["Pomp and Circumstance"]
All right, thanks for coming to the winning pool.
We hope you get started this evening.
We're going to turn it over to song number 409.
The play is on.
That's song number 409.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Let's see if anybody else is on.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
The flag is on.
The strongest sound is ringing
And the prize we've won
Is turned up for a year.
The Lord of all walls
Is marching on to victory
The triumph of
Yet Christ will serve him.
The fight is on.
All Christians will turn
Their face to face
It's turned away.
The thunder gleaming
And all the streaming
The right and wrong
It is today.
The fight is on.
What we are fearing
Is counting in his life
All fast.
With God before us
His reign o'er us
We'll sing the fainter song at last.
The fight is on.
The battle's so great
We'll change what all God needs
And victory we'll sure hope upon.
The error God has given you
And in his reign
Forever and in time.
The fight is on.
All Christians will turn
Their face to face
It's turned away.
The fight we're claiming
And all the streaming
The right and wrong
It is today.
The fight is on.
What we are fearing
Is counting in his life
All fast.
With God before us
His reign o'er us
We'll sing the fainter song at last.
The fight we're claiming
And all the streaming
The right and wrong
The battle's so great
We'll change what all God needs
And victory we'll sure hope upon.
The error God has given you
And victory we'll sure hope upon.
The fight we're claiming
And all the streaming
The right and wrong
It is today.
The fight is on.
What we are fearing
Is counting in his life
All fast.
With God before us
His reign o'er us
We'll sing the fainter song at last.
All right, we're going to have a word of prayer.
Good morning and thank you.
For the folks that have come out tonight.
We want to thank you for your Bible and preaching out there.
Thank you for being with us.
The world's spirit has been here.
We're going to help us honor you.
And all that we say and thank you this evening.
It would be better if we had an outcast in Christ.
Thank you.
We've scored Psalm 187.
You need the words.
Jesus loves me.
Psalm 187.
I do need the words.
Just so you know.
I'm ashamed of that.
Psalm 187.
Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
We've got the church-wide soloing listed below that.
Don't forget there's still the Tuesday time
if you can make it.
That's still the time that's available.
And also if there's any other times outside of that
that you'd like to get together and go soloing,
just let me know.
I can always make that happen.
And we've got the salvation and baptisms listed below that.
Go back and go ahead and count up the salvation
going back to Monday or Tuesday, Wednesday.
Was there anything for the group today?
Where's our guy?
Was there anything for the group?
No, you were there.
Zero, okay.
And then we've got a couple notes.
If you need it there regarding the church,
please be sure to turn off your cell phones
if you haven't already done so.
And Happy Mother's Day just last Sunday.
And also this Saturday is the annual
Mother-Daughter Tea Party in honor of Mother's Day.
So that's gonna be this Saturday, May 14th.
And ladies, if you haven't signed up yet,
please do so and take the sign-up sheet home tonight
and order everything accordingly.
So make sure you've signed up if you haven't already.
And also don't forget the small town soloing
in Sierra Vista that's gonna be taking place here
near the end of the month on Saturday, May 21st.
I'll have an itinerary out for that.
But that is a day trip that we're gonna do.
We'll take care of all your expenses,
the gas if you need it.
We can't cram you in the van.
We'll feed ya and we'll take you out soloing
out in Sierra Vista.
But I'm out all day, so we'll start knocking
those doors too.
Don't forget on the back that we go weekly
by their memory passage.
So we've got until Sunday to get that finished,
those of you that are memorizing it.
Make a conference announcement below that.
Again, I will be running a shuttle on the Wednesdays
from Tucson, so if there's a Wednesday
and there's a particular creature that falls
on a Wednesday that you wanna go see
or if you wanna do them all,
it's gonna be on a first come, first serve basis.
I'll have the sign up sheets out probably the week prior
for people to be able to sign up.
But that will be going on probably around five
so you can kinda get an idea
if you wanna make these work.
If there's a Sunday that you wanna go up there,
by all means, do that.
But that's obviously, I'm gonna be here.
So you're gonna have to get up there on your own.
But it'd be worth a trip to go out
and see some of these other creatures as well.
And then also, not including the bulletin,
where is Karen?
Where's my daughter, Karen?
Where is she?
Karen!
Come here.
Okay, it's Karen.
Come here, Karen.
We're all waiting on you.
Is she hiding?
Karen Elizabeth.
Come here now, this is your father speaking.
Come on, nope, nope, come here, just come right here.
We're all gonna wait.
Did she go in the bathroom?
Oh, she thinks she's gonna get away.
It's her 11th birthday, she does not wanna be sung to.
I'm so mean.
Yeah, well we got cupcakes and ice cream
to make up for how mean I am.
We'll get her afterwards.
We're gonna sing to you.
She's, I'm gonna have to check her.
She's getting older, she's getting more clever.
She's thinking now,
how can I avoid this embarrassing situation?
Oh, suddenly I have to go to the restroom.
All right, she can play that game.
So, but it's a happy birthday to her.
But we'll sing when she's done, when she gets back out.
We'll sing later, all right?
But we'll sing our next song
before we get into preaching tonight.
Let's go over to song number 328, I Want That Mountain.
That's song number 328.
["I Want That Mountain"]
I saw a night of ruthless bliss upon the mountain's eye.
He passed the word and quiet faith in me.
The longer and the older his lost face,
the more I cried,
I want that mountain if he wants to be.
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
Where the mountain running,
far and the graceful west would grow,
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
The mountain that my Lord has within me.
The air flows so dry, he lets me distance,
and I wouldn't know if it was for the one who set me free.
I don't come from out the wilderness,
I'll witness now I know.
I want that mountain if he wants to be.
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
I want that mountain, where the melting honey flow,
where the graceful west would grow,
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
The mountain that my Lord has within me.
One thing that's shining from the rest of me
will drop the light.
Let's bow and host the ones who make me free.
I'll fly from out the wilderness,
and trust the homeless light.
I want that mountain if he wants to be.
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
Where the graceful west would grow,
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
The mountain that my Lord has within me.
Let every giant do the stress,
let nothing make him stay.
Get ready now to make him for you see.
I come from out the wilderness,
I know I'm going to win.
I want that mountain if he wants to be.
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
Where the graceful west would grow,
I want that mountain, I want that mountain.
The mountain that my Lord has within me.
All right, this time we're going to pass the offering plate.
As it goes around, follow Brother Gabriel as he reads
from 1 Kings, chapter 15.
That's 1 Kings, chapter 15.
1 Kings, chapter 15.
Verse 1, the Bible reads,
On the eighteenth year, King Jeroboam was
the son of Nebah after he advised him of Judah.
