The Lost Book

2 Kings chapter 22 and verse 8. God has placed

2 Kings 22 · chapter mention

a burden on my heart today and I want to hasten

the time and read just a couple of verses. Word

of God says, Then Hilkiah the high priest said

to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book

of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah

gave the book. to Shaphan, and he read it. Now

verse 10, a couple verses later, and Shaphan

read it before the king. Now what happened? When

the king heard the words of the book of the law,

that he tore his clothes. He tore his clothes,

wondering why did he tear his clothes. That was

an outward symbol of an inward brokenness and

repentance before God. And this is what he did.

But I want for a few moments to preach on this

thought. And I invite everyone to just open up

your hearts to this thought on the lost book.

I want to preach today on the lost book. We're

going to pray again. I know we've been praying,

we've been worshiping, but we're just going to

pray a very specific prayer because this word

today needs to penetrate someone's heart. Would

you pray with me? Father, we thank you for your

spirit, the anointing that is in this place today.

Our coming and gathering is not in vain, but

you have prepared a table for us. You have set

up God. Everything in order. And now your word

is about to go forth. And so, God, I pray that

you would anoint the hearing, the hearts. I pray,

God, that you would soften the hearts of your

people today, God. Soften it, God. Soften our

hearts, Lord. And speak to us, God. And anoint

my lips of clay. Put the word of the Lord into

my mouth, God, so that everything I say would

be your word and not mine. I give you glory and

honor in the name of Jesus, I pray. Somebody

say amen. You may be seated in God's presence.

It happened during a renovation of the temple.

Josiah, a young and godly king, had ordered the

house of God to be repaired. Wasting no time,

the workers began clearing out the clutter, sweeping

away years of dust and debris, and restoring

what time and neglect had broken down. And then

in the midst of the repair, something truly extraordinary

happened. From the dim corners of the temple,

the high priest Hilkiah emerged with his face

frozen in awe. In his trembling hands was something

wrapped in the dust of forgotten years, a holy,

sacred relic of a bygone era. With a quivering

voice, he called to the scribe named Shaphan.

He said, in my imagination, these words, Shaphan,

stop whatever it is that you're doing because

I need to share something with you. I need you

to come here at once, Shaphan. Put that thing

down, and I know we're in the midst of a large

-scale renovation project here, but Jephun, I

need you to get here at once. You're not going

to believe what I just found buried beneath all

of this mess and clutter. that we have been sifting

through for this time. And when Shaphan had showed

up, the high priest showed up, or the scribe

showed up, Hilkiah took a deep breath and he

uttered words that would shake the nation of

Judah to its very core. He said, I have found

the book of the law in the house of the Lord.

He said, I found the book in the house of the

Lord. And this was both a shocking and a sobering

discovery for the high priest. A moment that

would forever change his... and the nation's

life. There was joy over finding this lost book

but the joy of finding the book was mixed and

mingled with sadness over years of living without

it. So on the one hand they were rejoicing but

on the other hand they were weeping at the sight

of this long -lost book. Dear friend, I've come

today, church and guests, to preach that something

similar happens in our lives when we realize

that something sacred, something godly, something

beautiful, something profound, something holy,

something powerful is missing. but was there

all the time. Somebody say amen. The story unfolds

during a dark chapter in Judah's history. Generations

of idolatry under Josiah's father, Manasseh and

Ammon, where literally the word of God had been

buried. The temple had been desecrated. It was

in disrepair. The priests were complacent. The

truth had been replaced with ceremony and tradition.

Then came Josiah, a young, zealous, and godly

king. This was a man who sought to restore all

that had been done and undo it all in the house

of the Lord. And when the book was found and

read to this young king, his response was truly

a sobering one. The words pierced his heart as

he heard, declared the book of the law for the

first time in his life. Oh, he had heard about

it. I'm sure stories. I'm sure. melodies and

nursery rhymes and things that have been passed

down, maybe slipped through the cracks. He had

heard about this but this was the first time

he had heard it. declared in his presence. And

so he tore his garments in repentance as he realized

how far the nation had drifted. And that moment,

that moment sparked, you can read about it for

yourself, one of the greatest revivals recorded

in all of Scripture. He was not just emotionally

moved and stirred. He did not just shed crocodile

tears over what he had heard, but something shook

him to the core and it reverberated across all

of Judah. This was a defining moment for him

and the people of God. And the moral of the story

thus far is that the tragedy was not that the

book had been stolen by thieves or had been taken.

