Full Of Years, Full Of God

The Legacy of Kings and Prophets – Part 15

“Full of Years, Full of God”

Text: 2 Kings 11:1-20 & 2 Chronicles 22:10-24:15

Intro – (Page 446)"Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple." 2 Chron. 24:15-16

What an epitaph! Jehoiada is now dead. He is old but he is buried with some of the great kings in Jerusalem. Did you also notice that he died at the age of 130.

Illus - Three ladies were discussing the travails of getting older. One said, "Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand, while standing in front of the refrigerator, and I can’t remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich."

The second lady chimed in with, "Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can’t remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down."

The third one responded, " Well, ladies, I’m glad I don’t have that problem. Knock on wood," as she rapped her knuckles on the table, and then said, "That must be the door, I’ll get it!"

Illus - This 85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, had died in a car crash. They had been in good health the last ten years mainly due to her interest in health food, and exercise.

When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they "oohed and aahed" the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.

"It’s free," Peter replied, "this is Heaven."

Next they went out back to survey the championship golf course that the home backed up to. They would have golfing privileges everyday and each week the course changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth.

The old man asked, "what are the green fees?".

Peter’s reply, "This is heaven, you play for free."

Next they went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisine’s of the world laid out.

"How much to eat?" asked the old man.

"Don’t you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!" Peter replied with some exasperation.

"Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol tables?" the old man asked timidly.

Peter lectured, "That’s the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is Heaven."

With that the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and stomping on it. Peter and his wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong.

The old man looked at his wife and said, "This is all your fault. If it weren’t for your blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!"

Today is Father’s Day. But this message applies to anyone, young or old, male or female, rich or poor. I believe that it is God’s will for you to live long, to be full of years and to be filled with God, His life and His purpose. It’s going to take commitment, courage and quality of character.

Jehoiada was that kind of man. Remember that it was Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba that rescued the infant Joash from the wicked queen Athaliah, who was the daughter of Jezebel. Joash was the last male alive in the line of David. Without the saving of Joash, the line of the Messiah would have been cut off and Jesus could not have been born.

Studying this man, Jehoiada, will reveal a man who lived his life well and lived it for God. Let’s learn from him this morning.

I. Commitment

You cannot live long and well if you are not a committed person. And one of the most important obligations that a person can enter into is the covenant of marriage.

A. Choosing the right partner.

Second Kings 11:2 gives us the name of the Jehoiada’s wife: Jehosheba. Her name means: “Jehovah, her oath” or “worshipper of Jehovah.”

It’s interesting that her wicked sister, who killed many including her own grandchildren so she could gain the throne, is named Athaliah. Athaliah means: “Jehovah is strong” or “the person whom God afflicts.” It’s as though each daughter decided to live up to her name.

Jehoiada, whose name means: “the Lord knows” chose his life’s partner whose name means “a worshipper of Jehovah.”

Let me share with you three clues to watch for if you want to marry a spiritual person. If you want to improve your spiritual quotient, try these on for size.