Finding Your Way Again
Notes
Transcript
Opening Question: What do you do when the map you’re following is wrong???
Story: Lost in Asbury
GPS told me what to do…
Turn left
Go straight
Asphalt turned to concrete
Concrete turned to gravel
Gravel turned to dirt
Grace said, “Where are you going???”
Adam — “The computer knows!”
GPS — “You have arrived.”
We were in the middle of a freshly harvested cornfield.
Repeat Question: What do you do when the map you’re following is wrong???
Culture: How might we be feeling lost??
Within the past 50 years, the definition of marriage fundamentally changed for the first time in over 4,000 years.
LGBTQ — or is it LGBTQQIP2S — or LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA+ ?????
Is marriage even relevant? Or is it obsolete? Or just a legal thing to be avoided?
One source says — Besides male and female, there are currently 72 other genders
Another source says — There are 3 umbrellas for gender (male, female, and nonbinary) and within each umbrella, there are an infinite number of genders
Following the gender conversation…
What does it mean to be a man?? Are there traditional masculine traits? Is masculinity actually toxic and to be avoided? Are men fragile and should be afraid and defensive?
What does it mean to be a woman?? Are there traditional feminine traits? Or are women identical to men and should both genders do all the same things?
Ethnically and culturally, how do we navigate a world where it appears we are encouraged to love people of other ethnicities while also being told we are inherently racist and can’t overcome our prejudice (especially if you’re a “privileged white person”)
Financially, get a job…spend less than you make…invest in a retirement plan…leave an inheritance to your children. OR…work when you want…make money on TikTok…buy cryptocurrency…retire when you’re 35. OR… ?????
The Terminator movies (among others) showed us the dangers of trusting Artificial Intelligence — but we all have Siri in our pockets and Alexas on our nightstands.
I could go on but I think I’ve made my point…
Repeat Question: What do you do when the map you’re following is wrong???
PRAY
To love God is to love His Word.
To love God’s Word is to obey His Word.
To obey God’s Word is to find your way.
I want to share a dramatic story of someone rediscovering his love for God, obeying God’s Word, and finding His way again. But first, let me give you context of history…
God’s people have always moved in cycles:
Creation … Fall
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob … fracture families … eventual slavery
Moses, rescue, 10 Commandments … consequences in wilderness
Judges … “everyone did what was right in their own eyes”
Kings (David) … idolatry, exile
Jesus
Along the way, right in the middle of the times of the kings, there’s an extraordinary story of someone named Josiah rediscovering his love for God, obeying God’s Word, and finding His way again.
2 Chronicles 34:1–3 (NIV) p. 319
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols.
Josiah rediscovered his love for God.
At 8 years old, Josiah “did what was right.”
At 16 years old, Josiah began to actively seek God.
As a practical note to our teens and parents…
There is no minimum age for seeking God.
Our kids will often begin seeking God because of 2 reasons:
1 - They see their parents and grandparents seek God.
(Josiah sought the God of his father David)
2 - They are placed in communities where they see others seeking God.
(DO NOT sabotage your kids’ future by letting them choose to not join you at church gatherings or be part of the student ministry. They won’t choose to start seeking God on their own until you’ve positioned them to choose to seek God.)
2 Chronicles 34:14–21 (NIV)
While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.
Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
Josiah rediscovered his love for God’s Word.
Love is shown in our actions…
1 - Josiah paused to listen to the Word of God.
2 - Josiah tore his robes.
Tearing robes was a cultural sign of great distress.
Hearing God’s Word revealed how incredibly lost his culture was.
And in God’s Word, Josiah discovered something he loved far more than the world around him…leading him to incredible distress and to physically tear his robes.
2 Chronicles 34:29–33 (NIV)
Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Josiah let his love for God’s Word lead him to obey God’s Word.
1 - He read the Word to his people.
2 - He renewed the people’s covenant with God.
3 - He led the people in pledging themselves to obey the Word of God.
4 - He removed all the idols — which never should have been there, if they had been previously obeying God’s Word.
2 Chronicles 35:16–19 (NIV)
So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
In his obedience to God’s Word, Josiah found his way again.
The Passover was celebrated in a way it hadn’t been celebrated for hundreds of years.
with joy
with everyone involved
with great celebrating
BUT… If we don’t model and pass along a love for God’s Word … an obedience to God’s Word … the next generations will lose their way incredibly quickly.
2 Chronicles 36:1–2 (NIV)
And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
2 Chronicles 36:5 (NIV)
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.
Three Next Steps:
Recognize that you’ve lost your way.
You might have lost your way if you catch yourself thinking any of these thoughts:
I should know what to do.
I’m the only one who struggles with this.
It’s too late to do anything about this.
I can do this and no one will ever know.
If I tell you the truth about myself, you will reject me.
Rediscover your love for God’s Word.
Give your time.
Schedule it.
“I don’t want to.”
That’s when you most need to!
Adults do what they need…not just what they want.
Give your ear.
Don’t read. LISTEN.
Give your heart.
Don’t race.
Just read a few lines…
Then re-read them…
Then read them again…
And again…
And just when you think you have figured out, do the next step…
Recommit to obeying the truth in God’s Word.
If you quickly read the Bible, put it away, and move on…it’s done you no good.
Read … or … Listen
Consider
Obey
My promise to you: When you begin taking those Next Steps, you will find your way again and the future you experience (even though it might have pain), it will be better than your past has been.
INVITATION: Rediscover love of God and His Word.
CHALLENGE: Obey God’s Word.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What does it mean to rediscover your love for God, as seen in Josiah's early desire to seek God at a young age?
In what ways can you actively seek God in your own life right now?
How can we show our love for God's Word in our actions, similar to how Josiah tore his robes after hearing the Law?
What actions can you take to show that you value God's Word in your daily routine?
What steps can we take to ensure the next generation does not lose their way like Josiah's successors did?
How can you be a positive influence on younger people in your church or community when it comes to seeking God?
Reflect on the question, 'What do you do when the map you’re following is wrong?' and share a time when you felt lost spiritually.
What changes can you make now to ensure you find the right path again when you feel lost spiritually?
Why is community important in helping us seek God, based on the way Josiah was influenced by his father's seeking of God?
Who in your life encourages you to seek God, and how can you strengthen that relationship?