Bro Richard via Sister Teri Sunday Evening 9/25/11

Sister Teri Sunday Evening 9/25/11

Bro Richard’s message in Carmichael on teamwork:

He’d played football in high school and he brought ideas that he’d gleaned from that experience. 

The body of Christ is a team.  We are all team members and for a team to function properly we must each be a good team player.  We can’t be off on our own and doing our own little thing or we cannot function as a body.  The purpose of the team will suffer if we are not working together.

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Jos 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Jos 5:15  And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

It is important that we know who is on our team.  Joshua wanted to know if this man was on his team.  There are ways that we can know who is on our team. 

The captain of the Hosts is Jesus.  He is our captain in heaven and on earth.  The captain of the foot ball team is really not the captain; they take their orders from the coach.  In the church the pastors are under captains and take their orders from the coach.  We need to be able to take our orders from the coach that is above. 

The coach lays out the commands and the directions to the under captains.  The team that Joshua led was a large team that must work together in order to be successful. 

Jos 6:2  And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

The Lord gave instruction to Joshua and he carried it back to the team and they all did exactly what they were told to do and God brought the walls down.  If they had not worked together and each did what they were told to do then they would not have been successful. 

We must have confidence in our coach, Christ, in order for us to be successful. 

Some join a team for the social camaraderie and for their friends that are there.  This can happen in the church, people want to be there for the social. 

Some may be there because they want to be in the team picture, and have the uniform and the social distinction that comes with it. 

There are those that are on the team because they have a highly focused desire to win, not just individually, but that the team wins.  The goal should be that we all make it.  It is not one individual shining above the other. 

Sports teams can have a star player or players that have their names mentioned in the paper.  Their team may win for a time.  It is better if the team is not successful because of one individual shining above another.  It is better if they work together and then they can be successful for many years. 

What makes a team successful is if the team works together.  The high scorers cannot win the game for the team forever.  The team functioning as it should is when each one in the team helps the others do their very best. 

The questions were asked:  Are we on the right team?  Who on that team are real team players: working for you and with you?  Who are the team players that are working for the united effort and goal?

Are you a team player:  On the team working for the team?  A good team player is ready to be wherever there might be a need working to pick up the slack, not just working in their position. 

Highly functional teams win.  Some do well for a time but only if the team works together well will there be success over time. 

Family teams function well because of a reason.  Dysfunctional families are created by not working together, not communicating well, and not being ready to sacrifice their desires and wishes for the sake and the good of the whole.

Functional means used to contribute for the good of the whole and the higher purpose.  Are we willing to sacrifice some of our plans and desires for the good of the whole?  Dysfunctional means not operating well or properly.  It takes a high degree of functionality in order to win against the enemy.  It takes working together in order to win this battle.

The church’s function is to win souls, establish souls, and help them win the goal.  Very few people are born a top linebacker.  They must learn some things in order to function in this position.  They need the rest of the team to help them, to instruct them and to be there when maybe they fumble. 

Part of a volley ball team is when the ball is hit wrong or is missed there is someone else there to get it.  Part of our job as the Body of Christ is to be there for each other.

Every position is critical for the proper functioning of the team.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

That we henceforth be no more dysfunctional, no more children tossed to and fro.  The pastor gets the messages from the coach and delivers them to us.  We take the detailed plays: Joshua received the plays from God and the people executed it and it worked.

The opposition works to break things up, to cause confusion in the backfield, to take them down and to cause them to quit.  It is the same principal working in the church.  It takes all of us working together in order for us to be successful. 

In a real game there would be some that sit on the sidelines.  In this team every one of us can be on the field.  There is a place for every one of us and a job for each one of us to do. 

There will be some freshmen that come in with a preconceived idea of where they want to play and they will sit on the bench until they are willing to play where the coach chooses to place them.  We need to be broken enough to allow the coach to change and place us where the coach desires us to be.

The person may have a specific place to play but when the ball heads another way, they need to run down to be a help.  That is how an interception happens.  They hustle down to be ready to grab the ball if it is fumbled.  They are willing to work outside of their area; it takes work.  One or two players cannot carry the whole load without wearing out.  It takes a depth of workers.  It takes everyone pulling and carrying the load.

