HEART TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE WORD
Text: 2 Kings 22:1-23:30 by Pastor Daniel A. Reyes
Church: Masantol Christian Church
Address: Cupit San Nicolas Masantol Pampanga Philippines 2017
Email Address: ptrdan22@yahoo.com
Introduction:
The heart is very important organ of the physical body. It is sad to note down that many people neglect taking care of their heart (lack of exercise, no check-up, poor health habits, diet) and because of this different ailments have troubled many hearts. They neglect to take care of their hearts, ailments begin to creep in, and all of a sudden death!
I would say, it holds true in the spiritual realm. Many people have spiritual problems. Heart refers to the control center; what runs a person’s life. And people neglect their hearts (lack of exercise of obedience; and ailments creep in and all of a sudden …. Spiritual downfall!
Notice: Some of the heart problems described in the bible.
“He married them even though the LORD had commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with these people, because they would cause the Israelites to give their loyalty to other gods. Solomon married seven hundred princesses and also had three hundred concubines. They made him turn away from God, and by the time he was old they had led him into the worship of foreign gods. He was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.” 1 Kings 11:2-4
• Solomon had a heart problem – a divided heart
Elijah went up to the people and said, "How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the LORD is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!" But the people didn’t say a word. 1 Kings 18:21
• There was a contest between Gods, God vs. false gods. Elijah and the priest of Baal were to put up 2 altars with a sacrifice of a bull on each of the altars and they would pray. Whichever sacrifice is taken up by fire, that’s the real God. Why? These was for the sake of the people whose hearts were divided.
Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God and that you are bringing them back to yourself." 1 Kings 18:37
• There hearts were far away from God.
The Lord said, "These people claim to worship me, but their words are meaningless, and their hearts are somewhere else. Their religion is nothing but human rules and traditions, which they have simply memorized. Isaiah 29:13
• Heart problems! They have self divided hearts, they thought they fooled God with their empty rituals. They failed to realize that God desires their full devotion; whole hearted obedience first.
Spiritual heart problem! The number 1 killer, maybe your heart has been sick for quite sometimes. You are maybe unaware of it. Have you had a spiritual check up lately?
Who can understand the human heart? There is nothing else so deceitful; it is too sick to be healed. Jeremiah 17:9
• The heart is deceitful. It has a way of fooling us, at times; we ourselves don’t know the real condition of our hearts. Yet!
• It is God who knows the secrets contents of our hearts “This is why the Psalmist prayed … search me O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any deceitful way in me.” Psalm 139:23-24
We are to ask the all knowing God to reveal to us the real condition of our hearts. God desires that we maintain healthy hearts. Hearts that are entirely His; hearts whose sole desires/obsession is to Glorify Him.
Deut. 6: 5 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Question: What is the condition of our hearts? Perhaps, for so long, our hearts have been sick, our hearts devotion has been divided; not completely for God.
You may ask? Is there’s hope? I would say… There is hope! God says… we can rise up from the pit of sin and set our hearts aflame for Him again. But you must desire it!
Our text, Records the story of a king whose heart was totally for God. (King Josiah) his reign was during a time when Israel was at his lowest point in its spiritual life. Sinning was the lifestyle of the people. Yet! Josiah was used by God to raise Israel back to God. King Josiah’s heart was a flamed, and He set his peoples hearts a flamed for God again.
And this is what we would like to see. Our hearts a flamed and that flames of awakening/transformation others heart.
Lesson: The flame of revival is “God pointing a finger at one man.” One Man: That’s all it takes. And God maybe pointing His finger at you (now!). Probably, it will take you to start the flames burning in the lives of others. Let us look how God brought revival/transformation to Israel through King Josiah.
I. RETURN TO THE WORD (22:1-10)
Read verse 1, 2
“Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath. Josiah did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. 2 Kings 22:1, 2
Here was a king whose heart was right, who was sincere in his service to God. The problem is, two evil kings (Manasseh and Anon) preceded him and they led the nation Israel to sin. He is now left with this huge problem.