Three years later, he and Jerusalem,
his mother, and his man, the daughter of Ishmael,
when he walked in on the sins of the small group
that she had done before him,
his heart was not perfect for the Lord his God,
as I heard of David's father.
Nevertheless, for David's sake,
the Lord God gave him a lamp to Jerusalem,
set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem,
because David established what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
and turned out his side to remain female and compatible
all the days of his life,
save only in the matter of Uriah and Hittite.
And there was war between Jeroboam and Jeroboam
all the days of his life,
for the rest of the acts of Elijah and all that he did
were not written in the book of the chronicles
of the hymns of Judah.
And there was war between the Bible and Jeroboam,
and the Bible was stuffed with his fathers,
and the burial of the city of David,
and Esa, the son, reigned his step.
And in the twentieth year, Jeroboam, king of Israel,
reigned Esa of Judah.
In forty-one years, when he came to Jerusalem,
his mother's name was Manacah, the daughter of Eishon.
And Esa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord,
and had the days of his fathers.
And he took away the Sodomites out of the land,
and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
And also Manacah's mother,
he and her, he was moved from being queen
because she had made an idol for the world.
And Esa destroyed her idol and burnt it
by the birth of Caesar.
But the high places were not removed.
Nevertheless, Esa taught his purpose of the Lord
and he brought in the prince, his father identically,
and I think it was himself,
and he came into the house of the Lord,
silver and gold and vessels.
And there was war between Esa and Beishech,
king of Israel of all their days.
And Beishech, king of Israel,
went up into Judah and built Ramah,
that he might not suffer any to go out
or come into Esa, king of Judah.
And Esa took all the silver and the gold
that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord
and the treasure of the king's house
and delivered them into the hand of his servants.
So then Hadad, son of Tachariah,
the son of Haman, king of Syria,
that law of the past was saying,
there is a need between me and me
and between my father and my father,
who is old and has sent him to be a president
of silver and gold, come, great that I leave
with Beishech, king of Israel, that he may depart from it.
So then Hadad hearkened to king Esa
and sent a captain with a host,
which he had against the city of Israel,
and sowed Eijar on the dam, and able Bethneac,
and all Sinnerah, with all the land in that tower.
The last of Beishech or her thereof,
they left off the building of Reimah
to blow up Israel.
Then king Esa made a proclamation for all of Judah
and that was exempted.
They took away the stones of Reimah
and the timber thereof, for which Beishech had built it.
And king Esa built them, he loved Benjamin and Esa.
The rest of the polyacts of Esa
and all his might and all that he did
and the cities which he built.
Are they not written in the book of the prodigies
of the king of Judah?
Nevertheless, since Hadad was old age,
and Esa slept with his fathers,
and was buried with his father in the city of David,
Egypt, tossing away his son Reimah instead.
And Hadad, the son of Jeroboam,
began to reign over Israel
in the second year of Egypt to Judah
and reigned over Israel two years.
And he did evil on the side of the Lord
and walked in all the ways,
walked in the way of his father
in the city of what he made Israel to sin.
And Beishech, the son of Ahijah,
of the house of Issachar, conspired against him.
And Beishech smote him at Dibetan,
which belonged the Philistines.
And Hadad and all Israel played seeds of Yimithal.
Even in the third year of Esa,
he and Judah began to enslave him,
and raided instead.
And it came to pass, when it rained,
that he spoiled the house of Jeroboam.
He left the house of Jeroboam,
and he left Reida until he had destroyed it,
according to the saying of the Lord,
which he spake and served to hide from the shadow.
But because of the sins of Jeroboam,
which he sinned, and which he made Israel to sin,
his provocation was to provoke the Lord God
for the rest of the acts he made down and all they did.
But then I read in the book of the Chronicles
of the Kings of Israel, and there was war between
Esa and Abishah, the king of Israel,
on the days. In the third year of Esa,
Judah began Abishah, the son of Ahijah,
to reign over all Israel and Tizre
for twenty-four years, and he did evil
inside of Israel, and walked from the way
of Jeroboam to his sin,
which he made Israel to sin.
Father Peter, would you pray for us?
The Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy.
Thank you for your precious word.
We pray that you be with our Lord,
that you be with Job's spirit,
and that you preach for us in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
Amen. So we're still in chapter 15
there, obviously, tonight.
There's a couple things
going on in chapter 15, and we're really just
going to look at King Esa. You remember last week
you looked at his father, Abijah,
and some of the things that were
good about him and some of the things that were bad.
But one of the things I would point out
about Abijah is how short
his reign was. If you notice there,
it says in chapter 15, verse 1,
now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam,
so that's a point of reference
for Abijah's reign.
It says that in the eighteenth year of
King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat
reigned Abijah over Judah, and then if you jump
down to verse 9, it says in the twentieth year
of Jeroboam, king of Israel, reigned
Esa, which was his son, over Judah.
So you see that Abijah
had a very
short reign.
And Esa's is of course
much longer. If you look there in verse 10,
it says, in forty and one years
reigned he, Esa,
in Jerusalem, and his mother's name was
Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom.
You can see that there's a huge
discrepancy between the
length of these two men's reigns, and really
the difference was that you had
one that did right and one
that although did do some things right
and there was some good things,
on the whole, his heart was not perfect
and there was a lot of things that he didn't do.
And we talked about that last week,
but I really want to focus on Esa
and the reason why I believe he had such
a much longer reign is because
of the fact that he did do right.
It said in verse 11,
Esa did that which is right in the eyes
of the Lord, as did David his
father. So he's saying, look, even
as David was a man after
mine own heart, and he was
a man that did what was right in the sight of the Lord,
so did Esa. Now
let me make this clear is that
Esa is not perfect.
This is an important lesson that we have to understand.
There's a theme
throughout Scripture because
of the fact that you're dealing
with man, because you're dealing with
humankind, you're dealing with human nature.
So we keep seeing the good,
the bad, and the ugly of these different
characters. We're seeing how flawed they are.
We're seeing the good things that they did. We're also
seeing a lot of the shortcomings that they had. What we
learned throughout is that they're
not flawless people.
They are flawed people.
It says there in verse 12,
He took away the Sodomites out of the land.
That's a good thing, right? He removed all the idols
that his father had made.
And also Maacah, his mother, even her, he removed her
from being queen because she had
made an idol in a grove.
And Esa destroyed her idol and
burned it by the brook Cai-dron.
But the high places were not removed.
Nevertheless, Esa's heart
was perfect with the Lord
all his days. So he did a lot
of good things, and the things that he did were really
good, but it does say there
the high places were not removed.
So they were still worshiping in these high places,
these other places where
other worship
was taking place. He didn't get everything
done that he should have done.