Souls start out good.  The secondary defense is part of the body.  One or two people may be there and help one get saved.  The secondary defense is going to be there and hit hard.  When I first got saved, there were things that would keep me out of church.  If there had not been those that came in and reached out to me then I would have been gone. 

The longer a person is down from a fall the more likely they are to be taken out of the game.  The whole opposing team will pile on a playe; this is the way the enemy works too.  We need to be there to defend and help each other.

Huddling is when they are getting their message from the coach.  “This is what I want you to execute, I saw this going on and this is how you can break through that.”  With the family a time of getting into the word of God together, a time of prayer is necessary. 

Go to the coach and get the direction that you need to make it. 

In the times of huddle in the team you cannot have people distracted and careless about it.  Questions are ok.  If you don’t understand then you must ask questions.  It is important that we allow people to ask questions when they don’t understand.  Don’t take it wrong.  We must all be on the same page.

It is hard when one person is saved and another isn’t in a family.  It is hard to get unity of purpose to come up with a plan of action and a game plan and to get it executed.  Pray for those that are in this condition.  If we are not all on the same page we cannot accomplish the purpose that God would have for us.

1Pe 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

1Pe 3:8  Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

We must respect each other.  A lack thereof will interfere with functionality.  He gave an example of a good quarterback that had some successes and took them as his own then began to mock others, on the team, that were less successful.  The coach let the quarter back reap what he sowed so that he could see it from the other perspective.  If we don’t take the Word and get the lesson from the Word, then God will give us some of the same so we will get the lesson from that.

Don’t let things come between us.  Have longsuffering and compassion for each other so that our labors, and our prayers are not hindered.  We must have cohesion so that we are not hindered. 

There can be those that have a negative attitude and it will hinder the play.  Sometimes if something fails one time it doesn’t mean that it was a bad idea, you reexamine it and try again.  Don’t give up especially if the instructions are from God. 

We need to work for each other with respect and care for one another.  Success can lead to cockyness and will cause dysfunctionality if it is not taken care of.  We must remain humble.  Those that are cocky cannot be worked with and corrected.

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

When someone else messes up in an area, get in and help him.  We could fail in the same way.  Don’t get lifted up.

How do we treat people concerning their faults and weaknesses?  How are we talking to them or about them, how do we treat them when no one else is around?  If we don’t treat others kindly and respectfully then we will reap some of the same.

Respect contributes to functionality; disrespect contributes to dysfunction, lost opportunity, and lost impact. 

How to know those that are on the right team is they play by the rules.  When flags are going up right and left than there is someone that is not playing as a team player.  No backbiting, encourage and teach that salvation is precious.  In a foot ball team they hold the ball close and protect it.  We need to hold our salvation as precious. 

When they run they run low and it makes it harder for them to go down.  We must stay humble.  What team are you on?  You must stay humble.  Good team players will make it all the way.

If you want the whole message then you can get a copy of the CD.

Bro Gary Sunday Morning 9/25/11

Bro Gary Sunday Morning 9/25/11

Isa 28:29  This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

God is wonderful.  He has led us to where we are this morning.  It is the Lord of hosts: this means God and His innumerable angels.  When God chooses to use the angels it is all for His honor and glory.  We can expect God to work in a wonderful way in counsel using His saints, using His ministry, and using His angels. 

Each in this audience needs answers.  There is no question that God has the answer.  If we get it from God it will be the right answer.

Isa 28:5  In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

We always need the mercies of God.  This is just the way life is.  We wake up every day needing the mercies and the presence of God.  This is the crown of glory.

When God comes He always comes with His word and His Spirit.  There is nothing more beautiful than this.

When God comes to convict us or judge us, He doesn’t come to condemn but to show us our need and back up the need with “This is the answer for that need.”

Isa 28:6  And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

I’m really impressed with God.  When God comes He shows us what He wants us to do.  People may be queasy about judgment but God is the God of judgment in that He shows us the better way.  He shows us the right way.  “Stand in the ways and ask for the old paths…  Hear a voice saying this is the way…”

He comes to us to correct, to direct, and to show us His will and His way and the path He wants us to take.  He also comes to strengthen us and to turn the battle to the gate.  God has a way of shielding us.  Many times our mind is targeted by the many voices that are in the world.  It is targeted by the news, the reality that we are getting old and many other things.  There are many things that will target our mind, but we are blessed this morning.  “The eternal God will be thy shield” was the last words of Moses.

