Do you know that restless urge to finally change something, your job, your relationships, yourself? This message takes us to the young king Josiah, who finds a forgotten scroll of the law amid the ruins of his ancestors’ religion (2 Chronicles 34). It turns out that no resolution, no new setting and no fresh life philosophy can change the heart, only God’s word, when it meets that heart. Listen if you feel stuck and are looking for a change deeper than a new haircut or a new address.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What struck Josiah when he heard the words of the rediscovered Book of the Law, and why did he respond by tearing his clothes?
- Josiah did not keep God's Word to himself but gathered all the people and made a covenant before the Lord. What does his response tell us about how the Word is meant to work in a community?
- The speaker describes our attempts at change: a new look, new things, new friends, a new philosophy of life. Which of these feel most familiar to you, and why does outward change so often fall short?
- The sermon stresses that it was not Josiah's heart but God's Word meeting his heart that brought change. How does knowing you cannot produce spiritual transformation on your own affect your approach to spiritual growth?
- The speaker admits that after his baptism life went back to normal and he sometimes looks for life away from God. In what areas do you feel stuck right now, and where do you tend to look for renewal?
- How can you place yourself in the current of God's Word this week and create opportunities for people around you, such as your family, to hear it too?
