WEBVTT 00:35.765 --> 00:39.227 [SPEAKER_01]: All right, so full disclosure, I do not feel good today. 00:39.747 --> 00:49.894 [SPEAKER_01]: And any time I don't feel good and it affects my speaking and my demeanor a little bit, and I might stumble over my words a little bit like I did in the first service, I always have people after going as everything okay. 00:50.334 --> 00:51.575 [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm just gonna let you know right up front. 00:52.035 --> 00:53.656 [SPEAKER_01]: Everything's okay, but I don't feel good. 00:53.676 --> 00:56.736 [SPEAKER_01]: Some of you know I have some food issues and I got hit by something yesterday. 00:56.816 --> 00:59.297 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't even know what it was and it's affecting me today. 00:59.377 --> 01:08.140 [SPEAKER_01]: So if I stumble over words, if I don't seem clear, you know why and I probably won't be sticking around afterward like I usually do to have a lot of conversations. 01:08.200 --> 01:18.463 [SPEAKER_01]: But now you know why, but the truth is even with that going on and I may even, you know, look a little uncomfortable at times because I am, there's almost nowhere else I would rather be right now. 01:19.163 --> 01:19.544 [SPEAKER_01]: almost. 01:20.284 --> 01:25.930 [SPEAKER_01]: Lying down in bed is first, but then comes sharing God's word in the worship service. 01:25.950 --> 01:29.874 [SPEAKER_01]: And I mean that truly, I genuinely mean that I'm excited for what we have to talk about today. 01:31.575 --> 01:41.105 [SPEAKER_01]: How do you bring a nation back from collective moral decay that seems just beyond hope? 01:42.045 --> 01:43.467 [SPEAKER_01]: I know that got really deep really quick. 01:45.529 --> 02:14.517 [SPEAKER_01]: How do you change a culture that just seems like it is so degraded and so anti-God and anti-Gods words in so many ways and it feels so hopeless sometimes as an individual to go, how do I even make a difference in that a nation that was founded on some good and even some godly principles and had some protections and guidance put in place to try to keep the following generations on track but corrupt leaders and to be honest with you some demonic influence probably. 02:15.590 --> 02:25.796 [SPEAKER_01]: and a cultural fascination with paganism in many cases, just erodes the moral compass of a culture and a nation to the point where it just seems like all godly hope is gone. 02:27.277 --> 02:32.180 [SPEAKER_01]: That was the setting of the kingdom of Judah in 640 BC. 02:32.881 --> 02:34.582 [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we're gonna talk about today. 02:35.282 --> 02:44.187 [SPEAKER_01]: Because there's a remin of people in the kingdom of Judah who are faithful to God, it's getting smaller and smaller, but it seemed like the wicked people were almost always 02:45.388 --> 02:56.275 [SPEAKER_01]: There were some good people here and there, there were some good leaders here and there, but overall the nation was just filled with this deeply integrated paganism and wickedness and evil and violence was everywhere. 02:56.896 --> 03:00.078 [SPEAKER_01]: Child sacrifice was commonplace. 03:00.538 --> 03:11.945 [SPEAKER_01]: People worshiped false gods and did despicable things in the names of those false gods and for people who cared about their country and who cared about their God and their fellow citizens, they had to be looking 03:15.548 --> 03:17.249 [SPEAKER_01]: What can we do to have any kind of impact? 03:17.269 --> 03:23.054 [SPEAKER_01]: Any kind of dent in the spiritual and moral decay that is happening all around us? 03:24.115 --> 03:34.905 [SPEAKER_01]: In our generation series so far, we've talked about the importance of intentional cross-generational relationships that fact that people today are craving authentic community. 03:34.925 --> 03:37.327 [SPEAKER_01]: They're not finding it in many cases. 03:37.607 --> 03:42.011 [SPEAKER_01]: And the church is God's answer to our relationship problem. 03:42.571 --> 03:48.413 [SPEAKER_01]: The church is the way God chooses to introduce himself to people, to form a relationship with Him. 03:48.813 --> 03:58.116 [SPEAKER_01]: It's the community that He provides for them to have relationships with each other, to go through this life together and to be supported in all of the ups and downs of this life. 03:59.659 --> 04:07.926 [SPEAKER_01]: The relationships that we have in the church often cross-generational lines and some really, really neat and special ways. 04:07.966 --> 04:24.519 [SPEAKER_01]: I think about just my life, I have deep, close friendships with people who are many decades removed from me in the timeline of life that I can tell you, there's just no way I would have that depth of relationship with people across those generational lines if it were not for the faith. 04:24.959 --> 04:26.501 [SPEAKER_01]: And the church is a really special thing. 04:27.141 --> 04:37.828 [SPEAKER_01]: And so churches have such an incredible role to play and providing this authentic rich interwoven intergenerational community, but sadly, many churches just do not live up to that opportunity. 04:39.229 --> 04:44.032 [SPEAKER_01]: And many churches do not do anything to reach out into the community to offer that to other people. 04:45.173 --> 04:53.638 [SPEAKER_01]: Some churches look at what's going on in the culture, and they embrace some of the bad parts of what's in the culture, and they become compromised. 04:58.167 --> 05:16.813 [SPEAKER_01]: isolate themselves and exclude themselves, but some churches seek to engage both inside and outside the church in this multicultural and cross-demographic, cross-generational interaction community that just makes everyone better and helps everyone grow in their faith and grow in their walk with God and be introduced to God. 05:18.232 --> 05:19.773 [SPEAKER_01]: And we want to be that kind of a church. 05:20.613 --> 05:23.934 [SPEAKER_01]: We want to be a church that grows inside and grows outside. 05:24.374 --> 05:28.435 [SPEAKER_01]: And we want to ask the question in day as we go to this passage that I'm going to introduce to you in a minute. 05:29.076 --> 05:41.260 [SPEAKER_01]: What can we as ordinary people do to affect the kind of change that's going to lead to transformation in our culture, in our nation, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, in our schools? 05:42.160 --> 05:43.421 [SPEAKER_01]: What can we as individuals do? 05:43.441 --> 05:44.561 [SPEAKER_01]: The story that we're going to see today. 05:46.130 --> 05:50.634 [SPEAKER_01]: is going to show us that the challenges we face are not that different from the challenges that they faced. 05:51.194 --> 05:59.761 [SPEAKER_01]: And God works through different individuals back then to bring about some pretty incredible transformations in the kingdom of Judah. 05:59.821 --> 06:01.122 [SPEAKER_01]: And we want to learn from that today. 06:01.142 --> 06:03.845 [SPEAKER_01]: So go to 2nd Kings chapter 22 in your Bibles. 06:04.465 --> 06:05.106 [SPEAKER_01]: 2nd Kings 22. 06:05.166 --> 06:07.268 [SPEAKER_01]: We'll kind of bounce around 2nd Kings just a little bit. 06:07.808 --> 06:10.351 [SPEAKER_01]: We'll be in second Chronicles a little bit too, but I'll put that on the screens. 06:10.391 --> 06:15.236 [SPEAKER_01]: Last week, we looked at David's fundraising efforts for the temple. 06:15.256 --> 06:27.149 [SPEAKER_01]: And the temple was meant to be this worship center for God that was gonna bring all the people together so that they would stay close in their walk with God, so they would continue to follow God and wouldn't veer away from Him. 06:27.770 --> 06:45.661 [SPEAKER_01]: So he put together the resources, Solomon then built the Temple after David died, but surely after Solomon's death, the nation split into, you had a northern kingdom, you had a southern kingdom, the northern kingdom was called Israel, the southern kingdom was called Judah, and these two different kingdoms had many different leaders, different kings that came along the way. 06:46.021 --> 06:48.783 [SPEAKER_01]: In the north, nothing but bad kings, unfortunately. 06:49.083 --> 06:51.865 [SPEAKER_01]: In the south, you had some good kings, you had a lot of bad kings. 06:52.870 --> 06:56.836 [SPEAKER_01]: And I want to zero in on the time period that started. 06:57.336 --> 07:00.761 [SPEAKER_01]: Actually, it's directly what we talked about in February of this year. 07:00.781 --> 07:03.785 [SPEAKER_01]: You may remember, we did a series on Hezekiah. 07:04.146 --> 07:06.890 [SPEAKER_01]: And King Hezekiah's work in the temple. 07:06.930 --> 07:09.654 [SPEAKER_01]: Hezekiah was a mostly good king. 07:10.888 --> 07:16.694 [SPEAKER_01]: And we talked about this a while ago, but in case you don't remember, the temple was in disrepair. 07:16.754 --> 07:22.340 [SPEAKER_01]: His father had nailed the door shut, sold off all of the goods and the worship instruments that were inside. 07:22.640 --> 07:28.746 [SPEAKER_01]: And Hezekiah opened the doors, repaired the temple, put everything back in order to re-instituted worship in the temple. 07:28.786 --> 07:33.471 [SPEAKER_01]: But then, when he died, his son Manasa was a really bad king. 07:34.812 --> 07:42.038 [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, he's one of the most evil kings in biblical history for any of the God's kingdoms, Israel or Judah. 07:43.067 --> 07:50.989 [SPEAKER_01]: He turned out to be so bad that he converted that temple that has a chia head restored into a pagan worship center. 07:51.290 --> 07:53.870 [SPEAKER_01]: Put an astra pole in it, put idols all over it. 07:53.910 --> 07:56.771 [SPEAKER_01]: He put idols and pagan shrines all over Judah. 07:57.071 --> 08:01.353 [SPEAKER_01]: He sacrifices own children in fire to false gods. 08:01.673 --> 08:06.694 [SPEAKER_01]: He shed so much innocent blood that the Bible says it filled Jerusalem from one end to the other. 