Well, as I just read to you in
cleaning out the temple and in the reconstruction of some of
the interior of the temple, a book was found, the first five books
of the Bible. It was found by the high priest.
He gave it to a scribe who took it and read to the king of the
certainty of the wrath of God that was going to fall upon Judah. You will remember that at this
time, the Northern Kingdom had already fallen. They fell and
were taken into captivity, and the reason was because they forgot
God. It was because of their idolatry.
It was because that every false god, every idol that came along,
they incorporated that into their worship. and they abandoned the
worship of Jehovah. They abandoned the Passover.
They abandoned the Day of Atonement. They forgot about the seed of
the woman who would come, that only Savior of sinners. They
just completely, that was obliterated from their minds and from their
hearts. And God, for all, Accounts and
purposes, he just obliterated the kingdom of Israel. The northern
kingdom was to be no more. It was taken in captivity. And
no Jew from then forward, and no Jew even today can trace their
heritage to any one of the tribes of the northern kingdom. It was
the judgment of God. And then, then, Judah followed
suit with most of their kings being ungodly men who introduced
false worship and godlessness in Judah, even in Jerusalem,
even in the temple of God where Jehovah was to be worshiped.
where the sacrifice was offered at the brazen altar, honoring
God and pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior
of sinners. They slipped away from that.
Every once in a while, God raised up a godly king, a king who believed
the gospel of God's grace, who looked forward to the Messiah,
the anointed of God. But most of the kings of the
southern kingdom, they was rotten and as godless and as idolatrous
as were the kings of the northern kingdom, because the northern
kingdom never had a king that worshiped Jehovah. Well, God raised up Josiah. His own daddy was an ungodly
king. His grandfather Manasseh had
been ungodly for most of his life, and then God was pleased
to save him by his grace. Learn this, the gospel of the
grace of God's salvation comes not when we hope it will come,
not when we think it will come, it's when God's pleased to reveal
the gospel. And that's what happened to Manasseh.
And he endeavored to undo all the wrongs that he had done in
the kingdom of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. That was the grandfather of Josiah. His father, Ammon, he ignored
all of the good that his daddy had done and he resurrected idolatry
again. Along came Josiah and he set
himself to honor God. Aren't you thankful that God
raises up men, even preachers of the gospel, who stick to the
gospel of God's free grace and will not at all adulterate the
message? Such a man was Josiah, a faithful
king, one to whom the Lord showed mercy and grace. when the king sent these messengers
to the College of the Prophets, and evidently Jeremiah and some
of the more well-known prophets were out of town. They saw Huldah,
and she was a prophetess. And she gave them a straightforward
message. She didn't beat around the bush.
You see, God's prophets back then and God's preachers now
don't beat around the bush. She didn't step lightly in responding
to the king's words because he was the king. She is definite
with her answer and she was very specific about the coming judgment
of God. She didn't dilly-dally around
like a good many of the so-called preachers do today. She told
a straight line. She spoke of coming judgment
of the wrath of God, that God would punish sin. And if anyone
here or anyone watching doubts the fact that God will punish
sin, they need only look as far as the cross of Calvary. and
see who suffers there. See who bleeds, see who dies. See who bears the chastisement
of our peace, which was upon him. See that one upon whom the
iniquities of all of the sheep of the Lord fell. See him who bore the awful load. Alan and Gale. who have also
been sick, by the way. They sang during our Bible conference
a song that I love, stricken, smitten, and afflicted. First
time I heard this song sung, Tim James sang it. And one of the verses goes this
way, ye who think of sin but lightly, nor suppose its evil
great. Here may view its nature rightly. Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed and see who bears the awful load. Tis the word. The Lord's anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God. We read in Romans 8, Paul said,
God spared not his own son. He didn't spare him the judgment. He didn't spare him the wrath.
