The Need for Reformation: Do You Want a Reformation?

Good morning. It's always a pleasure and a privilege for me to be able to share God's word with you today. So if you don't understand me, it's not that I'm speaking in tongues. It's just that I have a thick accent. So if I see your face, it's like you have a question, I'm going to try to repeat again what I said. But my prayer is that as we as we just finish singing, you know, that speak the Lord to us, speak the Lord to our hearts because we need it during these times. So Greetings from your brothers and sisters, three rooms down that way, Spanish Ministry.

We are grateful to you guys for all the support. through the years for all your prayers for our ministry. The Lord is doing great things. Although COVID hit, the gospel hasn't stopped. The gospel hasn't stopped people's passion for God and for His Word. So they keep coming. So that's a good sign. It's not a good sign that they have a good preacher, it's a good sign that they love God. So that's the important thing: that they love God, that they love to listen to God's word. And I hope, and my prayer today is that.

You have the same heart to be able to listen to God's word and to be able to be transformed by God's word. So, before we start, let me pray with you.

Dear Father in heaven, we praise you. For the times that we live in. Thank you because you allow this to happen. You cause it. Thank you because, Lord, you are waking up your church to do the things that we are supposed to be doing in this world. No adapting, no doing the things of this world, but being the light to this world. We pray, Lord, that through this word today you transform our hearts. You teach us, Lord, what you need us to do during these times. We know, Lord, that some of us are hurt because we lost somebody.

Some of us are hurt because our lives are just a mess. But we pray to you, God, that you use your word today to restore. To heal, to show us what's your will to our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. So the title for the message today is The Need for Reformation. The Need for Reformation. And I have a question for you, and my question for you is, do you want a reformation? Do you really want a reform? And I want to tell a story before I start, and it's something in history about the Puritans. And the name Puritan Was devised as a term for derision or scorn.

It was applied to a group of Anglican pastors in England in the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Who sought to purify the church? What means to purify the church? It means to reform the church. To go back to scripture and do church God's way. These Puritan pastors repeatedly called for the churches to repent of their extensive carnality, heres, and priestly corruption. But the Anglican Church, although they couldn't deny that they needed reform, they wanted to meet in the middle. We don't want to reform everything.

Please meet us in the middle. But these pastors were not going to compromise. And the Spiritian voices were silenced by the Anglican hierarchy. For decades, some died. For decades, others suffered hostility and persecution because of their insistence for reformation of the church. Even in 166, things became political. And the English Parliament issued the Act of Uniformity. That means that the Anglican doctrine and practice were the law of the land. If they thought something different, if they think something different, if they believe something different, they were put to death or rejection from the church.

So in August 1662, 2,000 Puritan pastors were stripped of their title as pastors and ejected from the Church of England. So do you want a reform? Their message was simple: rep of your sins before God and reform the church. In other words, do church God's way. It costs them everything. And the church in England was not the same then, and it's not the same even today. From that time, they lost the road, and they haven't found it yet. So let me ask you today, do you want reformation?

Do you really want to listen to this message? Do you really want to put your life in the line for reformation of this church specifically? Because you know what? It may cost you everything. It may cost you everything. It may cost your job. Because the world we live in does not want the message of the gospel. Because the world we live in right now, that's a want to talk about Jesus, that's in want to talk about repentance, because the world we live in It's the video that we're watching on Wednesday night.

They want to talk about love, but not about righteousness. Not about justice. They want to talk about love, but they don't want to talk about a God who is Angry at their sin, angry at them because they are sinners. So let me ask you again: do you want a reformation?

Are you willing to commit yourself to the task of reforming the church? You know why? Because we live in the perfect God given time for this task. Perfect tim for reform. So let me ask you again, do you want reformation?

If you say yes, I think you have no choice, right? If you're here, you can say no in your heart. But if you say yes, Let's hold fast to the truth in Scripture about Reform. And I want to invite you to open your Bibles in 2 Kings. Second Kings chapter twenty one And we're gonna have three points in this message.

The first one is gonna be the background for reformation. The background for reformation. The second is gonna be the backbone for re, the back for reform, and the third one is going to be the battle for re.

