This Congregation meets at: Sunday Bible Class at 10:00 am. Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 am. Sunday Night Worship service at 6:00 pm. Wednesday Night Bible Class at 7:00 pm. 5:00 PM on the last Sunday of the MONTH. Please be so kind to turn off your cell phone. Let’s be reverent. We are worshipping God.

56 lesson

Romans 15:4 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

1 Corinthians 10:11 11  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

James 5:17... 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

The woman with internal bleeding Lydia Nehemiah: The Builder for God Solomon The woman with internal bleeding PHINEHAS Elisha Mary magdalene The Samaritan Woman King Saul. The Canaanite woman! Daniel Sapphira the accomplice lier. Part 2 Part 1 Dorcas

King Josiah

Who was Josiah so that we can enter the Lesson right away? Josiah was king of Judah from 641 to 609 B.C. He ascended to the throne at the tender age of 8 and reigned for 31 years. Josiah was the son of King Amon, and mother Jedidah The meaning of his name is: healed by Jehovah, or Jehovah will support the son of Amon, and his successor on the throne of Judah (2 Kings 22:1; 2 Chr. 34:1) Key word in his life: The reformer.

King Josiah 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 [1] Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. [2] 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. [3] For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.

King Josiah 2 Chronicles 34:4-8 [4] They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, 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. [5] He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. [6] And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. [7] When he had 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. [8] In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

At age 16, Josiah began to seek the Lord. Three stages of reform 8 We called Josiah a reformer for a reason, this man made many changes in the country very important and noticeable. At age 16, Josiah began to seek the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:3

At age 20, Josiah began to cleanse Jerusalem. Three stages of reform 8 At age 20, Josiah began to cleanse Jerusalem. His reform was even more extensive than that of his predecessor, Hezekiah 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 29:3-36).

Three stages of reform 2 Chron 34:3b-7 8 Josiah extended the destruction of the altars of the Baals and the wooden, carved and molded images as far north as the cities of Naphtali -- at the time Israel was nominally controlled by Assyria. 2 Chron 34:3b-7

Three stages of reform 8 The Mount of Olives had been a “mount of corruption” because of the high places erected by Solomon, but Josiah restored it. 2 Kings 23:13-14… “13 Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon. 14 And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.

Three stages of reform 1 Kings 13:1-5 2 Kings 23:15-18 Josiah also uncovered the altar of wicked Jeroboam as well as the tomb of the prophet who had warned him; and thus Josiah fulfilled the prophecy of 1 Kings 13:1-5 2 Kings 23:15-18

Lessons Learned From Josiah We do NOT have to act like our family members Manasseh 2 Kings 21:9-11 Amon 2 Chronicles 33:21-23 Just because our ancestors did not do what was pleasing to God, that we too must follow their paths

Lessons Learned From Josiah Young people do a lot in service to God Josiah became king at age 8 He began seeking the Lord at age 16 2 Chronicles 34:3 Solomon Ecclesiastes 12:1 Paul 1 Timothy 4:12 Young people can do many things for the cause of Christ

Lessons Learned From Josiah God had confidence in Josiah – even before he was born God knows all things 1 Kings 13:1-2 Fulfillment came years later 2 Kings 23:15-16 Good if God had that much confidence in us God knows whether this world will be better because you and I came this way

Lessons Learned From Josiah Josiah loved the word of God Told of his love 2 Kings 23:24 2 Chronicles 34:19 He read the words of God to the people 2 Kings 23:2-3 Josiah was determined to restore true religion Knew he must put into action God’s plan 2 Chronicles 34:19-21; 35:1-3

Lessons Learned From Josiah Sometimes bad things happen to good people Although a good man – he still made a bad choice 2 Chronicles 35:20-23

Lessons Learned From Josiah Our children will not always follow in our footsteps The sons of Josiah did NOT follow his love of God Jeremiah 36:28-30 2 Kings 23:31-32; 23:36-37; 24:8-9

Truths Learned Must realize that no life is lived correctly without God Must seek God while we are young Must make a difference for good in the world Must stand opposed to religious error Must restore the truth of God’s Holy Word Restoration is an on-going process – can end rapidly Our children might not appreciate where we stood Must please God in all aspects of our life We should be bothered when error is running rampant