2 Kings 22 (Part 2) Bible Study (Josiah Repairs the Temple) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Meet me in second Kings chapter 22, and let's give our attention to this wonderful chapter. I've been looking forward to coming to this text again and continuing in this study, especially because the last time we were together, we just begun exploring the inspirational biography of this wonderful man, one of the greatest kings in Judah's history, King Josiah. And if you recall, we did not advance beyond verse two of this chapter. And the reason is we included details from second Chronicles chapter 34 to help us get a full picture of what this young man was able to accomplish spiritually in the early stages of his career. And now tonight, we arrive at a new time stamp in his reign.

And it's found there at verse three, and we get the impression that this particular year of Josiah's reign is of great importance. Why? Because the rest of this chapter will detail what took place in that one year. So naturally, we should ask, what was it that took place at that point that merits such attention? And the answer initially is the repairing of the temple.

The restoration of the central place of worship. Now let me begin by asking a question, and if you know the answer, you can actually give your answer. Does anybody recall at what point in Josiah's reign that he began to purge the land of idolatry? Who remembers? It was two weeks ago, but hopefully we still What year of his reign?

Not his age. Well, the answer is according to second chronicles 34 verse three, in the twelfth year of his reign. In the twelfth year of his reign, he began to bring reformation, not just to the kingdom of Judah, but to the entire land of Israel. And now we come to the eighteenth year of his reign, which tells me at least one thing. Just how deeply entrenched the people of God were in falsehood.

I mean, it took that long for Josiah and his leaders to cleanse the country before he could shift his energy and his efforts to the house of God and restore it. That's remarkable to me. And as significant as the cleansing of the temple may be, that's actually not the focus of this passage. There's gonna be a discovery that is made in that process within the temple that will be the central theme of this text. Because the discovery of this item is so astounding that it will actually serve as a catalyst and launch a fresh reformation for the people of God.

I'm eager to get to that. But I'll let you know from now, we're not gonna go there just yet. We have to pick up where we left off in second Kings 22 verse three and we will read down to verse seven. And that will be the focus of our Bible study this evening. So let's read these verses in one sitting, and then we'll begin to explore them in detail.

Are you with me here? Second Kings 22 verse three. In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary to the house of the Lord saying, go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord repairing the house, that is to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons.

And let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly. Let's pray together. Lord, you promised that for the man or the woman who delights in your law and who meditates on it day and night, they will be like a tree planted by streams of water, and they will bear fruit in its season, and their leaf will never ever wither. And in all that he or she does, they will prosper.

We claim this promise as we choose tonight as your church to deepen our roots in the truth. May the sap of life that comes from your word be felt and known this evening, and may you receive glory as we sense our souls being fed. We ask these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. It's a sobering sight, isn't it?

To see the very house of God that was designed to host the glory and the presence and the majesty of God. To be reduced to such destitution. To be so weak and desolate and deteriorated by the people of God and their neglect. And though the fragile condition described here refers to the physical structure of the temple, it is equally possible for God's spiritual house to be impoverished. Paul makes this incredible commentary about the church.

He makes many of them. But one of them that is dripping with old testament illusion and parallel is in Ephesians two twenty one to 22. Where he says that the church is a temple in the Lord being built up to be a dwelling place for God by the spirit. That is shocking. Because up to this point, the only thing that could be said was hosting the glory of God, the presence of God was the tabernacle and then the temple.

And then now in the new covenant, Paul says by the spirit that it's not a physical building that does such a thing, it's the gathering of the people of God in community that has such a privilege. God's address for his glory to be manifest is when blood bought Christians come together and function as the church. Amazing. And many of us in here are honest enough and familiar enough with the church to humbly confess that it's possible for the house of God today to be lifeless. And to actually be littered with idolatry in the same way the temple was on so many occasions.

But I believe the verses that we just read, those five verses provide a recipe for wisdom and insight of how the house of God can know vitality and rejuvenation again. In other words, there is a set of principles here that can instruct the church today, I believe, of how they can be redirected to be the place of worship the way God intended it to be. To host the glory of God. To bring life to the people of God. To be that place of strength and joy and exuberance once again.

There's something here. And for the sake of organizing our thoughts, I want you to take note mentally or on paper or whatever screen you're holding of three things that we find in these verses that are absolutely necessary, not limited to them, but absolutely essential. In order for any local assembly, again, today being the house of God that hosts the glory of God, To be redirected, restrengthened, realigned to be the house that God intended it to be. Three things. What is required?