If I notice that a lot of you guys are sleeping, I'm gonna do just two points. So that way I I don't wake you up. But it's gonna be three points, okay? If we want reformation, we wanna look at Second Kings and look at the background for Reform.

the backbone for reformation and the battle for reform. And within this the first point, I want us to see two things.

The first thing I want you to see is Israel fall to Assyria. The first point is Israel falls to Assyria.

And the second one is going to be Manasseh's sin with Judah despite Israel's fall and God's warnings.

I'm going to keep repeating this so that way if you are taking notes. You can do it later. But the first one is going to be the background for Reformation.

Israel, the Northern Kingdom, falls to Assyria. If we know history from the Old Testament, we know that in 72 B, the Assyrians came to the northern tribes of Israel, ten tribes in the north, and they took him capt to Assyria. And what Assyria did is they took Israel captive to Assyria and they left their people in the northern kingdom of Israel. In the region known as Samaria. Samaria. We know about Samaria in the New Testament. But at that time, what was the reason that captivity came to Israel?

What was the reason why Israel went slaves to Assyria? And I want you to, if you can go with me to 2 Kings chapter 17. Second Kings chapter seventeen verse seven Said this for so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had fear others God.

And they had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord has cast out from them before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. I saw the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves high places in all their cities from watch towers to forty five cities. So I ask the question again, why is the reason that Israel went captive to Assyria? Because Assyria was stronger than them? Because Assyria was the empire that was taking all over the known world at that time?

No, that wasn't the reason. Actually, God sent the Assyrians to take the Israelites captive to Assyria. And the reason was their sin. And we don't want to talk about sin these days, right? We want to talk about politics, economics. We want to talk about. how if COVID didn't hit this year, we would have won. But at the same time, I want to see the bigger picture. I want to see what Pastor told us a few moments ago. I want you to gain perspective of the times we live in. We are a sinful nation. We are a sinful nation who had decided in their heart to leave God behind and try to live without God.

And when you see the bigger picture, you see how God is allowing and how God is causing these things to come to be. I was talking to my wife the other day, and I say, you know, it is interesting that We always complain about the things that are happening right now, right? And I see God's perspective. He's just bringing judgment upon a nation that has walked away from the Lord. And he said to Sarah, some people don't like it, but it's the truth. That's what happened with Israel. You say in verse 6 how he says, these things occur because the people of Israel has sinned against the Lord.

their God. And they walk in the customs of the nations. And what did they do? First, the text says that they built high places in older towns.

That means that they were imitating, they were doing what the Canaanites were doing in their society. They were worshipping false gods. Second, it says that they built pillars and as on every high hill and done under every green tree.

And they were offering sacrifices in all these high places, as the nations did. They serve idols, id in which the Lord has said, You shall not do this. And in Second Kings seventeen, verse fifteen, verse fifteen It says this And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he had made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he had testified again them.

and they did something they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were around them, concerning whom the Lord has charged them that they should not do like them It was a clear command, but it was a very hard command To fulfill for the Israelites because they went after false idols, so they became false. They became what they worship. And I believe the Christ Cruc video is helping us to see how the church is doing that right now.

How they want to become like society. We want to be accepted. So what we're going to do, we're going to become more like them so we can gain them to Christ. We're going to serve their idol just for a few moments, just so they can see that we love them, so they can come to us. And we see how the church is compromised, our families are compromised, and we're going after adults as the nation of Israel did. And where are we coming, where we're worship. But the Lord is merciful. And in verse 17, it says that And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practice witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to Angry and and people hate that word nowadays, right?

Lord, the Lord is angry God's wrath. They want to run away from it. But that's something that we cannot run away from Scripture. Scripture talks a lot about God's wrath. God being angry at his people because of their sin. The Lord always told his people, Turn from evil ways and keep my commandments. in accordance with all the law that I commanded your fathers, that I sent to you by my servant pro. So there is mercy from God because He's sending mercy to us. He's sending prophets to the people of Israel.