But it does say that his heart was perfect with the Lord
all his days. And what we can learn from this is that
he did right,
but that does not mean that he was perfect.
And we really can't
expect anything else from any
one of us either.
We can't expect people to be
perfect in every way, that they're
just never going to make mistakes,
that they're going to be
just do everything right
all of the time. Look, there's going to be some things
that we miss. There's going to be some
things that we are going to leave undone in life.
There are going to be some things that are
going to be, you know,
like a
black eye to us. They're going to be a
black spot. They're going to be something that we
missed, okay? And this is an
important lesson to learn, that nobody's
you know, not in the sense that the Bible
is using the word perfect. His heart was perfect,
but he wasn't perfect in the sense that he
doesn't mean that he was sinless, okay?
Because we see that. Now if you would,
go to Romans chapter 7, Romans chapter 7.
And really, the reason
I'm bringing this up is because of the fact that
when we understand this, this just
should, you know, remind us
of the goodness of God, of how God
truly is good, and
how good he really is.
Because the fact that we see somebody
like an Asa, who has this
great long reign, who does a lot of
good things, you know, he
still isn't, you know,
doesn't do everything he should have done.
And in fact, you'll see later that his son
you know, finishes up some of the things that
that, you know, he
failed to do. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
But what this reminds us of is that, you know,
God understands us about us.
God understands that we are
flawed people, that we're sinners,
and he still extends us
mercy, okay?
Now if you look there in Romans chapter 7,
look at verse 13.
He says,
well let's just jump in 14.
He said, for we know that the law
is spiritual, but I am carnal,
so we'll understand.
Now listen to what Paul's saying. He says, look, I am carnal.
He doesn't say, I was carnal.
He didn't say, I was carnal, then I got
saved, and then I was just, you know, I never
made another mistake. I always
had the right attitude. I never got into sin.
I never slipped up. I did everything
I was supposed to do for the Lord.
No, that's not what he said. He's saying,
look, I am carnal, sold under sin.
This is the apostle Paul speaking.
For that which I, and this is that tongue twister, right,
that famous passage, for that which I
do I allow not for what I would
that I do not. But what I hate
that I do.
He's explaining, look, the things I don't want to do,
those are the things that I do do. The things that I do
want to do, those things I don't do.
He said there in verse 16,
if then I do that which I would
not, I consent that the law,
unto the law, that
it is good. Now then it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me. And again, present tense.
It's sin that is dwelling in me.
I got saved, and now sin no longer
dwells in me. He's making the case here that we
are still carnal. We still have
this flesh. We still have an
old man. We still have a struggle that we have
to fight every day. And people
are going to lose battles along the way.
He says
in verse 18, for I know that in me that is in my
flesh dwelleth no good thing.
And guess what? That's true. There is
nothing good in our flesh, but you still
have the flesh to deal with every single
day.
I look in the mirror and I don't say,
oh, there's my glorified body.
No, that's in heaven.
I look in the mirror and say, that's
far from glorified.
It's still the old man. It's still
that same carcass that I had
when I got saved.
It's the spirit that's been made new.
He says
I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth
no good thing, but for it dwelleth present with
me. But how to perform that which is good
I find not.
For the good that I would
I do not, but the evil which I would not
that I do, now if I do that
I would not. It is no more I that do it, but
it's sin that dwelleth present tense
in me. He said I find
then a law that when I would do
good, evil is present with
me. For I delight in the law of
God after the inward man,
but I see another law in my members
warring against the law of my
mind and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is
in my members.
So what he's saying here is
look, no one's going to be perfect. We
still have this flesh to deal with.
That's why we still read about people
like Asa who
despite all the good things that they do
still end up missing some things
and really if you're paying attention to the chapter
he's not consistent all the way
through. He starts out really well
but at the end he has this
complete lapse in faith
and we'll get to all that
if we have time.
So he wasn't flawless.
If you would go over to Psalms 103, but this should
remind us that this isn't
this doesn't take God by surprise
and really what this shows us
is the mercy of God that
God understands that we are still
sinful beings.
That we
that you know
that's why it's so foolish when people say things like
I'm going to get to heaven by being good.
Or you've got to
repent of your sins to get saved or something like that.
God
commended his love in that while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us.
He commended his love while we were yet sinners.
He didn't wait for us to clean up our life.
He didn't wait for us to
repent. Now look should we clean up our life and repent
and do that? Of course.
But you know what some people don't do that.
You know
a lot of people they know what they should do.
They know the good that they should do
but they don't do it.
They know the evil that they shouldn't do but that's what
they do. Because they still
have this war in their members.
They still have this sin that still dwells
in us. That hasn't gone away.
And
again it should remind us that this doesn't take
God by surprise.
If we were just
going to hold everybody to the standard
of perfection
then no one
would make it.
And God in his wisdom
and in his mercy
takes it
easy on us doesn't he?
I mean think about all the things God can come down
on us over every day.
You know
hopefully there's less and less as we mature
in the faith.
Hopefully there's less and less that we would upset God.
Hopefully it'd be nice to just get to the end of the day
and just say well I pleased my father today.
That I at least was pleasing
to God today.
Hopefully that
becomes more
that's a more consistent thing in our
Christian lives but if we're being honest
you know
there's probably been a time
in our lives even after we got saved where
you know if God was just going to come down on us
he could have. And look God does come
down on us. He chaseneth every son and he
receiveth.
But not to the degree to which
he could often.
And that's not an excuse to sin willfully.
Right? I mean
if we
if we want to just use the grace
of God as a cloak for our sin then yeah
expect the hammer of God. Expect him to
come down on you.
And come down on you.
But the Bible says in Lamentations
you went to Psalm 103 it says it is of the
Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed.
Because his compassion fails not.
You know if we've
managed to you know live the Christian
life for any length of time
we're going to be able to look back and say the only
reason I made it this far is because of God's
compassion.
Not because I'm just this amazing Christian.
Not just because you know and
obviously we should be better Christians than
we were yesterday.
But the best among
us would look back and say look it's
it's of his mercy that I have been
consumed. It's his compassion
that haven't failed. I've failed
in my Christian life. I've let
God down. I've made mistakes.
But his compassion has not failed.
They're new every morning.
Great is thy faithfulness.
You know I've been found
unfaithful. You know there's been
times in my life where I say well it wasn't faithful to
God today. We might even
go through whole seasons in our life.
We would be just
you know described as unfaithful.
But you know he
remains faithful. That's why anybody
makes it through.
Because of God's mercies, compassion.
Look at
Psalm 103.
It says in verse 13 like
as a father pitieth his children
so the Lord pitieth them
that fear him.
I mean what is pity?