The first thing that I want us to see is found in verse three. We need godly leaders. Any ministry, any church, no matter the size, if it wants to be the true temple of God in the new covenant, requires the right kind of leaders. Now who is the one who is initiating this construction and cleansing project for the temple? No other than King Josiah.

He was the one who delegated and dispatched different officers and even the high priest to gather the money that was donated, to count it, and to distribute it in order for this project to ensue. And what's so wonderful about Josiah here is that he is yet another reminder for us. I hope you and I have studied carefully the books of kings to come to the conclusion of how important leaders are in influencing and inspiring others towards godliness. It's a thread throughout the Bible. Even in the New Testament, we read that God gifts the church leaders for the sake of their furnishing and maturing.

No matter what you feel about leaders, and I know many disappoint people, you also have to understand that God raises them up, gifts them so that they can be extensions of his grace to the people of God. And if you hold any position of leadership within the body of Christ, no matter the number, no matter what your ministry looks like, take note of Josiah's helpful example. Before he can make any significant impact in the house of God, he first developed a rich and real personal relationship with the Lord. Hopefully, you remember what we studied two weeks ago. Does anybody recall what we learned about Josiah in the eighth year of his reign when he was 16 years old?

What did the chronicle say about the king? At 16, that at 16, he began to seek the God of his fathers. At 16, he owned his faith. At 16, he began to seek the face of God. At 16, he began to experience God for himself.

And I'm persuaded that that pattern is not accidental. That in the eighth year, he developed a relationship with God. And in the eighteenth year, he was able to bless the house of God. You and I can't even begin to hope to make any kind of impact in the community of believers unless we first cultivate a deep personal fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and that's especially true for leaders. There has to be this awareness that I must allow myself and my convictions and my character to be shaped by his presence and by his truth in private when no one's looking.

It has to be real for me before it's real for anybody else. Lasting influence can only be the overflow of intimacy with Christ. There is no shortcut. Doesn't matter how many degrees you get. Doesn't matter what kind of books you stuff in your library.

Nothing will ever replace true intimate relationship with Christ. That's based on his word, that's shaped by the truth here, and that's sought after with intentionality and even intensity. Josiah was such a man. He was a man who knew how in secret to know God, receive from God, and then the overflow again of that was now the house of God being blessed. Being blessed.

You know, these old preachers that a lot of them who are dead, they had marvelous insight into not just the scriptures, but personal piety and true ministry. And there was one who had said that the greatest contribution that a leader can make to his church is personal holiness. His life being consecrated would be the greatest thing that he can offer to the people that have been entrusted to him. Now listen, the importance of not just leadership, but quality leadership is emphasized from Genesis to Revelation. It's found throughout.

And when I was meditating on Josiah, my mind went to a set of verses that the apostle Paul gave to a young pastor by the name of Timothy. And there's something that he said in these rapid fire exhortations that will help any leader, that will give the secret ingredient to being of great impact to others. And listen, lest you clock out and think, well, this is not applicable to me because I don't hold any authoritative role. All scripture is breathed out by God. And it's beneficial to every single one of us to mature as men and women of God.

So I want us I want us to see these verses in first Timothy chapter four. Look at them. They're precious. They're powerful. He tells pastor Timothy in first Timothy four beginning in verse 14.

What are we studying here? What is necessary for the house of God to operate as it should with the glory of God and the life of God? We need godly leaders. And listen, even if you're not a leader in God's house, you have the choice of submitting your life to leaders. That's your responsibility.

What kind of leaders are you gonna give yourself over to? Husbands, fathers, what kind of leaders are you gonna allow your wives and your children be instructed by? So this is this is not a one dimensional point here. It's multifaceted. Here's what Paul told Timothy in first Timothy four fourteen.

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Isn't that an interesting verse? Verse 15. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.

Persist in this, for by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Now, can I give you a side point that blessed me? I'm encouraged by this because it shows that even leaders have room for growth. Did you see that? Look at the end there of verse 15, so that all may see your progress.

Implying what? Nobody begins in ministry with immaculate abilities. Nobody begins in ministry with a perfect attitude. Don't you wish? If you are a leader in this place or you're aspiring to be a leader, can I offer you some counsel?

