Some of you are old enough to remember Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker and their popular PTL Club television program. Lots of Christians supported their program and many purchased life-time partnerships to fund the construction of "Heritage USA", an inspirational theme park in South Carolina. In return for their financial support, the partners were promised free lodging.
The Bakkers gave a new understanding to conspicuous consumption. PTL once spent over $100,000 for a private jet to fly Jimmy and Tammy’s clothing across the country. PTL also spent more than $100 to buy cinnamon rolls because Jimmy and Tammy wanted the smell of rolls in their hotel room. Jimmy was charged with overselling the partnerships as well as with keeping two sets of books to conceal irregularities He ended up in prison accused of racketeering, sexual immorality, and tax evasion.
Here are people who started out serving God, but ended up serving themselves. And sometimes we wonder, how can God keep his plan for the world going when his people end up failing like this?
Our scripture today tells the story of a king who started out well and accomplished some good things, but ended up as a failure. Where was God in this situation?
As you read this story in II Kings, you might observe that God doesn’t seem to say or do anything. We don’t hear his voice in the story. The prophets have disappeared. Does that mean that God is not at work? Some of you are very aware that God is working in your life. You hear his voice; you recognize his work. To others it may seem that God isn’t saying or doing anything. Be assured that God is there, nudging, prompting, opening doors, working behind the scenes. He is at work even when you don’t see any visible evidence. Our story today reminds us that God keeps his promise alive in spite of human failure.
First, the big picture. Beginning in Genesis, we see that the central theme of the Bible is the promise of God. God has chosen a family of people through whom he wants the entire world to come to a saving knowledge of himself. And God promises to lead them to a new land, to provide for them, to save them from all those things that would destroy them, and eventually to send a deliverer, a Messiah. But these people have trouble believing God’s promises and often try to take things into their own hands. As a result of their disobedience and unfaithfulness, God’s promise is often threatened. Sometimes it comes down to one faithful person, but God continues to keep his promise alive, and from the story of Joash, we can see how he does it.
1. God keeps his promise alive through a child. (11:1) When the mother of the man who was king just before Joash saw that her son was dead, she determined to destroy all of the royal family so that the line of kings would be in her family. But that is not what God had in mind. God had already started the family line of kings, the same line through which the Messiah would come.
So we read that an aunt hid baby Joash so he wouldn’t be killed. For six years she hid him in the temple and he became king when he turned 7. And it was through this child that God kept his promise alive.
Does this story sound familiar? Do you remember the story of Moses? The Egyptian pharaoh wanted all the Hebrew boy babies killed. But God saved Moses.
Do you remember when Jesus was born? King Herod wanted all the baby boys killed. Joseph and Mary took him to Egypt and God saved him. Several times through out the Bible God kept his promise alive through a child.
I believe that God still keeps his promise alive through children. Adults, I want you to look around you this morning and see the children. (Ask them to stand.) These children are a sign that God’s promise is alive. Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” There are a lot of forces trying to undermine and destroy the church. There are a lot of forces trying to contaminate and destroy children, but God keeps his promise alive.
For those of you who are new to this congregation, our first purpose is to nurture God’s people through teaching, and that includes children. One of the ministries this church puts a lot of resources and effort into is children. Some of you are Sunday school teachers and you prepare diligently week after week to nurture and care for the children. Over the past several years, this church has spent thousands of dollars to provide a summer Christian camping experience for kids who attend Sunday school. Every year we invest energy and money into a VBS experience for kids. Later this month, on our Back-to-School Sunday we will celebrate the beginning of a new school year with kids. This week five youth will be demonstrating servanthood in a work project in Dayton and we pray that what they experience this week will have a life-changing impact on their lives. God keeps his promise alive through children. How thankful we are for every child and young person here today.
Some of you kids may be the only ones from your family who come here to learn about Jesus. If it weren’t for you, your family might not know anything about God’s work in the church. Unfortunately, some parents don’t understand how important it is to learn about and to follow Christ. Recently, we learned that one mother is punishing her daughter by not allowing her to come to Sunday school. Kids we want you to know how important you are and we want you to realize that God loves you and has a purpose for you. And even though you come alone, don’t ever give up.
God works through children. That is one way God keeps his promise alive.
2. God keeps his promise alive through spiritual mentors. King Joash, young as he was, did not have to go it alone. Kids, you may think it would be fun to be a king at age 7. You could eat pizza and ice cream every day because you are king. But I think it would be scary to be a king at 7 years of age. How would you know what decisions are best?
We read that Joash started out right. (12:2) “He did what was right in the sight of the Lord..” We all know how good it feels when we do what is right.
I remember a time when I knew I was doing right. When I was in elementary school, I wanted a ball point pen with the school logo on it in the worst way. I bought it with my own quarter, but when I left the store, I dropped it on the sidewalk –on its point. I told the store keeper that it didn’t work. He asked, “Did you drop it?” I admitted that I did. For that he replaced my pen and gave me a quarter for telling the truth.
