So the text today is from 2nd Chronicles, chapter
34. Thank you, Caleb, for reading this to us
earlier. So I hope you all were paying attention
to Caleb this morning. So I want to begin with
a simple but searching question. Why are you
here? Not just physically, but spiritually. Why
do you gather week after week with the people
of God? Is it habit? Is it duty? Is it an expectation?
Or is it because you have come to meet with the
living God? That is the question that matters
more than we often realize. Because worship is
not just a neutral activity. It is something
we shape according to our preferences. It is
not something we shape according to our preferences.
Worship is not ultimately what we like. It is
about what God requires. And that is where our
modern thinking often goes wrong. We live in
a time when worship is frequently evaluated like
anything else. Did I enjoy it? Did it move me?
Did it meet my needs? But the scripture asks
a very, very different question. Was it acceptable
to God? That is the question before us this morning
Because it is entirely possible Listen carefully
it is entirely possible for us to gather in the
name of God to sing the songs to pray the prayers
to hear the sermons and Yet for that worship
to be unacceptable in his sight The Bible gives
us sobering examples of this There were those
in the Old Testament who offered sacrifices God
did not command and they were judged. There were
those in the New Testament who got honored, who
honored God with their lips while their hearts
were far from him and their worship was rejected.
So we must ask ourselves, are we worshiping God
rightly? That is exactly the situation we find
in 2 Chronicles chapter 34. The people of God
had not stopped being religious. They still had
forms of it. They still had traditions, but true
worship was lost. Idolatry had taken root. The
temple had been neglected. And the most striking
thing of all, the word of God itself had been
forgotten. Think about that. The people of God
without the word of God. And when the Word was
rediscovered in red, everything changed. Because
the Word of God talks much about worship, how
it exposes, how it convicts, how it corrects,
and how it restores. And that is what we see
in the life of King Josiah, a young man raised
in a corrupt generation, and yet by the grace
of God, he begins to seek the Lord. And as he
seeks God, he begins to tear down idols, to restore
temples, and to bring the people back to true
covenantal worship. Please don't take this passage
lightly. It is a call. It is a call for every
church in every age, including ours, to examine
how we worship. Not to ask what is popular or
what is convenient. or what is emotionally satisfying,
but what is faithful, what is true, and what
is pleasing to God. Because worship is central
to everything. It is not a side issue in a Christian
life. It is the very purpose for which we were
created. We were made to glorify God and to enjoy
Him forever. So let us ask God's blessing on
this time together as we pray. Lord, we thank
you for this day. Father, I pray for the blessing
of us meeting together as your covenant people.
Sanctify this time. Fix our hearts on your truth.
Lord, show us if our worship is true. Show us
where we have drifted and restore us. that we
may worship you rightly. In Jesus' name, amen.
So in 2 Chronicles 34, we begin to see the foundation
of all true worship, and it is this. This is
my first point. Worship begins with seeking God.
Look again at verse 3. For in the eighth year
of his reign, while he was still young, he began
to seek the God of his father David. Now remember
where we are in the story a nation is corrupt
Idolatry is everywhere true worship had been
lost and yet before any outward changes Before
the idols are torn down before the temple is
restored Something happens in the heart of this
young king He begins seeking God and that is
where it starts with a heart that turns towards
God And this connects directly what we have just
considered. Worship is not first about what we
do. It is about who we are seeking. Because you
can do all the right things outwardly and still
not have it be worshiped at all. You can gather
with God's people. You can sing the songs. You
can bow your heads in prayer. You can listen
to faithful preaching. And yet... truly never
seek him. And if you are not seeking him, you
are not worshiping him. But by the grace of God,
Josiah shows us something different. In the middle
of a culture that had abandoned God, he does
not drift deeper into it. He seeks the Lord.
The scripture says in Jeremiah, You will seek
me and find me when you search for me with all
of your heart. And that is the kind of seeking
we are talking about. A heart that desires God
himself. And this is where we must examine ourselves.
Because if we are honest, it is very easy for
worship to become routine. We show up. We go
through the order of service. We know when to
stand. when to sit, when to respond. But the
question is not whether you are present. The
question is whether you are seeking God. Did
you come here this morning to meet with Him?
Did you come hungry to hear His voice? Did you
come expecting that the Living God would address
you through His Word? Or did you come out of
habit, out of obligation, out of routine? Because
God is not interested in any of that. He calls
for your heart. You see, worship is relational.
It is not a performance we offer to impress God.
