I was reading something this past week about a place of worship that did an incredible thing. Somehow it lost the Word of God! Now, this place wasn’t some hipster haven or liberal hub like Portland, Oregon. No, it wasn’t some college town dominated by progressive professors and their secular philosophies—places like Charlottesville or Blacksburg. Rather, I am talking about a city that was once noted for its religious fervor—a place that was home for God’s presence. You see, the house of worship in this city was undergoing a massive renovation project. Apparently, attendance had been good as, week after week, funds poured in to make sure that everything was built by the best workers, using the best materials. Listen to this remarkable account of what happened as the construction contractors started tearing out old walls to make way for new ones.
This is what I read: 8 “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary [of King Josiah], ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the LORD.’ He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: ‘Your officials have paid out the money that was in the Temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.’ 10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.” 2nd Kings 22:8-10 (NIV) What we are dealing with here is the great Temple in Jerusalem. The year was 622 B.C. King Josiah had sent his representative, Shaphan, over to the Temple complex to check on the progress of the construction work. Upon returning, Shaphan’s report to the king is quite interesting.
Usually, the king would be presented with the most urgent news first and then lesser matters would be brought to his attention. So, what was the first thing—the most important thing from Shaphan’s perspective—that he told the king? The initial thing Shaphan reported was the disbursement of the construction funds to the various contractors who were doing the renovation work. Then, almost as an insignificant afterthought, Shaphan mentioned that the priest had stumbled upon a “book.” Note that the priest had informed Shaphan that this was the “Book of the Law”—meaning the Law of Moses. Now, this may refer to the Book of Deuteronomy or even the entire Torah that also included the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.[1] And yet, to Shaphan, this discovery apparently was no big deal. He wasn’t any more impressed with the discovery of God’s Word than if the workers had unearthed a comic book.
And, what about the religious leadership in Israel? You would have thought that the priest would have been so overjoyed to have recovered God’s Word that he would have raced to the king with the wonderful news. But, that was not the case. He merely handed the Book of the Law over to Shaphan with no more enthusiasm than Shaphan showed when he reported back to King Josiah. How could such religious apathy have become entrenched among the religious leaders and the people in general? Well, Josiah’s predecessors on the throne of Judah (particularly, Kings Manasseh and Amon) had led the country into the worship of pagan idols. The worship of God became a thing of the past as pagan religious practices dominated the nation. And so, the Word of God was cast aside into some wastebin.[2] But, God’s Word is not so easily disregarded. It has a way of resurfacing without fail. And here, in 622 B.C., we find that God’s Word had re-emerged once again.
So, how did King Josiah react to the recovery of God’s Word? In 2ndKings 22, it tells us: 11 “When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest [and the king’s officials]: 13 ‘Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.’” 2nd Kings 22:11-13 (NIV)
When the priest and the king’s men saw how upset Josiah was, they then understood that this must not be any ordinary book. They knew the king was absolutely serious that they make a diligent inquiry as to what course of action should be taken. They also did not hesitate in going to the one person who could provide such advice. And, who was that? Well, for those who claim the Old Testament is completely dominated by a male religious hierarchy, they need to note with whom these men consulted. They could have gone to the prophet Zephaniah for advice. They could have gone to the even more famous prophet Jeremiah. Both were prophets in Judah at that time. But, they didn’t go to either of these men. In fact, they didn’t go to a man at all. Rather, they went to a woman prophetess who happened to be Jeremiah’s aunt. Her name was Huldah.[3] She was quick to pass along to them a message that came directly from God. Huldah said: 15“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods and provoked Me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, My anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’” 2nd Kings 22:15-17 (NIV)
Hmm. . . you see, there are terrible consequences when God’s people are so careless that they lose His Word. When that happens, they start following their own desires rather than the plan God has for them as set forth in His Word. Whenever that happens, disaster is not long in coming. That’s exactly what happened to the people of Judah. Although the LORD spared King Josiah from living to see it, Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. when Jerusalem was flattened and the Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were carted off into captivity and spent the next 70 years in Babylonian exile.
Now, you might wonder what relevance this has to America today. Well, it is completely relevant because this nation isn’t much different from Judah during the days of King Josiah. This really hit me when I saw a recent commercial on TV promoting the sale of Chrysler Jeep vehicles. Overall, the commercial was pleasant enough. It began with the famous actor, Harrison Ford, drinking his coffee in a rustic log cabin. He turns to the camera and, as part of his opening monologue, says: “Life doesn’t come with an owner’s manual.”[4] For me, that was a real “record scratch” statement for two reasons. The first, and less important reason, is that his statement, and much that followed, had nothing to do with selling Jeep vehicles. (Big surprise—right?) The second, and more disturbing thing about this script, is that it’s completely false. Life does come with an owner’s manual. It’s called the “BIBLE.” In fact, you may have learned in Sunday School when you were a child that “B.I.B.L.E.” stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” After hearing Harrison Ford’s misguided statement, I can’t say that I was surprised to hear him later claim that you can write your own owner’s manual for life. That is not a profound statement because it’s exactly what most people do. Humanity has been doing that for a very long time.
