Skip to main content
2 Kings 22:1-20

Revive Us, Oh Lord!

  • Matthew Dodd
  • Sunday Night Messages
  • May 03, 2020

I believe the church needs to be revived. But what is true revival? There are many misconceptions and unbiblical views. To understand what true revival is, we must turn to the Bible.

In 2 Kings 22, we are going to look at a time in Israel’s history when God revived His people. During our study, we will discover four principles for the revival of God’s people.

It is my prayer, and I pray you will join me, that as we study God’s Word, there will be a desire deep in our souls to ask God to Revive Us, Oh Lord!

  • Sermon Notes
  • Scripture

Revive Us, Oh Lord!

2 Kings 22:1-20

Introduction
1. I believe the church needs to be revived.
2. But what is true revival?
3. There are many misconceptions and unbiblical views.

ILLUS – Encounter with a Revival specialist.

4. To understand what true revival is, we must turn to the Bible.

5. Tonight, we are going to look at a time in Israel’s history when God revived His people

6. During our study of 2 Kings 22, we will discover four principles for the revival of God’s people.

7. It is my prayer, and I pray you will join me, that as we study God’s Word, there will be a desire deep in our souls to ask God to Revive Us, Oh Lord!

2 Kings 22:1-20

Context

1. Judah had been led by two wicked kings for 57 years. Manasseh led Judah for 55 years and his son, Amon, led Judah for 2 years.

2. Manasseh was so wicked that he built altars for all the “host of heaven” in the two courts of the Lord’s house. He made his son pass through fire, practiced witchcraft, used divination, consulted mediums and spiritists and even set up a carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of the Lord, the very house that the Lord has chosen to put His name on forever. (2 Kings 21:5-7)

3. The wickedness of Manasseh was so great that God declared Manasseh had done more wicked things than the Amorites who lived in the land before him. (2 Kings 21:11)

4. And Amon was so wicked that his servants killed him in his own house. (2 Kings 21:23)

5. Judah had fallen so far from the Lord that He promised to bring judgment against them. Judah needed revival.

6. In this context, we are introduced to an 8-year-old boy named Josiah, Judah’s next king.

I. Revival is Personal (1-7)

A. Revival is for believers not unbelievers

1. Revive comes from a Latin word which means “to live again.” a. It is something that is alive but is on the verge of expiring. b. Then life-giving air is given, and it is revived. c. Life-giving water is consumed, and it is refreshed. d. Life-giving nutrition is digested, and it is strengthened.

2. Spiritually speaking, revival only occurs in the heart of a person who has a personal relationship with God.

a. They are alive, but not as they once were.

b. They are alive, but not as much as they could be.

c. So, revival is for the believer who needs their faith reignited. Pastor Chuck Smith, “If there ever was a time in your past when you loved the Lord more than you love Him today, you have backslidden.”

APPL – When it comes to their faith, Christians can never “coast.” • The moment a Christian begins to coast, they will lose valuable ground. • The moment a Christian begins to coast, they will suffer the consequences of a cold heart and a weakened faith.

APPL – What are the warning signs of “coasting?” • You find yourself spiritually dry and dull. • Your life looks more worldly and less Christ-like. • Your love for God and the things of God has diminished.

ILLUS – Sharing my heart for the Lord with a co-worker at Levitz Furniture.

APPL – The Lord loves to revive His people

Isaiah 42:3, A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish.

B. Revival is one person at a time

ILLUS – Police Officer during the Welsh Revival.

1. Revival is never a mass movement though God often moves on the hearts of His people simultaneously.

2. Simply put, Revival happens when people want more of God.

a. When you want more of God, you want more of His presence.

b. When you want more of God, you want to please Him.

c. When you want more of God, you fall more in love with what He loves.

Chuck Smith, “The sign of a healthy church is when you see believers falling more in love with Jesus.”

3. Notice the progression in Josiah’s life prior to the great revival in him, personally, and in the people of Judah. (2 Chronicles 34:1-8)

a. 8 years old – Became king of Judah. (1)

b. 16 years old – Began to seek the God of his father David. (3)

c. 20 years old – Purged Jerusalem, Judah and Israel of idolatry. (3-7)

d. 26 years old – Gave the order to repair the house of the Lord his God. (8)

APPL – Growth or decay?

• Fire or apathy?

• The Lord loves to revive His people

• May we press on towards maturity in Christ.

Philippians 3:13-14, Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

II. Revival Begins with a Return to God’s Word (8-10)

A. Revival must be fueled by the Bible

Psalm 119:25-27, My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word. I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so I will meditate on Your wonders.

1. If not, it can result in false teaching and doctrine.

ILLUS – Discussion with Dr. John Hannah regarding the history of the Calvary Chapel Movement.

