Good afternoon, several months back. I don’t know if everybody remembers. We did a lesson on why should I believe in God. We looked at Psalm 100 we saw that God, we for one he is our God. He is our creator and he is our shepherd. This lesson kind of follows up with that topic of why should I believe in God?
We’re going to look at today. How do I show that I believe in God? The word belief means a persuasion of truth on the ground of evidence and Hebrews chapter 11 verse one the state’s faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. Faith is the foundation of hope and the proof of being convicted of things not seen.
There are tons, tons of evidence in the Bible and outside of the Bible. There is a God. If you look at the world around us and creation, you look at, we were talking the other day about the eye, the everything that’s involved with the eye and the creation. I, it just didn’t happen. There had to be a designer.
If you look at the our creation, you look at the stars in the sky, you know that there is a God. If you look at internal evidence, if you look at the Bible and you understand the prophecies, if you go to Daniel chapter two Juul chapter seven through 11 and all the prophecies of the, of the Kings that were going to come,
a Babylon of Alexander the great, the Grecian empire and how if you look through history, it happened. There had to be, there has to be a God. That evidence is what we use to as our bounds of our faith. We know that there is a God. We know there’s a God, but today we’re going to look at how do we show our faith.
We’re not looking at the evidence. We’re going to look at how do we show our faith. The word show means to be visible, to make known, to cost, to understand, to teach or in form. Think about our life. And first Timothy chapter four verse 12 Paul told Timothy, look man, no man, no man. Despise I youth,
but be thou. In example of the believers, Paul told Timothy charged him, you be an example. Show your faith and Matthew chapter five verse 14 through 60 we are the light of the world. Aren’t we a light that sits upon a Hill? It cannot be hid. We are to shine our lights. We are going to an example. We’re going to examine one of my favorite examples in the Bible.
This man was young when he, when he was young, but when he came became King. His grandfather, Manasseh was extremely evil. He brought wickedness to the land of Israel. He was a man, brought in idols into the temple of the Lord. He brought about practices that were extremely evil in the in in Israel, and not only Manasseh but Ammon.
His son was one that is stated to be even more wicked them and NASA, but yet there was the, the son Josiah was one that at an early age chose to follow God in the midst of the wicked world. Think about the wicked world around him and Josiah and Josiah, his life growing up there was wickedness everywhere. There’s evil practices going on.
There’s idol worship. God was taken out of the picture yet. Josiah chose a different path. We’re going to examine, uh, Josiah this afternoon and we’re going to notice how first he chose the right direction at a young age. Go to second Chronicles with me. There’s two different accounts we could go to. Second Kings chapter 22 or we can go to second Chronicles,
but I want to go to second Chronicles first and verse and chapter 34 and we’re going to read one through three. Second Chronicles chapter 34 verse one through three says, Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned in Jerusalem one and 30 years. And he did that which was right in the side of the Lord, in walked in the ways of David his father,
and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. Four in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David, his father. And in the 12th year he began to purge you to an Andrew slum from the high places in the groves, in the carved images. And the molten images.
He became King at eight years old and it says in the eighth year of his reign, which would make him 16 years old, he chose the right path. He chose a path of following God. A lot of people would say, well, your environment can make a big difference in your life. Josiah, he was eight years old here. He had,
his father was wicked. His grandfather has wicked. The place, the city, the country around him was wicked. Yeah, it’s still, he chose the right choice. Why is that? Well, it could have been some of the influences, maybe his mother Jetta diet. It could be like Timothy and first and second Timothy chapter one verse five. The faith that Timothy had was seen in first in his grandmother,
low grandmother and mother Lewis and Yunus. It could have been those that he spent time with. Go to second current second Kings. Now chapter 22 we see some good influences that he surrounded himself with or the influence he surround himself with. And second Kings chapter 22 and verse 10 says, it came to pass when the King had heard the words of the book of the law,
that he ran his clothes in the King commanded Hilkiah the priests and how you come. The son of chiffon, an echo and the son of McCaya and chiffon the scribe, and as a higher a servant of the King saying he had surrounded himself with two good examples. One was Hilkiah, the high priest, another was chiffon, the scribe. These two men serve God.
He surrounded himself with them. Notice the influence that had on his life. They influenced him to choose the right direction that Marines us. The question we always think, can those around us influence our belief in God and the direction we will take it? Can Josiah chose to seek God? Matthew chapter 26 or Matthew six and verse 33 but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Josiah chose God. He chose to follow the direction of God. Notice he did not go to the right hand nor to the left. Where did he go? Straight towards God. Many times you would. You would imagine the people around him were pulling him both directions. The confusion of the world around him. You should serve this God. You should serve this guy.
No, you should do this, but he chose not to follow the right of the left, but to go towards the true and living God. This expression means an unwavering adherence to the law of the Lord. He didn’t waiver in his adherence to God what path that he followed. What path should we follow? We have a great example. Don’t we go to first Peter?