The tragedy was not that it fell into enemy hands.

The tragedy was not that it was sitting in a

foreign land or destroyed. The damage is that

it was there all the time. But everybody... was

too busy, preoccupied, or hurt and despondent

to recognize what had always been there. Can

I preach here today? Somebody say go ahead. Hallelujah.

This leads me to my very first important point

today for your consideration, and that is that

some things can be lost in a familiar place.

The people of Judah had lost the book in the

most unlikely place. The very place where it

belonged. To be lost in the outside world is

one thing. But to be lost in the house is an

entirely different kind of spiritual dilemma.

One that nobody, and I mean nobody, ever suspects

of themselves. And if the notion of something

being lost where it belongs sounds impossible,

we need only look at the parables of Jesus Christ

himself. In Luke 15, the Lord told of a coin.

that have been lost, not on the outside, not

in the world, but somebody say, in the house.

Say it again, in the house. The coin was hidden

under the dust of neglect and time until this

woman lit her lamp, swept the floor. And searched

high and low until what was lost in the house

was found. And there was great rejoicing over

that. I could preach about just that one parable

here today. And maybe I will some other time.

But there's also another parable. Jesus told

of this unusual spiritual dilemma that occurs

in the kingdom of God. which is being lost in

the house when he tells also about a son. And

for your understanding, it is the elder of the

two sons that Jesus told about who was lost,

not in the world, not on the outside, but in

his father's house. You see, unlike the younger

brother who got lost in the world, whose sin

and issues and problems became front page news

in all the town. Nowhere to hide his dirt. But

it was the one who had been home all the time,

living with a false sense of validation because

he's there. Nobody was more lost than him. The

younger brother, he's lost in the world. That's

one problem. And he needs saving and redeeming.

But it's the older brother who's at home and

still is lost in the house. He's present in body,

but he's absent in spirit. Somebody say amen

today. He's there, but he's not there. Jesus

himself became a living parable when his own

parents lost him. He was thought to be missing

until he was found where? In the house. In the

temple of all places. Jesus. What ties all? These

events together, let me tell you today, dear

friend in church, is that they were all lost

or left in familiar places. Places where you're

not supposed to get lost. You can be at church

and yet not be in church. going to get maybe

a lot of amens as I preach to this and I'm here

to tell you that's all right with me because

God has an appointment with somebody today I

said he's got an appointment with you hello somebody

you say well what is this all about you can be

you can be in the familiar place and still be

missing what matters. Most of the things that

we need in the spirit, let me tell you, they're

not lost in the world. They're lost in the house,

in familiar places because of neglect, because

of bad decisions, because of things breaking

down in our life or because of pride or a host

of other things, of the affairs of our life.

Things can get lost right under our very nose.

noses, and this is why we need the Holy Ghost

to renovate our lives and reveal what is missing.

Somebody give God some praise here today. I have

to tell you, dear brother and sister, you need

preaching because we don't always know our state

of lostness. And I understand this is sobering

and this is not easy for us to hear. But this

is why the Holy Ghost comes. He comes to renovate.

He comes to remove those things. He comes to

restore and renew. This message today is not

one of doom and gloom and condemnation. This

is a message of hope, of healing and restoration

for somebody in your spiritual life, in your

physical life, in your mental and financial life.

This is for somebody to understand that God loves

you too much to let you be lost in his house.

Hallelujah. So the dilemma Josiah faced was one

of joy and both sorrow over the state of lostness.

