Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Chronicles chapter 34. As I said, the emphasis tonight will be on the concept of pursuing excellence. The last verse of the song that we just sang to the Lord says this, Give of your best to the Master, naught else is worthy His love. He gave Himself for your ransom, gave up His glory above, laid down His life without murmur, you from sins ruined to save, give Him your heart's adoration, give Him the best that you have." I think one of the best things that we can do, we who are believers, is to reflect upon what Jesus went through to win our redemption. Sometimes I like to imagine being there. and seeing Jesus in Gethsemane, and seeing Jesus at Gabbatha, seeing Jesus on Golgotha, seeing the empty tomb, and just reflecting what it must have been like for Him to leave glory, a place that defies our description, a place that defies our imagination, and coming to earth to endure what He did for our behalf. Excellence, that's a word that's often used to describe God. Let me give you three instances. Psalm 8 verse 1, O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who have set your glory above the heavens. Psalm 50 verse 2, praise him for his mighty acts. Praise him according to his excellent greatness. And then Isaiah 12 verse 5, sing to the Lord for he has done excellent things. This is known in all the earth. Beloved tonight, when you think of the word excellence, what comes to your mind? The Hebrew words for excellence carry these ideas with them. Powerful, famous, gallant, glorious, goodly, lordly, mighty, noble, worthy, high, lofty. The Greek words for excellence mean a throwing beyond others, super eminence, exceeding abundance, beyond measure, surpassing, befitting greatness or magnificent. Majestic. Excellence. Excellence. Tonight we intend to look at excellence. It's illustrated in the life of one king of Judah, Josiah. I don't want you to turn to this passage, but 2 Kings 18, 5 and 6 says this of Josiah. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. Friends, when you read that verse and think about the kings that went before him, Two of whom were David and Hezekiah. And it says that none of the kings were like him, even those that went before him. That is a statement. That's a statement of excellence. In reality, what this verse is saying is he could be the litmus test. He could be the standard, if you will, of kings. I want us to focus on three things tonight when we consider excellence in our own lives, and I'll give them to you. And then we'll begin the message. First, life is not a matter of random chance. God has a sovereign script for all people and nations. Let me say that again. Life is not a matter of random chance. God has a sovereign script for all people and nations. I don't know about you, but in the perilous times in which we're living, I'm grateful for that. God has an ordained providence for men and nations. Secondly, we'll look at tonight, providential circumstances are unique opportunities to develop and to display excellence through our lives. God will bring providential circumstances that are unique to us for two purposes, to develop and to display excellence through our lives. And the last thing that we'll share tonight, how we bring the Word of God to bear upon our own life affects the influence that we can have upon others. How you and I bring the Word of God to bear on our own lives affects the influence that we can have upon others. And I believe that we'll see this very clearly in the life of this remarkable king. The first thing we'll share with you tonight, life is not a matter of random chance. God has a sovereign script for all people and nations. And I want to give you kind of a background before we get into the text tonight. And we'll pick up the text toward Roman numeral two. But just listen for a moment if you would. Every man and nation is like the intricate strands of a spider's web. And I've mentioned this before, it sweeps out from the common center of God's providence as creator, sustainer, and sovereign of life. We are all part of a big picture, and we're connected through circumstances, but all part of that big picture, like a spider's web, the providence of God. Listen to 1 Kings 13, 1 through 3. They're familiar verses, and they include a prophecy about Josiah, that would come to pass 350 years later. And folks, think about that. A prophecy that God gives about a king that would be born and what this king would do. And it happened three and a half centuries after being prophesied. We pick up with verse 1 of 1 Kings 13, Behold, the man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord, Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David, and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places, who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord has spoken. Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out." A specific prophecy about a specific person that would take place 350 years later in the providence of God. And the point that we would like to stress tonight is God does not have an eraser on His providence. all things, every circumstance that he brings into the lives of individuals and nations are obviously there on purpose. God used a variety of individuals from small town shepherd boys and fishermen to royalty in his service. And beloved, when we look at this historic narrative in the scriptures, we can, as we study their lives, we can see aspects that are far from glamorous. And not all of them lived as exemplary as they should. And yet God in His wisdom used them. They had one thing in common. The hand of a sovereign God was upon them. Tonight I want you to understand, as I'm reminded, that in His providence, God has equipped you. He has directed you. He will enable you to pursue excellence on the path that He's appointed for you. Think back upon your life. Think back upon your life for a moment and just reflect upon the mile markers in your life that were directly driven by the providence of God. You'll find that every one of them, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, as we'll mention again in a moment. But in His providence, beloved, when you think back on your life, God has equipped you. And I don't want to get off on a personal tangent. When I think back on my life as a teenager, I was absolutely clueless that God would lead in my life the way that He did. But when I look back, I see how He developed me. And praise God, displayed himself in some measure through me every mile of the way. Psalm 37.23 is the verse that I quoted, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way. And that includes you. If you are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, the steps of a good man, good because of the grace of God and the work of Christ in your heart. Three other texts or two other that we'll share with you that teach this same thing, Proverbs 16, 9. A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. One commentator said this, God rules over the plans of men to fulfill his purposes in and through their lives. Can I say that again? God rules over the plans of men to fulfill his purposes in and through their lives. May I mention just three people? And you could mention countless people in the scriptures. Moses. Can you see the providence of God in his life? Ruling and overruling for his greater providence. Joseph. and the familiar words, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. And surely, is there a better example than the Apostle Paul? The truth is this, God rules over the plans of men to fulfill his purposes in and through their lives. Jeremiah put it this way in chapter 10, verse 23, oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. One commentator put it this way, man is incapable of guiding his own life adequately. Jeremiah's prayer admits his dependency upon God who had a plan for him before he was even born. Let me ask you this question. How often when you pray, even during times of crises, do you say, God, thy will be done? The flip side of that, how often do we pray for what we want and hope that God will put his stamp of approval on it. You know, God's will for our lives may not be a pleasant thing. It could be a fiery furnace. It could be a den of lions. It could be being stoned. It could be being beaten. It could be receiving 40 stripes save one countless times. It could be being shipwrecked a day and a night in the deep. That is not glamorous. But we all know that all of those things were ordained of God for His glory and the good of people who would witness those going through them. This same detailed preparation by God is true in every life. And if you want to see that laid out in scripture, read Psalm 139. It speaks of God's involvement in our lives while we're in the womb. And it goes from the womb to telling us that He even numbers our days when as yet there were none of them. You're not going to die one breath sooner than when God ordains your death. And we can rejoice in that, no matter what comes down the pike in our country and in our world. We know who holds us in the palm of His hand. We know who holds the future. As connecting strands in God's providential web, we interact with other strands with the potential to serve with greater effectiveness than we ever could by ourselves. Can I say that again? As connective strands in God's web of providence, as we interact with other people, we can accomplish far more. than we ever could working on our own. The example of Paul again. Listen to Acts 9, 15, and 16. The Lord said to him, go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. That's God's providence for Paul. He will bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Now Paul perhaps would say that'd be great if it ended there, but it didn't end there. It goes on, the verse says, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. Beloved, think about that. What these two verses are saying is that the good and the bad and the ugly, from our perspective, are all part of God's providence. And I hope today that you're encouraged to embrace that truth. that God has a plan that goes right down to our steps. No one would question the impact for Christ in the lives of thousands that Paul had once God turned him from a murderer to a missionary. You think about grace. What if God had left him alone? Oh, he'd have been a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He would have been an intelligent fool headed to hell. but for the grace of God. And the same could be said for you and for me. Even his personal suffering was part of his impact upon others. Listen to Philippians, the first chapter, verses nine through 14. And again, we're talking about God's specific providence in our lives. This says, Paul wrote this, this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent. that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happen