Question: How can one man lead a whole nation from sinful state back to God?
Well, God was going to start with him. He commanded the workers to repair the temple which has not been used for quite sometimes. And when they were doing some repair; a startling discovery has been made. They discovered the book of the law.
Imagine! For a long time (75 years) no one has opened the book, no wonder they have fallen deep in sin.
Lesson: A departure from the word of God is the start of one’s downfall.
So many Christians have kept their bibles in the shelves and have not read it since. And their spiritual lives are accumulating sin just like their bibles accumulates dust. They have put their quiet time on hold.
But just as departure from the word is the beginning of one’s downfall, a return to the word is the beginning of one’s spiritual revival.
Have you met with Jesus Christ lately in prayer and study of His word? He wants your time. In verse 8 “Hikiah, the high priest declared “I have found the book of the law” and in verse 10 “they read from it in the presence of the King.”
II. REPENTANCE FROM SIN (verses 11-20)
v.11 “When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay”
This brings us to the second element needed to get our hearts a flamed. A recognition of sin and repentance from sin. King Josiah understood the law and he realized that the whole of Israel was involved in sin. And he also realized that sin has its consequences.
v. 13 “Go and consult the LORD for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The LORD is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done."
So he immediately confessed his sins. The king was in grief and mourning over his sin and his people’s sinfulness. His immediate response was confession and remorse.
Psalm 51:17 “What God desire is that we come to Him broken in repentance.
Question: What is our response when we sin?
Do we acknowledge that we have sinned? Many try to justify their sin. They try to prolong / staying in sin, instead of immediately confessing it to God.
Do we grieve when we sin? When we lose our grief for a certain sin, we are beginning to love that sin. About King Josiah, God said: his heart (v.19) was responsive and he humbled himself before God when he heard the words of the law.
III. REDEDICATION TO GOD (23:1-3)
King Josiah summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple. He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the LORD to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant. 2 Kings 23:1-3
There was a rededication of the self to God.
Observation: The king did not force the people to commit themselves to God .But in the presence of every one, he committed himself to God. And as he set an example “all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”
One man’s dedication to God inspired the other people to give themselves also to the Lord. Perhaps, it will take the dedication of your self to God to inspire other people.
Maybe, you are praying that your family will be on fire for God – are you on fire?
Maybe, your bible study group is not that committed to God. Inspire them by being committed yourself.
When we do that! The flame of revival spread quickly Don’t wait for others. God is priority of you. Rededicate your life now.
IV. Lastly King Josiah instituted reforms: REFORMS INSTITUTED (23:4-30)
To make sure that revival would not fizzle out, he made reforms. There are revivals that spread quickly but dies out quickly as well. In order to make sure that the revival will continue, he made reforms. He went to the root of the problems.
Example: The root problem was idolatry so he destroyed the place of idolatry. Which was the pagan temples, killed the priests of these temples, which was the source of the problems.
Even if they rededicated themselves to God, if these places of idolatry were left, they were sure to go back to their old ways.
Dedication means; Total separation from sin, dealing with sin.
If you know that you are involved in some sin habit? Deal with the root cause of it!
You are involved in a relationship that is not God’s will. You don’t just confess/feel guilty. Get away from it! Deal with sin.
…and they re-instituted the commanded ritual of the Lord (vs. 21-23)
These was such a revival in Israel, that God did not pour out his wrath during King Josiah’s time. God relents His anger when people repent of their sins and commit to obey His will.
About King Josiah in verse 25 says…here had never been a king like him before, who served the LORD with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.
Friends, what is the condition of your hearts?
What kind of hearts do we want?
Hymn says… Fill each heart with thy love; may each heart soul be rekindled with fire from above; Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah Amen! Hallelujah! Thine the Glory. Revive us again!
