Josiah Finds the Scroll

2 Kings 22:1-10; 23:1-3

Manasseh- 12-years-old, reigned for 55 years

Amon- 22-years-old, reigned for 2 years

Josiah- 8-years-old, reigned for 31 years

2 Kings 22:1-7

2 Kings 22:8-13

2 Kings 23:1-7

2 Kings 23:3 Next, the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant in the Lord’s presence to follow the Lord and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book; all the people agreed to the covenant.

Deuteronomy 6:1-15

1 “This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. 3 Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

10 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give you—a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, 11 houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 13 Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the Lord your God will become angry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth.

Mission Creep- a gradual shift in objectives during the course of a military campaign

• Mission Creep- a gradual shift in our purpose/focus during the course of our lives

• We return to the original mission.

• Ask two questions: What matters? Who matters?

• We must shed the cultural artifacts who have built altars in our lives.

If Christ is truly King, what does that mean for how we live out lives? What does that mean for how we spend our time and resources? What does that mean for how we live in the world and love our neighbors?