We'll turn your Bibles back to the 22nd chapter of 2 Kings. We'll mainly focus on verses 18 to 20, which we'll read again. But to the King of Judah, which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine heart was tender, thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, where thou heardest what I speak against this place and against the inhabitants thereof. that they should have become a desolation and a curse, and as rent thy clothes and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather 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.

Well this morning we'll look at the importance of the use of the Word of Christ, which is the Word of God, words spoken by Jesus Christ himself. On the 31st of October we usually celebrate what is known as Reformation Day to mark the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses in Germany. Last year was 2025, which was the 500th anniversary of Tyndale's New Testament. And this year in 2026, it marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of Tyndale's Bible.

William Tyndale died on the 6th of October in 1536. He was martyred, strangled and burned at the stake for translating the Bible into the English tongue. Tyndale knew the importance of being able to read God's Word, and Rome despised this. The Word of God provides saving knowledge of salvation. The Word of God provides us important commandments for our living in sanctification, and the Word of God is the ultimate authority above the Church.

I'll read chapter one, paragraph one. This is a chapter about the Holy Scriptures in the Westminster and 1689 London Baptist Confessions of Faith. The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. The light of nature and the works of creation and providence so clearly demonstrate the goodness, wisdom, power, and power of God that people are left without excuse. However, these demonstrations are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God and his will that is necessary for salvation. Therefore the Lord was pleased at different times and in various ways to reveal himself and to declare his will to his church to preserve and propagate the truth better and to establish and comfort the church with greater certainty against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world.

The Lord put this revelation completely in writing. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are absolutely necessary because God's former ways of revealing his will to his people have now ceased. The whole entire world are without excuse knowing that there is a God, the works of creation reveal this. But the scriptures are where we get the true infallible knowledge of saving faith, how we find faith and repentance through Christ alone. This is what is shown and taught in these Reformed confessions.

It's an error nowadays for anyone who may be reformed Presbyterian or Baptist to use a modern Bible version that uses corrupt manuscripts. Going back to the Garden of Eden where Satan questioned the Word of God. And this is why we use the Euphrates version. It's been translated from manuscripts that have perfectly preserved God's Word. We've been helped before on this subject by the Trinitarian Bible Society, which we won't go into the apologetics today. But going back to Colossians 3.16, it says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So it's important that we have the uncorrupted word of God dwelling in us.

But going to our first point on the word of Christ, the word of Christ is essential for self-examination. Going back to verse 13 of chapter 22 in 2 Kings, Go ye, inquire 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.

we see in this passage of 2 Kings 22 that the king of Judah, Josiah, when he discovered the book of the law, there was a greater revelation of the sins of Judah, which brought a much greater conviction to Josiah and to the nation of Judah. 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.

This shows the importance for us on our duty as Christians to know God's words. This isn't for the purpose of intellect, but for the purpose of honouring God in holiness as he commands us, and also that we are in good standing before a holy God.

The Word of God has the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel. our saving faith. As the Confession says, the Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

The Word of Christ is essential for our self-examination as Christians. When we look at 1 Corinthians 14, verses 28-30, it talks about a careful instruction of self-examination before taking the Lord's Supper. Here it says in verse 28, not discerning the Lord's body, for this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, it has exaltations in a communion service to exalt the congregation in self-examination and repentance before taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner. Prior to the Lord's Supper, the minister would read out the Ten Commandments for the congregation to say after each commandment, Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Self-examination is of absolute importance, so we do not receive judgment on ourselves. And whilst this may not be eternal damnation if we're Christians, we're free from that. The Lord, however, is still to be feared, as David Sinner gets to me, face much judgment.

The prayer book mentions prior to a communion, the way and means thereto is first to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God's commandments, and where and soever you shall perceive yourselves to have offended either by will, words or deeds, dare to bewail your own sinfulness and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, and with all purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God, but also against your neighbours, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them, being ready to make restitution and satisfaction according to the uttermost of your powers. For all injuries and wrongs done by you or any other are being likewise ready to forgive others that have offended you, as you would have forgiveness to your offences at God's hand. For otherwise the receiving of the Holy Communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation.

As we see from the prayer book, it gives examination as we look at God's moral law. To see it as King Josiah saw it, how unholy we are compared to a holy God, how we fall short to meet that perfect standard of God's word. When Jesus preaches on the Sermon on the Mount, he brought back the teaching that the Pharisees omitted from the law of God, which was the sins of the heart, how even ungodly hatred in the heart can count as murder.