Be patient with yourself. Be patient with God's work in your life. And let me say this to those who have leaders over their lives. Be patient with your leaders and understand that they're human. They're not cherubim.

They're not seraphim. They're human. And they need the same truth and the same power of the Holy Spirit to conform them as you do. But that's not the main takeaway. The main takeaway from these verses is this, that Timothy's public growth and influence among the broader body of believers would only be possible if you first chose to be fully, fully, fully absorbed in his calling and his personal devotion.

Can I say that again? Any observable growth or impact would only be possible if this man first chose to be completely consumed in his calling and his personal devotion. Or else, what else does Paul mean when he says, immerse yourself in them? Do Do you see that in the middle of verse 15? Practice these things, Timothy.

Immerse yourself in them. In what? What's the context suggesting? Your gifts, your duties, your personal consecration. Look at verse 16.

Keep a close watch on yourself. And your overall calling as a leader in God's house, don't have divided devotion, Timothy. Don't treat your position or your ministry as a job. Be absolutely immersed in these things. Any leader who wants to be of great impact needs to regularly do some inventory and ask, am I immersed in what God's called me to do?

Am I immersed? A lot of things go wrong for leaders when they get distracted by the things of this life. Or they're pulled in different directions. No. No.

You have to be completely immersed. Because as the leader grows, so will the church to a certain degree. But if he is lazy, or again, if he's distracted, the church entrusted to him will inevitably suffer. So what we find with King Josiah, I believe, based on what we've been given about him, is that as a man of God, he was consumed by God and the result of that is he can contribute greatly to the house of God. Godly leaders.

I've said this before, would you permit me to say it again? That when people tend to come up and ask questions like, what should I look for in a church? How do I know if something or some place is the right assembly or ministry that I should yoke myself to? My go to answer is always the same, look to the leadership. Look no further.

How do they handle the Word of God? How do they apply the Word of God? How do they share the Word of God? Because whether you like it or not, the pulpit and who stands behind it is sitting in the driver's seat of that church. And the scripture tells us that over and over again.

Josiah knew God for himself, and the overflow of that is that he wanted others to worship the God that he worshiped. And he did so with great zeal and passion. But that's not the only thing. Can we come back to our main text? That's just the first thing.

The second ingredient that is required for the house of God to host the glory of God and to function the way that God designed it to be with the life of God and the impact that it was designed to give to people and to worshipers. You also need what we find here in verse four. Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord repairing the house, that is to the carpenters and to the builders and to the masons. And let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house.

Number two, you have to have, yes, godly leaders, but you also need sacrificial people. Sacrificial people. Notice how many kinds of people are involved in this work. You had those who gave money. You had those who had oversight over the house of the Lord.

Managers, if you will, leaders. And then finally, you have workmen who are repairing the house. You had carpenters and builders and masons. And throughout every stage of redemptive history, you find this truth. All of God's people are invited to actively participate in his work, especially in his house.

And that is true even in the old testament where it seems to be more restricted to priest who operate and function and are active in the house of God. So I have a question for you tonight, a bible study and you are free to answer if you are confident to answer. Besides sacrifices and offerings, in what way, at least one way, were the people of Israel called to contribute to the house of God? Any idea? Besides offerings, besides bringing and honoring the feast and what other ways?

Anything come to mind? This is where if you were with us in the book of Exodus, you would have answers. I'll wait a few minutes. Maybe not minutes. Any idea?

Okay. Music and praises. Yes. We find that more in the temple. Let's go back.

Let's go back. Let's talk about the tabernacle when things first started. Any instructions that God gave to the people? Not really the priest. Let me give you what came to mind for me.

Exodus 27. Let's turn there. It's worth it. And look at verse 20 of Exodus 27. What are we doing here?

We're looking at sacrificial people who are called to support the house of God for it to be the house that God called it to be. Exodus 27 verse 20. Look what the Lord says to the nation. You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you. Pause.

Who are we talking about here? The priest? No. No. The people of Israel.

What are they to bring? Pure beaten olive oil for the light. That a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. In the tent of meeting outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel.

Have you ever thought about this? Has anybody remember this? That one of the things that the people were to regularly bring to the house of God was not a lamb, not a bull, not a goat, not just those things, but actually olive oil. There it is. Olive oil.

Because we know that there are particular furnishings in the household of God and one of them was a lamp. Why was this important? Two reasons. Number one, that lamp was symbolic. It was symbolic of God's continuous presence and guidance and awareness in the midst of God's people.