08:06.734 --> 08:08.195 [SPEAKER_01]: This was a wicked evil king. 08:08.935 --> 08:14.939 [SPEAKER_01]: But later in his life, he was captured by the Assyrians, taken to the city of Babylon. 08:14.979 --> 08:17.461 [SPEAKER_01]: Put in prison there, treated very, very archially. 08:17.761 --> 08:23.725 [SPEAKER_01]: And he actually repented, confessed to sins to God, asked for forgiveness, asked to be restored. 08:23.965 --> 08:28.128 [SPEAKER_01]: God heard him and forgave him and put him back in charge in Judah. 08:28.368 --> 08:35.072 [SPEAKER_01]: And for the next few years of his life that were left, he tried to undo the damage he had caused for 45 years. 08:36.733 --> 08:44.337 [SPEAKER_01]: For 45 years, he just led this nation into absolute moral decay and depravity and paganism and horrible despicable practices. 08:44.917 --> 08:48.059 [SPEAKER_01]: And now for a few years, he gets to try to undo some of that damage. 08:48.079 --> 08:49.260 [SPEAKER_01]: And he has a little bit of success. 08:49.580 --> 08:51.941 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't take care of all of it before he dies. 08:52.341 --> 08:53.842 [SPEAKER_01]: And his son Amin takes over. 08:53.882 --> 08:57.004 [SPEAKER_01]: And Amin was a really, really bad king. 08:57.684 --> 09:08.249 [SPEAKER_01]: He was actually worse than his father, Menasa was early on, but he didn't live long enough to get to implement much of that evil because after two years his own servants assassinated him. 09:09.110 --> 09:19.235 [SPEAKER_01]: That turned the royal court into chaos because then people assassinated the servants that assassinated him and you have all this kind of tumult happening in the royal court there in Judah. 09:20.222 --> 09:28.649 [SPEAKER_01]: After Amin, though, it's now up to Amin's son, the NASA's grandson, little eight-year-old Josiah. 09:29.429 --> 09:34.554 [SPEAKER_01]: At eight-years-old Josiah becomes the king of Judah. 09:35.214 --> 09:39.057 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, can you imagine those of you that have an eight-year-old at home right now? 09:39.718 --> 09:44.101 [SPEAKER_01]: Can you imagine just turn and over what we're going to have for dinner entirely to them? 09:44.702 --> 09:45.923 [SPEAKER_01]: Let alone a kingdom. 09:46.962 --> 09:48.262 [SPEAKER_01]: That's a problem. 09:48.982 --> 09:53.463 [SPEAKER_01]: But the Bible says that he was actually a really good king. 09:54.324 --> 09:59.805 [SPEAKER_01]: And not just when he became an adult, actually by the time he was 16, he was already doing thing implementing. 10:00.045 --> 10:02.606 [SPEAKER_01]: At the time he's 12, he starts doing some good stuff. 10:02.626 --> 10:07.047 [SPEAKER_01]: By 16, he's doing some major stuff to cause reforms in this country. 10:07.067 --> 10:10.327 [SPEAKER_01]: He was really actively involved in turning the people back to God. 10:10.607 --> 10:12.488 [SPEAKER_01]: There's a summary later on in 2nd Kings 23. 10:13.548 --> 10:24.699 [SPEAKER_01]: This has never before had there been a King like Josiah who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses, and there has never been a king like him since. 10:24.739 --> 10:28.323 [SPEAKER_01]: Now you know how much we look at David and go, wow, a man after God's own heart. 10:29.858 --> 10:36.760 [SPEAKER_01]: never before had there been a king like Josiah who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength. 10:37.220 --> 10:45.463 [SPEAKER_01]: What a neat thing to be said about this young man this boy at the the early time Josiah in the chronicles about the kings. 10:45.723 --> 10:54.406 [SPEAKER_01]: We read this so Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God and throughout their rest of his lifetime. 10:54.766 --> 10:56.646 [SPEAKER_01]: They did not turn away from the Lord. 10:59.387 --> 11:14.989 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, this went from one of the most evil and wicked societies imaginable with a regularly burning kids in fire to try to gain favor of the gods to a place that is now worshiping the true God who detests those things and are following him for Josiah's entire lifetime. 11:15.009 --> 11:15.609 [SPEAKER_01]: That's incredible. 11:16.623 --> 11:24.370 [SPEAKER_01]: from an eight-year-old boy that becomes King and starts really making a difference when he's 12 to 16 years old, just incredible. 11:24.991 --> 11:31.176 [SPEAKER_01]: But as he comes on to the scene, as he becomes this boy King, the kingdom is still filled with paganism. 11:31.697 --> 11:39.844 [SPEAKER_01]: The worship center at the temple is still dedicated to paganism and Assa did not manage to take care of that before he passed away. 11:40.585 --> 11:43.607 [SPEAKER_01]: The kingdom is still filled with people who are worshipping false gods. 11:43.747 --> 11:46.448 [SPEAKER_01]: There are pagan priests all over the land. 11:46.488 --> 11:48.169 [SPEAKER_01]: The people worship false gods daily. 11:48.209 --> 11:57.414 [SPEAKER_01]: So how does a boy like that transform the nation to the point where it said there was nobody else like him before or after? 11:58.055 --> 12:00.536 [SPEAKER_01]: The answer is he doesn't do it alone. 12:01.646 --> 12:02.866 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't do it alone. 12:03.066 --> 12:22.232 [SPEAKER_01]: It would be easy to read Josiah's story, skim over certain parts of it, and just go, wow, this dude's a prodigy, and he was amazing, and he was gifted, and he was able to do such incredible things, and the people listened to him, and wow, what a great guy, and not realize that there are clues in the text that tell us there's a whole bunch of other people that contributed and helped. 12:22.932 --> 12:24.533 [SPEAKER_01]: to make this all happen. 12:25.034 --> 12:35.783 [SPEAKER_01]: And sometimes you're the mouthpiece and you're the person up front that God is using to do incredible things, but a lot of times there is a ton of people behind that person who are helping to make it happen and make a difference. 12:35.823 --> 12:37.685 [SPEAKER_01]: And that's what I want to challenge you with today. 12:38.585 --> 12:40.767 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to challenge all of you with this simple question. 12:41.168 --> 12:43.630 [SPEAKER_01]: Who are you investing in right now? 12:44.367 --> 12:45.168 [SPEAKER_01]: Who are you investing? 12:45.809 --> 12:46.750 [SPEAKER_01]: Who are you pouring into? 12:46.770 --> 12:52.796 [SPEAKER_01]: Because there were people who were investing in Josiah's life that made impossible for him to do the incredible things he did. 12:52.856 --> 12:54.218 [SPEAKER_01]: He did not do it alone. 12:55.109 --> 13:01.896 [SPEAKER_01]: And I think every single one of us has a role to play as God seeks to bring more people into his kingdom and help them to grow in their walk with him. 13:01.936 --> 13:03.897 [SPEAKER_01]: We all have a role to play in its difference. 13:04.498 --> 13:05.699 [SPEAKER_01]: And it's okay that it's different. 13:06.079 --> 13:15.508 [SPEAKER_01]: But we need to embrace whatever that role is and we're gonna look at those people today and we're going to try to learn from them and example a picture of what might that look for us today. 13:16.324 --> 13:19.207 [SPEAKER_01]: So second king's 22, gives us the start. 13:19.227 --> 13:22.010 [SPEAKER_01]: It says Josiah was eight years old when he became king. 13:22.490 --> 13:24.912 [SPEAKER_01]: And he rained in Jerusalem 31 years. 13:25.373 --> 13:29.777 [SPEAKER_01]: His mother was Jedada, the daughter of Adiah from Bosca. 13:30.718 --> 13:35.583 [SPEAKER_01]: He did what was pleasing in the Lord's site and followed the example of his ancestor David. 13:35.623 --> 13:38.606 [SPEAKER_01]: He did not turn away from doing what was right. 13:39.226 --> 13:40.588 [SPEAKER_01]: The first character I want to introduce 13:43.438 --> 13:50.942 [SPEAKER_01]: It's unusual to have the King's mother named here, let alone the name of her father, and the name of the hometown where she came from. 13:51.302 --> 13:56.605 [SPEAKER_01]: And so there are certain clues to that that tell us something that we can likely assume about Jeddah. 13:56.625 --> 14:03.368 [SPEAKER_01]: The text doesn't say this directly, but immediately following, giving us this line about the King's mother, which is already unusual, 14:04.168 --> 14:06.730 [SPEAKER_01]: The text says, he did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight. 14:07.250 --> 14:09.131 [SPEAKER_01]: And follow the example of his ancestor David. 14:09.491 --> 14:14.695 [SPEAKER_01]: And what this likely means is that Jeddah was a part of raising him to be that way to follow after God. 14:14.915 --> 14:20.158 [SPEAKER_01]: It tells us that she was from Boskath, which means she was not one of the insiders in Jerusalem. 14:20.218 --> 14:22.620 [SPEAKER_01]: She was from a different community in Judah. 14:23.100 --> 14:29.044 [SPEAKER_01]: And so she maybe wasn't a part of the same kind of political landscape that would have happened in the capital city there. 14:29.864 --> 14:38.149 [SPEAKER_01]: And it's very likely that she had an influential role in raising Josiah to be different than his evil father, Amin. 14:39.089 --> 14:40.170 [SPEAKER_01]: She's in a tough situation. 14:40.890 --> 14:41.670 [SPEAKER_01]: She's a single mom. 14:42.371 --> 14:44.292 [SPEAKER_01]: Her wicked husband has just passed away. 14:44.312 --> 14:45.512 [SPEAKER_01]: He was assassinated. 14:46.073 --> 14:50.135 [SPEAKER_01]: The royal court has thrown in a turmoil because now there's multiple assassinations happening. 