to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. so that it's become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ." In other words, part of God's providence, my chains are in Christ, and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Friends, tonight I would have us remember that when we go through the tough times, not if, but when we go through the tough times, and we look to Christ, and we're dependent upon Christ, and we pray as we've never prayed before, God have your will be done, people are watching. and we can have an impact simply by doing right, simply by giving glory to God through it. My question that I would ask tonight is this, how are you contributing to those strands to which you are connected? Would you think about that? How are you contributing to those strands to which you are connected? You might sit there and say, well, brother, I don't really know. Well, maybe we should think about that. What influence am I having upon the strands to which I'm connected? What would those be? Your family? Your church? For our young people, your school? Your friends? And the question is, do you foster excellence through the influence that you have? Do you foster excellence through the influence you have, or do you foster a slide-by attitude? Jesus, I'm sure you would agree, deserves our best. Roman numeral one, life is not a matter of random chance. God has a sovereign script for all people and nations. And then the second thing tonight, providential circumstances are unique opportunities to develop and display excellence through our lives. Providential circumstances are unique opportunities to develop and to display excellence through our lives. The first thing under this that I want us to consider is Josiah's home life gave him no godly male role model. Think about this. As we'll see in a moment, he became king at age eight. He had no godly role model in his family. He had a wicked grandfather, whose name was Manasseh, of whom it was written, Manasseh shed innocent blood very much till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to the other. Beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, and doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. A wicked grandfather. Josiah's wicked father, Ammon, was even worse in some ways. This is what the Bible says of him. He did not humble himself before the Lord as his father Manasseh had humbled himself, but Ammon trespassed more and more. The depths of wickedness to which his grandfather and father stooped included making their sons pass through the fires of Moloch. And I mentioned this the last time I had opportunity to speak to the congregation. I can't think of anything worse than to have your own children pass through the fires of Malak. And he went even beyond that, as bad as that is. He went to placing an idol in the house of God. Think about that. Placing an idol in the very house of God. No male role model. Keep in mind the prophecy of God concerning Josiah was made 350 years before his birth. You say, well, brother, what is the point? Don't you think God knew his grandfather, who his grandfather and father would be? We need to think about that, folks. We cannot use home life as an excuse. And thank God if you come from a home where the Bible is central and where you're influenced by godly influences. But that is no excuse for us not to do right. Josiah's home life gave him no godly male role model. The second thing, Josiah's hero was a man after God's own heart. And here's where we pick up the text. Notice 2 Chronicles 34. The first two verses, Josiah was eight years old when he became king and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. His hero was a man after God's own heart and that hero was David. And to me, when I read this text, the fact that he became king at age eight indicates that as a child he had to have some influential people in his life. Think about it. He had to have some influential people in his life that offered direction. And that direction had to include doing what was right in the sight of God. And I think you'll see this unfold as we go on. Verse two, the frequent references to kings who did not or who did follow the ways of David teach us that our lives can stand as an example long after we're gone. How many times have you read these historical narratives and it references these kings back to David? the standard and it either says he did that which his father David did or he did not. That is a sobering thing for us. We can leave an impact even long after we're gone if we do that which is right. God will bless us obeying his word. Another example of that that you're familiar with is found in Hebrews chapter 11 where it talks about Abel. And we know from reading in Genesis that Abel worshipped God as God directed. And here's what it says of him. He being dead, yet speaketh. Well, how does he do that? His history. His history. And I want you for a moment to think back of some people that you have known in the past who are no longer with us. Maybe you see a photograph of that person. And hopefully when you look at people in your life who were heroes, who were people that you looked up to, people that you imitated selectively, hopefully they drew you closer to the Savior through their lives. I'll not mention names. I don't know if I would necessarily use the word hero, but there sure are people in this church that are here now and have been in the past that I reckon I could call heroes. They're not