We should all walk carefully before God that we be in good standing. And we must also be in good standing with our brethren as well, reconcile with them if we're at fault with one another, and especially if we're to sit at the Lord's table together as a church. Otherwise, it would be disorderly to come together with strife among one another.

The Word of God gives us that conviction as we saw in King Josiah. the realization, the state of our own self. It is a humbling thing to us when we see how sinful we are to a holy God. And when we constantly do this, we keep in good standard. And this brings us to our next point, the word of Christ sanctifies.

The Word of God provides us that saving knowledge of faith. How a sinner can seek reconciliation and repentance with Jesus Christ. But it doesn't end there. The Word of God continues to sanctify us. If we're Christians, we must keep reading it. As mentioned before, it is every Christian's duty to have the Word of God dwelling in us richly.

In Psalm 119, from the 103rd and 4th verse, how sweet are thy words, and to my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. This is the believer speaking, the change of a new heart, whereas as unbelievers, We were under the condemnation of God's moral law. We were failing to keep it. We were sinning against him. But now we have a desire to keep it, not as a merit of trying to keep our salvation, but out of a love and gratitude towards God.

And though we're not perfect, we are continuously sanctified by the Lord Jesus, giving us a greater desire to love God's law. And as Christ himself said, if you love me, keep my commandments. But we also have a duty in our sanctification to know God's word against the lies we face.

In the fourth chapter of Matthew's gospel, we see how the devil himself tried to tempt Jesus with Jesus' own words. even twisting those words. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered, that's Jesus speaking, and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

We see here, unlike Adam in the Garden of Eden, Jesus perfectly resisted the lies of the devil, and he perfectly resisted the devil with the truth. of the Word of God, quoting Deuteronomy 8, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Going back to the 22nd chapter of 2 Kings, we see how this is applied to King Josiah. In verse 16 to 20, we see, following from verse 13, that King Josiah, he wasn't only troubled by his own sins, but of the sins of the nation he was ruling. but he humbled himself before gods. The Lord was merciful on his judgment towards Josiah. This is because Josiah had that change in heart, the working of the Holy Spirit in him. This wasn't just an outward fear, but inwardly a new desire was given to the king.

Going back to verse 16, Thus sayeth the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah have read, 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. But to the King of Judah, which sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, as touching the words which thou hast heard, because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I speak against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and as rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather 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. This is the change of heart in King Josiah, the rediscovery of the law of Moses, brought that conviction in him, seeing how unworthy he was and how wicked the sins of Judah were before a holy God. But by God's grace, through the reading of his word, the Lord changed the king's heart to repentance, which brought a great revival to the land of Judah.

This can't be done by reading alone. As we see in the passage inwardly, we must truthfully have the joy of reading God's word as we're sanctified, as we see in King Josiah's actions. We sung earlier in Psalm 19, verses 7 to 14, seeing what a converted heart feels towards God's law. It states God's law is perfect and converts the soul in sin that lies. God's testimony is most sure and makes the simple wise. It also says how they more than gold, yea, much fine gold be desired are, than honey, honey from the comb, that drop of sweet afar.

What a privilege it is as Christians we can truthfully sing this psalm, truthfully in the heart to reflect our regenerated hearts, how they feel towards God, to his words that he has set before us. The law of the Lord brings fear, but for the converted it should be their delight to rejoice in the heart as David says in the psalm. This isn't through dead works of the law which condemn the hearts of the unconverted, but through the word of the Lord renewing us to be more Christ-like.

The power of God is working in us if we are truly Christians, but we still have a responsibility to resist the temptations of our fallen nature. as we still carry it. We were reading the third chapter of Colossians earlier, how there's a big list of sins that Paul urges the Colossians to mortify. In verse five of the chapter, it shows we are commanded to mortify sins, to put them to death. This is a firm and serious commandment, to put anything ungodly in us to death.

but we can't do it of our own strength. The way we put things that are earthly to death, where it first starts in the mind, sets your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. In order to set our minds on things that are above, the word of Christ must dwell in us richly. That's the exaltation, verse 16 of the chapter. This is how we resist temptations of our corrupt nature, but also of the world and of the devil. And it doesn't have to take the wickedness of transgressions to fall short. Because the standard of God is so high that it's not only our sins of commission that break the standard, but of omission as well, the good we fail to do. It's why we must repent of our sins every day as Christ instructs in the Lord's Prayer.