He's giving us His word so we know how not to go towards these false idols. Towards this false worship. But what did the people of Israel do? If you go to me to verse 14 of chapter 17 of 2 Kings. Verse 14 says, Nevertheless, they would not hear. Nevertheless, they would not hear. But they stiff their necks like the necks of their fathers who did not believe in their Lord, their God. And I want you to highlight in your Bible, they would not he. They were told what to do by the prophets. They were told what to do by the law.

But they were stubborn. They would not listen. Not just that, they despise God's commands and His covenant. They despise the warnings that God is giving to them. Instead of that, instead of listening, in verse 16 it says that they built two metal images of two calves. They made an image of As and Baal and worship all the host of heaven. And they burn their sons and daughters as off. Does it look like today? It does look a lot a lot like today. The only difference is that we have computers and cellphones, and everybody can see it.

That's the only difference. We are just like them. We want to become just like the pagan nations that the Lord told them not to do, like them. But God is just. And in 2 Kings 18, 9 tells us That in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hosea son of Elah, Shalmanaser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. Then verse twelve of the same chapter tells us that because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenants, trans his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the Lord command In verse 12, what is the key in there?

That they did they neither listen nor obeyed. They neither listen nor obeyed. So, if you think about the background for re, we live in the perfect time for re. We live in a sinful nation. Who has a sinful precedent? And before we had a sinful precedent as well, all precedents happen sinful. All our pres have needed the Lord. But we live in the perfect time for reform. Because as the time of Israel, God's people were in sin. The nations around them were in sin. They sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

The Lord was very angry with Israel, and he said in verse 18, I'm going to remove them out of sight. None is going to be left, either in the tribe of Israel and the tribe of Judah. What is God so strong about his judgment? What is God so strong about sin? Because it's a violation of God's covenant that he made with his people. It's a direct violation of God's covenant that He did in Deuteronomy 4. 1. Oh now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I'm teaching you and do them that you may live.

That was the deal. That was the covenant. You have my word. I'm giving you my law so you can be light to the nations. So the nations can see you and they could come to me and say, He is the God of Israel. But they rejected it. They rejected it to a point that they were sacrificing their old children, passing them through fire to a pagan God named Moloch. It was something normal. It was something that they did because that's what they learned, not from the law, but from their kings, the evil kings and the evil nations who were around them.

The Teuton Twelve Force says these are the statutes and the rules that you shall be careful to do in the land. You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods. on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. So Deuteronomy twelve, four tells us, You shall destroy these places. And in 2 Kings 17 tells us that they did exactly what the Lord told them not to do. They did all the contrary. They have a hearing problem. They had a heart problem, heart problem.

Their hearts were h to God's word. But it doesn't end there. The North is taking captive to Assyria. And the south, Judah, is still in the land, specifically Jerusalem. But within the background of the Reformation, first sin is all over us, but then sin starts showing within the same church, within the same people of God.

And 2 Kings chapter 21, I'm going to show you about a king, Manasseh. Manasseh has seen that the northern kingdom went to captivity. And then in 2 Kings 21, it says that Manasseh was 12 years old when he became king. and he reigned for fifty five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hep. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. According to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord has cast out before the children of Israel. So I might think, come on, Manasseh, you just saw that they went captive because of their sin.

Okay? It wasn't because they were not smart enough to fight. No, it was the Lord who gave them to the Assyrians because of their sin, but then Manasseh doesn't seem to care about it. And what did he do? He rebuilt the high places. that his father already destroyed Hezekiah. Manasseh doesn't just take the people towards evil, but he u all his father's reform within the nation. It wasn not just the fact that he came and said, I'm going to do evil. He said, I'm going to destroy the good that was done to the nation.

I'm going to start doing ev. Because he died, his father Hezekiah destroyed the high places. He purified worship. People started following the law. People started trusting in the Lord God of Israel again. But then Manasseh came. In the picture, and he destroyed the worship. He destroyed the true worship to the true God. And he put the high places where they were before. He closed down the temple. He put an image of a false God inside the temple. And he made the people of Judah worship false gods and the high hills of every town within.