14:50.535 --> 14:54.817 [SPEAKER_01]: And all of that, now her son, whose eight years old, is technically the king. 14:54.857 --> 14:58.499 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, of course, there are advisors and officials and the whole team of people that will 14:59.920 --> 15:07.664 [SPEAKER_01]: Because he can't just do that on his own yet, and sometimes we don't know if this is true or not, sometimes the queen mother ends up having a big role to play in that as well. 15:07.684 --> 15:08.704 [SPEAKER_01]: We're not sure if that's the case. 15:08.804 --> 15:26.333 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it is because she does have this prominent role and she has mentioned, but it's pretty safe to assume that she had a lot of influence in Josiah's early years and bringing him up to actually follow after God and not after the ways of his father and the worst parts of his grandfather's ring. 15:26.993 --> 15:29.956 [SPEAKER_01]: So I want you to think about whether you identify with Jedada in any way. 15:30.456 --> 15:45.470 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're a single parent trying to raise kids in a world where you have a lot on your shoulders, and you have to work, and you have to organize things, and you have to be the shuttle service, and you have to take care of all the arrangements, and it just feels like there's a lot resting on you. 15:46.150 --> 15:56.139 [SPEAKER_01]: And someone like Jeddah makes me think, wow, look at how amazing Josiah turned out so different from his father, so different from his grandfather and the way he lived most of his life. 15:56.359 --> 15:58.020 [SPEAKER_01]: And I think Jeddah had a lot to do with it. 15:58.040 --> 15:59.882 [SPEAKER_01]: I think she had a lot of influence in his life. 16:00.863 --> 16:05.909 [SPEAKER_01]: So I wonder how many of you see yourselves like that kind of a role, a parent role. 16:06.249 --> 16:08.992 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, maybe this is a biological parent, but not necessarily. 16:09.412 --> 16:12.516 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes this is a foster or adoptive parent. 16:12.976 --> 16:14.298 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes this is a grandparents. 16:14.318 --> 16:21.506 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes this is a parent figure in someone else's life, but someone who gets a prominent line in this person's biography. 16:22.581 --> 16:27.926 [SPEAKER_01]: You get that prominent line right before it says, and they followed after God with what they did in their lives. 16:28.547 --> 16:29.407 [SPEAKER_01]: That's what we want to be like. 16:29.447 --> 16:31.369 [SPEAKER_01]: We want to be that kind of a person. 16:31.710 --> 16:34.112 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, of course, Jeddah couldn't do it alone. 16:34.532 --> 16:36.374 [SPEAKER_01]: And there's other people who are involved in this. 16:36.434 --> 16:46.203 [SPEAKER_01]: So for some of you, you need to see yourselves as that parent figure that is just investing in those kids that God has brought into your life to raise them up the right way no matter what the history is, no matter 16:46.403 --> 16:56.292 [SPEAKER_01]: who their parents were, you know, I've talked with grandparents who say, I'm trying to everything I can to bring faith into my grandkids' lives because their parents actually don't have any kind of meaningful faith at all. 16:56.813 --> 17:04.760 [SPEAKER_01]: That's a tough spot to be in, but that's a valuable role to play, to be investing in the young people around you, whatever God has brought them. 17:05.180 --> 17:09.285 [SPEAKER_01]: But there are other people involved in this story, too, and maybe you'll see yourselves in one of them. 17:09.685 --> 17:11.327 [SPEAKER_01]: There's a man named Hilkaya. 17:11.928 --> 17:13.990 [SPEAKER_01]: Hilkaya is the high priest at the temple. 17:14.411 --> 17:17.615 [SPEAKER_01]: And Josiah, at one point, says, hey, I want you to clean up the temple. 17:17.815 --> 17:18.816 [SPEAKER_01]: I want you to get rid of the building. 17:20.880 --> 17:30.143 [SPEAKER_01]: priest is digging around in the temple and going through the relics and he finds something really important, something that had been lost for probably 75 years. 17:30.163 --> 17:39.665 [SPEAKER_01]: It says in verse 8, hillkaiah the high priest said to chiffon the court secretary, I have found the book of the law in the Lord's temple. 17:39.705 --> 17:40.826 [SPEAKER_01]: He's really excited about this. 17:41.346 --> 17:44.767 [SPEAKER_01]: Ben hillkaiah gave the scroll to chiffon and he read it. 17:45.552 --> 17:46.393 [SPEAKER_01]: This is the book of the law. 17:46.993 --> 17:48.935 [SPEAKER_01]: It was written by Moses. 17:49.656 --> 17:52.858 [SPEAKER_01]: We don't know a lot about Hellkaya, but he seems to have been a faithful priest. 17:53.479 --> 18:00.765 [SPEAKER_01]: If you read on in the text, you'll see that he is part of the group that the king ends up sending to learn more about what God wants for them. 18:01.106 --> 18:08.172 [SPEAKER_01]: As a nation, later on, Hellkaya makes some generous gifts to the temple for the ministry and the service of the temple. 18:08.632 --> 18:14.756 [SPEAKER_01]: And here he immediately lets the King's messenger know, hey, I found this book of the law that comes from Moses. 18:14.776 --> 18:19.258 [SPEAKER_01]: And here's the thing, that was probably hidden for 75 years. 18:20.219 --> 18:27.463 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine that, this book of the law, this is supposed to be not only God's guidance for people, but it's actually his guidance for the kingdom. 18:27.783 --> 18:29.124 [SPEAKER_01]: This is like their constitution. 18:29.364 --> 18:34.607 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine if in 1950, our constitution was suddenly lost and all copies of it erased and forgotten. 18:35.590 --> 18:39.593 [SPEAKER_01]: And today, nobody knows what that core document is that's supposed to govern. 18:39.613 --> 18:44.456 [SPEAKER_01]: You know how many conversations happen around here about is it constitutional and how do we interpret the constitution? 18:44.676 --> 18:46.958 [SPEAKER_01]: And we sort of have this guiding principle that's over our nation. 18:47.238 --> 18:48.999 [SPEAKER_01]: Imagine if that were gone for the last 75 years. 18:50.369 --> 19:00.157 [SPEAKER_01]: And it was just, well, whatever you feel like doing, whatever the King wants to do, there's no need for any sort of governing document, because whoever happens to be in charge of the time gets to do whatever they want. 19:00.197 --> 19:03.800 [SPEAKER_01]: That's what it was like in Israel for 75 years up till this point. 19:04.261 --> 19:16.131 [SPEAKER_01]: And now they have found the book of the law in Hilkaya hands this over to Shafan to bring to Josiah and this discovery that Hilkaya makes ends up being life-changing for Josiah. 19:16.611 --> 19:18.013 [SPEAKER_01]: So maybe you're like Hilkaya. 19:18.573 --> 19:19.994 [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to call him the discoverer. 19:20.575 --> 19:24.759 [SPEAKER_01]: Without Hilcaia Josiah never learns the details of God's instructions. 19:24.819 --> 19:26.080 [SPEAKER_01]: He knew he wanted to follow God. 19:26.941 --> 19:28.943 [SPEAKER_01]: He knew there was a temple where they need to worship God. 19:28.983 --> 19:29.844 [SPEAKER_01]: He knew that was important. 19:30.304 --> 19:34.348 [SPEAKER_01]: But he didn't know the specifics because he didn't have God's law. 19:35.640 --> 19:44.105 [SPEAKER_01]: We need people who like Helchia are gonna be discovers of God's Word who will share that with others. 19:44.906 --> 19:52.851 [SPEAKER_01]: People who are so in tune with Scripture that they can guide us in the ways that God has taught us to live in with the details that we might not be aware of. 19:52.871 --> 20:04.158 [SPEAKER_01]: And that means that we need people who are constantly connected to God's Word, studying it, learning it so that when the opportunity is right and there's a moment to share something they can say, this is what God's Word has to say about it. 20:04.638 --> 20:14.487 [SPEAKER_01]: wasn't long ago that I brought a problem to our elder board, and I also brought a solution to our elder board, and most of us were on board with it, and then one elder said, you doesn't the Bible say we should do it this way over here? 20:14.987 --> 20:17.210 [SPEAKER_01]: And we all went, oh yeah, you're right, we should probably follow that. 20:17.290 --> 20:24.957 [SPEAKER_01]: Because it doesn't matter who you are, there are times when there's needs to be somebody in the room who's been studying God's Word, who says, hey, God's Word has something to say about that. 20:25.577 --> 20:32.525 [SPEAKER_01]: And so I want to challenge you to be a discoverer of God's Word, and to be ready and able to share those things with other people. 20:32.545 --> 20:33.766 [SPEAKER_01]: We need those people in our lives. 20:33.786 --> 20:36.068 [SPEAKER_01]: I think about all of our group leaders here at the church. 20:36.629 --> 20:44.738 [SPEAKER_01]: People who are in a position in a relationship with others were when there's an important question to be asked those group leaders could say, Hey, let's get into God's Word about this. 20:45.198 --> 20:50.961 [SPEAKER_01]: I was just reading something in my devotions today that speaks to the situation that you are having in life right now. 20:51.021 --> 20:54.623 [SPEAKER_01]: I think about the people that serve in our kids ministry in our student ministry. 20:55.003 --> 20:57.804 [SPEAKER_01]: And these kids that companies ask the most amazing questions. 20:57.844 --> 20:59.245 [SPEAKER_01]: I was at junior high a couple weeks ago. 20:59.545 --> 21:00.705 [SPEAKER_01]: And some of the leaders gathered around. 21:00.725 --> 21:03.987 [SPEAKER_01]: They were telling me about the questions that these junior high students are asking. 21:04.327 --> 21:05.688 [SPEAKER_01]: It is phenomenal stuff. 21:06.228 --> 21:16.637 [SPEAKER_01]: You would not believe that theologically deep questions that some of these kids are asking and I have fun when people come to me and say, hey, I don't even know how to answer this, but here's a deep theological issue that we're wrestling through right now. 21:17.377 --> 21:23.342 [SPEAKER_01]: And so I think about the leader infusion when a fourth grader walks up and asks a question about the hypostatic union. 