2 CHRONICLES 15-16
DON'T ASSUME
We all make assumptions. We assume that things are true, when in reality, they are not. Ultimately, we often jump to conclusions.
A family of five was rushed to the hospital to have their
stomachs washed out after the cat with whom they had shared a meal of mushrooms suddenly began to have stomach contractions. While members of the family showed no signs of illness, the doctor still had them rushed to the hospital. When they returned home they found the cat feeling well, after having produced five kittens." Source Unknown
The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get
photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane as warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let's go! Let's go!"
The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. "Fly over the north side of the fire," yelled the photographer, "and make three or four low level passes."
"Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I'm going to take pictures," cried the photographer. "I'm a photographer and photographers take pictures!" After a pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"
We laugh, but how often do we make assumptions about things which just aren't so!
One of the most dangerous assumptions that we can make is that we will always be strong spiritually. We assume that certain temptations would never bother us. Or, we can assume that our faith will never waver or be challenged by the tragedies of life. The Bible is full of warnings. Many of them use the words, "Take Heed".
Luke 21:34 - And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.
1 Corinthians 10:12 - Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Galatians 5:15 - But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
1 Timothy 4:12 - Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Hebrews 3:12 - Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Tonight, as we visit the stories of the Kings Of Judah, we a man who, for at least the first part of his reign, was a Godly king, Asa.
Asa reigned in the Southern Kingdom of Judah and was instrumental in bringing Judah back to God.
Read 2 Chronicles 14:-4.
He also saw the Lord work a great miracle. Read 14:9-12
Tonight, as we remind ourselves not to make assumptions we see:
REVIVAL
REVERSAL
REBUTTAL
REFUSAL
REVIVAL 15:1-18
I think this revival can be broken down into 3 sections.
1. GOD SPEAKS
Vs. 1 - There has been a great victory.
God is probably very popular, and very much respected right now. He picks a time when
things are going well to speak.
The heart of Asa was probably sensitive.
The heart of the people was probably sensitive.
Now is the time for God to get some more of His clean up work done. Some had already been done, but more was needed.
We know nothing about this man of God which spoke.
But the Spirit of God came upon Him, and he spoke.
Let us remember that we may never be famous, or speak to large crowds, but when we speak for God, whether in the pulpit, a testimony meeting, or a Sunday School class, or a Bible Study, it's important.
We never know just how God will use this to impact someone's life.
Vs. 2 - Encouraging, yet sobering thoughts. As long as we walk with the Lord, the Lord walks with us. When we forsake the Lord, he certainly does not leave us, but the Spirit is grieved, and He does not work.
Ephesians 4:25-32 - Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Vs. 3 - Probably talking about the time of the Judges.
Judges 2:11-23
Notice 3 things that cause a decline.
1. Lack of true God.
When Israel did not worship the true God, she was in trouble.
We will either be the servants of Satan or servants of the Lord. When there is a lack of a true God, God disciplines.
He disciplined Israel, and He discipline us.
He warned Israel in Deuteronomy 6:10-14
Deuteronomy 6:10-14 - And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
2. Lack of solid teaching.
Another problem we see in America today, and sometimes in fundamental churches is the lack of solid teaching. Liberalism has caused this to happen.
Sometimes a pastor's failure to apply himself has also caused this to be a problem.
2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3. Lack of justice.
When justice is perverted God is not pleased.
Vs. 4 - God does not want to punish, He wants to restore.
Vs. 5 - When God is not honored, there is no peace.
Vs. 7 - The bottom line of Azariah's message, is a call for making things right. Based on what happened to the judges, there is a call for repentance.
He is told not to let down, or give up. He had begun to make things right, he was to continue.
Sometimes we Christians start to make things right and then give up. We are to see things through to the end. We should never be content but always striving to do better in our love and commitment to the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
GOD SPEAKS
2. GOD'S PEOPLE RESPOND - Vss. 8-18
Vs. 8 - Asa took courage, after hearing the Word of God.
He had already begun reforms, but perhaps only went as far as he thought he could dare. He might have afraid of opposition.
Now, because of God's Word to Him Asa begins to take action. Courage is always something we need and there is no better place to get it than God's Word.
A classic example of God's Word encouraging us towards having courage is Joshua 1. Moses was dead.
The Promised Land had to be entered and conquered. Joshua was the one who had to do it. All through that chapter, God told Joshua to have courage!
Joshua 1:9 - Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
In Vs. 8 Asa cleaned the nation of anything that would offend.
Vss. 9-18 - When something is removed a vacuum takes place.
Something needs to replace what was there
So Asa calls for a renewal of the nation's covenant with God.
Read 1 Chronicles 15:9-12
1. GOD SPEAKS
2. GOD'S PEOPLE RESPOND
3. GOD BLESSES Vss 15, 19
The Lord gives two things here - joy and peace.
Oh, how much more we would we have joy and peace in our lives, our homes, and our churches if we would
Let God Speak and respond accordingly.
2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
REVIVAL
REVERSAL 16:1-6
The revival was followed by a reversal. We need to always be aware of the possibility of going back in the wrong direction. Remember, we must take heed, lest we fall. I have seen and heard of many Godly Christians falling.
Vs. 1 - There is a problem here with the dating.
By the time Asa was in his 35th year, Baasha
was dead and gone. There is a possibility that the 35th
year was the 35th year of the divided kingdom, but no
matter, the events of this story are true nonetheless.
It's interesting to me that we are never done with tests.
And just when we think that we've passed a test, and won't have to face that test again, it seems that God has a way of repeating the tests. This reminds me of Romans 5:3-5
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Vss. 2-6 - Read and comment
Remember, stick with what is right, and what works with God's Word. If God has taken care you before, he'll take care of you again. Don't change the game plan.
REVIVAL
REVERSAL
REBUTTAL 16:7-9
Did God love Asa?
Look at these verses, and tell me how you know that God loved Asa.
God loved Asa so much that He sent a prophet to rebuke Him!
We don't like it when we are rebuked. But when we are rebuked by Godly people, we can certainly be thankful.
Hebrews 12:5-7 - And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Galatians 6:1 - Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Read and comment on Vss. 7-9
REBUTTAL
REFUSAL 16:10-14
Vs. 10 - Here is Asa in a position where he could have repented. But he did not repent.
Instead, he got angry and threw the prophet in jail.
He was angry with God's prophet.
When God's man speaks the truth in love, and someone refuses to hear, he is not as much angry with God's prophet, as he is with God.
When a person refuses to hear God's man, if God's man is right with God, that person is refusing to hear God!
Remember Samuel.
The people wanted a king.
It wasn't time for a king.
1 Samuel 8:6-8 - But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Also notice in Vs. 10, that not only was the prophet picked on, but others as well. Asa was mad and he took it out on others. I sorrow to think of how many times I've done that.
Vs. 12 - Asa was not wrong to check with the doctors.
He was wrong, because he did not seek the Lord as well.
I see stubbornness here.
He was unwilling to admit he was wrong.
And in this he most likely became a bitter man.
Hebrews 12:15 - Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you], and thereby many be defiled;
So, what do we learn from the life of Asa tonight?
Don't assume that you'll always walk close to the Lord.
Instead, make Godliness a daily goal.
Make submission to God a daily practice.
Make sure that you work at your daily walk!
REVIVAL
God Speaks
God's People Respond
God Blesses
REVERSAL
REBUTTAL
REFUSAL