How is it that we have drifted this far? How

is it that we have allowed ourselves to think

that this was okay? Well, let me tell you the

next step today. Finding what's lost starts with

mending what's broken. Josiah's command was not

just for general maintenance. This was not just

a scheduled. Service maintenance. This was not

just about polishing up for presentation because

special guests are coming through and let's get

the house in order because, you know, we want

to look a certain way. We want to have everything

polished and ready, you know. The Bible says

that he sent Shaphan and Hilkiah in verse 5 of

this chapter. He sent them to repair the breaches

of the house. Breaches of the house. That word

breaches literally means cracks, gaps. or broken

places. He sent these two men of God, the priest

and the scribe, the priest and the scribe. My

God, I can preach just about those two things

right there. We need a priest and we need a scribe.

And it's all found in the Holy Ghost and in the

word of God. And these men were sent not just

to dust off the corners of the building, not

just to patch up a few things, but they were

sent into the house of the Lord to mend the broken

places. to mend the temple. You see, oftentimes

as believers, we want the glory of God to fill

us, but we often ask for that without mending

the holes in our life that keep his glory from

leaking out. We want, oh hallelujah, we want

more of God, but we're not willing to have less

of us. We want more of his power and glory, but

we're not willing to be put position where we

have to submit and surrender to what God wants

to do in our life. We want greater revival and

greater manifestations of his power in our lives

and in our church and throughout the body. But

let me tell you, before God fills the temple,

he first wants to heal the temple. Oh, my God.

When I say temple, I'm not talking about a physical

building, church. I am talking about you. Because

the Bible says, Paul said, know ye not that your

body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is

in you. If you think I am talking about a building,

if you think I'm talking about just an organization

or a body of people, You are grossly mistaken.

I am talking about you and me. We are the temples

of God and the spirit. Once again burned. And

so the altars can be fired up once again. And

so we can see a restoration of the priesthood

in our life. And a restoration of miracles in

our life. And a restoration of apostolic doctrine

and authority in our life. Oh, I'm here to tell

you, God wants to heal the temple. You are the

temple. And the book of the law, you know what

the book of the law is? It is the word of almighty

God. Somebody say amen. It is the truth of God.

It's the doctrines of God. It's the promises

of God that define who you are and what you are

called to do in this life. But the book can be

buried under the rubble of different stuff that

we've allowed to accumulate, different things

that we tolerate. attitudes that we tolerate.

Sin that we tolerate. Oh, hallelujah. Demeanor

that we tolerate. Hallelujah. Areas of disobedience

that we tolerate. Oh, God, hallelujah. Oh, and

the book can get buried even under the rubble

of broken relationships and broken dreams and

broken hopes and desires. Oh, and even more so

sin and offense. will bury the book somewhere

in our life. But this is why we need God. This

is why for somebody today, hallelujah, God met

you in this church today, dear friend, so that

he can repair the walls of your temple, the walls

of your life, so God can heal the areas that

are broken down. God can mend the areas that

are destroyed. God can clean out. I wish somebody

would. And you'll see the book like you've never

seen it before in your life. Somebody clap your

hands and give the Lord some praise today. Hallelujah.

And you will see that the book of the law was

there all the time. You will see that God had

never failed. has never left you nor forsaken

you. Can we pray right now? Somebody close your

eyes. I feel the anointing in this house. Come

on, somebody. Come on, open up your mouth and

just pray for a moment. I feel the Holy Ghost

moving in this place right now. Come on, church.

Oh, hallelujah, hallelujah. Some of you, the

scales need to fall off. some of our eyes today

so that we can see that the book is there. But

yes, it can get buried. But I've come to tell

you that God is so good that his word has never

forsaken us. Come on. His word has never departed

from us. Come on, somebody. The word of the Lord

was there all the time. I want to tell you that

there's no devil in hell like we were singing

just a little while ago. There's no devil in

hell that can rob you of the word of God that's

been buried. in the deep recesses of your life.

Oh, I know it might be disheartening. I know

it might be frustrating. I know it might be challenging,

even if you don't want to admit it, that you're

struggling to find a book again in your life.

But God loves you so much. He sent this preacher

here today. He sent your pastor here today to

say God wants to renovate your heart so that

you can find his book again. His word never left

you. And also not only am I and you individually

are we the temple, but also the church of God,

the body of Christ, we are also the temple. In

Ephesians 2, 21, it reads, in whom the whole

building being fitted together grows into a holy

temple in the Lord. In whom you are being built

together for a dwelling place of the spirit.