21:23.743 --> 21:25.744 [SPEAKER_01]: It's like, wow, that's incredible. 21:26.567 --> 21:35.949 [SPEAKER_01]: But God has people in place who are there to help bring God's Word into those people's lives, or even more than that, the student that comes to a leader, and says, I'm wrestling with this and my family right now. 21:36.349 --> 21:41.190 [SPEAKER_01]: I've got a tough situation with my parents, and I need, I want Godly counsel to deal with that. 21:41.210 --> 21:54.352 [SPEAKER_01]: We need people who are gonna be discovers of God's Word, who will share that with those people, happens when you're in a conversation with someone, and they share a plan that they have, and you recognize that, that actually might go against what God says to do here. 21:55.892 --> 22:05.699 [SPEAKER_01]: and talk about what God's Word says, we need to be that for each other, but it requires us being discoverers of God's Word, we'll need to bring it up and share it with others. 22:06.119 --> 22:08.001 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how high a circumstance exactly. 22:08.521 --> 22:12.904 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know his background and I don't know what all his motivations were in the process. 22:13.564 --> 22:20.990 [SPEAKER_01]: But I suspect that if this had happened during the reign of Manasa, whoever discovered this would have probably swept it under the rug, we're not going to bring that up. 22:21.730 --> 22:25.211 [SPEAKER_01]: But thankfully, Hilkeye discovers it, and he wants to share it with Josiah. 22:25.231 --> 22:26.432 [SPEAKER_01]: He's excited about it. 22:26.452 --> 22:26.972 [SPEAKER_01]: So what does he do? 22:26.992 --> 22:28.012 [SPEAKER_01]: He gives it to Shafan. 22:28.473 --> 22:30.113 [SPEAKER_01]: I have no idea if that's how you say that word. 22:30.453 --> 22:31.614 [SPEAKER_01]: It might be Shafan for all. 22:33.034 --> 22:34.155 [SPEAKER_01]: What I'm going to call him Shafan. 22:34.535 --> 22:42.018 [SPEAKER_01]: In verse 10, Shafan says, Hilkeye, the priest, has given me a scroll, so Shafan read it to the king. 22:43.018 --> 22:47.100 [SPEAKER_01]: When the king heard what was written in the book of the law, he tore his clothes into spare. 22:47.955 --> 22:50.316 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, Shafan is a scribe and he's a messenger. 22:50.416 --> 22:54.357 [SPEAKER_01]: So he has an important administrative role in the palace. 22:54.377 --> 22:58.418 [SPEAKER_01]: He's trusted to deliver these messages, to go back and forth, to bring important information. 22:59.078 --> 23:09.122 [SPEAKER_01]: He also seems to have raised a really good godly family because if you read on in the book of kings and in chronicles, you see that Shafan's sons go on to do some great godly things. 23:09.142 --> 23:12.463 [SPEAKER_01]: They protect the prophet Jeremiah at a later time. 23:12.683 --> 23:14.663 [SPEAKER_01]: They're involved in other good godly purposes. 23:14.723 --> 23:16.744 [SPEAKER_01]: So it seems like he was a pretty good guy. 23:17.324 --> 23:20.846 [SPEAKER_01]: But his role in this story is really simple. 23:21.907 --> 23:24.848 [SPEAKER_01]: Simply reads the word of God. 23:25.729 --> 23:26.609 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't explain it. 23:27.510 --> 23:28.531 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't preach it. 23:28.571 --> 23:29.391 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't teach it. 23:29.411 --> 23:31.392 [SPEAKER_01]: He doesn't give any exposition about it. 23:31.732 --> 23:32.573 [SPEAKER_01]: He just reads it. 23:33.133 --> 23:33.654 [SPEAKER_01]: That's all he does. 23:33.674 --> 23:34.094 [SPEAKER_01]: He shows up. 23:34.114 --> 23:40.718 [SPEAKER_01]: He reads it and just the reading of the word of God causes Josiah to realize we have not been living up to God's ideals for us. 23:41.773 --> 23:50.556 [SPEAKER_01]: And sometimes I think what keeps us from being engaged in biblical ministry with other people is just feeling like we don't know enough. 23:51.357 --> 23:52.817 [SPEAKER_01]: Just thinking we don't have the training. 23:53.117 --> 23:54.178 [SPEAKER_01]: We haven't been the seminary. 23:54.338 --> 23:56.078 [SPEAKER_01]: What if they ask a question that I don't understand? 23:56.499 --> 24:04.182 [SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of our leaders in student ministry and kids ministry sometimes face this where somebody asks a question and they just don't know the answer and you know what the reality is? 24:04.902 --> 24:10.324 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes it's just bringing God's word to him and letting it do its work and you don't have to have all the answers. 24:11.571 --> 24:14.432 [SPEAKER_01]: You might see yourself as a chiffon kind of character. 24:15.013 --> 24:27.498 [SPEAKER_01]: Where you may not be the one to go expose what it says or explain what it says, you may not have the training that Hill Kai of the High Priest had, but you're just bringing it and reading it and that alone is all it took to affect Josiah's heart. 24:28.319 --> 24:30.540 [SPEAKER_01]: And it caused him to realize what God wanted him to do. 24:31.304 --> 24:36.225 [SPEAKER_01]: And so for some of you that may be the role that God has you as we have this generational focus as a church. 24:36.906 --> 24:42.547 [SPEAKER_01]: To get involved in some way where you are bringing God's word to other people's lives, even if you may not have all the answers. 24:42.567 --> 24:43.747 [SPEAKER_01]: Do you know what the honest truth is? 24:44.708 --> 24:52.670 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes the most helpful answer to a deep spiritual question is, I don't know, but let's find out together. 24:53.475 --> 24:55.536 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes that is the best answer you can give. 24:55.816 --> 24:57.737 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, but let's find out together. 24:57.777 --> 24:57.937 [SPEAKER_01]: Why? 24:57.957 --> 25:02.138 [SPEAKER_01]: Because it's authentic, because it's humble, because it shows that we are in this together. 25:02.178 --> 25:03.359 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's go search God's word. 25:03.379 --> 25:04.239 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not the authority. 25:04.679 --> 25:05.660 [SPEAKER_01]: God's word is the authority. 25:05.700 --> 25:06.380 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's get into that. 25:06.400 --> 25:08.901 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's go talk to somebody that has studied this in particular. 25:08.921 --> 25:11.342 [SPEAKER_01]: And so maybe you are like chiffon. 25:11.902 --> 25:17.747 [SPEAKER_01]: where you don't have the theological degree, but you can be involved in bringing God's word to other people. 25:18.467 --> 25:23.011 [SPEAKER_01]: You don't have to be a Bible scholar to be a Bible sharer. 25:23.111 --> 25:38.603 [SPEAKER_01]: The simplicity of just sharing God's word oftentimes is enough to make a big difference in people's lives and to create a foundation that then God will build on through his Holy Spirit and through other people who may come along and explain and build on that faith. 25:39.043 --> 26:00.303 [SPEAKER_01]: This is one of the reasons why an important part of our generation's focus for the next couple of years is to put together a discipleship in a politics framework that's going to start with kids when they're little and build on it over time so that by the time they graduate, they have had layers upon layers of people speaking into their lives with biblical principles, with guidance from the church. 26:00.904 --> 26:16.016 [SPEAKER_01]: But people who may not have a theological degree, but they're able to help a young person understand our statement of faith and our theology in ways that will gradually be built on and grow over time to the point where Lord willing they have a strong faith before they go out into the world. 26:16.076 --> 26:23.042 [SPEAKER_01]: We need people who are willing to just be messengers of God's word even if they don't have all of the answers. 26:23.843 --> 26:26.385 [SPEAKER_01]: Makes me think also about the people who just set the table. 26:26.985 --> 26:29.406 [SPEAKER_01]: for the preaching of God's Word and the delivery of God's Word. 26:29.426 --> 26:38.931 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we have lots of teachers here and Bible study leaders here who do a phenomenal job, but for every one of those, there's another 10 people that made that happen and made that possible. 26:39.511 --> 26:45.554 [SPEAKER_01]: People who are showing up to make sure that the place is clean and the lights are on and that it's set up the way it needs to be and that it's hospital. 26:45.774 --> 26:49.716 [SPEAKER_01]: People that are greeting at the doors Tuesday morning for the people coming through for Bible study. 26:49.916 --> 26:50.777 [SPEAKER_01]: People that are here. 26:51.137 --> 27:05.672 [SPEAKER_01]: On Sunday, early setting up cameras and computers so that people at home can be a part of the class and a part of those Bible studies, there's all these people who are like Shafan, they're administrative, they're behind the scenes, but they're helping to bring the word of God to people's lives and making a difference. 27:05.712 --> 27:08.755 [SPEAKER_01]: And so maybe that's someone that you see yourself as. 27:09.794 --> 27:12.415 [SPEAKER_01]: Now we get to one that I think is pretty cool. 27:13.075 --> 27:19.136 [SPEAKER_01]: Because after hearing Shafan read God's word, it moves Josiah deeply and he has to do something about it. 27:19.656 --> 27:24.457 [SPEAKER_01]: He hears this and he realizes for the first time, just how bad things have gotten in Judah. 27:24.657 --> 27:28.018 [SPEAKER_01]: And how far they've strayed from God's design because he didn't know the particulars. 27:28.058 --> 27:30.839 [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't know what God wanted them to live like in this country. 