2. If not, it can result in legalism/tolerance of sin.

3. If not, it can result in emotionalism and cheap gimmicks.

ILLUS – Training the pastors in Africa about the importance of teaching through the Bible chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

B. Revival begins where the Bible is the final authority

Colossians 3:16, Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you

1. But it is hard to be moved by the Bible when it is collecting dust on your bookshelf.

2. Judah had lost the book of the law. (8)

a. Where did they find it? Right where they left it. In the Temple.

b. But no one bothered to look until King Josiah.

3. Shaphan read the entire book of the law to Josiah. Genesis to Deuteronomy in one session.

4. Josiah responded by tearing his clothes. Though the book of the law had been lost, Josiah rightly understood that it had authority over his life and Judah.

5. Josiah immediately sought to get right with God by coming under the authority of God’s Word.

ILLUS – Pastor Tom Ferguson’s teaching on the priority of the Bible in a believer’s life.

APPL – Is the Bible the final authority in your life?

Psalm 119:105, Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

III. Revival Begins with Prayer (11-13)

A. Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s heart

1. After hearing the Word, Josiah wanted to know God’s heart.

2. So, Josiah sought the Lord through prayer.

ILLUS – Prior to the First Great Awakening people were in prayer all night B. Prayer was central in the life of the early Church

1. The disciples were “continually devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

2. Paul and Barnabas directed by the Holy Spirit to go on their first missionary journey during a time of prayer. (Acts 13:1-3)

3. When persecuted, the church prayed, and the Holy Spirit came upon them with power. (Acts 4:29-31).

APPL – How important is prayer to you?

1 Thessalonians 5:17, … pray without ceasing

IV. Revival Begins with Repentance (14-20)

A. Repentance is turning from sin to pursue God

1. When King Josiah heard the words of Deuteronomy 28-30, his heart sank.

a. God told Israel that He would bless them if they obeyed His Law.

b. But God also warned Israel that He would curse them for disobedience, even if it meant sending them into exile.

2. Josiah was broken before the Lord.

a. He tore his clothes. (11)

b. He needed to know if there is any hope for Judah. (12-13)

c. He received word from the prophetess that judgment was coming. (14-17)

d. But because the king’s heart was tender and humble before the Lord, there would be peace in Josiah’s lifetime. (18-20)

2 Chronicles 7:14, … if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJV)

B. True repentance is revealed by our choices

1. To confess means “to agree.”

2. When we confess our sin to God, we agree with God that what we did was sinful.

3. Repentance is “confession in action.”

a. Repentance is an ongoing choice, not a one-time event.

b. Therefore, repentance is a choice to change one’s lifestyle.

4. Josiah knew God had given Judah a season of grace.

5. Josiah knew there was only one right response – total devotion to God. All idols must be removed immediately.

2 Kings 23:25, And before him there was no king like him who 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; nor did any like him arise after him.

APPL – What is an idol?

• An idol is anything or anyone that occupies the highest place in your heart.

• Even Christians can permit people or things to become an idol in their heart.

1 John 5:21, Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

• If there is an idol in your heart, repent and tell the Lord that He alone will have the highest place in your heart.

Conclusion

APPL – The Bible declares that we are living in a time of God’s grace, called the Church age.

• This is a special season or dispensation where God offers grace through His Son, Jesus Christ.

God wants people to receive the blessing of having their sin forgiven and the gift of eternal life.

God wants people receive this blessed gift by placing their faith in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls.

• The Bible also declares that Judgment Day is coming.

Jesus repeatedly warned about the day of God’s judgment, a day when all accounts will be settled.

 God wants people prepared and protected from the coming judgment by receiving the gift of salvation offered through Jesus.

• Things will get worse, but that does not mean that we cannot have a season of revival now. o We need revival and God wants to revive hearts. o We need revival and God wants to refresh and renew His people.

We need revival so that the Church may show the world the way to Jesus.

• The clock is ticking. Now is the time to get right with God. Today is the day for revival.

• Come to Jesus. It is personal, between God and you.

• Come to Jesus. Let God’s Word be the final authority in your life.

• Come to Jesus. Align your heart with God in prayer.

• Come to Jesus. Tear down all idols and love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

• Will you please join me in asking the Lord to Revive Us?

2 Kings 22 New American Standard Bible(NASB)

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 He did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left.
3 Now in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the Lord saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may [a]count the money brought in to the house of the Lord which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 Let them deliver it 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 in the house of the Lord to repair the [b]damages of the house, 6 to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 Only no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully.”
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, [c]Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [d]Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 thus says the Lord, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ 18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. 20 “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

Audio

DonateLike this sermon?

If you enjoyed the sermon and would like to financially support our teaching ministry, we thank you in advance for partnering with us in sending forth the word.

Donate

We have a service in progress. Would you like to join our live stream? Join The Live Stream No Thanks