Judah. What happened, Manasseh? And this is an interesting question to ask. Because why Hezekiah's son was so evil when his dad was so godly? Why Hezekiah did the reforms that he did? Why Manasseh just destroy everything he's done? Did for the nation of Israel, of Judah. We do not know, but it is questionable, right? Hezekiah's example should have been followed by Manasseh. And at the same time, Manasseh's spiritual life should have been affected by his dad's convictions. The text doesn't say us what happens, why Hezekiah didn't pass it to his son, or why Manasseh didn't learn from his father.

But it's just a wake-up call for us. It's a wake-up call for us that whatever we do right now is going to be followed by future generations. And if we do evil, future generations are going to do evil. If within your family you are the leader of the home and you do evil, your kids and your family, your wife, is going to do the same. Unless they come to God. We don't know why. It's just a wake-up call for us. It's just a wake-up call for us. But what did the Lord do? Go to me to 2 Kings 21, verse 7.

What it says in there uh talking about Manasseh, he says he even said a carved image of uh As that he had made in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son. In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. I will put my name for ever, and I will not make the feet of Israel wander any more from the land which I gave to their fathers only if they are careful to do according to all that I have comm them commanded them And according to all the law that my servant Moses command them.

The Lord reminds them of the promise of the covenant. He said, I told your fathers, if you do this, Because I have chosen you out of all the tribes from Israel. Judah, he will put his name forever in Jerusalem. But verse 9 says, But they paid no attention. They didn't hear. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord has cast out from them. It's amazing to me. But aren't we the aren't we right now in this world? Where people are not satisfied with doing evil, they want to do more evil and more and more evil.

It's not enough, there is always room for more evil, and that's what happened to Judah. With Manasseh, there is always room to do more evil. The standard for the command to Manasseh was God's law. That's why the text says that they didn't pay attention to God's word, to God's law. Judah clearly showed their religious syncretism. Because they were after Manasseh repented in 2 Chronicles they sacrificed in the high places But they were sacrificing to the Lord their God. So they thought they could worship God, the true God, with what other nations used to worship their false gods.

That's amazing. But it's like the times we're living right now. The backbone of Reformation is this: a world full of sin. Leaders from the country, leaders from the homes, leaders from churches just doing church their way, not God's way. Leaders from churches, pastors who are falling away from the Lord, pastors accused of immorality, even death pastors are being accused of immorality. After they die, accusations come out saying this guy did this, accused of immorality. That's not the world we live in.

So isn't this a perfect time for reformation? Isn't this a perfect time for reformation? Isn't this a perfect time to be light in this world? So let me ask you something.

Do you want reform Understand the time in which we're living. And know that these are the perfect times for reform to happen. Second point, the back of Reformation.

I'm going to jump a little bit because time is ticking. The back of Reformation And we go now to King Josiah. King Josiah, King Josiah was not new to the readers when they come to 2 Kings chapter 22. Why is not new to the readers? Because in 1 Kings chapter 13, there is a man of God on verse 1, 1 King chapter 13. There is a man of God that comes to Jeroboam and tells him, a man named Josiah, a king named Josiah, is going to come over here and destroy. the altars that you are building, and he's gonna burn the bones of the priests that are offering false sacrifice to false gods.

So, 300 years before the birth of Josiah, people already knew that a king named Josiah is going to come and reform Judah. If we can read verse two. Where is the Josiah's character? He says, And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord of 2 Kings 22. 2 Kings 2, verse 2. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. So Josiah comes on a time where his grandfather Manasseh and his dad Am were two of the worst kings that the southern the southern kingdom the southern kingdom has known.

Horrible. They led astray the people of God to fall to false worship. But Josiah, it's interesting to see, it's amazing to see God's work when a reformation is needed. But more important is God's control of history, bringing the right person at the right time for Reform. Josiah wasn't a minute too early, wasn't a minute too late. He was the right guy for the job. And when the text tells us is that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father David. He doesn't say his father Am or his grandfather Manasseh.

They are not great examples. He goes all the way back to David. Why? Because he's pointing out to the rightful king, and then he's going to point towards Jesus, the perfect king. The promise is still there. The Messiah is going to come. And now God has given his people a rightful king and king Josiah. And the kingship of Josiah starts at an early age. He was eight years old when he started reigning over Judah. My son is seven. Okay? I wouldn't put him over the kingdom when he turns eight, right? But it's interesting to me to not to see how during these times, you know.