27:31.079 --> 27:33.019 [SPEAKER_01]: But now he knows after reading the law. 27:33.340 --> 27:34.260 [SPEAKER_01]: And he wants answers. 27:34.320 --> 27:38.481 [SPEAKER_01]: So he creates a little task force and sends them off to get answers. 27:39.881 --> 27:41.983 [SPEAKER_01]: Then he gave these orders to heal Kaya the priest. 27:42.623 --> 27:49.909 [SPEAKER_01]: Ahakam the son of Shafan, Aqbor the son of Makaya, Shafan the court secretary, and a Saya the King's personal advisor. 27:49.929 --> 27:50.489 [SPEAKER_01]: Here's what he says. 27:51.930 --> 27:56.474 [SPEAKER_01]: Go to the temple and speak to the Lord for me for the people and for all Judah. 27:57.618 --> 28:00.761 [SPEAKER_01]: and choir about the words written in this scroll that has been found. 28:01.241 --> 28:08.387 [SPEAKER_01]: For the Lord's great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. 28:08.888 --> 28:13.932 [SPEAKER_01]: We have not been doing everything it says we must do, which he just found out. 28:14.693 --> 28:19.917 [SPEAKER_01]: So he tells the high priest in this whole delegation, go to the temple, speak to the Lord, and they don't do that. 28:20.618 --> 28:21.198 [SPEAKER_01]: Here's what they do. 28:21.859 --> 28:27.962 [SPEAKER_01]: So he'll chythe priest, Ahekam, Akbor, Shafan, and Asaya went to the new quarter of Jerusalem. 28:27.982 --> 28:32.745 [SPEAKER_01]: That's one of the neighborhoods in Jerusalem, just down the road from the temple. 28:32.765 --> 28:33.265 [SPEAKER_01]: It's right there. 28:33.506 --> 28:35.447 [SPEAKER_01]: It's right down the road from the temple and from the palace. 28:36.347 --> 28:39.209 [SPEAKER_01]: New quarter of Jerusalem, to consult with a prophet, Holda. 28:40.029 --> 28:43.812 [SPEAKER_01]: She was the wife of Shalom, Son of Tickfast, Son of Hairhouse. 28:44.472 --> 28:46.253 [SPEAKER_01]: Not gonna even pretend I know who those people are. 28:49.775 --> 29:06.042 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, instead of going to the temple, this task force goes to the new quarter of the city of Jerusalem, instead of the high priest going and speaking with God directly or going to the prophet Jeremiah, who is a few miles away in the city of Anathoth, they go to Holda. 29:07.038 --> 29:08.139 [SPEAKER_01]: why do they go to hold a will. 29:08.159 --> 29:13.204 [SPEAKER_01]: Scripture doesn't give us an exact reason, but I think there's some things we can infer from what it tells us. 29:13.964 --> 29:19.369 [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, she was connected to the Temple Ministry already. 29:20.270 --> 29:23.133 [SPEAKER_01]: Her husband was already involved in the Temple wardrobe. 29:23.875 --> 29:33.222 [SPEAKER_01]: Number two, because these five men all apparently agreed to go seek out her advice, she was known as a trusted messenger of God. 29:33.882 --> 29:37.244 [SPEAKER_01]: There were other prophets in the area, but she was someone they trusted and they respected. 29:37.485 --> 29:47.512 [SPEAKER_01]: They said if we can go to her, and she has this relationship with God where she's actually going to be able to speak for God on this area, and they trusted her and respected her authority in that space. 29:48.341 --> 29:50.341 [SPEAKER_01]: And number three, she was close. 29:51.102 --> 29:51.862 [SPEAKER_01]: She was available. 29:51.902 --> 29:53.102 [SPEAKER_01]: She was right there in the city. 29:53.142 --> 29:58.623 [SPEAKER_01]: She wasn't often another city like Jeremiah, or often a different place like Zef and I had different profits in different areas. 29:58.663 --> 30:01.444 [SPEAKER_01]: She was right there and available when they kind of answered to this. 30:01.884 --> 30:03.444 [SPEAKER_01]: They want to find answer quickly. 30:03.524 --> 30:06.525 [SPEAKER_01]: She was trusted, she was respected, and she was close. 30:07.285 --> 30:08.025 [SPEAKER_01]: Here's what she tells him. 30:08.545 --> 30:11.826 [SPEAKER_01]: In verse 15, she says, the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken. 30:12.486 --> 30:15.907 [SPEAKER_01]: Go back and tell the man who sent you this is what the Lord says. 30:16.267 --> 30:18.988 [SPEAKER_01]: I am going to bring disaster on this city and it's people. 30:19.829 --> 30:23.090 [SPEAKER_01]: All the words written in the scroll that the King of Judah has read will come true. 30:23.490 --> 30:27.852 [SPEAKER_01]: For my people of abandon me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods. 30:28.212 --> 30:30.213 [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm very angry with them for everything they have done. 30:30.233 --> 30:32.774 [SPEAKER_01]: My anger will burn against this place and it will not be quenched. 30:32.834 --> 30:41.057 [SPEAKER_01]: But go to the King of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him, this is what the Lord the God of Israel says concerning the message you have just heard. 30:41.865 --> 30:46.110 [SPEAKER_01]: You, speaking to Josiah, you, were very sorry. 30:46.470 --> 30:49.874 [SPEAKER_01]: And humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against the city. 30:50.254 --> 30:56.762 [SPEAKER_01]: And it's people that this land would be cursed and become desolate, you tore your clothing and despair, and whacked before me in repentance. 30:57.062 --> 30:58.724 [SPEAKER_01]: And I have indeed heard you says the Lord. 30:59.124 --> 31:05.130 [SPEAKER_01]: So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. 31:05.390 --> 31:06.711 [SPEAKER_01]: You will not see the disaster. 31:07.232 --> 31:12.396 [SPEAKER_01]: I am going to bring on this city so they took her message back to the king. 31:12.436 --> 31:16.821 [SPEAKER_01]: Now Jeremiah would later prophesy something very similar to this about the destruction that was coming. 31:17.547 --> 31:22.133 [SPEAKER_01]: But the key message here that Holdah has for Josiah is really not a ton of new information. 31:22.494 --> 31:28.061 [SPEAKER_01]: It was yes what you read in the law of Moses about God's instructions and the judgment on those that don't follow it. 31:28.261 --> 31:29.143 [SPEAKER_01]: Yep, that's happening. 31:29.163 --> 31:29.844 [SPEAKER_01]: That's still true. 31:30.284 --> 31:33.468 [SPEAKER_01]: But also, your prayers have worked. 31:34.233 --> 31:43.120 [SPEAKER_01]: It's very similar to his great-great-grandfather has a chia who we talked about earlier in the year when he found out that he was gonna die and he prayed he weft before God with his face to the wall. 31:43.701 --> 31:50.346 [SPEAKER_01]: And then God told Isaiah, go back and tell him I've had it 15 years to your life because I've heard your prayer and I've seen your tears. 31:50.386 --> 31:51.628 [SPEAKER_01]: The same kind of thing happens here. 31:52.248 --> 31:58.591 [SPEAKER_01]: We're God wants to use, God uses Holda to give us affirmation to Josiah that God is listening. 31:58.891 --> 31:59.291 [SPEAKER_01]: He is there. 31:59.351 --> 32:00.471 [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, He is a just God. 32:00.791 --> 32:02.272 [SPEAKER_01]: Yes, there's going to be judgment still. 32:02.632 --> 32:04.353 [SPEAKER_01]: But He is listening to you. 32:04.393 --> 32:07.494 [SPEAKER_01]: He loves you and He's going to respond to your prayers. 32:07.554 --> 32:16.498 [SPEAKER_01]: He's not going to judge you because of the sins of your nation and your father and your grandfather, because you've humbled yourself before God. 32:16.518 --> 32:19.319 [SPEAKER_01]: He's actually going to bless you and you will be buried in peace. 32:22.248 --> 32:22.868 [SPEAKER_01]: the affirmer. 32:23.829 --> 32:36.077 [SPEAKER_01]: Holda is in a firmer, because Josiah heard this scripture and thought he might be doomed, and all his people might be doomed, and God's answer through Holda was yes, judgment is coming, but she brings both the bad truth and the good truth. 32:36.397 --> 32:37.158 [SPEAKER_01]: She's a straight shooter. 32:37.578 --> 32:38.619 [SPEAKER_01]: She doesn't sugarcoat it. 32:39.019 --> 32:42.101 [SPEAKER_01]: She doesn't try to make it sound, like everything's gonna be okay. 32:42.522 --> 32:44.683 [SPEAKER_01]: She gives the bad, and she gives the good. 32:44.923 --> 32:49.566 [SPEAKER_01]: But that affirm affirmation, let's just say, I know God is with you, he's really there. 32:49.826 --> 32:51.508 [SPEAKER_01]: He cares about you, he hears you. 32:52.309 --> 32:57.007 [SPEAKER_01]: And maybe God has a role like that for you in people's lives. 32:57.757 --> 33:05.503 [SPEAKER_01]: Remember that, hold a sheet, she had close proximity, and she was connected to people in the temple, and she was known as a trusted voice. 33:06.304 --> 33:14.431 [SPEAKER_01]: So all five of these guys went to her for advice and to seek what has God have to say about this and what she gives is not a lot of instruction, really. 33:14.891 --> 33:15.932 [SPEAKER_01]: She didn't give any instruction. 33:16.272 --> 33:22.317 [SPEAKER_01]: She just gives affirmation that, yes, what you have read in God's word, that's true and you should follow it. 33:23.138 --> 33:24.479 [SPEAKER_01]: What you've read in God's word, yep. 33:24.979 --> 33:26.521 [SPEAKER_01]: God affirms that, yes, that is true. 33:27.440 --> 33:29.261 [SPEAKER_01]: And yes, he hears your person, yes, he listens to you. 33:29.281 --> 33:33.663 [SPEAKER_01]: And you know, we don't have access to God's Word in a way that they did not have back then. 33:34.543 --> 33:38.425 [SPEAKER_01]: None of us are digging around in the church basement to try to find some 75-year-old text. 33:38.445 --> 33:40.325 [SPEAKER_01]: At least I don't think there's anything down there. 33:40.926 --> 33:42.126 [SPEAKER_01]: If we do, the kids will find it first. 33:43.507 --> 33:45.908 [SPEAKER_01]: But we don't have to do that because we have God's Word with us. 33:45.948 --> 33:51.350 [SPEAKER_01]: But how often are we engaging with other people in conversations about God's Word? 33:51.550 --> 33:53.271 [SPEAKER_01]: And just affirming what God's Word says. 33:54.406 --> 33:56.648 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I read it in my life and I'm convicted. 