flamboyant. They're not high-profile, they're just faithful. Faithful. You could set your watch by them as far as their faithfulness to God. Simple, consistent, consecrated faithfulness. Josiah followed the ways of David, and I would ask you, who is your role model tonight? Who are some of them? But this caution, heroes are people with feet of clay. And you know well, as exemplary as David was, and as exemplary as Josiah was, they both had shortcomings. God said that kings were not to multiply to themselves wives, and David and Josiah both did that. They had feet of clay. And yet we can look at people that are around us who are consecrated to the Lord. We can view their lives and we can selectively follow them. What did Paul say? Follow me as I follow Christ. To the degree that they follow Christ, we can benefit greatly from their lives. His home life gave him no godly role model. His hero was a man after God's own heart, David. His hunger for God began at age 16. Notice verse 34. The first part of chapter 34, the verse 3a. In the 8th year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father. In the 8th year, while he began at age 8, You add the eighth year of his reign, he's 16 years of age. While he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father. And the means through which we personally seek after God is his word. Now, the thing that really impresses me about this young man is he did not have the word of God at this time. You need to think about that. We'll see that they found a copy of the Word of God in the course of duty. But for you and for me, the means through which we personally seek after God is His Word. Now I want to ask you this question. If you ate three meals per week, two on Sunday and one on Wednesday, you'd be physically malnourished no matter what the quality of those meals was. Is that true? If you ate three meals a week, two on Sunday and one on Wednesday, you would be physically malnourished no matter what the quality of those meals were. Steak and potatoes, vegetables, whatever, if you only ate three. And you know where I'm going with this. You better be eating spiritual food daily. You better be feeding yourself, or you will indeed be spiritually malnourished. You won't be setting a pattern that others can look at and selectively imitate. Our own attitude toward the Word of God says much about our relationship with the Lord. The Scriptures describe four categories of people, and it describes these people based upon their attitude toward the Word of God. And just listen to these, if you would. Proverbs 1.22 has three of the four in it. This is what it says. How long you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners, delight in their scorning. And fools, hate knowledge. You say, well, Pastor Tura, I'm not in any of those. Well, listen for a second, especially to this first one. simple. He has some knowledge of the truth, but is naive. Solomon stated that his proverbs were to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. Here's the punchline, folks. Because he lacks discernment, the simple often wavers between the wise and scorning crowds. He's double-minded and inconsistent. This is similar to departmentalizing your faith. And I would throw out to you that if you are guilty of departmentalizing your faith, taking it and leaving it, and selectively sticking by the stuff, and at other times, just blending in, you are not wise. You are a simple son. If we can departmentalize our faith and pick and choose when we are going to be like Christ, that is a sad commentary. And believe me, when I say this to you, it's coming right back in my direction. We need to really think through, am I guilty of departmentalizing my faith? And if I am guilty of doing this, where does it show up the most? And we'll see some areas that Josiah was consistent in as we go on. A scorner is the second. He rejects the claims of Christ and the company of the wise. He ridicules the truth through his life and his lips. Scorners aren't comfortable around simple wise sons. They're just not comfortable. You know, they would think that a wise son is a holy joe, he's so heavenly-minded he's no earthly good. They're very uncomfortable being around serious-minded, Bible-following, Christ-loving people. The fool? I doubt that you'd be here tonight. if you are a fool. He openly rejects God and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge Him. Fools say in their heart, no God. Proverbs 1.7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Simple sons, inconsistent, departmentalizing their faith, scorners, There's a fourth category that you're familiar with, and that is wise sons. What are they like? They order their life by the careful study of the Word of God. They display a growing acknowledgement, assimilation, and application of Bible principles. A wise son is a doer of the word, as evidenced in his personal history. Proverbs 1.5, a wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel. Beloved, here's what we're challenging you with tonight. Your attitude toward the Word of God says everything about your pursuit of excellence. My attitude toward the Word of God says everything about my pursuit of excellence. If I'm not in the Word studying to show myself approved unto God, how can I possibly think that I'm pursuing excellence? Acknowledgement in the wise man's head, an intellectual ascent of the truth. This book, I believe, is the word of a living God. Assimilation in his heart, in