Gerry van der Wende: New Life!

New Life!
October 7, 2012
2 Kings 22

Introduction

How many of us have gone through dry spells in our walk with God?
This nation once was a nation founded upon God's Word
The Puritans came here because of a lack of freedom of religion in England at that time
As the years have progressed this nation has lost sight of God
Today, there are restrictions on prayer, restrictions on where the Bible may be mentioned, we have forgotten our roots as a nation
It is time to go back to where we came from
It is time to turn back to God
Today we are going to look at the story of King Josiah of Judah
This is a strory of revival

Reading

Josiah's history

Josiah's dad was Amon
Amon was a wicked king
He set up idols and worshipped Baal, and worshipped the stars
Today many of us may feel it is nothing to look at our horoscopes, but people who do this are saying that the zodiac stars have power over our lives, and it is an abomination to God to worship the stars
Anyway, Amon died, at the hand of assassins, and Josiah became king
Josiah was 8 years old when he became king.
His mother was Jedidah and must have had a big religious influence on him
She would have been the regent during Josiah';s early years
When Josiah turned 18, he takes up his responsibilities as king
He first of all starts to work on God's house v.3-7
This then leads to the high priest discovering the Book of the Law
Up till this time, they did not know God';s will, they did not know his laws
The scribe Shaphan reads the book of the Law to Josiah
He reads about the covenenant this people had made with God
He reads about the special relationship they have, as Gods chosen people
He reads about the blessings God promises for obedience, but he also reads the consequences of turning against God and being disobedient to God's law
Josiah repents
Verse 11
He seeks to know God's words for them, as a nation and as individuals, at this juncture of their history
And he is repentant

Revival

Revival starts with repentance
We sometimes say it starts with prayer, because so many moves of God started with a group that was praying. But at the heart of these prayer movements, was repentance
Ultimately, revival starts with repentance
Individual, church-wide and national repentance
The repentance means that we change our ways and turn to God
This nation needs God, we know that
We desire this nation to turn its heart back to its Maker, from the president on down
But ultimately, revival starts at home
Revival starts inside of ourselves
When our nation is not experiencing a close walk with God, it is because it is living in disobedience to God
When our church is not being fruitful, it is because it is not right with God in some way. We have been sent out to bear much fruit, God's purpose is that we have an impact on our community. If we are not, there is a problem.
And when we seem to be harvesting punishment in our personal life, it is because we need to repent and turn to God with all our heart.
God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12). Not out of vindictiveness, but as an encoragement to us, to get back into line

Conclusion

God's blessing is there, waiting for us
It does not mean that we won't go through hard times, but God is watching over us and he desires a close walk with him
God will bless us with peace, and we will bear fruit, if we are right with God, in the place he wants us to be
Jesus says, my peace I give to you. If we live in anxiety, there is a reason for it.
The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
God's intention is that these fruits be evident in our church, and in every aspect of our lives
These fruits will be visible in our relationships with each other, within our families, with others in our community
The way to revival starts with repentance
Next week we will continue to study the subject of revival
My heart is that we be a church of on-fire, Spirit-filled Christians who are bringing in the lost as part of the great harvest before Jesus returns
During this next week, let's do some soul-searching and see where we need to repent and change in our personal life.

Gerry van der Wende