33:57.208 --> 33:59.730 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm convicted every single week as I study to preach here. 34:00.231 --> 34:04.074 [SPEAKER_01]: Every single week there's something where I go, oh, thanks God, yep, that's a problem for me. 34:04.454 --> 34:05.115 [SPEAKER_01]: I need to deal with that. 34:05.615 --> 34:08.358 [SPEAKER_01]: And then I get up here and share it with all of you. 34:08.978 --> 34:14.363 [SPEAKER_01]: But are you engaged in God's Word in such a way where you are learning these things and you're speaking truth into people's lives? 34:14.723 --> 34:18.967 [SPEAKER_01]: And oftentimes it's just a matter of affirming, hey, this is what God's Word says, and I believe it. 34:19.587 --> 34:21.848 [SPEAKER_01]: and it's true, and I trust it's trustworthy. 34:22.369 --> 34:29.834 [SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes it's just speaking to someone who is discouraged and frustrated in life like Josiah was recognizing that, wow, what was me? 34:29.854 --> 34:32.455 [SPEAKER_01]: This is a bad situation right here and said, hey God, is there? 34:32.735 --> 34:35.197 [SPEAKER_01]: He listens, he cares, he hears your prayers. 34:35.237 --> 34:36.018 [SPEAKER_01]: Why don't you pray to him? 34:36.598 --> 34:37.719 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you need to be in a firmer. 34:38.579 --> 34:39.820 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, hold it, that's what we're going to call her. 34:39.860 --> 34:45.203 [SPEAKER_01]: Hold it a firmer, our lives are filled with stress and anxiety and all sorts of fears and doubts. 34:45.263 --> 34:47.145 [SPEAKER_01]: And we need people who have a strong faith. 34:47.873 --> 34:49.654 [SPEAKER_01]: And I think they knew how to had a strong faith. 34:49.674 --> 34:50.515 [SPEAKER_01]: That's why they went to her. 34:51.395 --> 34:57.159 [SPEAKER_01]: We need people like Hilda in our lives who have that strong faith, who will come alongside and just affirm, you're going in the right direction. 34:57.559 --> 35:01.402 [SPEAKER_01]: If you do this, you're choosing to follow what God wants to do, what he says in his word. 35:01.422 --> 35:04.444 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, well-meaning people, sometimes try to soften the message. 35:05.144 --> 35:10.028 [SPEAKER_01]: They sometimes try to make it too much about love and grace and mercy, and those are good things don't get me wrong. 35:10.368 --> 35:13.090 [SPEAKER_01]: But if we only focus on that, we're missing half the message. 35:13.685 --> 35:14.666 [SPEAKER_01]: And hold a gave the truth. 35:15.026 --> 35:18.468 [SPEAKER_01]: She gave the harsh truth, but she also gave the loving truth. 35:18.508 --> 35:22.251 [SPEAKER_01]: And we need people like that who will speak the truth in love. 35:22.952 --> 35:25.694 [SPEAKER_01]: The truth that God is not infinitely tolerant of sin. 35:26.074 --> 35:26.554 [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely not. 35:26.594 --> 35:27.615 [SPEAKER_01]: He is a just God. 35:27.915 --> 35:28.896 [SPEAKER_01]: But he listens to cares. 35:28.916 --> 35:35.040 [SPEAKER_01]: He loves and he's a God of mercy and forgiveness and peace for those who will confess and repent to him. 35:35.060 --> 35:37.242 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, Josiah had an impact. 35:37.822 --> 35:45.168 [SPEAKER_01]: on his entire generation, we read earlier in Kings and Chronicles how the entire nation was transformed because of what he did. 35:45.448 --> 35:47.870 [SPEAKER_01]: And it would be kind of easy to look at that and go, what a great guy. 35:48.430 --> 35:51.332 [SPEAKER_01]: But there were other people who were a part of making that happen. 35:51.352 --> 35:52.013 [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't do it alone. 35:52.333 --> 35:53.454 [SPEAKER_01]: There were people who raised him. 35:53.814 --> 35:57.157 [SPEAKER_01]: There were people who discovered God's word around him and made sure he knew about it. 35:57.597 --> 36:00.579 [SPEAKER_01]: There were people who were messengers that just read the word of God to him. 36:00.799 --> 36:01.840 [SPEAKER_01]: Didn't even explain it to him. 36:02.100 --> 36:03.862 [SPEAKER_01]: And then there were people who affirmed what it said. 36:04.577 --> 36:09.439 [SPEAKER_01]: and say, yep, God's words are true, and this is exactly right, and you need to listen to it, you need to follow it. 36:09.659 --> 36:14.361 [SPEAKER_01]: And all of those people played a role in Josiah's impact for God. 36:15.242 --> 36:17.923 [SPEAKER_01]: I wonder what role does God want you to play? 36:18.323 --> 36:20.284 [SPEAKER_01]: As we focus on generations, 36:20.824 --> 36:22.205 [SPEAKER_01]: For the next couple of years is a church. 36:22.245 --> 36:31.149 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to challenge every single one of us to be thinking about what role I'm I'm going to play in someone else's life to invest in them for God to use me to impact them in some way. 36:31.609 --> 36:35.231 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, God has used this church in that way for many, many different people. 36:35.291 --> 36:40.073 [SPEAKER_01]: Myself included had a huge impact on my spiritual life these last nine years that I've been here. 36:40.394 --> 36:42.154 [SPEAKER_01]: And I hope that God has used that church in your life. 36:42.174 --> 36:44.736 [SPEAKER_01]: And I hope that you will turn around and then be a blessing to others. 36:45.356 --> 36:56.739 [SPEAKER_01]: As a part of this initiative, we've been collecting stories from people about how God has used the church to impact them and how they've in turn invested in others and made a difference in their lives often across generational lines. 36:57.179 --> 37:00.080 [SPEAKER_01]: And we've tried to record some of those stories on video. 37:00.100 --> 37:02.761 [SPEAKER_01]: So I want you to watch one of those stories right now. 37:15.496 --> 37:19.257 [SPEAKER_00]: Hi, I'm Jim Hibshman, and this is my story. 37:20.357 --> 37:25.419 [SPEAKER_00]: Barbara and I came to first free in August of 2021. 37:26.099 --> 37:34.521 [SPEAKER_00]: We walked in, and someone came up to us, and said, I have never met you before, are you new? 37:35.682 --> 37:38.962 [SPEAKER_00]: One of the great things that's happened at first free. 37:40.023 --> 37:43.964 [SPEAKER_00]: We have been welcomed and made to be at home. 37:44.938 --> 37:49.619 [SPEAKER_00]: in this brand new place to us this five years now. 37:49.639 --> 37:52.120 [SPEAKER_00]: And we feel so at home here. 37:52.480 --> 37:59.182 [SPEAKER_00]: Before we were ever engaged, we both knew that we were called to missions. 37:59.242 --> 38:01.603 [SPEAKER_00]: We both knew he was calling us out. 38:02.043 --> 38:07.865 [SPEAKER_00]: We both knew he was literally calling us to go wherever he directed. 38:08.325 --> 38:13.647 [SPEAKER_00]: Right after we came back from our second trip to Kenya, 38:14.267 --> 38:20.013 [SPEAKER_00]: Barbers having problems with her right leg, it just was very, very tender and sore. 38:20.853 --> 38:29.502 [SPEAKER_00]: So on Monday, April 29th, I took Barbara to the emergency room and then they ran different tests on Barbara. 38:30.703 --> 38:38.991 [SPEAKER_00]: And they came back and they said, Barbara, your leg is full of blood clots. 38:40.198 --> 38:45.899 [SPEAKER_00]: and your abdomen, which we knew nothing was wrong with, your abdomen is full of cancer. 38:46.639 --> 38:52.220 [SPEAKER_00]: We had an hour, and the two of us just cried together and held each other. 38:53.520 --> 39:00.882 [SPEAKER_00]: And wow, God just assured us he was there. 39:02.502 --> 39:05.462 [SPEAKER_00]: We just learned that she had cancer, 39:11.481 --> 39:20.063 [SPEAKER_00]: But the first thing she did was she started telling the people attending to her about Jesus. 39:21.124 --> 39:26.505 [SPEAKER_00]: And Barbara got to talk to everyone that came in that six-day period. 39:27.646 --> 39:32.507 [SPEAKER_00]: And she told them about Jesus, and she got to pray with them. 39:34.803 --> 39:41.568 [SPEAKER_00]: on May 5th, in 2024, God called Barbara's name. 39:46.913 --> 39:50.575 [SPEAKER_00]: To be absent from the body is to be present with Jesus. 39:51.356 --> 39:58.862 [SPEAKER_00]: I know that I know that I know, and today, she's with him and that with me. 40:00.405 --> 40:02.766 [SPEAKER_00]: So that's my hardest thing. 40:03.166 --> 40:20.431 [SPEAKER_00]: But this church, they put on a celebration service for us and they surrounded us and they didn't know us very long but they did and people who came around as some of them have already gone to Jesus too. 40:21.511 --> 40:21.731 [SPEAKER_00]: But, 40:23.328 --> 40:28.711 [SPEAKER_00]: One of the things this church has done for me is just to embrace me. 40:29.171 --> 40:35.554 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, the last two years have been my most difficult years because I come to church alone. 40:36.374 --> 40:37.595 [SPEAKER_00]: I walk in alone. 40:38.755 --> 40:42.177 [SPEAKER_00]: I never leave alone, but I come alone. 40:43.852 --> 40:50.438 [SPEAKER_00]: And after the service, I'm surrounded by young people. 40:51.278 --> 40:59.445 [SPEAKER_00]: I have people who've chosen to sit with me and they welcome me into their family. 40:59.965 --> 41:03.028 [SPEAKER_00]: God developed a love. 41:03.808 --> 41:06.851 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, a genuine love for young people. 41:07.712 --> 41:11.575 [SPEAKER_00]: And I have four little kids that literally run 41:14.500 --> 41:17.027 [SPEAKER_00]: There are people that were here before I came here. 41:18.532 --> 41:19.692 [SPEAKER_00]: and they love me. 41:20.373 --> 41:30.035 [SPEAKER_00]: Young people that old people don't think alike, I'm learning, I have a lot of changing to do in my age and for generations around me. 41:30.595 --> 41:33.696 [SPEAKER_00]: But I can tell you, I love young people. 