If you would like to send your offering through the mail, our mailing address is:
CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215
II Kings 17 informs us that King “Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did” (II Kings 18:5-7a).
Unfortunately, after Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh replaced his father and he completely neglected the Word of God his father highly regarded. For the 55 years of Manasseh’s reign, God’s Word was completely neglected as it gathered dust. And it was therefore no coincidence that the people of God sunk to their lowest level as it concerned their walk with God.
II Kings 21 details the sad story of how King Manasseh led the people of God down the road to sin and degradation.
II Kings 21:16 tells us: “Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight.”
And then along comes our hero, Josiah. II Kings 22:2 says: “He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David.” One of the first things he officially did as the new King of Israel was to receive an offering from the people in order to make some much-needed repairs to the Temple. Wouldn’t you know that one of the electricians working on the job found the scroll of Deuteronomy that had been gathering dust?
SCRIPTURE
Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.
Then the king instructed Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the Temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord’s Temple all the articles that were used to worship Baal, Asherah, and all the powers of the heavens. The king had all these things burned outside Jerusalem on the terraces of the Kidron Valley, and he carried the ashes away to Bethel. He did away with the idolatrous priests, who had been appointed by the previous kings of Judah, for they had offered sacrifices at the pagan shrines throughout Judah and even in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They had also offered sacrifices to Baal, and to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and to all the powers of the heavens. The king removed the Asherah pole from the Lord’s Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it. Then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and threw the dust over the graves of the people. He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.
II Kings 23:1-7,
King Josiah then issued this order to all the people: “You must celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as required in this Book of the Covenant.” There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the time when the judges ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.
Josiah also got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’s Temple. Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.
To make a long story short, reformation and revival occurred under Josiah because the word of God was rediscovered, read and obeyed.
Bible Lesson 101: the rediscovery of God’s word plus willingness to read and obey it led to renewal of life God-ward.
II Kings 23:21-25
But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
II Timothy 3:14-17
SERMON
Randy K’Meyer
Gui … dance
Let’s begin with a true or false proposition: “The worst dust storm in history would happen if all church members who were neglecting their Bibles dusted them off simultaneously.” 1
Eight months ago, in an article titled, Bibles Are Everywhere, But Who Is Reading, Lifeway Bible Research found that 85% of US households own 4.3 Bibles.
That’s 451,758,000 Bibles!
“Most Americans don’t know firsthand the overall story of the Bible because they rarely pick it up,” said the executive director of the project. Even among worship attendees, less than half read the Bible daily. The only time most Americans hear from the Bible is when someone else is reading it.” 2
So true or false?
Some don’t read the Bible because they think the Bible is a difficult book. On the other hand, some feel we already know enough about the Bible that it really doesn’t have anything to say to us anymore. To either camp, 4th-century Christian scholar Saint Jerome advises: “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom.” 3
Then there are always those of us who shy away from the Bible because we have a pretty good idea of what it says about certain ways that we are living. Mark Twain: “It ain’t those parts of the Bible I can’t understand that bother me; it’s those parts I do understand that make me shudder.” 4
And let’s be frank, many don’t read the Bible because they spend too much time on social media . . . ouch! The disparity between how much time we spend with technology and how much time we spend with God says much about our priorities.
An unknown author wrote: Cell Phone vs. the Bible
What would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around with us wherever we go?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it in case of emergency? 5
Instead of fear of missing out on what our friends may have to say to us, we ought to fear missing out on what God has to say to us. So why would anyone want to take time away from anything else in order to read or study this book?
The first thing Paul reminds Timothy of in today’s text is, “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:15).
The most important reason to read the Bible is that it points us to salvation through faith in Christ alone. The Bible points out that there is a God who created us to live with Him forever. However; it also tells us that the entire human race has been tainted with sin; that it is our propensity to live our lives our way rather than God’s. It also tells us that God’s love for us is so pervasive that He provided the only means for us to be reconciled to Him when He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sin. The Bible is the only book on the planet that informs us that we can only be saved from our sin through the merits of the death of Jesus rather than through our own efforts to earn God’s favor!
This, I submit to you is the most important information available on the planet.
And then, after we have become a Christian by faith in Christ, God’s desire for us is to grow spiritually. And the nourishment for this spiritual growth is the Word of God. All Christians need to feed on the Word of God.
Are you a young Christian or an immature Christian? The Bible says we need to be weaned on the pure milk of the Word. The elementary teachings of the Bible. What’s the big picture of the Bible? What is God saying to humankind? What, if anything, does God require of His people? What role does the church play in our lives?
I Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment!”
Are you already a growing and mature Christian? Then the Bible says you need to feed on the meat of God’s Word. Those teachings equip us to serve one another, forgive one another, and really love one another.
This is why Paul continues,
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17
In other words, the Bible gives us guidance.
It tells us how to be good husbands and wives, parents and children, bosses and employees. It tells us how to overcome every negative characteristic from a to z: anxiety, bitterness, conceit, dishonesty, envy, you get the point! The Bible tells about the importance of forgiving others as we have been forgiven. The Bible provides us with a moral compass to follow and guarantees peace of mind and heart if we do. This book provides the guidance we sorely need about how to handle our money. Oh yeah baby, how the root of evil is not money, but the love of money! Do you want to know the absolute best principles for managing money? Look no further than this book. The Bible gives guidance to the church about mission and ministry and to individual Christians about their gifts and calling in the same.
Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, says, among many other things, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). In other words, it provides the guidance we need as God’s children. It provides the reader guidance on how to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength!
I think it interesting that the word ‘guidance’ has the word “dance” at the end of it. Living a Christian life is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes this and allows the other to lead, both are free to flow with the music. It’s as if two become one body, moving in unison. Dancing takes attentiveness from one person and guidance from the other. G-U-I-DANCE—God, you and I dance!”
It is imperative that we remember Christianity is not about religion, it’s about a relationship; a relationship between two parties you and God. Relationships are nurtured through conversation. The Bible clues as to what God is saying to us. It’s very difficult to sustain a relationship with God apart from knowing what He’s thinking.
Pastor and author, John Ortberg, writes: “Last week, Nancy and I spoke for World Vision. It was a great day, except Nancy lost her voice. For one entire day, she could not speak above a whisper. Imagine a spouse who cannot say a word. Whatever claim I made, she could not contradict. Whatever issue came up, I was guaranteed to have the last word. All she could do was smile and nod. I thought on the way home, It would be unbearable if she lost her voice forever. I know her voice better than any other. I cannot imagine not being able to hear her voice again, not to hear her laugh, or talk, or encourage, or express love, or disagree, or argue, and then makeup again. It was bearable, even enjoyable, for one day. But for life it would be unbearable. It would be tragic. Where there is love and relationship, there must be words.” 6
And in this book, the Bible, we have the words of God.
“This is the air I breathe, Your very Word spoken to me!”
Irvin Gordon who lives on Long Island has a red 1966 Volvo known for having racked up more than 3 million miles and it’s still hitting the pavement in mint condition. Understandably, many find it hard to believe that Gordon has driven his Volvo as many miles as it would take to go around the Earth 126 times. He asks, “What is the secret to its longevity?” And he answers, “It’s as simple as reading the owner’s manual. Most people just tuck it in the glove compartment and never look at it. You gotta make the effort. When it’s time for the oil change you do it — not just talk about it. 7
What’s the secret behind living a truly blessed life? Read the owner’s manual! Don’t just tuck it in the glove compartment and forget about it. When we do as the manufacturer instructs we will go far!
“A bible which is falling apart usually belongs to someone who’s not!” I find that when for whatever reason I don’t spend enough time with God’s Word, I experience more frustration, difficulty, and temptation. Times of victory and strength and clarity coincide with times of Bible saturation.
I’ve been getting up with my grandson, Matthew, at 5:45 am. I make coffee for him and me and after he leaves with his, I pour my cup, take my usual place on the end of the couch and reach for that cup of joe. My Bible sits on the same table as my coffee. I sit there with my Bible and sip the hot liquid, savoring each swallow. And it dawned on me that what I was doing with my morning coffee is exactly what I should do with the Word of God. As I drink my coffee, it becomes a part of me.
So it should be with God’s word. We should sip and savor, be warmed and fed by the words of God Himself.
In his recent book, The Wisdom Pyramid, Brett McCracken shares about learning the song that went: The B-I-B-L-E Yes that’s the book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God: the B-I-B-L-E! He writes:
The Bible was the book that shaped my life more than anything else, which is odd looking back on it: an Oklahoma kid being profoundly shaped by an ancient collection of Jewish literature and two-thousand-year-old Mediterranean letters. But I was, and I am. And my story isn’t unique. The Bible has been a treasured source of truth and life all over the world, across countless generations. It manages to speak to the soccer mom in San Diego as much as the truck driver in Taipei; it guides the life of a skateboarding teenager in 2020 Buenos Aires as much as it did the blacksmith in 1520 Liverpool. Everywhere you go in the world, people who share almost nothing else in common can say in unison: “The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me!” This can be said of no other book in the world. No other source of truth is as universally beloved and consistently cross-cultural as the Christian Bible.” 8
People need God’s guidance provided exclusively in the BIBLE like never before!
Our country needs God’s guidance.
Our politicians need God’s guidance.
Our corporations need God’s guidance.
Our citizens need God’s guidance.
Our kids need God’s guidance.
We need God’s guidance!
We don’t need so and so’s book, we need God’s book! We don’t need the book of the month, we need the book of the ages! We need the Word of God to be working in our lives so that with King Josiah and his people, we too can renew our lives Godward!
1 https://quotefancy.com/quote/2204996/Donald-S-Whitney-Some-wag-remarked-that- the-worst-dust-storm-in-history-would-happen-if
2 Bibles Are Everywhere, but Who Is Reading?
By Gordon Bess, Oct 7, 2021
https://www.myleaderpaper.com/columns/bibles-are-everywhere-but-who-is-reading/article_ed3853ce-25e0-11ec-a7a0-d733fa501b76.html
3 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/940101-the-scriptures-are-shallow-enough-for-a-babe-to-come
4 https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/85747-it-ain-t-the-parts-of-the-bible-that-i-can-t
5 https://tonycooke.org/stories-and-illustrations/cell-phone-bible/
6 From sermon titled, The Bible Alone
https://www.preachingtoday.com/sermons/sermons/2012/july/biblealone.html
7 “This guy’s 1966 Volvo has over 3 million miles — and isn’t slowing down,”
by Melkorka Licea, NY Post, February 28, 2016
https://nypost.com/2016/02/28/this-guys-1966-volvo-has-over-3-million-miles-and-isnt-slowing-down/
8 Brett McCracken, The Wisdom Pyramid, (Crossway, 2021), pp. 71-72 https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2022/june/my-dads-bible.html