And it was to continually burn. Do you know why? To represent how God never slumbers or sleeps. He's always awake. The lights are always on.

So that message had to be protected as it reflected God's character. The people would bring the oil, the priest would tend it and watch over it to ensure that at no point, even at night, would it be extinguished. It must continually burn. But there's a practical purpose. Question again, not the temple, the tabernacle.

It didn't have any windows. Okay. So there was no light. So the only source of illumination was this lamp. Can you imagine the priest operating as mediators without light.

The stumbling and the tripping and the falling, it would be problematic. So this would offer light to the priest so that the priest can function as they were called. Now what's beautiful about that point is in God's wisdom, both the message and the function of the lamp depended on the participation of God's people. It was the people who are responsible bringing the fuel for that land. And what's so beautiful about this, you can easily miss this, is that that kind of contribution would actually be a blessing to the people.

Why? Because these priests stood in the gap. They represented the people as well as representing God. They were mediators. So without the light, they would not be serving the way they were called and the people would not benefit from that kind of poor service.

So it was a return of investment. They would come with the oil. It would help the priest. It would give the right message, and the people would be blessed as they walk away from that place. Is it any different for the church today?

What do I mean by that? Will the testimony of God shine as brightly? And will leaders in God's house be able to serve with the effectiveness that they are able to offer unless the people of God show support and are ready to come with their hands full and not just to receive. Here's another detail that we might miss. What kind of oil were they supposed to bring?

Look at it again, verse 20. Bring pure beaten olive oil. Don't just bring any kind of oil. God says, I want the cleanest and the costliest oil that you can get. And the way that you are able to retrieve this kind of oil is by taking those olives and crushing them.

It's a tedious process. And you would extract the substance free from contamination in a way that would preserve its purity and its natural properties. What's the message behind that? People of Israel, when you come and contribute this oil that will help the church function as it is called to function, bring your best. Bring the highest quality oil you can bring.

And the danger is people sometimes, oftentimes, may bring something, but it's not the highest quality. In fact, it's in danger of being contaminated or diluted. It's not what God deserves. And this gives us a wonderful lesson for believers today. He doesn't want us to just give anything.

You and I are to give our highest dedication and wholehearted commitment to his cause. Anything less than that will not do. Unfortunately, people are too content and fail to recognize that God is after mindful investment and genuine sacrifice. I mean, you gotta understand that that took time. They didn't have machinery like we do.

So to gather those olives remember, the average citizen was supposed to do this, Gather a cluster of olives, bring it back home, crush it finely, protect it from anything else spoiling it, and just doing that over and over to comes with something worthy to bring to the house of God the next time you would go to it. The Lord says, that's what I'm after. So here's how this applies to you and I. Whatever you do in God's house, give the best version of it. Do you do the graphics for your church?

Do those graphics, make those graphics, copy paste Photoshop with excellence and intentionality. Do you gather lessons and put together teachings for Sunday school? Do it with your heart. And don't think to yourself, you know, it's it's not really worth my energy and my effort. They're just kids anyway.

They won't really retain it. No. That's not pure beaten olive oil. Give your best. Musicians, hone your craft, develop your skill.

Don't just show up week after week just to go through another service. That's not pure beaten olive oil. The lesson here in Exodus 27, whatever you do for God in this place, whatever place you represent, give the best version of it. Again, nothing else would do. So let's let's extend and let's broaden this application.

The sacrifice and the sweat and the time and the energy that would be required to crush that set of olives, that cluster of olives, only that would do for the light to shine in the tabernacle. In the same way, only sacrifice and only the willingness to offer the best will make God's house shine. Lesser quality will will dim the light. It will impact the way leaders are called to govern and plan and direct. So we see the marriage, I'm sure, here.

Right? Godly leaders, but sacrificial people. It's found even in an obscure passage like this, where yes, the leaders are supposed to watch over that lamp, but the people are responsible for the fuel. They both need each other. The parallel account to second Kings 22 emphasizes on that point in second Chronicles 34.

Let me read it to you from second Chronicles 34 verse 11. It sounds almost identical but it's expounded. It says in second Chronicles thirty four eleven, they gave it to the carpenters. That is the money. They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

And the men did work faithfully. Highlight that. They worked faithfully. The men did. Over them were set Johath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah, and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites to have oversight.