In Psalm 119, which we will sing later, God willing, from verse 129, it says,

thy testimonies are wonderful. Therefore doth my soul keep them. The entrance of thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple. I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for thy commandments. Look upon me and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. order my steps in thy words and let no iniquity have dominion over me and at verse 135 make thy face to shine upon thy servant and teach me thy statutes rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law

This is the testimony of a believer. It was the same testimony Josiah saw when he rediscovered the law of God. Desiring to be right with God, he was troubled by his own sins and of the sins of Judah. The true converted heart can say, make thy face to shine upon thy servant and teach me thy statutes. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law. When we're converted, our former love we had for sins has now become a grief for sins. It doesn't make us happy, it makes us upset. It should do. It is very troubling, especially for the sins we see in our lands today, to see how far this nation has turned its back against a holy God, against his moral law. This should be how we feel as believers, feeling a great sensitivity towards sin and a greater desire for holiness.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servants, and teach me thy statutes.

The Word of God gives us that knowledge that we might not know how to pray or struggle what to say at times in prayer. This is why we have the whole book of Psalms teaching us how to pray, reflecting every emotion a believer might encounter. The Spirit of God helps us to utter these words in prayer, which He has revealed in this Word. All these words we can use because we worship a holy God who is perfect. And therefore because God is perfect, his word is perfect.

Which brings us to our third point, the word of Christ is perfect. The scriptures are to be self-interpreted, not by us or any church body, but rather we're to be governed by the scriptures. In 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17, it says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be made perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The Word of Christ, which is all the Scripture, is breathed out by God. And because there is to be no other interpreter of the Scriptures, aside from the Scriptures itself, this is God speaking to us. And how important it is that God's Word itself is perfect. As mentioned earlier in the Reformed Confessions of Faith, God's former ways of revealing his word have now ceased, that is the use of divine inspiration, divine revelation. His word therefore is perfect and his word is complete. We have the privilege to have the complete Word of God given to us, accessed in our hands, and this has been given through the use of much tribulation, through the blood of martyrs such as Tyndale who died for us, that we may be able to have this privilege to read God's perfectly preserved Word in our own tongue. It is perfectly preserved and we must remember that when applying it practically.

As mentioned before about the Reformation, when we look back to the stronghold of the Roman Catholic Church, the false church of Rome, they had their power restricting people from being able to read the word of God in their own tongue. Only a few of the highest educated, those who were able to understand Latin or those who were able to study the Greek and Hebrew may have understood the text, but this brought great confusion with blasphemous messes being done in Latin, no way to be able to discern it through God's word.

And without knowledge of knowing the Word of God, we don't know the knowledge of saving faith. And we live in falsehoods. It's an amazing blessing for us that we have the complete Word of God accessible. These men such as Tyndale, they did not die for traditions of Rome or for charismatic revelations, but for the Word of God to be understood in our tongue, which reveals our sin, exposing our evil desires, exposing heresies in false religions, exposing false teachers, which points us all back to the Lord Jesus for repentance, for salvation, for reproof.

The false bishop of Rome, the man of perdition, who is the Antichrist, counts on ignorance to deceive a great amount of mass numbers. He deceives many and exalts himself, as has the constant succession of popes been. It is of historic significance of the Reformed faith, as the Reformed Confessions show, that we hold to the doctrine of perfect preservation of God's Word, and that it is our ultimate authority in everything that we do.

There is nothing to be added to the canon of Scripture, with divine inspiration now being ceased. Anyone claiming, therefore, to add to God's Word puts himself in serious danger as the ending of revelation warns, the warning of plagues against those who add or remove to the words of God. Woe to anyone who would claim to add to God's Word. And of course, Rome opposes the doctrine of sola scriptura, that is, scripture alone, because it opposes the idea that the common man should be able to understand the Holy Scriptures.

Martin Luther said, Scripture alone is the true lord and master for writings and doctrine on the earth. Many of the charismatic movements, who may hold to the apostolic gifts being continued, are in serious danger, claiming that God adds more revelation to his word, which leaves many open doors to heresy. Rome is much in common here with the idolatry of saints, statues, and of course the false bishop himself.

