The Legacy of Kings and Prophets – Part 15
“Full of Years, Full of God”
Text: 2 Kings 11:1-20 & 2 Chronicles 22:10-24:15
Intro – (Page 446)"Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple." 2 Chron. 24:15-16
What an epitaph! Jehoiada is now dead. He is old but he is buried with some of the great kings in Jerusalem. Did you also notice that he died at the age of 130.
Illus - Three ladies were discussing the travails of getting older. One said, "Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand, while standing in front of the refrigerator, and I can’t remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich."
The second lady chimed in with, "Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can’t remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down."
The third one responded, " Well, ladies, I’m glad I don’t have that problem. Knock on wood," as she rapped her knuckles on the table, and then said, "That must be the door, I’ll get it!"
Illus - This 85 year old couple, having been married almost 60 years, had died in a car crash. They had been in good health the last ten years mainly due to her interest in health food, and exercise.
When they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi. As they "oohed and aahed" the old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.
"It’s free," Peter replied, "this is Heaven."
Next they went out back to survey the championship golf course that the home backed up to. They would have golfing privileges everyday and each week the course changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth.
The old man asked, "what are the green fees?".
Peter’s reply, "This is heaven, you play for free."
Next they went to the club house and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisine’s of the world laid out.
"How much to eat?" asked the old man.
"Don’t you understand yet? This is heaven, it is free!" Peter replied with some exasperation.
"Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol tables?" the old man asked timidly.
Peter lectured, "That’s the best part...you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick. This is Heaven."
With that the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and stomping on it. Peter and his wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong.
The old man looked at his wife and said, "This is all your fault. If it weren’t for your blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!"
Today is Father’s Day. But this message applies to anyone, young or old, male or female, rich or poor. I believe that it is God’s will for you to live long, to be full of years and to be filled with God, His life and His purpose. It’s going to take commitment, courage and quality of character.
Jehoiada was that kind of man. Remember that it was Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba that rescued the infant Joash from the wicked queen Athaliah, who was the daughter of Jezebel. Joash was the last male alive in the line of David. Without the saving of Joash, the line of the Messiah would have been cut off and Jesus could not have been born.
Studying this man, Jehoiada, will reveal a man who lived his life well and lived it for God. Let’s learn from him this morning.
I. Commitment
You cannot live long and well if you are not a committed person. And one of the most important obligations that a person can enter into is the covenant of marriage.
A. Choosing the right partner.
Second Kings 11:2 gives us the name of the Jehoiada’s wife: Jehosheba. Her name means: “Jehovah, her oath” or “worshipper of Jehovah.”
It’s interesting that her wicked sister, who killed many including her own grandchildren so she could gain the throne, is named Athaliah. Athaliah means: “Jehovah is strong” or “the person whom God afflicts.” It’s as though each daughter decided to live up to her name.
Jehoiada, whose name means: “the Lord knows” chose his life’s partner whose name means “a worshipper of Jehovah.”
Let me share with you three clues to watch for if you want to marry a spiritual person. If you want to improve your spiritual quotient, try these on for size.
• Listen to them sing. (If they don’t sing in church, they will be weak in their witness.)
• Listen to them pray, out loud. (If they don’t pray in front of others they will probably not be a spiritual leader.)
• Would they rather be with you than in church? (If this is the case they are usually having problems with lust.)
Other lessons on choosing a life’s partner can be gleaned from older and wiser Christians. But if you are going to enjoy your life on earth, it’s good to start right, marry a good Christian man or woman.
B. Choosing the right plan.
(Page 444) 2 Chron 22:10-12 10 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. 11 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12 He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
Jehoiada and Jehosheba put their lives on the line for an infant. But they knew that this was the right thing to do. I’m sure they didn’t know what they were going to do later but they made a firm commitment to follow their spiritual instincts.
Illus – I’ve learned through sports, school, and life that keeping to the basics is important if you are going to be successful. The spiritual life is like that, as well. If you stick to the elementary principles of Scripture, the more obtuse and complex situations will be much easier to handle.
Would you like to be a winner in chess? There are just a few simple rules and you will usually win.
1. Don’t rush.
2. Guard your middle.
3. When ahead, by even a pawn, simplify.
II. Courage
Every commitment you make will require courage to back it up. It was true with Jehoiada. In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. 2 Chron 23:1
It is in this seventh year that Jehoiada executes his plan to bring back God’s king. Clandestinely, He goes throughout the kingdom telling trusted leaders that David’s heir is alive. He gets them to make a solemn promise to join him in a plot to take the throne from Athaliah.
A. Discerning the appropriate timing.
It doesn’t help to use courage at the wrong time. God’s is as concerned about timing as He is about doing the right thing. In the seventh year Jehoiada showed his strength. 2 Chron 23:1
Illus – (Show pictures of Pickett’s Charge during this reading.)