his essential self, in his mind, will, and emotion. This book will guide my life. application of Bible principle in his habits. He's working out his own salvation. I believe this book. I have taken this book into my essential self as a part of me, and I will apply this book in every area of my life. And the last thing, authentication in his history. Not on again, off again, not hot and cold. The pattern of your life over time demonstrates the authenticity of your faith and your faithfulness. The word authentic means real, genuine, true, and accurate. Think about it for a moment. Are you acknowledging that this is the very word of a living God who knows the thoughts and intents of your heart? Have you assimilated and are you assimilating this book into your life through seriously studying it on your own? Are you then applying this book to your life in your daily habits while you're out there? And will your faith be authenticated through the pattern of your life over time? And what category would you fall based upon your hunger for the word of God? Simple, who lacks biblical discernment, is inconsistent, departmentalizes his or her faith, a scorner whose lifestyle ridicules the word of God, a fool who openly rejects God himself, a wise believer who takes the word of God seriously as evidenced by its consistent and clear impact upon his or her history. A fourth thing that we would have you see, his home life gave him no godly role model. His hero was a man after God's own heart, David. His hunger for God began at age 16. His handiwork began at age 20. Look at the second part of chapter 34, verse 3. In the 12th year, He began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. They break down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down, and the wooden images, and the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces and made dust of them, and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and all around with axes. Verse seven, when he'd broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. And I put in parentheses, he finished the job. Excellence. and this guy was 20 years old. You have to understand what it meant for him to have these things destroyed. What type of people was he going up against? Could you imagine if Beacon wasn't all that Beacon should be and you had a 20-year-old pastor come in and tell you what needs to be done? Think about it. You talk about courage and conviction and consecration. This guy had it. Verses 4 and 5, I emphasize as I read them, this is the fulfillment of the prophecy made 350 years earlier by the Word of the Lord. And he did it completely. Why? Because God has a sovereign script. Beloved, life is not a matter of random chance. God has a sovereign script for all people and places. nations, providential circumstances are unique opportunities to develop and display excellence through our lives, and then finally tonight, how we bring the Word of God to bear upon our lives affects the influence that we can have upon others. I'm not interested in listening to someone who doesn't practice what he preaches. Are you? You know, none of us do that perfectly. But we better mark it down how we bring the word of God to bear upon our life affects the influence that we can have upon others. Chapter 34 verse 8 reveals that Josiah was 26 when he set about to repair the house of the Lord his God. And I'm not going to read it because of time, but verses 9 through 17 record that the book of the law was recovered in the course of duty as he was repairing the temple. He didn't even have a copy of the Word of God. He didn't have a copy of the Law. And he set about to repair the temple that was in such disarray. And you can read it for yourself, 9 through 17. And in the course of duty, they found a copy of the Book of the Law. John MacArthur states that this scroll contained the Pentateuch, the revelation of God through Moses to Israel. He says Manasseh may have destroyed all the copies of God's law that were not hidden. And here's the point that we lift out of this for ourselves. An unused Bible might as well be a misplaced Bible. An unused Bible might as well be a misplaced Bible. The nation of Israel only read the law every seven years at the Feast at Tabernacles, Deuteronomy 31, 10 through 13. And here's the question. How often do you read the word of God? And this can be an uncomfortable thing. We're not gonna ask for a raise of hands. How many of you do it daily? What about four times a week? What about three? What about two? Well, here's the real question. What of those answers speaks of excellence? What of those answers speaks of the excellence that the Lord Jesus Christ deserves after going through what he did to purchase our redemption? And the only answer really is that we're serious enough about the Christian life and the fact that we do believe this is the word of the living God that we get into it on a regular basis. 