I mean you look
at you look at someone you show pity on them
you're acknowledging the fact that they're what
they're pitiful.
Really. You're looking at
you're taking pity on them and saying well you know
let me show some mercy
because obviously there's something about
them that they just can't help it or something.
I mean that's what it is to
take to pity something.
It's not that they're not deserving of
punishment. It's not that they're not deserving
of the consequences. It's just that
I'm not going to give it to them. Because you know
what? They're weak. They're
frail. Like a father pitieth
his children and that's the illustration.
I mean I believe
fathers should discipline their children that they should have
a hard line. That they should be
that they should you know draw
have rules and standards that are
met.
But there's also a time and place to show
pity isn't there and mercy.
You know like David said of God
thy gentleness hath made me great.
Look
you know I believe in
disciplining our children. I believe
that's what the Bible says through and through. I mean
it's a biblical doctrine
that we need to put into practice.
But there's also
a time where it's just to show pity
and just say well you know I'm
going to take it easy. I'm going to let you slide on
this one. You know I
can tell you feel bad enough about it already.
You know sometimes
the kids they'll get used to
that voice.
You know when dad says my name in a certain
way I know what's coming.
And look if you're a dad
and you have no idea what I'm talking about you know what you need
to go read Proverbs.
You need to come see me after the service
and let's have a talk about disciplining your children.
Okay
but here's the thing.
Parents, fathers,
mothers that do put that into practice
they have children go oh I
know what that tone means.
They don't want to hug.
They're not calling me because
they're going to shower me with affection.
It's because I'm going to go
in there and I'm going to get what I deserve.
You know
and sometimes you know we as parents
when that kid comes
in the tears are already coming and they're already
sorry.
We might show a little pity.
We might back off a little bit.
We might let him pass.
Now that shouldn't be consistent.
Right we should be
consistent in the discipline but you know what
that's what God does to us
a lot of times.
You know we might and I don't know
that this is going to happen but it certainly
you know could. We could get to
heaven and God could just sit down and I don't think he
will do this because I don't believe we're going to be
showing our sins
in heaven.
But what if he did and he's like I
pitied you here and I pitied you here and I
pitied you here and I pitied you here and I showed you mercy here
and I had compassion here.
You were unfaithful here. I was faithful here and
just our whole lives, Christian lives
can be that way.
So we should never get this idea that
everyone needs to be perfect.
Everyone's going to be flawless. People are
never going to make mistakes because they are.
And that's what we've been seeing. You read
your Bible it's just over and over and over
again. And what it sure
remind us of is the fact that
God is good.
That God is merciful.
That even someone like Asa he would
say his heart was perfect.
Despite the fact that he didn't take care of the high places.
You know his heart was perfect
like David his father.
That's what it should remind us of.
So obviously
people are flawed.
That's why we read about it
so often in the scripture. Asa
at the end I mean
he was going so well and it's just like
he kind of blew it at the end.
And that's been another theme that's been
coming up. That's something I feel like a broken record
and keep saying.
It's not how you start it's how you finish.
It's how you finish that counts.
Okay.
But the good things about
Asa if you want to go back there
go back to 1 Kings.
Actually go over to 2 Chronicles 14
it's parallel passage.
Because again remember 1 Kings is just
that chapter 15 is kind of
just a quick synopsis
of several of these Kings reign particularly
Asa. His reign
gets more detailed over several chapters
in 2 Chronicles.
You see that through chapters 14
through 16 it really deals with his reign in detail.
And it kind of fills in
between the lines
of 1 Kings 15.
And one of the
things that it points out
is the fact that
Asa is somebody
who stepped out in faith.
Asa is somebody that
again like his father
that was really the only
good thing we could say about him
was that he was somebody who was willing to put
himself out there.
If you remember that's what I preached last week
that Abijah at least was willing
to put himself out there and rely on the Lord.
And you see Asa doing
the same thing.
He did right
of his own accord.
He did that voluntarily.
We'll see where God
steps in and starts to bless him but it's
after Asa steps out
in faith and does what's right of his own
accord. Of his own will.
Not because God came and said
hey if you do right I'll bless you.
He already knew to do right.
And when he stepped out by faith and did right
and did what was right by his own accord
that's when we see God show up and then he
takes it to the next level and that's when Asa begins
to really clean house.
If you see there
in 2 Chronicles chapter
14 it says
in verse 1, So Abijah slept with his fathers
and they buried him in the city of David.
And Asa his son reigned in his stead in the days
in his days was the land
quiet ten years. So he starts out he gets
this peace at the beginning.
And rather than just sitting back on his laurels
and just saying oh everything's going to be fine he takes
this time to do what's right and
to prepare himself for
you know for the long haul.
And it says there
and Asa did that which is good and right in the eyes
of the Lord is God for he took away the altars of the
strange gods in the high places and break down the
images and cut down the groves.
He commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers
and to do the law and the commandment.
And he took away out of all the cities of Judah
the high places and the images and the
kingdom was quiet before him and he
built fence cities in Judah for the land had
rest and he had no
war in those years because the Lord had given him
rest. Therefore he said unto Judah
let us build these cities and make
about them walls and towers and gates
and bars where the land is yet before us
because we have sought the Lord our God
we have sought him and he has given us rest in
every side so they builded and
prospered. So he has this ten years of prosperity
but you know he doesn't just waste
that just you know living the king's
life you know just
you know just living it up. He's preparing
himself right. He's directing the people
towards God. He's
you know building up his defenses. He's
getting his army together.
And here's the thing you know when we have seasons of
peace that's the time to really prepare.
You know because
the test is coming.
You know that's something I think about with our
church often.
You know that's why you know I don't
we're not going through any persecution but that's
why I bring it up because it's going to happen.
It will it's just a matter
of time.
You know I don't know that people think about that as
much as you know the preacher does.
They don't think about
you know that's one of the pressures of the ministry
is just like when's it going to happen?
What's around the corner?
What should I expect next?
You know who's going to be an
infiltrator? You know what strange doctrine
is somebody going to try to bring in? What battle
is our church going to have to fight?
You know and the people sometimes
they can kind of just think that oh
it's just going to be like this all the time. I'm telling you
it's not.
But when it's good when the battle isn't there
that's the time to prepare.
That's the time to hunker down
and dig in and get your defenses built.
You know get into the
word of God. Understand doctrine.
Read it.
You know you don't want to have to fight those you know learn
all that stuff when in the midst of the battle.
You know
they don't it's like any other army they don't they don't
say you know you'll figure out how to fire this gun
when you when the enemy's in front of you.
You know they send them through a boot camp.