The Levites, all who are skillful with instruments of music were over the burden bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service. Highlight that. And some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers. So do you see this? There was faithfulness in every kind of service between the leaders and the workers.

And let me add something else. Do you get any hint in this collection of people that there is rivalry, competitiveness, Dissatisfaction with what God has given to me in his providence. Any jealousy here? Is there any indifference? Absolutely not.

Harmony. You have Josiah. You have these officials. You have the high priest. You have Levites who were sub leaders, overseers.

You have the workers. You have those who came. It's just this beautiful sight of godly leaders and the sacrificial people who are making the house of God what it was supposed to be. I have one more point for us tonight. As challenging as it might be to get people to do, to serve, to offer, and as needful as that might be, none of what was just said matters.

And this may be a little redundant, but it's it's noted here in second Kings. The third and last thing that is needed for the house of God to be what it's called to be is integrity and holiness. Let's look at the last verse of our study in second Kings 22 verse seven. It's this interesting note that is made by the author. Josiah says, but no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.

Whenever a verse seems out of place or supposedly random, take the time to ask the question why. And that's what I spent my time doing. Why why do I need to know that the people who were in charge of the finances and the donations did not have to give a detailed report of what came in, what was going out, because they were honest. Well, if we're sticking with the theme of God's house being restored with life and vitality and glory, then it makes total sense. Because character matters.

Can you imagine the blow that it would have been to the people of God, in terms of their morale or the momentum to this entire campaign, if it had been discovered that those who were in charge of the money were misusing the funds, or dipping their hands in the donations for personal gain, That would be devastating. That would be absolutely tragic. But instead, the opposite is true. Thankfully, it's true. You have transparency.

You have honesty. You have trustworthiness marking the culture of this group under Josiah's leadership. Can you imagine? You don't need to record what came in and what's being distributed because these men are honest. We can trust them.

We don't have to review anything. That tells me something else by the way. Some of the fruit of Josiah's reformation. Right? Because remember, we're here in the eighteenth year.

He began to reform in the twelfth year. So there's some change. Now, it wasn't as impactful and as deep as it should have been because Jeremiah, we remember came in like, a lot of you are hypocrites actually. But there is some fruit, there's some kind of budding, which makes me happy. There was a level of integrity that was inspired.

So listen, as vital as donations are, as necessary as practical service was, none of it would have mattered if godly character was not intact. Is it any different for the church of Jesus Christ today? No. It's no different. In fact, when meditating on this, my mind, as it usually does when I study the Old Testament, went to another New Testament passage, Again, with Paul who was instructing not pastor Timothy, but pastor Titus.

And what he said in a set of verses there, I believe, makes what we're learning here in second Kings 22 a wonderful illustration of a consistent truth relating to the necessity of holiness and integrity in the house of God, if it's gonna really shine with God's power and his warmth. Here's our final passage in our Bible study. Let's go to Titus chapter two. This is gonna wrap up our study perfectly. So listen, Titus is receiving in Titus chapter two, at least the first part, instruction after instruction of how he was to exhort different demographics in his church.

Older men, older women, younger women, younger men. And he comes to the conclusion of those exhortations by dealing with bond servants in the church. Translation, slaves. So there were people in Titus' congregation and multiple congregations really, who were Christians and were slaves. Now that's a whole different discussion for a whole different bible study.

But in many cases, these slaves, though treated differently, could be also seen as employees. And notice what he says to them in verse nine of chapter two. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything. They are to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our savior. What's pilfering?

Anybody have an idea? Pilfering? Stealing. Stealing. But it's not the same as theft.

It's kinda like petty theft. It's taking small things that may not seem of great value in a casual manner. And the reason why Paul is saying this to servants is because it was common at this time for servants, bondservants and slaves to steal from their masters in this way. It was like the norm. In fact, there is ongoing saying such as, the more servants one inherits, the more thieves he gets.

It was it was just a known thing of this time where bond servants would just casually take things in their master's homes, put them in their pockets, eat of it, save it, give it to others, family. And Paul approaches the believers in this situation in life and says, don't be like the rest of those bond servants. Don't be pilfering. Don't take advantage. Even if it's small, even if you think in your mind it's not a big deal, your master is rich and wealthy, they're not gonna notice.