You may be going through a time of being targeted and not knowing what you should do or how you should handle things.  Look up to God and ask Him to speak to you and be your shield.

Isa 28:7  But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

Isa 28:8  For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

It was a sad day in that day and it is a sad day today; people get drunk on many things.  People can get drunk on pleasure, on fashion, on wanting to please people, on the lust of the flesh, on the pride of life, and on success.  Whenever you get drunk on anything then you will not be able to make a good judgment.

Isa 28:9  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Who will know the truth and who will understand the doctrine?  Those that are growing spiritually.  Wherever we were yesterday, a year ago, a month ago, we are not being condemned because of where we were.  God is challenging us to hunger to have a knowledge of God and His word. 

It matters to God what we believe.  If any will do the will of the Father, he shall know the doctrine.  Doctrine is important.

Not only those that start in the race:  Each that has confessed, repented and turned from their sin have started in the race.  We are always happy for each one that has made a start.  Before I got saved I wasn’t desiring very much of God.  My desires were the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.  What was attractive to me was success and pleasure. 

When we get saved then we receive a new appetite.  We are to desire the sincere milk of the word.  Our focus should be the Bible.  There is nothing wrong with a devotional but we need to desire the Word of God.  The Word of God is forever settled in heaven.

You may wonder where to start reading.  When someone is trying to get right with God I always tell them to read Psalms 51 where David repented of His sin.  The bible will tell us what to do.  Jesus taught us after we get saved to hunger and thirst after righteousness.  I remember the early days when I was converted.   I wanted to be genuine.  Way back in time until this time there have been hypocrites and professors.  God changes lives.

God wants us to hunger and thirst after righteousness and the presence of God and to draw near to God. 

Who will understand doctrine?  Those that will grow spiritually.  The way to grow is to follow the truths that God brings to you; God is faithful.  He comes to us and tells us that He wants us to pray.  He gives us the desire to pray before we go to school or work or start our day, He gives us the desire to pray throughout the day.

David desired to pray three times daily.  Joshua led the people of God into Canaan where they had rest from their enemies and in their soul.  Let us desire to grow, to serve one another, and serve God very well. 

May God help us to have the heart of a servant to give our self totally to God.  He will shed light on our path through the reading and study of the Word of God and he will edify us through the song, the testimony, and the word brought by the saints.

God will use the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelations to help you grow.

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

A babe in Christ can be thrilled with Revelations:

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Those things that you once stumbled over and brought you bad attitudes, you can have victory over.  You can have the knowledge that wherever you are you can offer up spiritual sacrifice: thanking and praising God for all He’s done. 

In life we may find our self in a situation that we would be better if we were not in either through ignorance or being hasty.  God wants us to always be a king, reigning over sin and bad attitudes. 

We live in a world where there will be oppressing spirits, accusing spirits, and other spirits that will present them self to us.  We need to grow so that we know how to be a king and reign in this life. 

When you feel something coming that will take away your joy and peace, you need to stop right there and realize that that is not coming from God.

Isa 28:10  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Every truth in the Old Testament is also revealed in the New Testament.  And each truth in the New Testament is revealed in the Old Testament.  If one comes claiming to have new light than you know that they are wrong.

We are not going to be taught just by our self or by only one person.  God will choose to use different people at different times to teach us what He wants us to know. 

God help us to know how to not put a cover over the plate that God has for us.  It is sad when people are given a meal to eat and refuse to eat it. 

Isa 28:11  For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Isa 28:12  To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

It is alright to be weary and worn out.  It is all right to be exhausted and to have poured out yourself until there is nothing left.  Know where to go to be refreshed:  The Word of God.

There will be those that will not hear.  When God sends His word it opens a door to a highway and a way.  When we reject it, it opens a door for us to fall backwards. 

People may say, “I don’t know how I ended up there.”  When you fall backwards you don’t know where you will end up.

The fool says that they are not worried about hell or conviction.  They think that nothing can get to them, they have their refuge.

Isa 28:13  But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Isa 28:14  Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.