He didn't spare him the torment in his soul because he bore the
sins of many. He bore the sins of his elect. And God dealt with him in a manner
that he must be dealt with. God poured his own wrath into
the soul of his only begotten son. Huldah said to the king, judgment
is coming. And she said in verse 17, because
they have forsaken me. They burned incense to other
gods. They provoked me to anger with
all the works of their hands. Therefore my wrath, it shall
be kindled against this place, excuse me, and shall not be quenched. However, her message was not
only a message of judgment. That was the message that, that's
the only message that Josiah had heard from the reading of
the scriptures, just wrath. and judgment and condemnation. And he rent his clothing. He wept before God. There was nothing in that original
word that was read to him that gave any glimmer of hope at all. However, look at verse 18. It
begins with the word, But, that's a good word. That's a
good word. In the midst of these words of
judgment, there's a little word that Huldah told Josiah that something better, far better
was in store for him. The word but is an important
word. It changes everything for Josiah. There's no wrath for him. There's
no judgment for him. There's no condemnation for him. And doesn't that put you in mind
of Romans chapter eight in verse one, there is therefore now no
condemnation. No condemnation to them who are
in Christ Jesus. And those who are in Christ Jesus,
hear me, hear the word of God. Those who are in Christ Jesus,
we have always been in Christ Jesus. There's no condemnation,
there's no judgment, there's no wrath for us. This changes everything. That
little word, but. And I'll tell you that was to
Josiah a sweet word for him. Kind of reminds me of Ephesians,
the second chapter, the first four verses. Paul's writing to
the Ephesians and he says, you were dead in trespasses and sins. And he began to describe their
natural condition in their ungodliness, and in so describing them, he
described us. And then he gets down and he
says, but, but, God in mercy saved you. It reminds me of Galatians, the
first chapter where Paul talked about, he persecuted the church
of God. His intention was to stamp out
Christianity. And then he said, but God, when
it pleased God, but when it pleased God, he revealed his Son in me. Aren't you thankful for the butts
of God? When we were yet without strength,
without any love for God, The Lord came to us in his mercy.
He taught us the gospel of substitution and satisfaction. And we can
actually lay hold to this promise in verse 20 that the Lord made
to Josiah. In the middle of verse 20, thou
shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace. My subject is dying in peace. Dying in peace. That's the death. You remember Balaam in the book
of Numbers? He was a Midianite preacher for
a hire. And he couldn't curse Israel
because God had blessed Israel. And toward the end of his life,
he said, oh, to die the death. of the righteous. That's the
death I wanna die. I wanna die at the death of the
righteous. And the death of the righteous, that is mercy because
you see, the death of the righteous is really just as our Lord Jesus
taught us, it's just falling asleep. It's the body falling
asleep. And the soul goes back to God
who gave it, who chose it, who redeemed it, and who'll take
it home to glory. Josiah would die in peace. Well,
Jim, I guess that means that he would die a very pleasant,
easy death, just go to sleep and then wake up in glory. No,
it don't mean that. Because we've already learned
this, he died in battle. That's not a very peaceful death.
That's not a death to anticipate and look forward to. This blessing of his departure,
of dying in peace, has to do with his relationship to the
Holy God. And the Lord told him, through
the words of a prophetess, you're going to come to your grave in
peace. You're going to die in peace. What a blessed Blessed promise
of God to this king. Dying in peace. There's a lot to be said about
that. For we die in peace because of the prince of peace, who was
ordained to take our place in the council of peace. And the
God who purposed our salvation is said to be the God of peace. And in Romans chapter 5, we have
peace with God. By faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that doesn't mean that our
faith has taken hold of the Lord. and therefore we have peace.
