Sermon #1186 The Josiah Moment Welcome to Let the Bible Speak. We are blessed to have a guest speaker this morning. My friend, gospel preacher, Al Felder, from the Highway 84 congregation in Brookhaven, MS, will be sharing a very interesting and personal study that he has titled, The Josiah Moment. He bases this study on a fascinating Old Testament Bible account that centers around the life of a boy and later a young man who opts to step up beyond his environment in order to demonstrate to God the extent of his devotion. The Josiah Moment, after our song 8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. 10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Saphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king s saying, 13 Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. (2 Kings 22:8-13) Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh. Manasseh was the most wicked king to ever rule in Judah. Under his reign the state of the Jews was worse than the heathen nations that existed in the land when God first brought Israel out of Egypt. He had no regard for the word of God and had many of God s prophets killed. Manasseh rebuilt the high places that had been destroyed by his father Hezekiah. He began to worship the false gods Baal and Molech. As a part of worship unto these false gods fornication and human sacrifices were performed. Manasseh even built altars to false gods within the Temple. His reign lasted for fifty-five years. After the death of Manasseh his son Amon became king of Judah. Amon was wicked just like his father. He was so hated that within two years of taking the throne his own servants plotted to have him murdered. After his death his son Josiah took the throne. Josiah was not wicked like his father and grandfather before him. He had a tender heart. When he was twenty-six, Josiah ordered the Temple to be cleaned. It was during this process that the Book of the Law was found. With over fifty years of rampant wickedness in Judah, the Book of the Law had become lost and forgotten. As the Book was read Josiah was hearing the word of God for the first time in his life. When confronted with the truth, Josiah had a moment. Would he submit himself to God or would he rebel like his grandfather? The scriptures state that Josiah was sorrowful for all of the wickedness that had been committed in Judah. He mourned over Judah s rebellion against God and he sought to follow the word of God with all his heart. When faced with the truth and convinced of the error of his ways, Josiah changed. 1
The Josiah Moment, by Brett Hickey, sermon # 1186 2 of 5 At some point and time in our life we all have a moment like Josiah. We learn something from the word of God and realize that we have not been obeying the Lord. In that moment we have a decision to make. Will we submit ourselves unto God or will we continue to live our life according to our own standards? What will we do when have our own Josiah moment? My Josiah moment came some nineteen years ago. At that time I was preaching in one of the mainline denominations. It was the denomination that I had been raised in, and I had decided that I was going to preach. I had been preaching for three years when I had my Josiah moment. It began in college when I met the woman who would become my wife. At that time she too was a member of a denomination. Growing up I had friends in various denominations. Denominationalism was all that I knew. It was normal for there to be countless numbers of denominations all claiming to serve God, but doing it in their own distinct way. Not long after my wife and I began dating I met her older brother. He had left denominationalism a few years earlier and became a member of the Church of Christ. I had never heard of the Church of Christ and as far as I was concerned it was just another denomination. Over the course of three years I would have discussions with my brother-in-law. We would see each other at family gatherings and there were times that we would go hunting together. During these times we would always discuss the Bible. I was curious to learn about a group that was new to me. After our discussions I would go back and study the Bible for myself and have another discussion with my wife. Over a process of three years things finally began to come clear. It was at that time I had my Josiah moment. I had a decision to make. Would I accept the word of God or would I continue to follow the ways of man. I would like to share with you what caused me to question everything that I believed. As the saying goes, Ignorance is bliss, and I was ignorant of the true teachings of God s word for the first part of my life. I grew up with the mindset that having thousands of different religious groups was ok. Each with their own creed book and having their own distinct practices. I grew up with the thinking of, join the church of your choice, and we re all trying to get to the same place. As I studied scripture I found out some things that shook these beliefs in me. A good place to start is with the beginning of the Church. 13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:13-18) Jesus told His disciples that He would build His Church. At this time it was not in existence. Jesus was pointing His disciples to some event in the future from their perspective. 2
The Josiah Moment, by Brett Hickey, sermon # 1186 3 of 5 Jesus also gave the foundation upon which His Church was built in this passage. The name Peter is Petros in the Greek language. It means a piece of a rock or fragment. The word rock is the Greek word Petra. It means a massive ledge, an immovable structure.1 Some people get confused when looking at this passage and believe that Jesus is saying Peter is the foundation of the Church. The Greek language, however, does not allow that understanding. Peter himself clarifies this in one of his inspired writings. Wherefore also it is contained in the scriptures, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1 Peter 2:6) The foundation upon which Jesus built His Church is the fact that He is the Son of God. When Jesus last appeared unto His Apostles He told them something very important. 46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48And ye are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:46-49) Jesus said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name at Jerusalem. He also told them to wait there until they were endued with power from on high. In Acts chapter 2 we read where the event which Christ spoke about took place. There were Jews present from every nation. The Apostles were endued with power from on high by the Holy Spirit and they began to preach. When those listening asked them what they must do Peter said, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) Repentance and remission of sins were preached in Jerusalem. As men began to obey the preaching of the Apostles, the Bible states something very important. