:01:41.775 --> 01:01:45.365 there is a bible in a year reading plan that it's going on right now. 849 01:01:45.865 --> 01:01:47.125 Now we're a couple of days in, 850 01:01:47.126 --> 01:01:49.645 I think we're a little bit over a week in right now, 851 01:01:49.705 --> 01:01:51.445 but there's a way that if you go into the app, 852 01:01:51.665 --> 01:01:54.045 if you click on daily and then click in the calendar, 853 01:01:54.105 --> 01:01:57.805 you can go back and it lets you start at the beginning. Uh, and if you're like, 854 01:01:57.806 --> 01:02:01.085 man, I don't wanna hop on the train now because what if it's too late? Listen, 855 01:02:01.245 --> 01:02:03.205 I had somebody that told me a few years ago, they were like, listen, 856 01:02:03.265 --> 01:02:06.445 if you missed a meal, would you never eat again? 857 01:02:08.125 --> 01:02:11.685 I was like, no, of course not. I would actually become more hungry for it. 858 01:02:12.725 --> 01:02:16.445 And he said, that's the desire you need to have for the word. If you miss a day, 859 01:02:16.555 --> 01:02:20.645 it's okay, just hop back in because there's such a deep desire for it. 860 01:02:20.646 --> 01:02:23.405 And I realize some of us may not have that desire. 861 01:02:23.465 --> 01:02:27.125 So as we get ready to close out, um, I actually wanna pray for that. 862 01:02:28.145 --> 01:02:31.965 And so I wanna invite you into a moment kind of a a of engaging in, 863 01:02:32.125 --> 01:02:36.405 in what I would call an interactive prayer. And uh, I'm just gonna ask, um, 864 01:02:36.455 --> 01:02:38.045 let's start here. Everybody close their eyes. 865 01:02:40.345 --> 01:02:44.285 And if you are in here and something has come alive in you that just says, man, 866 01:02:44.365 --> 01:02:48.685 I need to prioritize the word of God again in my life. Maybe you've fallen off, 867 01:02:49.455 --> 01:02:52.845 maybe you read the Bible every day, but it's just kind of feeling stale to you. 868 01:02:54.105 --> 01:02:56.725 If that's you, here's what I want you to do. I want you to, 869 01:02:56.945 --> 01:03:00.165 if you're able and willing, go ahead and stand up for me. And if, 870 01:03:00.465 --> 01:03:03.405 if you can't stand, just go ahead and raise a a hand in the air for me 871 01:03:05.025 --> 01:03:07.325 and I'm gonna lead us across all of our campuses, please. 872 01:03:07.785 --> 01:03:09.285 And I'm just gonna lead us through a prayer 873 01:03:10.955 --> 01:03:15.605 that if you desire for the Holy Spirit to be present as you read the word of 874 01:03:15.625 --> 01:03:18.805 God, I just want you to repeat these words after me. 875 01:03:20.435 --> 01:03:24.565 Dear God, thank you for your word. 876 01:03:26.895 --> 01:03:28.645 Thank you that you love us enough, 877 01:03:31.405 --> 01:03:35.735 that you don't hide yourself from us. God. 878 01:03:35.755 --> 01:03:37.775 You reveal who you are in your word 879 01:03:39.515 --> 01:03:43.995 and you reveal who you want me to be. God, 880 01:03:43.996 --> 01:03:46.555 if I'm honest, life gets busy. 881 01:03:48.115 --> 01:03:52.355 I get distracted by other things. Sometimes I just don't want to 882 01:03:54.425 --> 01:03:55.875 Holy Spirit heal my heart. 883 01:03:57.365 --> 01:04:01.815 Give me a deep desire for your word because I know 884 01:04:03.075 --> 01:04:07.855 that's the only way that I can be transformed into the image of your son. 885 01:04:10.005 --> 01:04:10.015 Father. 886 01:04:10.015 --> 01:04:11.685 Thank you for all of my friends here today. Lord, 887 01:04:11.765 --> 01:04:14.925 I just ask that you would transform all of us, uh, by the power, 888 01:04:15.145 --> 01:04:19.725 the transformative power of your word. We ask all these things in Jesus' name. 889 01:04:20.075 --> 01:04:20.908 Amen.