We have a path to follow also. First Peter chapter one or chapter two in verse 21 for he even here into where you call, because Christ also suffered for us. Leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps. Who is the perfect example? Christ, it says that we are to follow in his steps. Notice Psalm one 19 one to five thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
We have a path to follow. That path is following Christ. You know the, the idea of, you know, when we were back at home and all the snow that we would get, we’d get, you know, six to 10 inches of snow and I’d go out to do chores and Matthew would follow me and I would be walking through the snow and I turned around and was Matthew doing,
he’s fallen right in my steps cause it’s easier, right? That’s the idea there. He’s, we’ve, Matthew was following in my steps. We were to follow in the steps of our Lord. He’s shining a path for us. That perfect example. It is critical to start that at a young age, but it’s also critical to start that now choosing the path that we are going to take,
the foundation, the foundation needed to show or make visible our belief in God starts with the right direction. Notice Luke chapter two in verse 40 this is a stated about Jesus and the child grew in wax, strong and spirit filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. Jesus chose a path at a young age to follow God. Jesus grew in strength.
That’s physically in knowledge, spiritually and physically in wisdom, putting the knowledge into practice and in favor with God. Notice the right direction. He chose the right direction. Just like Josiah. We need to choose the right direction. Not right, not left but towards God, But once Josiah picked the right direction, notice what he does next. He gained his zeal with that new knowledge he obtained.
Josiah picked a direction to go back to second Kings. Notice what happens next. Second Kings chapter 22 start with me in verse eight<inaudible> And Hilkiah, the high priest said in chiffon the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord and Hilkiah gave the book to chiffon and he read it. Notice this is the high priest and a scribe finding the book of the law.
They were soupy ones that had it with him, read it and had it in a scribe would rewrite this. The law certainly could be preserved. Yet they found it in the temple while they were doing work to the, to the building. Interesting. That shows you how far the city was or the nation was getting from God. Verse nine and chiffon,
the scribe came to the King and brought the King word again and said, thy servants had gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord and chiffon. The scribe showed the King st Hilkiah. The priest have delivered me a book and should follow and read it before the King and it came to pass when the King had heard the words of the book of the law that he rent his clothes.
Josiah. No, no. He, he must have read the things that they were not doing. We’ll see that he makes changes in the, in the, in the nation, but not only that, he was a read of what was going to happen to the nation of Israel because of their wickedness. Nate stated a couple chapters back. It brought him to his knees.
He rent his clothes. He had, he mourned for what was going to happen. Go down to verse 19 second Kings 22 verse 19 this is because nine heart was tender and now is humbled by self before the Lord. When now heard us, what I speak against this place and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse and half rent thy clothes and before me,
I also have heard these set the Lord, behold therefore I will gather the into thy fathers and now shall be gathered into thy grave in peace and I shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the King ward again because Josiah, when he heard of the w what was going to happen to Israel and heard the what they were not doing was right.
He fell to his knees and had an honest heart because he had a tender softened heart because he was humble. He was not going to see that evil in his day. His mind was not hard into what he heard, but it changed his mind and wanting to fix the country. Many times we can have our hearts hardened, Not at one accepted, but Josiah was humble.
When we think about the evidences of God, what does it do to our hearts? Our hearts should be tender to the message and bring a desire to renew our minds, not going left or right, but towards God. Romans chapter 12 verse one and two I love that passage talks about having our minds transformed. Be not conformed this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.
Josiah had a mind that was transformed. We see that in his actions. When we understand what a life without God brings, think about a life without God. Josiah saw it. He saw the tear that was coming because of a life without God and it brought him to his knees and we think about a life without God. It should push us to serve him with all of our minds.
Go to Matthew or Mark chapter 12 Mark chapter 12 in verse 29 And Jesus answered the first of all, the commands his hero, Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord and that shall love the Lord thy God. With all thy heart, with all his soul, with all my mind, and with all his strength. This is the first commandment.
When we notice, when we know what a life without God is like, it pushes us to go towards God with all of our minds. The love there is a concern coupled with interest for God. The heart is putting our feeling and desire into our love. True love, our ma, the mind. There is the intellect, submitting our mind, who is learning in the strength is putting all of our energy in our devotion to God.
That is what true love for God is. We show, we display our belief in God. We have a disease, a zeal or devotion for God. Notice what Josiah did again in second Kings chapter 23 now second Kings chapter 23 his next move Starting in verse one And the King sent and then gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and the King went up into the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him and the priests and the prophets and all the people,
both small and great, and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord. He took that book, not only read it himself, but he had the whole of Israel to hear it. He had them, had it read before them. Look at verse three and the King stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord,
to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and with all their soul to perform the words of this covenant that were written in the book and all the people stood to that covenant. Josiah made an agreement. He made a covenant between God in the front and the eyes of the people that he was determined to follow the Lord. We can make that same covenant today when we become a Christian.