41:34.536 --> 41:39.018 [SPEAKER_00]: And I love the way they respond and they're so honest with it. 41:40.018 --> 41:43.319 [SPEAKER_00]: And some of them can't sit still and some of them can't be quiet. 41:44.099 --> 41:47.540 [SPEAKER_00]: All but did you think about the fact they're here in church? 41:48.452 --> 42:13.363 [SPEAKER_00]: There with us, and we get to, oh, not influence, but that happens, but we get to put into their lives and just be part of them in some 140, five verse four says, one generation shall praise your works to another. 42:14.325 --> 42:15.927 [SPEAKER_00]: That's been the call of my life. 42:16.788 --> 42:19.732 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I keep hearing it brought up again. 42:20.192 --> 42:23.035 [SPEAKER_00]: Generations, generations. 42:23.055 --> 42:27.281 [SPEAKER_00]: I believe, oh, I so believe that God's going to use it. 42:27.301 --> 42:29.423 [SPEAKER_00]: And I believe that God's going to use it. 42:31.939 --> 42:41.723 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm anticipating years down the road that God is just gonna keep building one generation upon another. 42:42.483 --> 42:46.064 [SPEAKER_00]: And one generation will tell the story to the next. 42:46.364 --> 42:47.245 [SPEAKER_00]: We believed it. 42:48.065 --> 42:49.165 [SPEAKER_00]: I still believe it. 42:50.606 --> 42:58.669 [SPEAKER_00]: And I will go out of this life to the next proclaiming that God literally. 42:59.832 --> 43:02.557 [SPEAKER_00]: wants to use us to the next generation. 43:16.775 --> 43:18.496 [SPEAKER_01]: Jim, thanks so much for sharing your story with us. 43:18.937 --> 43:19.657 [SPEAKER_01]: That's powerful. 43:20.097 --> 43:30.765 [SPEAKER_01]: And I love being at a church with people like Jim, people who got as used the church in their lives in some significant ways and they turn around and they be that church for other people in significant ways. 43:31.085 --> 43:41.953 [SPEAKER_01]: And regardless of the ages and the demographics and the differences that we may have, the fact that the faith brings us together to influence and impact each other in these ways is really, really strong and powerful. 43:42.233 --> 43:43.754 [SPEAKER_01]: And we want to just do that at a whole 43:46.476 --> 43:48.077 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to share another story with you as well. 43:48.317 --> 43:52.039 [SPEAKER_01]: This happened last week at the end of the message I sat down in the front row right here. 43:52.399 --> 43:56.882 [SPEAKER_01]: And I was worshipping God and I had my eyes closed and I was moved my hands around. 43:57.122 --> 43:58.903 [SPEAKER_01]: And all of a sudden, I just smack somebody next to me. 43:59.183 --> 44:01.044 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I was alone on that pew. 44:01.525 --> 44:03.246 [SPEAKER_01]: And all of a sudden, I smack somebody. 44:03.606 --> 44:04.967 [SPEAKER_01]: And I went, oh no, what just happened? 44:05.327 --> 44:07.128 [SPEAKER_01]: And I turned over and looked next to me. 44:07.388 --> 44:09.889 [SPEAKER_01]: And there is sweet Linda Ford just standing right next to me. 44:09.910 --> 44:10.890 [SPEAKER_01]: All of a sudden, just appeared. 44:10.930 --> 44:12.051 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know where, materialized. 44:12.916 --> 44:15.317 [SPEAKER_01]: And I hit her, and I felt bad about that. 44:15.678 --> 44:20.000 [SPEAKER_01]: But then I tell she wanted to say something so I leaned over she'd I want to talk to you after this song. 44:20.280 --> 44:22.501 [SPEAKER_01]: And I, oh, okay, well, we'll see where this is going. 44:23.122 --> 44:29.085 [SPEAKER_01]: And she after the song was over shared this story with me and she gave me permission to share it with others including with you today and even to share her name. 44:29.105 --> 44:29.826 [SPEAKER_01]: So thank you Linda. 44:30.566 --> 44:32.107 [SPEAKER_01]: She said 60 years ago. 44:33.209 --> 44:37.472 [SPEAKER_01]: Mike and I were involved in a Christian Wilderness Retreat Center. 44:37.892 --> 44:46.158 [SPEAKER_01]: We were counselors there and they had a campaign similar to generations where they wanted to raise funds to have a much bigger ministry than they did at the time. 44:46.458 --> 44:49.861 [SPEAKER_01]: And to reach many, many more people with the gospel and to help them grow in their faith. 44:50.874 --> 44:52.035 [SPEAKER_01]: And we did not have a lot of money. 44:52.695 --> 44:55.636 [SPEAKER_01]: But as we prayed about it, we felt convicted that we needed to pledge. 44:55.656 --> 45:02.720 [SPEAKER_01]: And we actually felt God was asking us to pledge a number that at the time, we couldn't actually afford, but to trust God that He would provide for that. 45:03.300 --> 45:03.920 [SPEAKER_01]: And so we did. 45:04.361 --> 45:05.521 [SPEAKER_01]: We were just obedient to that. 45:05.641 --> 45:07.382 [SPEAKER_01]: We put down the pledge, we put it in there. 45:07.882 --> 45:10.143 [SPEAKER_01]: And that was a 10-year pledge for the next 10 years. 45:10.644 --> 45:18.988 [SPEAKER_01]: God always met our needs and provided enough for us to live up to that pledge that we felt He was convicted us about, even though at the time, we didn't think we would have enough money to do it. 45:19.568 --> 45:29.114 [SPEAKER_01]: And so for 10 years, we gave and we fulfilled our entire pledge, and then we watched over the decades as that little Christian wilderness retreat center impacted thousands of people for Jesus. 45:29.794 --> 45:33.336 [SPEAKER_01]: And the process of giving to support that stretched our faith and it grew us. 45:33.877 --> 45:38.799 [SPEAKER_01]: And then we got to see that have an impact in other people's lives and make a difference down the road. 45:39.640 --> 45:43.963 [SPEAKER_01]: To the point where we have now seen it minister to so many different people. 45:50.386 --> 45:50.966 [SPEAKER_01]: Isn't that cool? 45:57.649 --> 46:04.271 [SPEAKER_01]: That place where I get to take my kids to go spend time with other people in this church to learn more about Jesus. 46:14.515 --> 46:19.097 [SPEAKER_01]: I couldn't believe that 60 years ago, God was working. 46:20.207 --> 46:26.608 [SPEAKER_01]: in the hearts of Mike and Linda to want to give to support a place that at that time she said there were holes in the walls that the rats could come through. 46:27.708 --> 46:28.769 [SPEAKER_01]: You would not want to be a part of it. 46:29.629 --> 46:48.152 [SPEAKER_01]: And yet God was doing a work through that ministry and ended up over the decades of growing to the place where now we as a church get to benefit from that every single year and take our kids there and have them learn about Jesus, Adam, we're just preached awesome messages there and we can have these conversations with our kids and see God working ways we never could have imagined. 46:49.519 --> 46:53.462 [SPEAKER_01]: because of this generational investment that Mike and Linda made. 46:53.482 --> 46:56.665 [SPEAKER_01]: Now at the end of all that, Linda said to me, I did not pay her to say this. 46:56.685 --> 47:01.329 [SPEAKER_01]: She said, I believe generations is gonna do for our church what that did for that camp. 47:01.849 --> 47:03.571 [SPEAKER_01]: And it's gonna have that kind of impact of the church. 47:04.712 --> 47:05.913 [SPEAKER_01]: And I pray that that's the case. 47:07.534 --> 47:14.220 [SPEAKER_01]: I pray that God takes all of this and uses it to impact lives, both inside and outside our church like we've never seen before. 47:15.189 --> 47:19.130 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to see a generational impact like what Josiah saw. 47:19.150 --> 47:28.573 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to see, at the end of our lifetime, that phrase be able to be written about us, that man, that the entire time, they never strayed away from doing what God wanted them to do. 47:28.593 --> 47:29.293 [SPEAKER_01]: Would that be amazing? 47:30.254 --> 47:31.734 [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's what God wants to do here. 47:32.194 --> 47:34.575 [SPEAKER_01]: And so it gets me, worked up. 47:36.756 --> 47:37.416 [SPEAKER_01]: But here's the thing. 47:38.871 --> 47:52.663 [SPEAKER_01]: As important as the places, as important as the building can be to make the happen and let's not kid ourselves, the temple was a major part of keeping the people focused on God throughout generations and it was always a part of bringing the people back to God. 47:52.943 --> 47:55.385 [SPEAKER_01]: And so God cares about places, he cares about the buildings. 47:55.985 --> 47:58.608 [SPEAKER_01]: The people are so, so important to make in that happen. 47:59.208 --> 48:15.854 [SPEAKER_01]: And if we as a church are going to embark on something like this together and I encourage you to participate with us and fully engage in us and in this with us, we as a people have got to commit ourselves to be in the kind of people that are equipping generations, that are supporting generations, that are reaching generations, both inside and outside these walls. 48:25.757 --> 48:31.599 [SPEAKER_01]: And so the questions that I want to leave you with today, are you raising the young people around you to follow God? 48:32.180 --> 48:33.420 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you intentional in doing that? 48:34.140 --> 48:36.841 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you plugged in the God's word consistently? 48:36.881 --> 48:40.563 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you a discoverer of God's word so that you can share those truths with other people? 48:41.163 --> 48:43.324 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you actively sharing God's word with others? 