No. You can imagine how bondservants in Paul's day might have viewed themselves as insignificant and disadvantaged. Right? But he reminds these believers, listen, he reminds these Christians who are in lowly positions that they have a golden opportunity to do what? To make an impact for the glory of God.

Notice what he says. You bond servants are able to adorn the doctrine of God, our savior. He's not speaking to elders. He's not speaking to evangelists. He's not speaking to prophets.

He's speaking of the lowest of the low and he says, you, yes, you servants, with unbelieving bosses who mistreat you, who maybe even abuse you. Do you understand that you, in the kingdom of God have a purpose? You're not nothing. You're not marginalized in God's eyes. You have the ability to adorn the doctrine of God.

You know what the word adorn is in the Greek? Tell me if it sounds familiar. Cosmeo. It's where we get the word cosmetics. And we shouldn't believe here or think for a second that Paul is implying that the gospel message or any Christian truth needs improvement.

Or a little bit of makeup. That's not what he's implying. What he is saying is, you and I, as truth bearers, as followers of this Christ, can make the word of God more attractive. In what way? Your eloquence?

How you can debate and argue with your illustrations, with philosophy? No. What does he say? Don't be pilfering. Be honest.

Be men and women of integrity. And in doing so, you will adorn the doctrine of God, our savior. So in great part, Paul was saying what we're seeing there in second Kings 22, that these men who were overseers contributed not just in their management abilities, not just in the way they were able to direct others, but because they were men of integrity. They won the trust of others. They were men of good rapport.

They were men who had testimonies. They were men who could be relied on. And Paul wants the same for servants. More important than a renovated building or a wide range of church programs is the virtue of God's people beyond these meetings. Is Paul instructing these bond servants to be faithful and honest in the church?

No. When you go to work, When the elders aren't there and the music isn't there and the people aren't there and the Christianese isn't there, there, you have an opportunity to adorn the doctrine of God. And it's gonna be through your conduct, you servants, that will make the church more attractive. There's no way around it. And so these are the lessons that we can take for ourselves.

Pray for your leaders that they would be true, that they would be immersed in their calling. And if there's any leadership that you wanna put yourself and your family under, it's leadership that are absolutely on fire for what God has called them to do. Beware of those who handle their position or the church as a way of income, as job security. Now look for somebody who walks with God. And you don't need much discernment to understand this is a person who really believes what they're preaching, who really takes the word of God seriously.

They have to be immersed. Sacrificial people. I praise God for the people of this church. I mean, even in God's providence, yesterday was our cleanup day, and 60 people came with oil. If I can use that analogy.

But let me ask you this. For those who may be visiting here every week, and we're so glad that you do, what kind of oil do you bring to the church? And whatever you do bring, is it pure? Is it developed from sacrifice and intentionality and priority in God's kingdom? Or is he second, third?

God wants pure beaten olive oil, whatever you do for God, give him your best. And lastly, all of that can crumble unless it is maintained by holiness and integrity. And so may God help us know how to adorn the doctrine of God. As much as preaching the gospel is necessary, and there's no other way for people to be saved but to hear the truth, how we walk, how we talk, how we interact, how we do business are all sermons. They're all messages.

They will either make the gospel more attractive or less attractive. That's what Paul is getting at. May we make it more attractive. Let's pray. Father, you never cease to amaze us of how every portion of scripture can be a heavenly morsel for our souls.

It is astounding and breathtaking to be reminded week after week of how you can make your word so applicable. Historical text and records from thousands of years ago that can instruct us today. We praise you for your wisdom, your beauty, your power. There is no doubt in our minds that this is indeed your book. Would you, Lord, preserve the leadership of this ministry and every ministry that's represented here?

Would you inspire the people of God to live sacrificially? Remind us with all the busyness and the plans of our lives that the kingdom of God comes first. And Lord, may we never fall into the trap of justifying sin because we are involved in some kind of ministry. Lord, may we understand that true ministry comes from holiness and integrity. That is the shield.

Lord, integrity is the shield to our service. For these truths, we say thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, we say we love you. Receive our praise now, and may the light of your glory continue to shine. And may we know a greater illumination and warmth as the dwelling place of God continues to manifest the presence of Jesus Christ.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. If you need to stay seated to do business with God, do business with God. If you wanna stand and give him glory and song, you're free to do that as well. Well, let's let's take the next few moments here to really, really engage ourselves and to seek the Lord and and commune with him as his people.