HANGING ON TO HEAVEN WHEN HELL IS ON YOUR BACK
2 Chr. 33:1-35:18
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. The King of Egypt decided to modernize his country by putting plumbing in all the buildings. The people were delighted to get indoor running water!
2. To accomplish this, Pharaoh opened a school for plumbers. Needless to say, the graduates from this school were in high demand. They became known as “Pharaoh’s Faucet Majors.” (A pun on the actress, Farrah Fawcett Majors.)
B. TEXT
1. 33:1Manasseh…reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord…3 He rebuilt the high places … erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord…6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. 9 Manasseh…did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites. 20 And Amon his son succeeded him as king. 22 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. 24 Amon’s officials… assassinated him…25and they made Josiah his son king in his place. 34:2 [Josiah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 4…the altars of the Baals were torn down; he…smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem 6…Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali….8 He sent…to repair the temple of the Lord. 14 Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 22 [Josiah] sent…to the prophet Huldah. 23 She said to them, 26“Tell the king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says…: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself…and tore your robes and wept in my presence…. 28You will be buried in peace…your eyes will not see all the disaster.’” 29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it. 35:1Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord. 18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel.”
C. THESIS
1. Many times we feel we have many disadvantages, trials, failures, and setbacks. You may have come from a broken home, or had parents who committed crimes, or you came from a very immoral family.
2. You may have felt like giving up, or wondered why God let these things happen in your life. You may have doubts about God’s love for you.
3. You are not alone. The Bible is filled with the accounts of many people who suffered as you have – but we can see what happened as they trusted in God; God brought them out into victory!
4. Tonight we’re looking at a young man who was brought up in the worst of situations, but he trusted in God and God did marvelous things for him.
5. The title of this message is “Hanging on to Heaven when Hell is on Your Back!”
I. THE TERRIBLE LEGACY JOSIAH HAD
A. THE MOST UNGODLY FAMILY EXAMPLES
1. Josiah’s grandfather was Manasseh, the most wicked king ever to reign in Israel. Manasseh was a horrible idol worshipper, even burning his own sons in sacrificial fires. He dabbled in black magic, practiced sorcery and consulted mediums and spiritists.
2. 2 Kgs 21:16 says, “Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end.” The LORD said…"Manasseh king of Judah…has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him” 2 Kgs 21:10-11.
3. The Bible tells us that Josiah’s father, Amon, was just like his father Manasseh… “But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the LORD; Amon increased his guilt.” 2 Chron. 33:22-23. He was an equal to his wicked father!
B. HE HAD NO BIBLE TO GUIDE HIM
1. For the first 18 years of Josiah’s reign (2 Chron. 34:8), Josiah did not have the Bible to guide him, he just followed the oral traditions passed down from the God-fearing priests.
2. So for 43 years of Manasseh’s reign, 2 years of Amon’s reign, and 18 years of Josiah’s reign – the Bible had been lost – that’s 63 years! No Bible! (and it appears to be the only copy!) How remarkable that Josiah did any of the good he did without the Bible’s direction.
C. HE RULED A BANKRUPT, DEFEATED NATION
1. Josiah reigned during the time when the Kings of Assyria and Pharaoh’s of Egypt were the dominant powers. During the reign of Hezekiah, who was Josiah’s great grandfather (about 701 B.C.), Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, conquered all of Israel except Jerusalem. He stripped the land of its valuables.
2. Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, was taken captive by the next Assyrian king, Esarhaddon, who put a hook in his nose and took him to Babylon. He was later released. But Israel was a slave nation and had to pay a large tribute to Assyria each year.
3. Then Ashurbanipal ruled Assyria. Josiah himself was killed in battle with Pharaoh Neco in 609 B.C. So it was a tough time to be a King of Judah. NEXT WE LOOK AT:
II. HIS GREATNESS IN SPITE OF HIS PROBLEMS
A. HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
1. HE DESTROYED BAAL WORSHIP. 2 Chr. 34:4, “…the altars of the Baals were torn down; he…smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.”
2. HE REESTABLISHED THE TEMPLE WORSHIP
2 Chr. 34:8, “he sent…to repair the temple of the Lord.” He restarted support for the priesthood and Temple sacrifices. He repaired the Temple.