26. when he set about to repair the house of the Lord his God. And I would say this to you, we need to note that Josiah had already pulled down altars, he'd burned idols, he began to restore the temple before the book of the law was found. Well, brother, what do we learn from that? He obeyed the light that he had. And that's another question that we have to ask ourselves. It's not just how much do you know, but what are you doing with what you do know? It's not just a matter of how much you know. What are you doing with what you do know? And that's a serious, serious thing for us to contemplate. What he knew, he said about obeying. He obeyed the light that he had. Listen to this, Deuteronomy 17, 18-20. God gives instructions concerning a king. And he says this, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book. from the one before the priests, the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life. Why? That he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom. He and his children in the midst of Israel. Folks, those four things, what do they speak of? You want reverence for God, read the word. You want humility, read the word. You want piety, pure piety, read the word. You want profit, longevity for your life and your children, read the word. That's what he's saying there, Deuteronomy 17, 18 through 20. How we bring the Word of God to bear upon our life affects the influence that we have upon others from our family and on out. Now I'd like you to drop down to verses 18 through 21. 18 through 21, the book of the law was read. in the presence of the king. And I'll read that for us. Then Shaphan, the scribe, told the king, saying, Hilkiah, the priest, has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the law, that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah Ahicham, the son of Shaphan, Abdon, the son of Micah, Shaphan, the scribe, Asaiah, the servant of the king, saying, Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the book that is found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that is written in this book." Josiah's response was sensitivity to the truth. And I really hope that you'll think through the next three or four statements that I make, folks. It's a challenge to me. Josiah's response was sensitivity to the truth. Do you have a tender heart? Or is it just, well, that was a good message, or that was a good Sunday school lesson, or that was a good devotional that I heard or read? Josiah's response was sensitivity of the truth. In verse 19, he ripped his clothes in grief over the sins of his nation. In verse 21, he inquired of the Lord as to what should be done. He had a prayerful attitude. Not only was his response sensitivity, but Josiah's reaction was seriousness when it came to God's law. And you've heard me say it before. I said it as recently as this morning to the teens. Josiah's reaction was seriousness when it came to God's law. Folks, as reverently as I know how, this is serious stuff. This is the most serious stuff. The eternal welfare of souls is wrapped up in this book. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. His reaction was seriousness, personal seriousness. Look at verses 24 through 28. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore, my wrath will be poured out on this place and not be quenched. But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him. Thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before me, and you tore your clothes and wept before me. I also have heard you, says the Lord. Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace. And your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." So they brought back the word to the king. Personal seriousness. I think some of us, myself included, need to pray, God, break my heart over my sin. God, break my heart over my sin. Don't allow me to have the attitude that the blood of Christ is some master card that I just charge it to wipe the slate clean. Let me understand what it means to pray, Father, forgive me for my sin. Help me to understand the offense that it is against you, personal seriousness. But it goes, we go on. Not only was it personal seriousness, but he had a public seriousness also. Verses 29 and 30. Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up to the house of the Lord with all the men of Judah. and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the house of the Lord." Public seriousness. With all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the house of the Lord. Public seriousness. He wasn't ashamed. that he took the word of God seriously. And then this one, and it may sound a little unusual, but I think it's clearly there in the text, positional seriousness. He used his position to influence others. Look at it in verse 31, then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And folks, when I read that, the thought hit me, this public covenant, as king, came after serving as king for 18 years. And here's the important thing. This came 10 years after beginning to seek after God. So what do I get personally from that? I need to be growing and changing and committed and recommitted, consecrated to the Lord. I dare not be on true control spiritually. Think about that. 18 years of serving his king, 10 years after beginning to seek after God and all this stuff that he had done. Yet after he read the word of God, we see a personal seriousness, a public seriousness before all the people and a positional seriousness. And what did that lead to? Look at verse 32. He made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. He made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Listen to 2 Kings 23 verse 25. It commends his pursuit of excellence. Now before Josiah, there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him. The final thing that we would look at is this. Josiah's reward was security and his reform was sweeping. His reward was security. You notice verse 28 of this chapter. Surely I will gather you to your fathers and you