Before Israel had any political kings, the Book of Judges provides a history of one of the darkest and immoral times in Israel’s history. The end of the Book of Judges describes how people were actively writing their own life-style manuals as far back as 1,000 years before Jesus’ birth. In Judges 17:6, and again in Judges 21:25,[5] we are told that: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (NKJV) Now, it is usually understood that this reference to “no king in Israel” meant that the people had not yet formed a government under a monarchy headed by a political figure known as a “king.” But, these verses from the Book of Judges go beyond that. Rather, the people of Israel had a KING all along, but decided to abandon Him. They didn’t remove Him from the throne of any earthly palace. No, they dethroned Him from being the SPIRITUAL KING of their hearts. They tossed God—their Almighty King—aside. His Word was no longer their owners’ manual for conducting their lives. This immoral state of affairs was not rectified until David became king and pointed the nation back to God. Unfortunately, as we just read regarding the people of King Josiah’s day, the Israelites repeatedly abandoned God and resumed “doing what was right in their own eyes.” Ironically, it was King Solomon, who played a significant role in the spiritual decline of his own kingdom, who rightly said: “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Proverbs 14:34 (NLT) Too bad this wisest of men failed to heed his own proverb.
But, we’d do well to heed Solomon’s words because it appears that the people of this country have not learned much from history—as Harrison Ford’s foolish comment reminds us. People still insist upon doing what they deem to be right in their own eyes. In the 1960’s, it was expressed counterculturally as “doing your own thing.” But, I don’t want to blame this all on the hippies. Actually, this expression and mindset can be traced back to the mid-1800’s where it appeared in one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays.[6] In any event, this attitude is alive and well today. Now, it’s defined as “writing your own owner’s manual for life.”
So, what does a nation that has lost God’s Word look like when it starts writing its own owner’s manual? Well, for one thing, it looks like Worchester [woo-stir], Massachusetts. Worchester’s population of 200,000 makes it the second largest population center in the state. With this being the case, we are not talking about some backwoods area that’s a cultural anomaly. Rather, the owners’ manuals of its citizens are indicative of a worldview embraced by a large segment of our nation’s population. So, what is on the minds of the “good” people of Worchester? Well, at a public meeting held on February 12th, the City Council passed a resolution, on a 9-2 vote, designating Worchester as a sanctuary for “trans” and “gender-diverse” people. The resolution is purportedly designed to “prevent the city from cooperating with federal or state policies deemed harmful to trans-identified individuals and ensures [their] access to healthcare, housing, education and employment without discrimination.” During the public comment portion of the meeting, the City Council was delighted to entertain the comments of a lesbian pastor who spoke in favor of the resolution. This is what she said: “The Jesus I know would be dressed in full drag and serving face, or handsome as a trans man, or wrapped in the garb of a non-binary person who knows one gender is way too small to capture their gloriousness.”[7]
Where do people come up with such profane and sacrilegious views? Well, if you take Interstate 90 about 34 miles to the east of Worchester, you will find such a place over in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. That is where Wellesley College is located—that excessively progressive private women’s college that specializes in encouraging its graduates to write their own owners’ manuals (no matter how evil and debaucherous those manuals may be). Wellesley College now offers its young women a religion course entitled, “Queer Bible.” According to the curriculum guide, this course will teach the student: “How contemporary expectations about ‘biological sex,’ patriarchal structures, and the biblical world impede our capacity to understand the biblical text, explore the experiential varieties of gender in the ancient world, and appreciate the inherent queerness of gender.”[8]
By the way, don’t think of this as just a perverted mindset found only in those liberal bastions of the northeast. If you head down south to the University of Texas at Austin, you’ll find that, as recently as 2019, they offered a course that encouraged students to engage in transgender acts. Students in this class were given “extra credit” if they would go to a department store and try on both men’s and women’s clothing and then reflect upon their transgender experience. The course syllabus asked students to write “about how you feel in each outfit, what you notice about the physical properties of each garment, and how others react to your trying on clothing from both [the men’s and women’s] sections.”[9]
This is what it sounds like when people write their own owners’ manuals for life. When so-called “places of higher education” drag the Bible through the mud and encourage the perversion of their own students, it shows us what an immoral and depraved society we have become. When a so-called “pastor” appears in a public forum and puts herself and her LGBTQ agenda above the holiness and purity of Jesus Christ, it is not just someone doing what is “right in their own eyes.” It is much worse. It is actively promoting Satan’s worldview that hates Christ and His Creation. For in this Creation, Jesus created humans exclusively as male and female,[10] and not as “non-binary” creatures with a multitude of sexual identities. The problem for this wayward “pastor,” and for many people like her, is that when they write their own self-styled life manuals, they also tend to write their own version as to who Jesus is. But, Jesus won’t allow that. They have to accept Jesus on His terms, not upon some twisted, debauched view of Him designed to support their immoral appetites and worldly agendas.