Where do you think I learned about honesty? From my parents. From my Sunday school teachers. From things I learned in church.
Little king Joash learned what was right from the priest in the temple where he stayed. That priest was his teacher. “He did what was right because the priest instructed him.” Joash was not alone. He had someone to teach him. Fortunately, he had someone important in his life to guide him.
Whether you are parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts, do not underestimate the importance of instruction and guidance for children. As children, we all remember what it was like to walk through a crowd. It was scary because everyone around us was bigger than we were and we couldn’t see where we were going. But there beside us was our dad or mother, holding our hand, looking out beyond where we were. They could see where to go. And that is the way it is in our scary world today. Kids need moral and spiritual guidance. You adults can see down the road. You can see the dangers up ahead. And you can guide your children.
Not long ago, a grandmother talked with us about her grandchild who has wonderful potential, but who also faces the temptation to go off in the wrong direction. This grandmother wondered what she could do to help keep this grandchild from ending up in the wrong place. Already we know that the example of this grandmother will go far in helping her grandchild. This grandchild needs other adult mentors to look up to as well.
Those of you who grew up in the church as children probably have in your memory an image of grownups who were good examples to you. Today as adults you stand in the place of those grownups and now children in this congregation are looking up to you as examples for them. You can be their mentors through your example, through advice you give to them, and through direct teaching when appropriate.
If it weren’t for the priest who instructed Joash, this little king would not have known what to do and how to live. And God’s promise would have been threatened again. And if it weren’t for you adults, there may be some child who would not learn how to live. God keeps his promise alive through mentors and spiritual advisors.
3. God keeps his promise alive through diligent workers. I don’t know if you noticed, but when it came time to repair the temple, they counted the money and disbursed it to the carpenters and masons as the repairs were made. And what’s more, v. 15 says “They did not ask an accounting from those into whose hand they delivered the money … for they dealt honestly.”
If there is one quality that God’s people need to have it is honesty and integrity. That means that what you do should line up with what you say. God’s people not only need to talk the talk, but they need to walk the walk. Jesus said, “Let your word be yes, yes or no, no.” In other words, when you open your mouth, let words of truth come out. When you make a promise, keep it. One of the values that the Church of the Brethren has held to down through the centuries is that our word should always be our bond. We don’t need to “swear” that we are telling the truth because we tell the truth all the time. Even in legal documents we don’t need to “swear” that we are telling the truth. The laws of our land recognize the convictions of those who cannot swear an oath in good conscience and we can substitute the word “affirm” instead. Even one of our presidents, Wm. Henry Harrison, became president by affirming rather than by swearing. God needs honest, truthful workers both in our society and in the church.
I read in the paper about guys who come around wanting to paint barn roofs. The fact is many of them are scams. They often use thin paint. It looks good right after they finish, but in a short time, it is gone. And when the owner complains afterwards about the paint on the bushes and trees, they say, “Oh, it will wash off with the first rain.” What do you suppose will happen to the roof?
The workers in the temple in Joash’s day dealt honestly. They didn’t fudge on bookkeeping. They didn’t work just part of a day and call it a full day. They didn’t substitute inferior materials for the real thing. They didn’t try to get by with as little work as possible. They didn’t take things that weren’t theirs. They could be trusted. And that is the way it should be with you and me.
As you know, our church has a love fund which we try to use with as much discretion as possible. As a principle, we don’t give cash. We know that sometimes people have lied to us to get a few dollars. We don’t expect everyone we deal with to always be honest, because desperate people sometimes use desperate measures. But as followers of Jesus, we need to be truthful and honest, full of integrity. Let it never be said that anyone from this congregation is dishonest.
The workers in the temple did their assignments faithfully. Maybe they thought they were not important. But if it hadn’t been for the workers in this temple, God’s promise would have been threatened. Their faithfulness helped to keep God’s promise alive. And God is keeping his promise alive today through each of you. Think of yourself as a worker in the church. Maybe you help with music or janitor work or kitchen duties or teaching. It takes the effort and the cooperation of everyone. Your work and your example will help others; it will inspire others. Be sure that it can be said of you “he/she dealt honestly.”
Conclusion
Unfortunately, even though King Joash reigned 40 years he only patched things up. (V 13) He did not complete the job. And what’s worse, (v. 17) in desperation, he used some of the gifts and the gold in the temple to pay off a king from another country. It is a sad commentary on human failure. How could a person whose life started in the temple end so far from what it represented? In the end, Joash’s own servants killed him. We don’t read that he had a chance to repent or change the course of his life again. If your life were to end today, how would God judge your life? Are there areas in your life that are not right that God is making known to you right now and wants you to come to him for forgiveness and a new start? Fortunately for Jim Bakker we know that he came out of his prison sentence a changed man. I have not read his book, but the title tells the story, “I was wrong.”
God will keep his promise alive through faithful people. Will you be one of them?