When we say, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, we are stating that we know that he is deity, but we are also stating he is the Lord of my life. I am following him. He has the authority of my life. Now, that’s exactly what Josiah did. His devotion was shown in his life. Art of ocean should also be determined to do all of God’s commands by his word as we’d stayed in Psalms one 19 one Oh five,
but not only did Josiah gain a great zeal with the new knowledge he obtained, but it changed the world around him. He put his, he put his dude, his desire to action. He that internal decision that he had to, uh, to do the out, to do and follow our Lord was shown in his actions. He did not hide his belief,
but took the opportunity to make the changes he saw within himself first. And then in the nation. Notice chapter 23 again in verse four the King commanded Hilkiah, the PRI priests and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the DOR to bring forth out of the temple. All the, all of the Lord, a temple of the Lord, all the vessels that were made for bale and for the Grove and for all the hosts of heaven.
And he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of kid drawn and carry the ashes of them to Bethel. He may, he put his words into action. He told him to drag all those idols out of the temple and they burn them in the Valley of kid drawn and carry them away to Bethel. He put his words into action. He started with the house of God then and look at verse five then,
and he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the King of Kings of Judah had ordained to burn incidents in the high places in the city as of Judah and in the places roundabout Jerusalem, them also that burn incense and to bale to the sun and to the moon, to the planets. And to all the hosts of heaven. Then he moved to the groves,
their places of worship and tore them down. Look at verse six and he brought out of the grow from the house of the Lord without Jerusalem until the book kid drawn and burned it at the book. Brooke kid drawn and stamped at smaller power powder and cast the powder thereof upon the grays of the children of the people. Then he got rid of their wicked,
wicked sin sexual practices. Look at verse seven and he break down a house of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord where the women were hanging for the Grove. Then look at verse 10 it just keeps going. Verse 10 and he defiled til fifth which is in the Valley of the children of Hinnom that no man may make his son or daughter to pass through the fire to Molek.
He ended This practice of sacrificing children to the false gods. Verse 24 continuing on, he got rid of the wizards, the wicked, the witches, and the idols. Verse 21 he instituted the Passover. Again. If you notice in second Chronicles chapter 35 in verse 18 it was stated that this Passover that he read instituted was one of the greatest Passovers since the day of Samuel.
That was hundreds of years before they had not had a Passover like this. Since the days of Samuel Josiah put his belief of God into practice. Our world is so confused. There is a need for Christians to be that shining light, the one that is sanctified, set apart from the world that can give direction. We can make a difference in our homes.
We can make a difference in our circle of friends for our young people, our schools, and our nation, but it starts with us. What can we do to make the world around us better? How can we change it? We look at our nation and how far away it’s getting from God. It seems impossible. It seems to possible how we can change things around,
but think about Josiah. He lived in a world that forgot about God. It was gone. They were far away from practice serving God. Yeah, he made a difference. Yes, he was a King. He had a position of authority, but his example Change that nation with a world that is turning from God and has no belief in him. Do you do we need to do just like what Josiah did and saying no to sin?
That’s what he did. He said no to sin. If someone offers us a drink, we say no. If someone is pushing us to listen to some gossip, to spread some gossip, we say no. When someone’s pushing abortion, we say no. We stand up against false doctrine. We stand it up against homosexuality. We do not support evil.
When we back and we pray and we protect the word of God, when we stand up for the truth, we can help to change our nation by being an example, by teaching just one person about Christ. Josiah made a big difference in his community and his nation because of his determination to show that he believed in God. If we want to make changes in our nation and our communities and our homes,
it starts with us. I pray that we have a conviction towards God and I pray that we strive to show our belief in God by first showing that we’re going to follow in the steps of Christ. We’re not going to veer right or left, but we’re going to go towards God. I pray that we have a zeal, a devotion to God that will push us to give it our all.
We will serve God with all of our might. Then with that zeal, we desire to change the world that is around us by saying no to sin and making changes in our small communities. First, notice what he says in second Kings chapter 23 in verse 25 this is close to the end of Josiah’s life. Verse 25 says, unlike unto him, was no King before him that turns to the Lord with all of his heart,
with all of his soul, with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, neither after him or Rose there any like him wouldn’t have. Be great to hear that be said of us, That we serve God with all of our minds, with all of our soul, and with all of our heart. Let us strive to always serve our God.
Where are you at today? You know, today is we do not want to give a, we do not want to miss the chance to be able to put Christ on in baptism before we can show that we have a belief in God. We first have to be a Christian. If we’re not a Christian, we’re not showing that we believe in God.
We’re following the world. Today is the day for us for salvation. Tomorrow be too late. Don’t put it off. Be baptized. Put me. Put Christ on in baptism. Or maybe you’ve fallen away. Maybe you’re not been showing your belief in God. Don’t wait. Do it today. She make that change to follow him with all of your mind.
Just like Josiah did. Whatever your need might be. Do it now as we stand, as we sing.