You see, the problem with writing your own manual to live by is two-fold. First, any human-authored owner’s manual typically comes with the goal of pursuing some preconceived worldly agenda—despite how corrupt and ill-founded those agendas may be. Secondly, such worldly manuals naturally start with a basic worldly premise. The tendency is to see the world as revolving around themselves. And so, the attitude becomes: “Look out for No. 1.” Of course, there are some people who adopt that kind of attitude yet still like to do “good deeds” for others. Doing kind things for others is a good thing to have in your life’s owner’s manual. But, ultimately, when it comes down to putting someone else’s interests above their own, that other person takes a back seat. The Bible teaches something radically different.
Instead of you being No. 1, God’s Word insists that Jesus Christ be No. 1 in your life. And, when you accept Jesus’ way of life and make Him No. 1, your position with respect to others also changes. You will look out for others’ welfare even when it may be costly to you. When that guy punches you in the jaw, you turn the other cheek[11]—not because you are a coward, but because you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.[12] Instead of sacrificing the other person’s wellbeing to the service of your own, you will serve the needs of others despite the adverse consequences to you. Jesus gave us so many examples of this in the way He lived. While His disciples tended to vie for positions of prominence in God’s coming Kingdom, Jesus taught them to substitute humility in place of personal ambition. He—their Creator, their Lord and Savior—on the night before going to the Cross, washed their feet. His example was one of servanthood—and not “looking out for No. 1.” Jesus’ supreme example of His servanthood was bound up in His teaching when He said: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 (NLT2) He revealed to us this supreme example when He died for you and me on the Cross. For those people who go about life according to their individual owner’s manual, all these concepts of servanthood and sacrificial love are completely foreign to them.
What would give them Godly direction? They need a moral compass. That compass is God’s Word—The Bible. David, in Psalm 19, voices the proper attitude to take when applying God’s ways to your life. David sang out: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV) That will never be the case if your words and thoughts are not aligned with God’s Word. That alignment is crucial in charting the course of your life. The need for God’s compass is expressed in another psalm which states: 104 “I gain understanding from your precepts [i.e., God’s Manual to Live By]; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:104-105 (NIV)
Believe me—you do not want to be on the wrong path. And so, we need a “lamp to our feet” in order to know where we are standing. If you were standing on the edge of a cliff and one more step would put you over the edge, that would be some good information to have. If you are standing on the precipice and one more step is going to land you in the fires of Hell—yeah, that would be an even better thing to know. The Bible is that lamp that, not only shows you where your spiritual feet are standing, but also shows you how to get back to where you should be if your feet are planted in the wrong place. That is why the psalmist added that part about God’s Word being a “light” to his path. If you are on a dark road that’s wide and comfortable, and most of the world is right there with you, then you definitely are on the wrong road. You need the Light of Jesus Christ to show you a way through the darkness and back on the road God has planned for you. Jesus said: 13 “The highway to Hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT2) The old Nancy Sinatra song says, “These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do…” Make sure your feet aren’t planted in the “boots” of this world. As Jesus warned, the problem is they will walk you straight to Hell. Without exception, “that’s just what they’ll do!”
You need a different kind of footwear. Paul tells us: 15 “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” Ephesians 6:15 (NLT2) That’s right, you need to be shod with the Gospel of Jesus Christ if you are going to walk His straight and narrow path. Just as God’s footwear was needed on the national level in Josiah’s time, and in America today, the same is true on a personal level. Sometimes our feet have to travel many miles before we realize this.