People were walking with God even at an early age. They knew what they were doing. Although he had people around him, of course, counselors. Who were helping him to reign, to know what to do, to know what decisions to make. But Josiah's interesting was pure Reform. Because it says that in verse 3, now time came to pass of 2 Kings 22 in the 18 year of King Josiah that the king's sin Shaphan the scribe, the son of As, the son of Meshul, to the house of the LORD, saying, Go up to Hil the high priest.

that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people, and let them deliver into the hand of those doing the work who are the overseers in the house of the Lord. What is this important for worship? For Reformation of worship because for Israel, kingship and temple were the most important things within David's covenant. They need a king and they need a temple. Okay, they need a king who's gonna lead them in worship towards the temple and in the temple the priests, the Levites are gonna lead them and the sacrifices and the worship, the true worship, to the true God.

For Josiah was necessary to lead the nation back to the Lord and to restore true worship and service according to the law of Moses. So what is the important part of this section of the narrative? The important part is going to be in verse eight. And in verse 8 it says, then Hil, the high priest, said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Josiah's discovery of the law is the highlight of his kingdom and the catalyst of Josiah's reform.

So in a world full of sin, you know how reformation comes to happen? You know how reform is going to show up in our lives? Through God's Word. That's what happened in Israel. It's interesting, but for me, the question is: how can the book of the law be lost for decades and be discovered by accident? How can the book of the law be lost since Manasseh, I'm pretty sure, he wanted to burn all the copies, he wanted to get rid of God's law because he was pointing to his sin. But then somebody hides a copy within the temple, and for 50 years nobody asks, Where is the book of the law?

Where is God's word? How could Israel forget the book of the law? How could Judah forget the book of the law, if they were people of the book. It's like Americans forgetting the Constitution. How can we forget the book of the law? How can we forget what God had told us to do? And that's why people were led astray from the Lord. You know why? Because the book of the law wasn't being taught to the people. They could not engage in religious formalism while living in sin and expect no consequences. The people of Judah were seeing the temple as a token for God's protection.

If the temple is here, God is not going to allow anybody to come and destroy us. But they forgot who God was because they forgot the law of God. Therefore, the law of the Lord is so important to the people of God. Without it, Israel was lost, Judah was lost, and we are lost without God's word. What happened when Josiah listened to God's word? 2 Kings 22, 11 tells us that now it happened when the king heard the words of the book of the law that he tore his clothes. He was repented. His reaction expressed contrition, lamentation, and pain due to their sin against a holy God.

He knew that God's Word was the backbone for Reform. He knew that listening and obeying God's word was the backbone for re. and to finish, since time is already up. Let me ask you something.

Do you want reform? Are we forgotten how Reformation starts? Are we forgotten how important God's word is? I'm pretty sure in some of your houses the law of God is lost. I know that in some of your houses there is a book hiding in some place under the counter, collecting dust. And when trouble comes, somebody says, I found something. What is this? They were people of the book. That's how Reformation starts. And you must ask yourself something. And be honest with you. Is God part of your life story?

Is God just a part or a token for your life? Like good luck? Or are we part of God's history? Is God only part of your life story? Or we, as people of God, are part of God's history? Israel had to understand that. Israel had to understand, if you are chosen people from God, you have to live holy. You have to live by the book. Pastor said today, today is the day of re. Today is the day. Don't wait until tomorrow. Know that these times are perfect for reformation. Be hearing God's word and not the voice of a stranger.

And be doers of God's word without adding or subtracting to what is written. God requires our complete obedience. So let me ask you again.

Do you want reform? Are you ready for this? Because these are perfect times. We're living in perfect times for person re and for the church's reformation. Let me pray.

Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. Thank you, Father, because we cannot imagine, Lord, how it was for Josiah and for the priest to find the book of the law after 50 years. Help us, Lord, to find your scripture every day. Help us to grasp the truth of your word. and to have complete obedience to your word. Father, we want reformation. Give us the strength and wisdom to start reformation first in our own homes.

And we pray, Lord, for these times. Thank you for in your sovereignty. Allow us to live during these times. In Jesus' name, amen.