You know on domestic soil
where everything's safe where they don't have anything to worry
about. Where they're surrounded
and protected and the enemy can't harm them. That's
where they train and learn
and prepare to go out and fight the battle.
You know it's the same
way with us that's what we ought to be doing
in our Christian lives.
Is when we have that
rest on every side when the battle isn't
coming you should be getting prepared.
And that's something that Asa did.
Rather than just saying well hey it's
it's peace and safety.
I'm just going to live it up.
You know I'm just not going to read my Bible
I'm not going to pray.
I'm not going to learn doctrine.
You know I'll make it to church
when I can when it's convenient for me.
You know I'll
pay attention if it's something that interests me
when I'm actually there.
You know that
you know that's the time to start taking
the notes to read the Bible
learn the doctrine.
So that when the battle does come
and look it's coming.
It will come.
It's guaranteed. All they that live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
If it doesn't come to us as a church
it will come to you as an individual.
You can mark that down.
If you're actually trying to
live for God it's going to come.
You know so this is the time
to prepare because that's what Asa did. I mean that's why
he was blessed and that's why he passed the test.
Because he was
eventually tested. If you look there
in verse 8 he says
Asa had an army of men
that bear targets and spears out of Judah
300,000.
And out of Benjamin that bears shields
drew bros 200 and four score
thousand.
Excuse me.
All these were mighty
men of valor.
Now notice the numbers here.
Do the math.
So he gets this army of men
he's got them, they've got
spear, they've got shields
there's no mention of any chariots
right?
They've got 200, they've got basically
about 580,000 people.
500, so they've got
just over half a million people.
That's what his army consists of.
You know
and his father was in a similar situation where he
was outnumbered. Remember when we read about that
last week?
His father was outnumbered
by the enemy. Well the same thing happens
to him. So Asa at least
had enough sense to think okay things are good now
but if there's anything I've learned from the
previous generation is that the battle
always comes.
Now it might not be the same enemy every time
but there's always a battle.
And look we're not the first group of Christians
that have had to fight a battle for the Lord.
You know it's just that
our battle isn't their battle.
You know the battles they had to fight back
then were unique to their times.
You know we take for
granted baptism.
You know that tank up here. We can just have it
out open publicly. We can just
dunk people without you know fear of
reprisal.
But there was a you know people had to bleed and die
for us to be able to do that. That was a battle they fought
you know many years ago.
But
you know what they didn't have to fight the battles that we had
to fight now. And we've got to battle on our
hands. We've got to fight
and really there's probably more of them.
You know there's a battle
for the word of God. You know is the King James
Bible to preserve the word of God or isn't it?
There's an attack on that that has to constantly be
defended.
I mean we can just go down the list. I mean
there's just so many battles that have to be fought today.
So the question is are we preparing
for the battle? Are we equipped to fight?
And look it can be
almost overwhelming sometimes. We can think that
we're not going to win. We're on the losing side.
You know but that's not
the attitude that Asa had.
Because we see that Asa here
he has 580,000 men.
Look you've got over half a
million guys on your side. You might start
you know you'll probably be feeling your Wheaties.
Right? You'll probably be thinking
alright I got this. But look at the
tests that shows up.
And then there came out against them
Zira the Ethiopian
when a thousand, excuse me
with a host of a thousand, thousand
and three hundred
chariots.
So a thousand, thousand.
You know how many that is?
I don't know.
It's a million people.
It's twice the forces
practically that he has. He's got a
million people and
you know and three hundred
chariots on top of that.
So he's basically
you know not quite but he's got
Asa outnumbered two to one.
And he's got chariots.
You know chariots back then were a big
deal. I mean that really gave you an advantage.
If you had a Calvary
that was always an advantage
over footmen.
And that's what they've got. And they've got them outnumbered
and outgunned.
You know and Asa
doesn't just lift up the flag and say
okay you win. Let me just wave the white flag.
He says no you know what? We've been through
this before. My dad went through a similar
situation. The generation that went
before us, they had to fight battles.
There shouldn't come as any surprise.
I've got confidence because I've taken these
last ten years where we had peace
and I've prepared.
And the people that are with me are mighty men of value.
They are prepared people.
You know and that's
when I think about the battles that we're
going to have to go through as a church, I hope that
I can say the same thing when we go through our battle.
That you know
these three, four, five years, whatever
it's going to be before
you know they try to kick us out of this building
before the protesters
show up on the sidewalk, before
my face is all over the news somewhere
for something I said out of the word of God, for something I preached.
I hope I can say you know what?
I've got some people that are mighty men
and women of valor with me.
That aren't just going to turn tail
and run.
And say hey it's been fun. It was really nice
when you know we had peace on every side.
But I didn't sign up for this.
Oh yes you did.
Yes you did.
You got, you got
what was that term I heard the other day? You got
volunteered right?
When you got saved you got volunteered.
Jesus said you're in the army now.
I didn't volunteer for that. Yeah too bad you're in.
It's a draft.
It's a spiritual draft. You've been conscripted
in the Lord's army.
You know so take the time that we have
now to prepare
for the battle that is going to come one day.
You know be like an Asa.
And obviously again
we're not going to stand in our own strength.
You know we're preparing
to fight a spiritual battle.
Asa prepared
to fight a physical battle. We don't fight physical battles today.
But we do fight a spiritual battle.
That's why he says
in verse 11
And Asa cried unto the Lord his God and said
Lord it is nothing with thee to help
whether there be many or with them that have no
power. I love that
attitude. He's not even
he's not even worried. I mean listen to what he's saying.
He's like it's nothing for you to help.
You can help with
you can win by few or with them
that have no power.
He's saying basically look we don't even need
we don't even need this army. You could defeat these people.
And then he cries out help us
O Lord our God
for we rest on thee and in
thy name we go against this multitude.
O Lord thou art our
God and let not man prevail
now notice against who? Against thee.
You know you'll you'll want to fight that
battle you want to get into that battle and fight this
battle when you understand that who it is you're fighting
for. You know we're not
fighting for our own glory.
You know I'm not trying to just
make a name for myself out there or something.
Like let's drag our church through a battle
just so I can be some kind
of a big shot.
That's not what we're trying to do.
You know there's easier ways to gain
popularity.
You know we could just compromise
the word of God and we could we could you know
just build a big church
that way and I could feel like a big shot that way.
No we want to fight this
battle for the Lord's glory.
Because it's a battle that needs to be fought because
somebody has to stand in the gap and fight.
You know because we're wrestling against
you know not against flesh and blood but what against
principalities and powers against the
rulers of darkness.
You know we're fighting a spiritual
battle and there's not you know not everybody's
equipped to fight that.
Not everybody can go fight that battle
but you know we fortunately
can.