Not only are you alone a temple, but we together

are a temple. And for the word and the glory

to revive, we need the Holy Ghost to renovate

the temple and to mend the I want somebody to

lift up your hands right now, and I want you

to pray with me in the Holy Ghost. Say, God,

mend the breaches. Come on. I want you to pray

that right now in the Holy Ghost. Say, God, mend

the breaches, Lord. I pray, God. anointing in

this place. Oh, hallelujah, Jesus. It was there

all the time. Can you imagine how many times

over the years how close they were to the word

and they didn't know it? Can you imagine how

often the priests and the scribes and the temple

workers were quite literally walking on top of

the word and they didn't even know it. Can you

imagine how many times somebody may have leaned

on the word and they didn't even know it. While

their world is falling apart, can I tell you

right now, the word of the Lord is holding you

together. Even in your darkest moment, even in

your darkest hour, come on now somebody, the

word of the Lord is closer than you think. Oh

my God. Oh, the promises of God are closer than

you think. They say, but pastor, I don't feel

them like I used to. I don't respond like I used

to. I'm not quite where I used to be. I'm here

to tell you God has not given up on you. The

word is still in the house. The word is still

in the house. And God still loves you. And God

still wants to raise you up and use you. Come

on somebody, give the Lord some praise. Hallelujah,

Jesus. The word was there all the time. But they

had to do some renovating. They had to do some

clearing out. They had to do some created me

a clean heart, oh God. And renew. Someone say

renew. A right spirit within me. They had to

do some prayers like, Lord, search me, oh, God.

Oh, search me, oh, Lord. And know my way. Search

me, oh, God. They had to pray prayers like that.

And get honest and real before God. Because God,

you're not going to discover the word again.

You're saying, Pastor, are you talking about

my Bible? Come on, Pastor, I know where my Bible

is. This message isn't for me. about the Bible

that's in your phone or in your hand. I'm talking

about your word. Have I hid it in my heart that

I might not sin against you. I'm talking about

the word of the Lord. You can quote scripture

and not have the word in your heart. It's your

word. It's your word that says I must love. It's

your word that says I have to forgive. It's your

word that says I have to give and tithe and submit

and be a good. Christian servant in the house

of God it's your word that commands me to praise

God even when it's your word and one of the tall

tale signs I know that somebody needs restoration

is when you are making excuses for why you're

not doing those things and why you have found

have you found a better way than what's in this

book Because if you have, please enlighten us

all. Enlighten God while you're at it. But as

far as I'm concerned, there is no other book

of the law. There is no other word from God that

is the ingredient and the path for my life. And

I have got to take this Bible and this book and

find it again and say, where have you been? tell

you something, we're not going to have revival

just because a guest preacher is flying. We already

bought his ticket, praise God, he's coming. But

we're not going to have revival just because

we booked a guest preacher and because we booked

this sanctuary for three days. That's not why

we're going to have revival. If we're going to

have revival in others, then we first need to

have revival in us. Oh, I said something right

there. I said something right there. You know

why? Someone is going to say, why? Because you

can't give what you don't have. How are you going

to revive somebody when in your own spirit you're

dead? How can you revive somebody within your

own spirit? Come on now, somebody. How can you

praise somebody through the Holy Ghost and you

haven't spoken in tongues in three weeks? How

can you break somebody out of darkness, out of

depression and bitterness if you yourself need

to be revived and renovated and find the word

of God once again? How can I teach others to

do things that I myself am not doing? God help

me. God help me. Give me just a few more moments.

I'm almost done. But listen, there's something

to what Josiah is doing. There's a personal renovation

taking place in his life. Why? Because he tears

his clothes. You don't think your pastor in the

spirit is tearing his clothes and coming before

God. You have to take me at my word that this

is what God has been doing with me. And saying,

Lord, here I am, God. You put me in this church.