It was the third day of the battle that had raged in Gettysburg on the first three days of July in 1863. The days were scorching and overcast.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee felt that day three of this clash would be critical and decisive. General George Pickett’s division had arrived on July 2nd and had been ordered by Lee to stay where they were so they would be strong for a third-day attack on the Union’s left.
On the previous day’s battle, July 2, there were some delays in planned attacks, and the Union Army was able to strengthen itself. Some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War were fought that day. Battles raged at the Wheat Field, Devil’s Den, the Round Tops, and the Peach Orchard. Confederate General Longstreet was successful at the Peach Orchard, but then later was stopped at Little Round Top.
By the end of day two, the Union held a strong defense all along Cemetery Ridge. Union General Meade’s plan was to wait for Lee’s attack on the third day. General Meade had predicted that Lee would attack the middle, but later changed his mind and started preparing for an attack on the southern end of his line. When Pickett’s charge began with its 13,000 troops, there were less than 6,000 Union infantry soldiers to encounter them.
After several meetings with General Longstreet, who tried to convince Lee his plan would not work, Longstreet was told to bring Pickett. Each time it arose, Longstreet voiced his concern about such a thing not working.
When the time came for the charge to begin, 13,000 Southern troops began their walk in the sweltering July afternoon sun. Confederate cannons had opened fire earlier to prepare for the charge. For a short while, the Union decided to save ammunition, and stopped firing for a while. Naturally, the Confederate troops thought the firing was over and must have breathed a sign of relief that their objective might be a little bit easier to reach.
The stoppage of firing didn’t last long, however. The Confederates were soon walking directly into the cannon fire and became part of what history has never, nor will ever forget. Pickett’s Charge was the battle that would be known as one of General Lee’s worst mistakes.
Of the 165,000 soldiers who engaged in this battle, more than 50,000 of them became casualties, killed, captured, wounded or went AOL.
The timing of the Battle of Gettysburg and Pickett’s Charge was wrong. Courage cannot undo bad timing.
B. Discerning the appropriate methods.
Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God. 2 Chron 23:9
Weapons were not easily available to Jehoiada. But he remembered that King David had placed spears and shields in the temple.
When we are engaged in the battles of our life, we are to use God’s methods and God’s means.
Illus – (Mike Barnes’ testimony)
Supplemental – (If Mike doesn’t share)
1. Use forgiveness instead of revenge.
2. Manifest faith instead of fear.
3. Employ joy instead of addictions.
4. Mediate on God’s Word instead of thinking about ways to sin.
5. Distribute money into God’s economy instead of keeping everything for yourself.
6. Etc.
III. Character
When a defense lawyer wants to win a case he makes every attempt to discredit the evidence against his client. This sometimes means attacking the evidence so vigorously that it is destroyed and no longer worth anything.
Satan cannot destroy the truth of Christ’s resurrection and victory so he goes after the evidence. A godly character is evidence of Christ’s resurrection. Satan will come after your character with a passion to destroy it.
Character is the quality that makes an individual. Decency, self control, integrity in what we do and say - both publicly and privately, is evidence of Christ influence in your life. The more of Christ that shines through you the more of His kingdom is being established on earth.
There are at least two ingredients in the life of Jehoiada that demonstrates his godly character.
A. Leading a godly renewal.
17 Jehoiada then made a covenant between the LORD and the king and people that they would be the LORD’s people. 2 Kings 11:17
This is an example that anyone here can follow. Begin now to persuade those around you to live for Jesus Christ. Jehoiada gives us a few ideas that we can incorporate.
1. Determine that Jesus will be number 1 in our social, recreational, and financial aspects of our lives.
2. (2 Kings 11:18) All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. Look into every area of your life to find anything you wouldn’t want Jesus to find there.
3. (2 Kings 11:18) They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Don’t tolerate anything that is taking God’s place. Get rid of it. If you have to; destroy, throw away, or unplug it.
4. (2 Kings 11:18) Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the LORD. It is never enough to stop doing evil, a person must start doing something positive.
B. Leaving a godly example.
(2 Chron 24:15-22) 15 Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. 16 He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.
17 After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18 They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. 19 Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.
20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, "This is what God says: ’Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’"
21 But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple.
There are a few things that come to my mind as I study this passage.
1. If God gives me a full complement of years I want to spend those years full of God.
2. I don’t want to be a secret Christian. I want to be known as someone that deserves the honor of God, not men.
3. I never want to measure my success on the results tabulated by men but by how God views my life.
4. I want to leave a legacy for my children. I want them to have the courage to stand up for what is right. If my family follows God I will be blessed.
Concl – How do you want to be remembered? Like Jehoiada, the keys to being a great father, a great man, or a great person;
1. Make a strong commitment.
2. Demonstrate formidable courage.
3. Develop godly character.