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:47) There is the beginning of the Church. Those who obeyed the preaching of the word were added to the Church by God. There is a reason why this did not happen until after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28) You see, Jesus purchased the Church with His own blood. This was accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. He died to save the body. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and he is the savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23) The body is the Church. 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church. 23Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:22, 23) The Bible teaches that the Church is the body of Christ. He died to save it and purchased it with His blood. The saved are added to the Church by God. I began to realize that the Church was a lot more important than I had thought. I also began to realize that there were not as many churches as I thought. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye 3
The Josiah Moment, by Brett Hickey, sermon # 1186 4 of 5 are called in one hope of your calling. (Ephesians 4:4) There is only one Church. The Church is the body and there is one body of which Jesus is the head. As I realized this I became angry. I was angry that I had believed a lie along with everyone else that I knew. The phrase, join the church of your choice, left a bad taste in my mouth. The idea of thousands of different groups calling themselves by different names and practicing different things did not match up with the Bible teaching of, one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. Satan has led many people astray by mixing a little bit of truth with error. Next, I wanted to know how to find the Church that Jesus built. In Luke chapter 8 Jesus told his listeners the parable of the sower. In this parable a seed is planted in order to produce fruit. Jesus later explained the parable to His disciples. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11) A seed always produces what it is intended to produce. When you look at the religious world, I encourage you to do one thing. Take the name off of every religious organization that claims to follow God. Without their names how can you tell them apart? By their practices. The way to find the Church that Jesus built is to look for the Church that follows the Bible and the Bible only. No man-made creeds or names, the Bible and the Bible only. The seed always produces what it is intended to produce. I wanted to know how I could become a part of this blood bought body containing all of the saved. 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8) I had to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a peculiar phrase that I was not use to saying. We always just talked about people getting saved. What did it mean to obey the Gospel? In order to know what it meant to obey the Gospel I had to understand what the Gospel is. 1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. That s it! Jesus is going to take vengeance on all who do not obey His Gospel (death, burial, and resurrection)! How can you obey an historical event? The Bible teaches exactly how this is done. 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: 4
The Josiah Moment, by Brett Hickey, sermon # 1186 5 of 5 but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:3-11) To obey the Gospel I had to reenact the Gospel. I had to die to my life of sin through repentance. This is like Christ s death on the cross. Then, I had to be baptized. Through baptism I reenacted the burial of Jesus. Jesus was placed in a tomb, but our burial is in a watery grave instead of a tomb. Finally, as I was raised up out of the grave of baptism I reenacted the resurrection of Christ. Isn t this what Jesus instructed His disciples to do? Isn t this what he told them to preach and what they did on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2? Peter said, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This brought them into Christ and into His body. The Bible says, And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. My Josiah moment came at 12:00 o clock on a Thursday night. I ll never forget it. I had great sorrow that I had not obeyed God and I knew what I must do. Will you leave behind all that you know just to follow Jesus? Will you give up man-made names and practices and simply become a Christian and follow the Bible only? Will you obey the Gospel of Christ and be added to The Church? There is only one blood bought body for which Christ died to save. It is His and He is the head. It s the Church that follows His word, the seed. Brett will be back with a few closing words, after our song Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. Please contact us for a free copy of this message, The Josiah Moment, or our free study guide titled, Judgement to Come. You may now get the Let the Bible Speak app on your I-phone or android to instantly access videos, audio, and transcripts of the program. Please do us a favor and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the new sermon every week at your convenience. Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, the churches of Christ salute you. Until next week, goodbye and may God bless you. Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies. We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament. (For manuscripts of other sermons visit: www.letthebiblespeak.com) COPYRIGHT Let The Bible Speak. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Express permission is granted to distribute any video, audio, or transcript of any broadcast message as long as the material is: unedited and attribution is given to Let The Bible Speak; a hyperlink to LetTheBibleSpeak.com is included for electronic distribution; a text reference is included to www.letthebiblespeak.com for printed distribution; and the original author receives attribution. An irrevocable, world-wide, royalty free license for distribution is granted as long as such distribution has the intent of: supporting the truth as presented; giving glory and honor to God; and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. 5