You know and if we don't fight it who's
going to fight this battle?
Who's going to stand up for the King James Bible?
Who's going to stand up and say
you know marriage is between a man
and a woman?
Who's going to stand up and say that you know it's
sodomy and it's abomination before God?
Who's going to stand
for all these things that the word of God
teaches that so many people
just don't want to just
touch? And look I just named like
a super you know controversial
subject.
But you know there's so many other ones
that are such so far
less controversial that even
those aren't being fought for anymore.
Who's going to stand
you know and preach against fornication and
drunkenness and divorce
and adultery? Who's going to preach these battles?
People don't even want to touch that today.
You know
I could preach those things all day long
that's not going to draw a crowd out there in the sidewalk.
Bunch of pink-haired
freaks out there waving their signs.
They're not going to come out you know
but even those battles aren't even
being fought today in Baptist churches.
So who's
going to fight them?
The problem is
people don't want to fight them because you know
it's a fight.
Fighting's ugly. Fighting's nasty
and you have to be prepared if you want to
win.
You know so Asa
at least you know he's stepping out in
faith. He's trusting in the Lord.
He's spent his time
wisely preparing to fight the battle
so when the battle came
and even though it looked like he was outnumbered
and outmanned he was able to say well God can defeat
these guys.
And he at least had a generation
previous you know prior to him
that he could look to and say oh they've been through this
before. You know and that's
what we should look to as well. We should look at
you know our brethren which are persecuted
you know elsewhere and say oh they
fought that battle. We could fight
too. They came out on the other
side.
I mean we could you know we know people that
have gone through these battles.
And you know they're sitting pretty
today. They came
out I'm not going to say they didn't get some scars.
I'm not saying they didn't have
struggles that it wasn't that it was
easy. But you know what
they came out victorious on the other side.
And they will continue.
You know
I'm running out of time already but we could go
read Romans 8.
You know God before
us who can be against us?
He that you know gave
us his own son shall he not also give
us all things. I know I'm paraphrasing.
You know
life nor death
tribulation persecution none of these things
shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus.
What's the worst that they're going to do?
Ah you
got to find a new building. That's
inconvenient but we'll find one.
I came to that.
I mean what's the worst they're going to do?
Send me an
email.
I can't even get a paper cut from an email.
Because it's not paper.
It's digital.
And these idiots it's just like all you
have to read is that subject line and just as
soon as you hear you know
you're this you're a pastor it's just like
archive. I don't even have to read it.
You know I can I can look at the Google voicemail
and see all the expletives in the text and just
I don't even have to listen to it.
But you know what there's
that's I mean that's nothing.
It's cakewalk that battle.
But you know what there's a lot of
people out there that they they just
oh man somebody called the church
and left a dirty voicemail.
They called me a mean name.
They said bad things about the pastor.
Well let's not preach that.
That's weak.
It's weak.
Why don't you just stand aside then and let somebody
else fight the battle.
You know like the old saying either
you know lead follow or get out of the way.
But the point is this you know someone's got to
fight that battle.
And someone's got to be willing to take it on the chin
and go through whatever.
You know all the things I just described
you know aren't exactly
the worst persecutions a person
can go through.
You know tell it to men
like you know Tyndale who were burned at the stake
for translating you know the Bible.
You know tell it to people who literally lost their lives
people that were literally tortured in some of the
most excruciating ways imaginable
for the word of God.
We're not even close to that.
You think a bunch of sodomites
frighten me?
And their dweeb boyfriends
sympathizers?
They're weaklings.
You know why would I be afraid?
And look even if they did you know kill the body
what are they going to do to my soul?
Nothing.
They can't touch me.
If it came to that you know where they took my own life
if they killed me
if they killed you it's like oh well I guess
I'll have to go to heaven then.
I guess I get to go to glory early
I'll see you guys there.
You know that
they're threatening me with heaven.
Ooh.
And obviously I'd prefer not to die
I'd like to get to you know die
in a good old age you know peacefully
you know
eating something I like or something I don't know
I'd like to choke on a steak I don't know.
I don't know.
But if it came to that you know
we should be willing to fight that battle.
But here's the thing you're not going to fight that battle
if you're not preparing when it's easy.
When the worst thing that we have to worry about
is a voicemail or an email
or even some
freaks out on the sidewalk
like
come on.
We're in the land of peace and plenty
but you know what don't rest on your laurels.
Get prepared.
Now go over to 2 Chronicles chapter 15.
So
Asa you see is somebody
you know who didn't really finish that well
but really I want to just look at the beginning
of his reign.
You know he was somebody that stepped out
in faith that prepared
and was blessed of God.
But notice that happened after he takes the stand.
After he prepares
gathers his army
fights and relies on the Lord
and calls upon the Lord
the Lord is God. After that
that's when we see him really
begin to clean house.
Because that's the type of people
that God is going to use to do greater things
for God.
You know the people that can at least step out
and of their own accord, their own volition, their own will
do what's
necessary to fight the battles for God.
God is
interested I believe
in dragging us
kicking and screaming through the Christian life.
And
let me just tell you as
somebody who's pastoring here
I'm not interested in that either.
Look some people are going to have
to be drug kicking and screaming through the Christian life.
That's just part of the ministry.
But you know what? Let that not
be said of you. Don't be one of these people
that just constantly has to be just drug
through the Christian life.
And people have to learn things and they have to
grow and they have to understand and they have
to gain knowledge but it's like once you know what to do
do it.
Do it.
Once you've been told here's the solution to
your problem do it.
You know just
like an obedient
children. Like that's what we're supposed to be.
We're
supposed to be as obedient children not
fashioning ourselves to our former lusts.
You know we're supposed to change. We're supposed to be
renewed by the transforming of our mind.
You know
we should learn what it is we're supposed to do and then do it.
I mean how many of us like to deal with children like that
if we have children? I
just told you how to do this. I just showed
you how to do that. I showed you again and again
and again.
I just told you what to do. Why aren't you doing it?
It's frustrating.
You know God could feel the same way about us.
I mean I've said it over
and over in the word. You know I had the preacher
get up there and preach it over and over again.
Do it. Don't be somebody that's
drug kicking and screaming through
the Christian life.
Be like an Asa.
Somebody took the time
of peace that he had and prepared
himself. You know did what was necessary
to fight the battle.
And then God says, okay
now we're ready to do something.
Now you are trusting in me.
Now you are preparing yourself.
Now let's do something.
You know
something that's been on my mind a lot is
when is this church going to grow?
And I've just
determined it's going to grow when
God sees fit.
And the only thing that I can control
about that is me.
You know if I prove myself
faithful in that which is another man's
then I'll be given that which is my own.