It is a drawing near to God who has called us
into covenant with Himself. We do not seek God
on our terms. We seek Him on His terms. He defines
how He is to be approached. He defines how He's
to be worshipped. But still, He calls us to seek
Him. And that is grace. That the Holy God would
invite sinners to come near. We must seek Him,
not just what He gives. Too often we come to
God wanting benefits. We want peace and comfort
in provisions. But worship calls us higher. It
calls us to want Him. Josiah did not begin with
blessings. He began with God. And that is why
everything else begins to change. Because true
reformation does not start with outward obedience.
It starts in here. In the heart that turns and
says, I will seek the Lord. Because there is
the truth that this passage confronts us with.
You cannot worship God rightly if you are not
seeking Him earnestly. If true worship begins
with seeking God, then the next thing we see
in this passage follows. Because seeking God
will always lead to this. This is point two.
True worship requires the destruction of idols.
After Josiah began to seek the Lord, what does
he do? He does not remain passive. He does not
simply add worship Add worship of God into an
already crowded life No, he begins to tear things
down The high places were destroyed the wooden
images are cut down the carved and molded images
are broken into pieces All the altars of false
God are demolished Josiah does not make room
for God alongside idols He removes them entirely
You cannot truly seek God while holding on to
what competes with God Because God does not share
his glory The first commandment is clear. You
shall have no other gods before me Not alongside
me not in addition to me, but before me meaning
in my presence God demands exclusive worship
Because while we may not bow down to carved images
of wood or stone We are still very capable of
worshipping idols Our idols just look different
They are often more subtool more socially acceptable,
but no less real An idol is anything that takes
the place of God in your heart Anything more
you anything you love more anything you trust
more anything you fear losing more than God.
There are many things that can rise to that level.
Comfort, money, success, sexual sin, entertainment,
reputation, even family, when it is elevated
above God. And here's the danger. You can attend
worship on Sunday and still serve idols the rest
of the week. You can sing to God with your lips
while your heart is still controlled by something
entirely different. But the scripture is clear.
No one can serve two masters. You are either
cling to God or you are cling to your idols.
You cannot do both. This is why Josiah's example
is so important to us. Because he begins to seek
God and he does not negotiate with his idols.
He destroys them completely, decisively, without
compromise. And this is where true worship becomes
costly. Because it is one thing to say, I want
God. But it is another thing to remove everything
that competes with Him. But that is exactly what
God requires. He does not call you to manage
your idols. He calls you to put them to death.
What are the idols in your life? What do you
run to for comfort? What occupies your thoughts
when your mind is at rest? Because whatever controls
your heart that is what you worship and If we
would worship God rightly those things must be
dealt with Not ignored but torn down and yes,
it could be painful Because idols often promise
us temporary happiness But in the end they enslave
God only satisfied God only God is worthy and
here's the good news God does not command you
to tear down your idols so that you are left
with nothing He calls you to tear them down so
that you may have him and he is better infinitely
better as You consider your own heart this morning
Do not stop seeking God. Let that seeking lead
to action. Let it expose what must be removed.
You cannot worship God rightly and cling to idols.
May God give us the grace not only to seek Him,
but to forsake everything that stands in His
way. If we are to seek God truly, if we are to
tear down the idols that compete for our hearts,
then the next question naturally flows. How do
we now worship Him rightly? Because it is not
enough to remove what is false. We also must
establish what is true. And this brings us to
our third point. True worship must be governed
by the Word of God. Look at what happens in our
next passages beginning in verse 14. Now when
they had brought the money out that was brought
into the house of the Lord Hilkiah the priest
found the book of the law of the Lord given by
Moses The book of the law the word of God had
been lost Not misplaced for a moment, but neglected
ignored and forgotten over time The people of
God had continued on with forms of religion with
outward practices But without the word of God
shaping and directing their worship. Worship
had become corrupt, distorted, and unfaithful.
Because when the word of God is absent, true
worship does not remain. It cannot. And when
we see the book is finally found and read, listen
to Josiah's response in verse 19. And when the
king heard the word of the law, he tore his clothes.
Why is it a strong reaction? Because in that
moment Josiah realizes something terrifying That
he had not been worshiping God according to his
word They had not been doing what seemed right.
They have been doing what seemed right in their
own eyes and beloved This is always the danger
Because we live in a time where worship is often
shaped by preferences by creativity or emotion
or by what seems meaningful to us But the scripture
does not leave worship to our imagination God
himself tells us how he's to be worshiped and
this is what we hold to as the regulative principle
of worship That we are to worship God not only
We are to worship God only in the ways that he
has commanded his people through his word Not
adding to it not subtracting from it not improving
upon it Because God is holy and he cares deeply
about how he is approached. We see this throughout
scripture. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire
before the Lord, something he had not commanded
and they were judged. Uzziah reached his hand
to study the ark and he was struck down. These
are no small matters. They teach us that sincerity
is not enough. Good intentions are not enough.