should be gathered to your grave in peace and your eyes shall not see all the calamity with which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants. So they brought back word to the king. Worried about possibly if the Lord calls one of your children to be a missionary, are you worried about their safety? The Lord calls you to be a missionary in a hostile land, are you worried about safety? We need to be prudent. One reason why we didn't go into Mexico is obviously they're targeting Americans. We don't want to be foolhardy. But by the same token, if God calls us to a place that is hostile and does present danger, do we realize that we have the iron hedge of God's sovereignty about our lives? And it's personified not only in Josiah, but all of the other men that I referenced earlier. His reward was security. His reform was sweeping in scope. He impacted his world. He removed everything that offended God. You can see that in verse 33. And I need to read this because we're talking about him having a professional, a public, and a personal sensitivity to the Lord. Look at verse 33. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. Look at this. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers." What a testimony! All his days, as long as he lived, they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers. This final thing, restoration of that which honors God, not only did he remove that which offends God, but verses 18 and 19 of chapter 35 say this, there'd been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet, and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept. Were the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the 18th year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept. He was 26 years old. We'll not read it, but 2 Chronicles 35, 20-27 record that Josiah died providentially leading his people in a battle that wasn't his own. It was in the providence of God. The result was that God's determined downfall of Judah began after Josiah's death, just as he had promised. In verse 25 of chapter 35, notice what it says, Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah, and to this day, all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel and indeed they are written in the laments. John MacArthur gives this fitting tribute and with this we'll make application. This noble king had a lifelong influence by the power of his godly life and firm devotion to God and his word. The strength of his character held the nation together serving the Lord. It started because as a young man he began to seek God. Folks, Josiah personified excellence. Now, applications. Do you seek to obey the Word of God with excellence in your personal life? What impact does the Word of God have upon the most private areas of your life, the thoughts and intents of your heart? What impact does the Word of God have upon the most private areas of your life, the thoughts and intents of your heart? Secondly, do you seek to bring the Word of God to bear upon your public life, in your speech, and other means of interacting with people? Does the Word of God hold sway? Here's one for you. Do you act as a purifying agent? in the lives of others, or do you contribute to the moral pollution that bombards us each day? Can I read that again? Do you act, does your life, your public life, act as a purifying agent in the lives of others, or do you contribute to the moral pollution that bombards each of us daily? We would do well to think about this, folks. Privately, the thoughts and intents of your heart. Publicly, the things that you say, the jokes that you tell, the stories that you repeat. Do you contribute to the edification of Christians or the evangelization of the lost or do you contribute to the moral pollution that we have to face every day of our lives? And then finally, do you bring or do you seek to bring the Word of God to bear in your professional life? Do people see a clear and consistent application of biblical principle in how you conduct yourself in the marketplace or at school? Excellence. If he says he's going to do it, he's going to do it. You don't worry if it's not right, he'll make it right. That type of thing. Do people see a clear and consistent application of biblical principle in how you conduct yourself in the marketplace or at school? Is your word your bond? Can people trust you to do right? May God enable us to be exemplary on the path that he has placed us. May we seek to pursue excellence for his glory and for the eternal good of men. We're going to pause for a word of prayer and after that, Pastor Carnes is going to come and we'll transition into our celebration of the Lord's Supper. Our Father, as we come before you, we do praise you for your grace and for your mercy in our lives. We do praise you for the example of godly men and women in the Bible. Father, they certainly had feet of clay, and yet you have their lives recorded there for a purpose, and that purpose is for us to learn from them. We can learn from their example. We can learn from their failures. Most of all, Father, I pray that the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the motives for behind what we do, what we do, would be the glory of God and the eternal good of others. May we reflect just how important and prominent a place the Word of God has in our private life, in our public life, and in our professional life. May we seek to exalt Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.