Isa 28:15  Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Foolish people think that hell will not be that bad.  In the accounts we have, those in hell are begging for a drop of water. 

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Because people make unwise statements about their covenant with death, their separation from God, Jesus came. 

It is wonderful that Jesus came.  He is a precious corner stone.  Isaac, who may be the youngest here, and all little children can build all their life from the precious corner stone.  Children need to be taught to build on the sure foundation.  All the foundations of the world are out of course. 

He that believes and knows that Jesus is the only foundation to build upon and that He is the corner stone to build from will not be looking for something else to satisfy.  He will have found something solid to build upon.  “On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

People everywhere are searching for something that will satisfy and something that they can turn to that will satisfy them even when they are old.  There is a sure foundation and a precious cornerstone that you can build upon and you will realize that you don’t need to try sin, to see if it will satisfy.

“Can a bird drink up the ocean thirsting still from shore to shore or the God of my salvation leave my soul yet wanting more?”

He is a God that will saturate the soul leaving the soul so full of the goodness of God that not only would he give a good measure, but a measure pressed down full and running over.  We are blessed to know that there is something to build upon. 

God is wonderful in counsel.  Build upon Jesus the solid rock.  He is excellent in working.  When you go to prayer and pray, “Our father who art in heaven…”  immediately the Father comes, the son comes, the Holy Spirit comes and probably an innumerable company of angels.

You come to God and say, “God I want to please you.  Help me to be a good father, mother, grandparent, or child.”  When you begin to pray there is a line that comes from heaven to earth.  This plum line is the Word of God and the Spirit of God. 

We come before Him and say, “God I want to please you and do your will.”  God responds by sending the plum line from heaven that will give you what you need. 

All of us have things that we’ve put in our minds that need to be swept away.  When we say, “God I want to know the truth.”  God says, “I want you to know the truth and I’ll not give you senior algebra when you’re in first grade.”  He takes his plum line and says, “This is the line that I want you to step to.” 

He is no respecter of persons, He is God.  He takes the Word and Spirit of God and puts it on our mind and shows us the line, He sheds his Word upon our pathway and helps us to walk it.  We say, “We’ll measure.”  He tells us that doing that will take care of everything else.

There would be those that we pray for that don’t plan to be convicted.  God has a way of causing the bed to become too short and the cover to be too small.  Your family may be belligerent but God says, “Just keep praying because I know how to shorten the bed.” 

People may have lots of coverings and they’ve found fault here or there and the only one that they don’t find fault with is them self.  God has a way to get a hold on them.  Soon the fighting way begins to show.  It is a vexation and conviction from God.  It is there when they go to bed and when they get up in the morning.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Isa 28:18  And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

Isa 28:19  From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report.

Isa 28:20  For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

God knows How to work.  He is God.

Sister Alice Sunday School 9/25/11

Sister Alice Sunday School 9/25/11

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Don’t let your love wax cold.  Stir up your minds…

Love God with all your heart.  It is easy to love the saints because they reach out to you.  If we don’t have a real love for God we will pick and choose those we love with the saints. 

Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.

Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If we love God with all our heart and mind then we will have no reservations.  Some like horses are just as sweet as can be but if you want to train them then comes the rub.

The cloud for the Children of Israel was light to them but dark on the other side.  We want to live so that we are not behind the cloud or ahead of it but right where God wants us to be.

2Jn 1:5  And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

2Jn 1:6  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

2Jn 1:7  For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

This is love that we walk after His commandments, not that we just know the doctrines but that we abide in them.  Receiving the full reward is in enduring to the end.

1Jn 2:14  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Not only are we to abide in God but the word abide in us, this is a threefold cord that is not quickly broken.

He that doeth the will of God: it is not enough to know it or to know about it we must do it.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

Are you feeling pretty secure this morning?  We are in God’s hands and nobody is going to pluck us out of that hand.  We can fail to remain there but no one and nothing can pluck us out.

There will be no one to blame at the Judgment if we fail because nothing can remove us from the Hand of God but our own disobedience.

Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

I want my joy to be bubbling and full toward the Master.  We must pray in the Spirit.  It takes time, there is clarity and never confusion in praying in the Spirit.  God is not the God of confusion, it is always black and white, A, B, and C and right down the line.  There is no confusion in praying in the Holy Ghost.  When people pray in other tongues there is confusion this shows us that that doesn’t come from God.