3. HE FOUND & READ THE BOOKS OF MOSES
2 Chr. 34:14, “Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 22 [Josiah] sent…to the prophet Huldah. 23 She said to them, 26“Tell the king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says…: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself…and tore your robes and wept in my presence…. 28You will be buried in peace…your eyes will not see all the
disaster.’”
4. HE HAD JUDAH RE-SWEAR ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
2 Chr. 34:29, “Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.”
5. HE CELEBRATED THE ORIGINAL PASSOVER
2 Chr. 35:18 “The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel.”
B. SUMMARY: GREATER THAN DAVID!
1. “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses” 2 Kgs. 23:25.
2. The writer of 2 Kings said that Josiah was even “greater” than David. This didn’t mean militarily, but spiritually. His heart was so fervent that he turned the country from one extreme all the way to the other. What an amazing accomplishment!
3. So Josiah was able to “hang on to heaven even when hell was on his back!” What steps can WE take to be successful when we have severe trials?
III. FOUR THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE TRIALS:
A. TRUST THAT GOD IS GOOD
1. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” NKJV.
2. God has not changed. Before your trial, you knew He loved you and was working for your good. That hasn’t changed. Believe it in spite of what you see.
3. Go to Him in prayer; cling to Him; rely on Him.
B. GO TO THE WORD
1. Go to the Word for comfort & strength. Many other of God’s saints suffered and recorded their thoughts in crisis.
2. The Psalms of David are especially good for comfort when the sting of disappointment is strongest. David experienced discouragement; he suffered many disasters, even though he was “God’s man.” He begins many of his psalms in despair and dejection, then he records his revelation of God’s love and ends the psalm with a litany of praise to God for His deliverance. When you read them, you get to relive his revelation – that’s one of the reasons they’re so valuable! They are like a healing balm to the soul, they calm the mind, and renew your faith in God.
C. GO TO CHURCH
1. Go to church and head for the altars to pray. God’s saints will rally around you and pray and encourage you.
2. Remember the admonition; “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” Eccles. 4:9-10.
3. It’s better not to be alone at a time of weakness. God has given us the body of Christ – brothers and sisters – to stand with us and lift us up when we can’t help ourselves.
D. KNOW GOD HAS SOME GREAT PURPOSE/PLAN
1. Gratefully, trials are normally only for a limited season. Eventually, if you hang on to God, everything will turn around and God will have some great blessing in store for you.
2. Job 23:10; 42:12 says, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold”….The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.”
3. The Bible tells us that God works all things together for good to those who love God, Rom. 8:28. Since God knows the end from the beginning, then we should yield “right of way” to Him and let Him guide our lives.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: The Dross of Sin
1. Author John Bevere writes, “There was a time in my life when I went through intense trials such as I had never faced before. I became rude and harsh with those closest to me. My family and friends began to avoid me.
2. I cried out to the Lord, "Where is all this anger coming from? It wasn't here before!" The Lord responded, "Son, it is when they liquefy gold in fire that the impurities show up." He then asked a question that changed my life. "Can you see the impurities in gold before it is put in the fire?"
3. "No," I answered. "But that doesn't mean they were not there," He said. "When the fire of trials hit you, these impurities surfaced. Though hidden to you, they were always visible to Me.”
4. “So now you have a choice that will determine your future. You can remain angry, blaming your wife, friends, pastor, and the people you work with, or you can see this dross of sin for what it is and repent, receive forgiveness, and I will take My ladle and remove these impurities from your life." [John Bevere, The Bait of Satan]
B. THE CALL
1. This is true of all of us. We have the choice of pretending we have it all together, or of being honest with God, and admitting our faults and need of cleansing.
2. This positions us to move forward in spiritual progress. How many would say, “Pastor, I’ve had a monkey on my back (i.e. – an ongoing problem) and I want God’s help in dealing with it?”
3. Others say, “Yes, my problems have exposed some dross in my life I know God wants to get out”?
4. How many want to make a new commitment to Christ tonight, to surrender all and let Him be the Lord of your life?
5. PRAYER.