No, by faith we believe the record that God has given to us of his
son, that our Lord Jesus finished the work of redemption. And therefore
by faith we believe we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ is the author of peace. When he sends his spirit to us,
He gives us the gifts of the Spirit, one of which is peace. Peace. He's the giver of peace. Our Lord Jesus, just before He
went to the cross, He gathered his disciples, those men he had
chosen, those men for whom he was gonna go to the cross and
die in their stead. Our Lord Jesus said to them,
my peace I give to you. It's the peace that we have with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's the kingdom of peace. For
you see, his kingdom is not, as the scripture says, it's not
in meat and drink, but love and joy and righteousness and peace
in the Holy Spirit. What is the royal proclamation
of preachers to people? Look with me in Romans chapter
10. I'll tell you what this royal
proclamation is. Romans chapter 10. What is the royal proclamation
that we gather to hear every time we come together? Well,
it's set forth here in Romans chapter 10. He says in verse
13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved. How then shall they call on Him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach. Here's the royal proclamation,
the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. Thank God for the peace that
has been established for us by our Lord Jesus Christ. I've got
two more verses I want you to look at with me. First of all,
go to Luke chapter 19. So this prophet, this Huldah,
tells King Josiah, you're gonna go to the grave or you're gonna
die. Because it's appointed unto everybody to die. But he said,
you're gonna go to the grave in peace. Look at Luke chapter
19. This is when our Lord makes his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem. And the people began to shout,
saying, verse 38, Luke chapter 19, blessed be the king that
cometh in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in
the highest. You see, when our Lord Jesus
Christ came down here, He had to make peace in heaven. He had
to make peace with the Father on behalf of all those that He
represented. God's wrath had to be appeased. His justice had to be satisfied. Our Lord Jesus made peace here. But He made peace, first of all,
in heaven, that is, with God. God had to be reconciled. And
He could only be reconciled to sinners by the substitutionary
death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when the people said this,
blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord, peace
in heaven, understand this, this is the reason Christ died, that
there'd be peace in heaven or peace with God. God had to be
pacified. His justice had to be satisfied.
That's why Christ came. That's why Christ came. He came
to establish righteousness. He came to put away the sins
of his people. He came to make peace in heaven. But he came to make peace somewhere
else too. Luke chapter two. Luke chapter
two. So we know he came to make peace
in heaven. And that was God word. And we've
said before, Christ had to do something for God, for God, before
he'd do anything for us. He had to honor God's justice
and law. He had to make peace in heaven,
but he had to make peace somewhere else too, on earth. And so the angel, the angel said
to the shepherds, Look at verse, well, let me just back up and
read beginning in verse eight. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
fear not, For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people, that is, to all kinds of people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto
you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest. Christ was going to make peace
with the God who's the highest. He's going to make peace in heaven.
But now it's said, Glory to God in the highest and on earth.
On earth, peace, goodwill, and only God's will is good. goodwill
toward men. You see, God is pacified. We have been redeemed. But we
have to be made alive by the spirit of truth. And so our Lord
Jesus came not only to make peace in heaven, but to make peace
on earth. And if you've been born again
by the spirit of truth, He's made peace in your heart. Those of us who are by nature
rebels against God, Christ goes to work in our hearts by his
spirit. And he quickens us. He makes
us spiritually alive. And that enmity that's in us
by nature toward God is taken away. What is that called? The new birth. Being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word
of God that liveth and abideth forever. So here's what our Lord
Jesus Christ came to do. Make peace in heaven and on earth. Make peace with God and peace
in our hearts. I'm not at war with God anymore,
are you? Not anymore. His word, though
I don't understand all of it, I say whatever God has to say,
amen, and teach me more of your word. He makes peace in our hearts
toward the Father. He conquers us. I tell you, the
word of God speaks quite a bit about the peace that God has
toward us and the peace that the Spirit of God gives to us
toward God. Now let me ask you, are you gonna
die in peace? And by the sovereign free grace
of God, I can answer, I'm gonna die in peace. May die in a battle, I don't
know, like Josiah did. I don't know anything about that.
May die suffering, physically. But I die in peace, because everything's
all right between me and God, thanks to my faithful Savior,
who loved me and gave himself for me. Amen. Let's sing the closing song.
Get your hymn books.