The name Josiah means a foundation, our foundation is on the Word of God and on Jesus.  Anything that is other must be torn down.  Josiah lived in a time that was very wicked and cruel.  People were sacrificing their children to their gods.  God is not this way. 

Josiah walked in the ways of David his father and turned not to the right hand nor the left.  He walked according to the rule.  He had a heart to clean out the temple and sent money and the men were faithful and there was no need of an accounting of the money.  We will never be the only one serving God or last one.  God will always have a people and we need to encourage our hearts.

They found the book of the Law and it was read to the king.  Not just given to the king to read at his leisure, but they read it to him.  When the king read it he rent his garments and was humble and then he acted on it.  It is not enough to know what we need to do or have the word of God, we must act on it.

2Ki 22:12  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,

2Ki 22:13  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

He sent seven people, he wanted a sure report.  He told them to enquire of the Lord.  It is wonderful to have a good pastor that is not hid behind a screen but is available to us.

Jer 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Unless you’ve ever sat under a pastor that held you in bondage and didn’t allow you to grow then you will never understand how wonderful it is that you have a pastor that loves you and gives of himself for us.  We have a pastor that loves every one of us.  He is due our respect and honor.  We could give this whole lesson on enquiring and seeking counsel, there is safety in counsel.  We are privileged that it is available to us.

2Ki 22:14  So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.

2Ki 22:15  And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

2Ki 22:16  Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:

2Ki 22:17  Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

2Ki 22:18  But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;

2Ki 22:19  Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

2Ki 22:20  Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

Does God allow women to be prophet or teachers?  He does, there is neither male nor female Greek or Jew.  There is no difference with God.

In order for God to hear us we must be of a contrite heart.  If so He will hear us.

2Ki 23:1  And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.

2Ki 23:2  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.

2Ki 23:3  And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

This was in the 18^th year of the reign of the King.  He was growing up and seeking God in the meantime.  As soon as he reached this place he acted right away.  He sent and gathered all the elders and they went up into the house of the Lord.  There were both small and great, he didn’t want any absent. 

He wanted a huge reformation so he didn’t leave it to anyone else, he read the Law.  He wanted all the elders to know the word of God.

He commanded the people; he didn’t leave it to choice to obey the Word of God.  He stood by a pillar; there is a strength in standing by the pillar.  The pillar is the Word of God and the Covenant.

Jer 33:20  Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

Jer 33:21  Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

As long as there is night and day, God will keep His promises.  He will keep His covenant.

Is Christ reigning on the throne of each one this morning?  If the son of David is still on our throne then this covenant is still alive today.

Jer 50:5  They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

Perpetual means continual.  We covenant by communing with Him that we will serve God over and over each day.

2Ch 34:31  And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

2Ch 34:32  And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

2Ch 34:33  And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the LORD their God. And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Right after they made the covenant, Josiah began to clean house.  He didn’t leave it just to the workers, He did it himself.  He did a complete cleaning.  He cleaned Judah and a lot of Israel too.  His cleaning went beyond their boundaries.  He was so enthusiastic and strong that this reformation went far.  He cleared out all the abominations.

To keep the abominations away is to keep the good.  You cannot just empty out from the bad, you must fill up with the good.  In chapter 35 it tells that they kept the Passover.  They set up the good and kept the good, remembering that the blood is what cleanses them.

Some of us will lose our employment if we go with God all the way.  God wants His servants to be employed in good things. 

2Ki 23:15  Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.

2Ki 23:16  And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.

2Ki 23:17  Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

This was speaking of 350 years earlier.  He is a complete God He will bring things to completion every time.  If it doesn’t happen tomorrow, don’t worry, it will happen every time.

1Ki 13:2  And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

2Ki 23:24  Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.

2Ki 23:25  And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

This was because he was totally consecrated to God.

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

Act 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

Act 19:19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Act 19:20  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

They were playing around with this to see how it would go.  If we mess around with any of that stuff we will end up naked and wounded.  After that total house cleaning there was a renewal of the Word of God.  The way to keep our hearts totally clean from that is to exercise the Joy of the Lord.