The Word of Christ sets the standard and provides wisdom for all our living, things such as our relationship to our parents and children, how we love our neighbour, and how the roles of men and women are designed in society by gods for society, church, and marriage, and what a sadness it is that many professing Christians are embarrassed or have forsaken this, omitting the ideas of male headship, of biblical patriarchy, and biblical womanhood, and compromise for lives from the devil through things like feminism, which has contributed to much liberation of sins, such as abortion in the name of women's rights. It all rooted back to the first recorded sin, where Adam and Eve chose the devil's lie over God's truth. Yea, have God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden, tempting us as if we're missing out on something. It is so important that we affirm the truth of God's word, holding to its true authority. Many will hate us for holding to this truth, for basic truths such as holding to the objective truth of marriage being one man, one woman.

If you want to know that a church is biblical, you assess it by the Word of God and its practice. Back in 1994, the Church of England began ordaining women, a clear violation for what God has clearly set for church offices in the New Testament and old as well. We see the Church of England today has even escalated further, with a female high priestess, homosexual ministers, and even having their schools affirm transgenderism for children. How unfortunate that the Church of England continues to rebel against the Word of God. It shows you when we begin to question one part of God's Word, we will question all of it.

But as much sadness as we might see with the professing church giving in to the devil's lie, We can also be encouraged as we look back to King Josiah's reign. It shows that much evil we face can be reproved with the preaching of God's holy and infallible word. When we continue on this in the 23rd chapter, we see how much reformation is carried out in the land of Judah.

We see in verse 4 of the chapter And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the door to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. We see in verse four much idolatry with false religion of Baal. And do we not see the same thing today in our current culture, the idolatry of false religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, but also secularism as well, which is big on individualism, and like Bell, has the commonality of child sacrifice.

We also see in verse 7, And he break down the houses of the Sodomites that were by the house of the lords where the women wove hangings for the grove. The house of the Sodomites, and this is an evil sin of pride we see today. False rainbow flags of Sodom and Gomorrah put everywhere in schools, supermarkets, road crossings. You can't miss it.

But Josiah, he had a lot of courage and fear of the Lord, being convicted of God's word through the law of Moses, which brought much reformation to the land of Judah. And this is courage we must imitate. When we see for ourselves what God's words has to say, we see a true examination of ourselves, how unclean we are when stood before a holy God. And when we stand before him in eternity, heaven or hell, It is the very reason when you do evangelism, you may give out free Bibles or tracts containing the Scriptures, that when you offer these out to people, you may see a sharp and fierce rejection. Or maybe you're one of these people yourself. It is because we know that we are unholy before a holy God. We don't want to know the truth. We want to live in a lie. And therefore the reading and hearing of his word brings that uncomfortable truth to us, that we are sinners who have sinned against him and deserve his wrath in eternal hell. And if this is you, you must come to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Josiah was only eight years old when he began to reign as king. And later in his reign, significant reformation was made, as we have read. In the Protestant Reformation, the Lord revived a lot of Europe from pagan superstition of Rome, where the common man was able to see the scriptures for himself. This is what we see in two kings in the reign of Josiah. The Lord worked mysteriously through a king.

Josiah saw God's words and was convicted to repentance. And he cared about the nation he reigned and wanting him to follow as well. How amazing it is when the king of a nation has the word of God for him. It is great comfort to us when we do things such as evangelism. We may have friends or family who are unbelieving. But if it is the Lord's will, they will be saved, and this can be done through presenting the gospel of God's holy and infallible word to them, to seek reconciliation in Jesus Christ.

God's word is perfect. The perfect word of Christ was given to an eight-year-old king who later cleansed Judah from impure idolatry. This also shows how important it is to disciple and raise children, in God's words, as well, to protect their hearts from the evils of the world.

And as we conclude before our last point, I'll briefly read some of Ephesians 6, verse 10 to 18.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of gods, that you may bear will to withstand the evil day, and having done it, will to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication of the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

The sword of the spirits, as we see in the arm of God, is the only offensive weapon, the only offensive weapon used. This is the language of battle being used. It's showing and reminding us that it's inevitable that we as Christians will face the fiery darts of the evil one. It's part of the Christian life. Jesus faced this himself in the wilderness with Satan. It shows we are constantly in a spiritual war till the day we die. The evil one will always face us. He will destroy us if we face him in our own strength. But if we are truly Christians, we are not alone. We have the Spirit of God in us and we have his word and it must dwell in us. We must constantly pray to God for wisdom and for deliverance.

King Josiah faced satanic idols, and we're faced with the same idols today. We mustn't get ready for battle, but be ready. Have the Word of Christ ready, with the sword of the Spirit dwelling in you richly, and live by it. Amen.