You put me in this city for a reason. I didn't

call myself God. You called me. But Lord, where

in my life, Lord, like Josiah and the people

of Judah, which means praise, the people of praise,

where have I, like them, the word, the calling,

amen, the purpose of God to get over and covered

with all kinds of stuff that I have been careless

about and allowed. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.

Where have I, God, not taken heed to my own?

Take heed lest you fall, the Bible says. Have

I not been taking heed of my own walk lest I

fall? Let me tell you, though, as they begin.

to renovate the temple. And the word of God came

back and the book of the law was restored. The

book that Moses, oh, that he wrote under the

inspiration of God. The first five books of the

Bible, the laws and the decrees and the commandments

of the Lord are now being read. But let me tell

you my last and final point is that when the

word, somebody say the word. Come on, come on

church, I need you to say it again. Say the word.

When the word is declared, everything begins

to shift. Oh, hallelujah. When the lost book

was brought to Josiah and declared publicly,

everything shifted. You know what they started

to do? They tore down every false idol that had

been unauthorized in the house of God. They restored

true worship once again. They renewed their covenant

with God. And then revival broke out across the

land. Let me tell you today that the Bible is

not just a book. Somebody say amen today. The

Bible is not just a book. Don't you dare put

this book or this Bible on your shelf and give

it the same level of importance as every other

book that's on your shelf or in your life. This

is not just a book. This is the word of the living

God. This is the word of almighty God. And let

me tell you today, there is nothing. Somebody

just worship the Lord and thank him for his word

right now. I feel something in the Holy Ghost

right now. Oh, hallelujah. The promises of God

are yes and amen. When God, it shall accomplish.

The worst thing you can do is try to fight the

word of God in somebody's life. I said the worst

thing you can do is try to fight the word of

God in somebody's life. You are fighting a losing

battle. Because if God has spoken a word, either

from this book or the Rhema word, that God gives

in moments through his prophets and preachers

and pastors, and God still speaks to the church

today. Hallelujah. You're fighting a losing battle.

Why? Because this world will pass away. Heaven

and earth. Somebody say it's powerful. The writer

of Hebrews said, for the word of God. Someone

say the word of God. Come on, say it again. The

word of God. The word of God is living. This

book is not dead. It's alive. Oh, my God, I feel

something on me right now. Hallelujah. And it's

sharper than any two -edged sword. Piercing,

someone say piercing. Say it again, say piercing.

Even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints.

Shikalabaya. your eyes right now. I feel something

happening. Would you just begin to go into the

spirit for a moment. Let me tell you, I don't

pity so much the unbeliever and the soul on the

outside of these walls as much as I pity the

saint who comes to church and leaves unpierced

by the word. You say, why? Why don't you feel

more sorry for the people out there? Because

they've yet to hear yet. And if they will hear

one day, it will only take one word. I'm more

concerned about those of us who hear the word

of God preached every Sunday and don't let it

pierce our hearts. You're in more spiritual danger

than the furthest person out there in the world

from God. You say, pastor, that's heavy. You

better believe it is. That's why the young man

Eutychus, while Paul was preaching on that one

night, fell from the window. And died. He was

in. He was there, but he wasn't in. He was hearing

the word, but he wasn't letting it pierce his

heart. How can you go day after day, Sunday after

Sunday. You say, pastor, I read my Bible. I don't

want to hear. The Bible says that faith cometh

by hearing. Can you get faith by reading? Absolutely.

But I'm only repeating what the Bible says. It

comes by hearing the word of God. So if you go

and you're preaching today and you don't let

the word pierce your heart, you're not fighting

with me. You're not fighting the mood. You're

not fighting the church. You're fighting God.

Holy Ghost and say, Lord, I have lost the book

and I need to get it back. All Scripture is given

by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,

for reproof, for correction, for instruction

in righteousness. Why does this Bible, why does

this word have power? Because it's the breath

of God. That's why when Ezekiel, I feel something

in the Holy Ghost. When Ezekiel was standing

over the valley of dry bones, the word of the

Lord came to him and told him to prophesy. And

when he prophesied, he said, dry bones! I feel

something happening right now in this place right

now. I feel the spirit of God is moving. God

is dealing. God is working. God is setting.