For example, consider the 71-year-old actor and comedian, Tim Allen. As you will recall, Allen was the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the animated Pixar film, Toy Story. He has been the star of several TV comedy sitcoms such as Home Improvement, Last Man Standing, and now his new show is Shifting Gears. He believed in God as a small child. But, in 1964 that changed when his father was killed by a drunk driver. Allen was only 11 years old. It was then that he abandoned his faith. He started writing his own manual for life. That worldly instruction book put him in some different boots. By 1978, those boots led him to two years in federal prison after he was convicted of cocaine trafficking charges. At that point in his life, he seems to have drifted spiritually. But, deep inside, he knew that the course he had been on could only lead to ruin. And so, gradually, he sought a different owner’s manual that would lead him in a better direction. Last August, Allen revealed that he had almost completed his reading of the Old Testament. He said: “[I] never took the time in all my years to ever read, and really read, the Bible. Currently, [I am] almost through the Jerusalem Bible Old Testament and almost done with the Prophets. Next up: [the] New Testament. So far, [it’s been] amazing and not at all what I was expecting.” Earlier this month, he posted on X: “After nearly a year, I have finished [the] entire Old Testament and the experience of re-reading, dedicated focus and no drifting has made this a humbling, overwhelming experience. What a treasure. [Now, I am] three days into [the] New Testament.”[13]
Yes, Tim Allen has found that the only “MANUAL” that truly provides the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth is God’s Holy Word. We need that holy instruction before leaving this earth because, beyond this life, there are only two options: Eternal death in Hell, and eternal life in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. Any so-called “owner’s manual for life,” other than the Bible, leads to death. In this regard, the Bible emphasizes: “ Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death.” Proverbs 14:12 (TLB). God wants you to choose LIFE! As Tim Allen reads the New Testament, he will find that the “WORD OF LIFE” is not only a concept. THE WORD BECAME FLESH IN THE DIVINE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST! [14] For as the Apostle John proclaimed when referring to Jesus: 1 “We proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. HE IS THE WORD OF LIFE. 2 THIS ONE WHO IS LIFE ITSELF was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that HE IS THE ONE WHO IS ETERNAL LIFE. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us.” 1st John 1:1-2 (NLT2)
Would you like to have Jesus Christ revealed to you as well? You’ll never find Him or eternal life if you insist upon writing your own owner’s manual. Human manuals lead to a prison far worse than the one where Tim Allen was incarcerated. These worldly manuals can only lead to that eternal prison otherwise known as Hell. But, Jesus offers you something wonderful instead. He offers you eternal life because HE IS LIFE. Through His Resurrection, those who repent and give their lives to Him are guaranteed a place in His Heavenly Kingdom. So, what’s it going to be? Will you follow the recommended wide road Harrison Ford suggests, or will you opt for the narrow path that Tim Allen is now pursuing? Make sure you have your Basic Instructions right Before Leaving this Earth.
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
February 23, 2025
©2025 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: A Thorough, Yet Easy-to-Read Bible Commentary That Turns Complicated Theology Into Practical Understanding, ed. Arthur Farstad, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 417.
[2] Harry E. Shields, “2 Kings,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2014), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 548.
[3] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: A Thorough, Yet Easy-to-Read Bible Commentary That Turns Complicated Theology Into Practical Understanding, ed. Arthur Farstad, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 417.
[4] Elizabeth Leonard, “Harrison Ford Reflects on Freedom and What Makes Him Happy in Jeep's Super Bowl Ad: 'A Rumination on Life' (Exclusive)”, MSN.com, https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/harrison-ford-reflects-on-freedom-and-what-makes-him-happy-in-jeeps-super-bowl-ad-a-rumination-on-life-exclusive/ar-AA1yIvFR (February 11, 2025).
[5] Judges 21:25 “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (NLT)
[6] “Do one’s (own) thing,” TheFreeDictionary.com, https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/do+one%27s+(own)+thing [accessed February 19, 2025].
[7] Ian M. Giatti, “Lesbian pastor blasphemes Jesus as 'drag queen,' trans activists issue threats at city council meeting,” Remarks made ahead of vote to make Mass. city an LGBT 'sanctuary',” Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/news/lesbian-pastor-blasphemes-jesus-as-drag-queen-at-council-meeting.html (February 17, 2025).
[8] Jon Brown, “Hillary Clinton's alma mater Wellesley College offering ‘Queer Bible’ course,” Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/news/wellesley-college-offering-queer-bible-religion-course.html (February 20, 2025).
[9] Ian M. Giatti, “UT Austin course syllabus offered students ‘extra credit’ for cross-dressing,” ChristianPost.com, https://www.christianpost.com/news/ut-austin-syllabus-offers-extra-credit-for-cross-dressing.html (February 21, 2025).
[10] Matthew 19:4-6 4 [Jesus said:] “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” (NASB)
[11] Matthew 5:39 “I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (NASB)
[12] Matthew 5:44 [Jesus said:] “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (NLT2)
[13] Leah MarieAnn Klett, “Comedian Tim Allen reads through Old Testament, begins New Testament: ‘What a treasure,’” Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/news/tim-allen-reads-through-old-testament-begins-new-testament.html (February 11, 2025). See Tim Allen’s X account: https://x.com/ofctimallen/status/1888381223535358099 (February 8, 2025).
[14] John 1:1, 14 1 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . 14 So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (NLT2)