Worship must be according to God's revealed will.
Jesus says himself, the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth. Truth
matters. God is not honored by what he has not
commanded. So how do we elevate worship? Not
by asking did I enjoy it. Not by asking did it
move me. But by asking. Is it faithful to the
Word of God? Is scriptural central? Is this reading
of the Word? Is the reading of the Word present?
Is the preaching of the Word clear and authoritative?
Are we praying according to the Word? Are we
singing truth that reflects the Word? Because
when the Word of God governs worship, He speaks
and His people respond. But when the word is
absent or minimized worship becomes man -centered
and that is not worship at all Here is what the
passage is showing us the rediscovery of the
word leads to the restoration of worship and
The neglect of the word leads to its corruption
There's no middle ground So if we would worship
God rightly we must submit ourselves fully to
his word Not just in part, or when it's convenient,
but completely. If worship must be governed by
the Word of God, then we must also see what happens
when that word truly takes hold of us. Because
the Word of God never leaves a person unchanged.
It does not simply inform, it confronts. It does
not merely instruct, it exposes. And that leads
us to our fourth point today. True worship produces
repentance. Look again at Josiah's response in
verse 19. This is no small reaction. This is
deep, visible, undeniable conviction. Why? Because
when Josiah hears the word of God, he sees clearly,
for the first time, the gap of who God is and
how they had been living had been exposed. He
sees God's holiness. He sees God's law. And in
light of that, he sees his own sin and the sin
of the nation. And he does not excuse it. He
repents. This is always the effect of true worship.
When God and His Word is revealed rightly, sin
is exposed. And when sin is exposed, the only
right response is repentance. But this is where
our modern approach to worship often goes wrong.
Because many want to worship that confronts but
it does not convict. They want to feel encouraged
but they do not want to deal with their sin.
But that is not biblical worship, because you
cannot truly encounter a holy God without becoming
aware of your sin. The prophet Isaiah understood
this. When he saw the Lord high and lifted up,
he did not celebrate himself. He cried out, Woe
is me, for I am undone. For my eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts. That is the language
of repentance and that is the necessary pathway
to true worship Because repentance is most definitely
part of true worship It is how we come honestly
before God We do not come pretending or hiding
or justifying ourselves, but confessing turning
humbling humbly acknowledging our need for mercy
if our worship never leads to repentance. Something
is wrong. Either we are not seeking God rightly,
or we are not listening to His Word carefully,
or we are hardening our hearts. Because the Word
of God is described as a sword. It pierces. It
discerns. It reveals what is really within us.
When you come to worship, are you willing to
be confronted? Are you willing for God's Word
to search your hearts? Josiah tore his clothes,
but he did not despair. Because the same God
who revealed sin is the same God who shows mercy.
Not just to conviction, but to Christ. To forgiveness,
to cleansing, to restoration. So do not fear
repentance. Do not resist it. Embrace it. Because
it is evidence that God is at work in your heart.
It is evidence that your worship is real. If
there is no repentance, there is no true worship.
May God give us soft hearts, hearts that hear
His word, hearts that are quick to repent, hearts
that cling to His mercy in Christ. If true worship
produces repentance, then we must now ask, what
does restored worship actually look like among
the people of God? Where does repentance lead?
Praise God, it does not end in sorrow or isolation.
It brings us back into right relationship with
God. And that brings us to our fifth point. Look
at verse 29 through 33. After Josiah hears the
word, after he humbles himself, after he repents,
repentance takes place. What does He do? He gathers
the people, all of them, great and small, and
He reads them the Word of God. And when He makes
a covenant before God to walk after Him, to keep
His commandments, and to follow Him with all
His heart and all His soul. And the people join
with Him in this covenant. This is corporate
covenantal worship. The people of God gathered
together renewing their commitment to the God
who has bound himself to them. This is what worship
is. It is a covenant meeting between God and
his people. And this pattern runs throughout
all scripture. God calls his people to himself.
They respond. He speaks his word. They confess
their sin. He assures them of His mercy. He feeds
us, and then He sends them out with His blessing.
This is how God relates to His people. And this
is exactly what we participate in every Lord's
Day. When we gather for worship, we are not just
attending worship. We are entering into a covenant
renewal ceremony. The living God meets with His
people. He calls us into His presence. He confronts
us through His Word. He cleanses us through Christ.
