“A Josiah Generation”
2 Kings 22:1-23:30 / 2 Chronicles 34:1- 35:27
Introduction:
1. Share the vision of children moving through the isles of the sanctuary. I saw children praying for adults, prophesying, giving words of encouragement and exhortation.
2. Have 5 people share the passage of scripture concerning Josiah.
Observations about Josiah
1. He was 8 years old when he became king (22:1)
a. Do any of you remember what your life was like when you were 8 years old?
b. Show picture of Kristie at 8 years old.
c. Show picture of Andrew at age 8
1. I remember being in the second grade. Learning how to read, recess on the school playground. Lunch. Riding my bike all over the neighborhood.
2. Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3. Josiah’s father did evil in the sight of the Lord and Josiah had not yet found the book of the Law so how did he know how to do what was right in God’s sight?
a. I don’t know for sure, but I would venture to guess that there was someone that taught him God’s ways. There was someone that planted God’s moral standard into Josiah’s heart.
4 Things that Josiah did after he heard the Word of the Lord
1. He responded to God’s Word
a. Humbly
b. Fearfully
c. Grievously
2. He sought God’s instruction
a. Psalm 34:10 “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
b. Deut. 4:29 “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
c. 2 Chron. 15:13 “All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.”
3. He read the book of the Law out loud to all the people.
a. Romans 10:14 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
4. He instituted change (repentance happened)
a. They made a new covenant before the Lord in the act of celebrating the Passover..
b. Jeremiah 35:15 “Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, "Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers." But you have not paid attention or listened to me.”
Word given in 1995
A person in the congregation gave me a copy of a word that came forth in 1995 concerning the children of New Covenant Fellowship. The vision was of children ministering to adults and other children.
Question: Why has this not happened yet?
Answer: Because we have not done what Deuteronomy 6:6-8 has said to do. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
What do we need to do?
1. We need to hear God’s word
2. We need to respond to that word
3. We need to seek the Lord
4. We need to clean house!!!
a. repent
Then we need to teach it to our children.
Let’s make a new covenant with the Lord today.
Illustrations:
1. Poem of clay – children have soft hearts
2. Coffee cup – once something is molded and hardened it can’t be changed by us.
3. Light – we need to seek relationship with our children and let the light of Christ shine in our lives.
4. Off Key guitar – If we are not walking in right relationship with our God, but want our children to, we will be like an instrument that is out of tune.