48:43.684 --> 48:45.164 [SPEAKER_01]: Even if you can't always explain it. 48:45.204 --> 48:49.765 [SPEAKER_01]: Even if you don't have all the answers, are you doing something to serve people with God's word? 48:50.225 --> 48:58.207 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you affirming God's words to people who need to know that yes, he is just, but yes, he also loves you and he listens to you. 48:58.447 --> 49:05.189 [SPEAKER_01]: We've been saying that generations, as a focus for us involves a hardware of the place and the software of the people. 49:05.209 --> 49:06.129 [SPEAKER_01]: And that really is true. 49:06.569 --> 49:08.269 [SPEAKER_01]: It can involve both of those things, 49:11.350 --> 49:15.751 [SPEAKER_01]: And God has given us a place that we want to leverage to do even more for his kingdom. 49:15.771 --> 49:22.293 [SPEAKER_01]: But He's given us people who He wants to use in lots of different ways to impact the generations for Christ. 49:22.353 --> 49:27.634 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to encourage you to spend time and prayer about how would God use you in that effort? 49:28.194 --> 49:29.374 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be like a Jeddah? 49:29.674 --> 49:31.255 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be like a Hylkaya? 49:31.295 --> 49:32.295 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be like a gym? 49:32.355 --> 49:33.335 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be like a Linda? 49:33.575 --> 49:36.496 [SPEAKER_01]: How is God going to use you to influence future generations? 49:36.556 --> 49:40.257 [SPEAKER_01]: And the current one and your peers for Jesus Christ? 49:41.124 --> 49:41.545 [SPEAKER_01]: It's worth it. 49:41.685 --> 49:42.346 [SPEAKER_01]: It's totally worth it. 49:42.366 --> 49:50.221 [SPEAKER_01]: I want to introduce you to one other person as we close here, because there's another individual that you may see yourselves more as in the people that I've already mentioned. 49:50.862 --> 49:51.724 [SPEAKER_01]: And that is Menasa. 49:52.478 --> 49:57.522 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, nobody wants to say they're like Minesa, because for 45 years, he was the most wicked king due to ever saw. 49:58.243 --> 50:10.714 [SPEAKER_01]: But at the end of his life, he was dragged away by the Assyrians, putting a battle in prison cell and while he was there, God got a hold of his heart, and he confessed, he repented, and he committed the rest of his life to following God, which ended up only being five to eight years. 50:12.435 --> 50:16.619 [SPEAKER_01]: Minesa tells us something really, really important, because maybe you identify with him more than anybody else. 50:17.838 --> 50:24.500 [SPEAKER_01]: But the reality is, you do not have the physical capacity to too as much wickedness and evil as menacidate. 50:24.760 --> 50:32.882 [SPEAKER_01]: None of you as far as I know have the ability in the near future to become a dictator of a country and lead it into absolute paganism and moral decay. 50:33.802 --> 50:35.442 [SPEAKER_01]: But all of us have done bad things in life. 50:36.043 --> 50:37.243 [SPEAKER_01]: All of us are sinful people. 50:37.683 --> 50:41.224 [SPEAKER_01]: And you may look back at your life and think, I don't know how God could even use me. 50:42.113 --> 50:44.895 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how God can even use me because I've done all these horrible things. 50:45.195 --> 50:48.337 [SPEAKER_01]: I have not been a great person, I've not been a good Christian, I've not followed it with my life. 50:48.637 --> 50:51.419 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't even want to share my story with people because it's a very negative story. 50:52.900 --> 50:54.321 [SPEAKER_01]: But think about the end of an ass his life. 50:55.162 --> 51:07.290 [SPEAKER_01]: How he turns his heart in his life over to God, he commits to follow him, he goes back and he starts establishing and undoing the damage he had done and establishing what ends up being, I believe, the foundation for what Josiah does in the future. 51:08.365 --> 51:25.924 [SPEAKER_01]: because it is almost certain to me as I read this story that when Josiah becomes king at eight years old, there were some people already in place officials, advisors, high priest, different people that had to be provided for by menace in those last few years of his life. 51:26.570 --> 51:31.053 [SPEAKER_01]: before his horrible son took over, and then he was assassinated and then Josiah takes over. 51:31.654 --> 51:37.278 [SPEAKER_01]: And so I believe that Manasa did an incredible amount of good to set up Josiah for success. 51:37.318 --> 51:41.101 [SPEAKER_01]: And you might be a person who sees yourself like that, where you just say, man, I've lived an awful life. 51:41.341 --> 51:43.763 [SPEAKER_01]: I've done some bad things I have not been walk with God like I should. 51:44.003 --> 51:46.485 [SPEAKER_01]: And what Manasa teaches us is it's never too late. 51:47.332 --> 51:48.853 [SPEAKER_01]: You might even be in the fourth quarter of life. 51:49.574 --> 51:52.175 [SPEAKER_01]: And thinking, what is their left for God to do through me? 51:52.916 --> 51:53.777 [SPEAKER_01]: Manacid didn't know it. 51:54.257 --> 51:55.818 [SPEAKER_01]: He had five to eight years left. 51:56.178 --> 52:04.945 [SPEAKER_01]: I think he did a lot of good to prepare the way for Josiah and to build the network and the support structure that would end up leading to the transformation of that entire nation. 52:05.705 --> 52:07.126 [SPEAKER_01]: So maybe you're like that. 52:07.646 --> 52:09.967 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you've never even given your life fully to God. 52:10.368 --> 52:13.989 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you've never trusted in Him for your salvation. 52:14.770 --> 52:15.490 [SPEAKER_01]: That's you today. 52:15.830 --> 52:19.733 [SPEAKER_01]: I want you to know that yes, God is just, but He loves you and He listens. 52:20.133 --> 52:28.677 [SPEAKER_01]: And if you will cry out to Him and if you'll confess your sins to Him and ask for His salvation, it's made possible by the death of Jesus Christ 52:33.800 --> 52:36.582 [SPEAKER_01]: because it hadn't happened yet, but God's outside of time. 52:37.062 --> 52:57.514 [SPEAKER_01]: And one day Jesus would come along and he would live on this earth, he would take on human flesh, he would die on a cross for us, a God, paying an infinite penalty for our sin so that if you trust in His sacrifice, God wipes your slate clean, it's paid for by Jesus on the cross and you get to have His perfection applied to your account with God and you get to be one of God's children. 52:57.834 --> 52:58.634 [SPEAKER_01]: And be part of His family. 52:58.674 --> 52:59.035 [SPEAKER_01]: And then, 52:59.895 --> 53:10.884 [SPEAKER_01]: The Bible says, you get spiritual gifts and God wants to use you to make a difference in this world, a positive difference, and impact other people inside the church, outside the church, discipling people, reaching people. 53:11.144 --> 53:19.411 [SPEAKER_01]: That is what God wants to do through you, no matter what your life has been like, no matter what stage you're in right now, no matter what you have done, and the past that is how God wants to do through you. 53:20.051 --> 53:23.093 [SPEAKER_01]: So I would ask Pharaoh to just bow your heads and close your eyes at the moment. 53:23.974 --> 53:24.855 [SPEAKER_01]: Take a moment and thank you. 53:25.848 --> 53:38.844 [SPEAKER_01]: Pray with God right now, Lord, what role do you want me to play in your ministry in this world as we try to use whatever abilities resources gifts you have given us, Lord, to make a difference in other people's lives? 53:39.465 --> 53:43.169 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it gonna be the young people that I'm around that I get to help parent? 53:43.945 --> 53:47.726 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be discovering your word and sharing those truths with other people? 53:48.006 --> 53:51.987 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be just to bring the message of your word to them, even if I can't explain it? 53:52.567 --> 53:56.769 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be to affirm your words to other people and to assure them that this is true? 53:57.389 --> 54:01.490 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be to invest across generational lines like Jim told us? 54:01.550 --> 54:06.151 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it going to be to invest resources in the future of your kingdom like Linda shared? 54:07.012 --> 54:11.733 [SPEAKER_01]: God, whatever it is, I pray that you would give us boldness to step into whatever you've called us to do. 54:12.493 --> 54:18.634 [SPEAKER_01]: And Lord for those people that identify more with menacer right now who feel like maybe there's nothing that you could do through them. 54:18.694 --> 54:27.916 [SPEAKER_01]: I pray that this would help them to realize that that couldn't be further from the truth, that you have good things that you want them to be involved in and do to make a difference in this world. 54:28.477 --> 54:30.437 [SPEAKER_01]: And I pray that you would reveal that to them right now. 54:30.477 --> 54:34.218 [SPEAKER_01]: I pray that there's anyone who has not trusted you as Savior, that they would pray to you right now. 54:35.067 --> 54:40.510 [SPEAKER_01]: that they would confess their sins, that they would accept your salvation in their life and become a part of your family Lord. 54:40.971 --> 54:47.355 [SPEAKER_01]: That is what we pray, that not only within our walls, but outside our walls, we would have make such an incredible difference for you. 54:47.995 --> 54:58.021 [SPEAKER_01]: Not for our glory, not for anything that we would get out of it because we love you, Jesus, and we want more people to find freedom and forgiveness, and you help us to be about that as a church. 54:58.422 --> 55:01.083 [SPEAKER_01]: We praise and worship you now, and Jesus, name we pray. 55:01.543 --> 55:01.824 [SPEAKER_01]: Amen.