You know if I'm somebody who
labors in the word of doctrine then I'll be worthy
of a growing
church.
You know so that's the only
thing I can control. That's what I focus on
is just preparing.
And then God will say, okay you've prepared. You've done
the work. Now let's take this
thing to the next level.
You know and you can join me on that
journey. You know you can
take this time when we're small
and growing to say hey I'm going to
be that you know that
that core member.
You know I'm going to be one of those people that was there
early in the early days of Faithful
Work Tucson.
You know eventually when we're independent
we'll have a difference.
You know I was there when it was Faithful
Work Tucson. I was there when it was
over on First Avenue crammed into
that little building and I had to watch
Deacon on a screen
even though he was just on the other side of the wall.
And
he struggled to get behind the pulpit because
it was too close to the wall.
Not because of anything that was going on
with me. Although it was
a little too close to Smokey Mose. Maybe that was part of the
problem.
You know
you could say that you know
if you prepare now.
But look
you know the battle is going to come.
So let's be
prepared. Let's be like an ASA.
You know of our own volition of our own accord of our own
will. Let's start preparing now.
So we can be that person later.
I can say okay now
now let's run 100. Now let's
run 200. Now let's have soul waiting times.
You know every day of the week. Now let's see
thousands saved every year. Now let's see
dozens of baptisms every year.
Now let's see you know
the channel whatever news
you know let's see the protests.
Now let's get into the exciting things.
That only
happens you know like an ASA
in the early on.
Notice there
and I have you go to chapter 15.
You know he fights this battle.
You know and he wins verse 12
and you know he smote the Ethiopians
before ASA. And you know
you can read that yourself. They spoil them.
I mean they chase them off.
They're outnumbered two to one and they just wreck
them destroy them. And then they go and take
all their cattle and everything else.
And then after
ASA has prepared himself and
stepped out in faith and relied on the
Lord as God. Then God shows up
and says now we're ready to take
it to the next level. Now ASA is ready to
really clean house. Says in
verse 15 in the spirit God came upon
Azariah the son of Oded
and he went out to meet ASA and said to him here
ye meet ASA and
all Judah and Benjamin the Lord is with
you. You know and that should
be evident because of what just happened.
While he be with him.
With you while you're with him.
Why is it that
God was with them? Because they were with him.
And
if you seek him he will be found of you.
But if you forsake him
he will also forsake
you.
Now for a long season Israel
have been without the true God and without a teaching
priest and without the law but when they
and they're troubled like I was saying earlier
that it's of God's compassion, his tender
mercies, his faithfulness
that they aren't just completely destroyed.
Because they forsook him but you know what
he was still there to be found. He was still faithful.
And in those times there is no
peace to him that went out
nor to him that came in but great vexations
were upon all the inhabitants of the countries
and nation was destroyed of nation and city of
city for God had vexed them with all adversity
excuse me adversity
and notice what he says in verse 7
be strong therefore
and let not your hands be weak
for your work shall be rewarded.
That's the
message that came to man
is look don't be weak
be strong and work
for your work your labor will be rewarded.
And
that's something that we should be
encouraged by.
That's what encouraged Asa. Asa was the preaching
of God's word.
And that's why
my job is to do is to encourage
people through the preaching of God's word.
To reprove rebuke and exhort
with all long suffering and doctrine.
And to encourage people to do
what? To not be
weak but to be strong
in the Lord and the power of his might
to strengthen their hands
and to do the work of God.
I mean that's what this is a preacher right being sent
to Asa. After
Asa has stepped out in faith and
has you know prepared himself
and is ready. The preacher
sent to him and what's the message?
Oh you passed the test and now it's
just smooth sailing.
Now it's time to get to work.
Stay strong. Don't be
weak. Strengthen your hands and do the
work that God has given us to
to do.
You know and this should be an encouragement
to us.
You know that we have a work to do that we need to
rely on God to be strong
right.
Because those in verse 8 it says that when Asa
heard these words
when he heard the preaching of God's
word the prophecy of Oded the prophet
he took courage.
This is he hears this and he's just like
this is when he goes to the next level.
You know
and that's what's going to get you to the next
level.
You know is your attitude towards the
preaching of the word of God.
You know if you actually you know
put it into practice or you don't.
If when you're told what to do
by the preacher
you know when he gets up and preaches God's
word and you hear it you know
you're whether or not you get
to the next level it's all based on your attitude
about that.
About the preaching of God's word and that's what you see here.
When Asa heard these words
what were the words? Be strong
let
not your hands be weak for your work
shall be rewarded. Oh more work
more battles more strength
is necessary and who you call
weak.
What do you mean I got things I got to work on
Oded who do you think you are?
What do you mean there's a possibility we could fail
that if we forsake
God who forsake me didn't you just see what I just did?
I just chased off a million people Oded who do you think you are?
You know that that would have been the wrong attitude
towards the preaching
of the word of God.
You know the preacher is there to remind
you that it's just more work.
I mean he probably would have heard after that battle
he just runs off a million people and he's got all this
he's like hey you did good why don't you take it easy
for a while? How about another ten years
of peace? No it's
hey now it's time to get to work. I'm glad you
fought that battle here's your next
one. You know
you got to have the right attitude
towards the preaching of the word of God.
He said
when Asa heard these words
and the prophecy of Oded the prophet
he took courage
he said I can do this
and he put away the
abominable idols out of all the land of Judah
and Benjamin that's you know we just
you know
excuse me
1 Kings 15 you just
one verse to the next you just read that
you don't read all these details
it just goes you know verse 14 verse 15
and then he's old he's diseased in his feet
this is where all the nitty gritty
is all the detail this is where you
learn about what it took for Asa to be
the man of God that he was to win
the battle to have the testimony
that he had he had to step out
in faith he had to prepare
he had to be willing to fight he had to rely on the Lord as God
and when the preaching the word of God came he had
to have the right attitude towards it
you know and take it to that's
what got him to the next level
and caused him to do
what put away the abominable idols out of all
the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of
the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim and renewed
the altar of the Lord that was before the porch of the
Lord and he gathered all
Judah and Benjamin and the strangers with
them of Ephraim and Manasseh and out of Simeon
for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance
I mean so Israel
they're coming to him out of Israel this is
how great a revival is taking place
because remember
it's two kingdoms now you got Judah
and Benjamin and some of the
Levites and then you have all the other tribes
that make up Israel they're
hearing what's taking place and they're falling unto him
you know and I believe that's what will
probably eventually happen with this church
you know if
we have if we do what Asa
did if we prepare
you know we prepare for
the battles and then you know we apply the
preaching of the word of God to our lives
you know God will begin to bless it
and we stay committed to the work and doing
the work people will
take notice that there's something going on here
and they'll say I want to be a part of that
you know whether they
fall unto us from other states
or they're locals here
people will hear about it and say I want to be
a part of what's going on in
that church but that's
not going to happen overnight folks
you know
it's a slow burn
and we got to grind
to get there
and you know and it's not just going to happen
to a group of people who
you know have a poor attitude towards the word of God
and who have no interest in preparing to do
the work of God I mean why would God give us
greater works to do if we're not prepared
to do them I mean that's illogical
you know
but if we take the time to prepare
to strengthen ourselves
you know
then we can take on these bigger enemies
and people will be excited about what's taking place
and more people
I believe will be gathered
unto us
it says in verse 10 so they gather
themselves at Jerusalem the third month of the 15th year
and of course you know they have
this great
feast and it says in verse 12
they entered a covenant to seek the Lord their God of their fathers
with all their heart and
with all their souls so there's this huge revival
that's taking place
but when did that happen?