He nourishes us by His grace. And He sends us
out to live for His glory. This is why worship
matters so deeply. Because this is where our
relationship with God is renewed and strengthened
week after week. And yet, how easy it is to lose
sight of this. to think worship as routine, as
something ordinary, as just another part of the
week. But there is nothing ordinary about meeting
with the living God. The scripture tells us in
Hebrews that when we gather, we come to Mount
Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable
accompany of angels, to Jesus, the mediator of
the new covenant. That is what is happening in
worship. God meets with his people. This is how
you view worship. Do you come with reverence?
Do we come with expectation? Do you come aware
that you are entering into the presence of the
Holy God? Or has it become familiar or casual
or routine? Because if we lose the covenant nature
of worship, we will inevitably lose the seriousness
and the joy of it. We will treat lightly what
God has sacred. But when we understand what is
happening, that this is a covenant renewal between
God and his people, everything changes. We listen
more carefully. We confess more sincerely. And
we sing more wholeheartedly. We receive more
gratefully. This is not about us reaching up
to God. This is about God coming down to meet
with us and that again is grace So beloved do
not think of worship as something small. Do not
think of it as optional or routine This is the
central act of the Christian life Where God renews
his covenant with his people week after week
Lord's Day after Lord's Day until that final
day when faith becomes sight. So here is the
fifth point. Excuse me. So here is the truth
we must hold fast. Worship is not casual gathering.
It is covenant renewal with the living God. May
he give us hearts that understands it, that treasures
it, and that enters into it with reverence and
joy. If worship is covenant renewal, If it is
truly a meeting between God and His people, then
we must ask one final and essential question.
How can sinful people come into the presence
of a holy God? How can worship be acceptable
at all? Because we have not sought God as we
ought. We have loved idols. We have neglected
His word. We have not repented as we should.
So how can our worship possibly be pleasing to
Him? And that brings us to our fifth and final
point. True worship is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
You see, everything we have seen in Josiah's
life, as important and as powerful as it was,
was not the final answer. Because the real problem
was not just about broken worship. It was about
the condition of our sinful heart. And no king,
not even a faithful king like Josiah, could fix
that. But God in His mercy provided what we could
not. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. And Christ
is the center, the substance, and the fulfillment
of all true worship. Well, Josiah was where he
restored the temple. Christ is the true temple.
He said, destroy this temple and I will rebuild
it in three days. Where sacrifices were offered
again and again, Christ is the final sacrifice,
offered once and for all, securing eternal redemption
for His people. Where priests stood as mediators,
Christ is our great High Priest, who forever
lives to intercede for us. Everything that worship
points to finds its fulfillment in Him. And that
changes everything because now we do not come
before God based on our performance. We do not
come hoping that our worship is good enough.
We come through Christ and only through Christ.
The scripture says we are to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
This means that even our best worship, our most
sincere prayers, our most heartfelt songs are
not acceptable on their own. They are stained
with sin and they fall short. But when they are
offered through Christ, they are received, not
because they are perfect, but because He is.
And this is our hope and our confidence, that
our worship is accepted, not based on the basis
of our worthiness, but on the basis of His righteousness.
And this also defines the kind of worship God
seeks. God says the hour is coming and is here
now when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth. In spirit, meaning
a heart made alive by the Holy Spirit. In truth,
meaning according to the revealed will of God
and centered on Christ. And only Christ makes
that possible. Apart from Christ, our worship
is empty. But in Christ, Our worship is accepted.
So do not come to God this morning thinking you
must earn His favor. Come through Christ. Do
not come trusting in what you bring. Come trusting
in what He has already accomplished. And when
you do that, you are free. You are free to confess
your sin honestly, free to lift your voices and
praise. free to draw near with confidence because
Christ has opened the way. He is not only the
object of our worship. He is the reason our worship
is received. So here's the truth that anchors
everything we have said. Our worship is acceptable
to God, not because it is perfect, but because
Christ is perfect. May we come then, not trusting
in ourselves, but in Him. Not resting in our
efforts, but in the finished work, but in His
finished work. And may all our worship, now and
forever, be through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Let's pray together. Almighty and most holy God,
you alone are worthy. of all worship, honor,
and praise. We confess that we have not worshiped
you as we ought. Our hearts have wondered. Our
affections have been divided. We have often gone
through the motions while neglecting true devotion.
Forgive us, we pray. Cleanse us from our sin
through Jesus Christ. Renew our hearts by your
Spirit. Teach us to seek you earnestly, to love
you fully. and to worship you rightly. Father,
tear down every idol within us. Give us a deeper
hunger for your word. Grant us repentance that
is sincere and lasting, and cause our worship
to be pleasing in your sight. Not because of
our worthiness, but because of Christ. Strengthen
us as your people. Unite us in truth, and send
us out from this place with renewed hearts, to
live for your glory in all things. We ask this,
all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. We now
lift the prayer up for the men of the congregation
to pray.