after the battle was fought
after the preacher came and said
keep doing right keep doing what you're supposed to do
that's when these things happen
see we want this all to happen at the beginning
it would have been a lot easier for Asa if this all
took place at the beginning
why could we just have this great revival
and everybody shows up and then it would have been
that would have been pretty encouraging don't you think?
but you know he had to go through that testing
to be shown that he was worthy
of such a great revival
of being able to do such a great work
and once he went through that
that's when we get the stuff that we
like out of the story
and I all know what you want me to preach about
those sodomites getting
taken out of the land
it's a faithful word
come on let's talk about the sodomites
look pride month is coming
we'll get there
I like to just let all of my hate
build up
I just let it all seethe
until that month and then it just
comes out in a fury
but we'll touch on it tonight
so they gather together
they entered in a covenant to seek the Lord
their God their fathers after they do all this work
but notice verse 13
it says they made this covenant
with their heart and with their soul that whosoever
would not seek the Lord their God of Israel
should be put to death
I mean this is how serious they were
because they recognized
look not seeking God
when we get into idolatry when we do all these
wicked things it just brings bondage
it brings corruption
it brings death it brings suffering
I mean you might read that and be tempted to say
oh man what a bunch of radicals
but look they
they're coming out of knowing
you know the results knowing the
consequences of not seeking the Lord their God
with all their heart soul mind and strength
like they were told to do from the beginning
they're saying look we already know
what it's like to be backslidden
we already know what it's like to not be right
with God we already know what it's like to be
oppressed of the enemy
we already know what it's like to be
have a land that's filled with idolatry
and sodomites and every abominable
work that there is we already know what that's like
and we don't want to go back
we've had enough of that
so here's the deal
if you get in or get out
basically is what they're saying
we're here to serve God we're here to follow the Lord
and if you don't like it leave
or be put to death
I mean that's why they're
saying this I mean we might read that
and just say well that seems a little extreme
but you've got to understand what these people
went through and what they've come through
and they know what it means
to not seek the Lord they understand the consequences
you know
better than people today
better than we do
today in this country
we don't
seem to have figured this out
well I can't understand why the world
isn't the way it is it's because you don't seek God
it's because you don't have
the Lord God
he's not in our homes he's not in our schools
he's not in our public spaces he's not
and he's not in our hearts and he's not in our minds
and you know what it's no wonder
we're just being overrun just like them
with the idolatry
and the abomination and the sodomites
just like them
and look I'm not saying this is what we need to do
that we need to have a call to
you know anybody that's not for us
to be put to death because you know what we'd be putting a lot of people to death
it's just not practical
it's not going to happen this is
a nationwide
revival that's happening on mass
okay and the people
are glad to go along with it because
notice it says there it says
verse 13 that whosoever would not seek the Lord
their God Israel should be put to death
whether small or great whether man or woman
it doesn't matter who you are
now this goes
I believe this is what it's referring to in
1 Kings chapter 15 when he says when he put the sodomites
out of the land
because think about it
who's not going to seek the Lord under these circumstances
I mean if you're them back then
and you're just you know the average Joe
and you've
you know dealt with everything that's gone along with
not seeking the Lord you see this great revival
take place people are you know coming
out of Israel I mean it's just we read it
there's this feast there's this covenant I mean it's just
huge revival you're going to go along
with that you're going to say yeah I'm going to follow the Lord this is great
you're going to be excited but who's
not going to be pleased about that
it's the sodomites
that's
the only group of people that aren't going to it's the
reprobates that are not going to want to go along with it
that's
why they're saying whoever should not seek the Lord
God of Israel shall be put to death
and that's why I believe that
that's what it means by they were
put out of the land back in 1 Kings chapter
15 is that they were put to
death they didn't just buy an
island and ship them all there and say you
just stay there you know they put them
out of the land meaning the land of the
living okay
so I don't know about that yeah but you know go read
Romans 1 in the New Testament that they would do
such things are worthy of death
I mean that's the law
if a man lay
with mankind as he lived with womankind
you know his blood shall be upon him he's worthy
of death
and that you know those are the only
people that are not going to make this covenant
those are the only people you know because the
Bible says they don't even want to retain God in
their knowledge
you know reprobates have always been the same
they've always been the same God hating freaks
that they've always been
so when they're having revival when they're getting
right with God as a nation you know
who it is that isn't going along
it's the Sodomites that what got put out
of the land
and boy
we'd like to see that you know some of us
you know those
of us that aren't just brainwashed
by the media
and has just been completely brainwashed
by institutions of learning
that haven't just been
completely you know haven't just
swallowed the lie
hook line and seeker that haven't been
deceived
you know by the Sodomite deception
which is a great documentary by the way look it up
tells you the truth
you know but that's a very small
minority today isn't it I'm not
I'm not holding my breath for anything
like this to ever happen
because we're so far from it
because look at everything that had to come before that
you know you actually had to have people that wanted to
seek the Lord their God of their own will
that actually
said hey let's prepare to fight God's battles
and then God shows up and when the preacher
came they said yeah we'll do it they had the right attitude
and that's the type
of people that are going to be willing to go
this far with things to see things
all the way through that's never going to happen
until Christ comes
you know
then there's no need for revival
in the millennium because it's
peace or else it's God's way
or then that's it there's no other option
it's ruling with a rod of iron
you know so what
we should get out of this is that you know
when we're reading
this is that serving the Lord
you know leads to rejoicing
because look what
took place in Asa's life
what we've been reading about tonight
in Asa's life
battles
having to deal with sin
having to
put in the hard work of actually
being right with God because that doesn't just
happen automatically remember we read it
in Romans
that you know we still have our members
that are warring with us every day
so this is why a lot
of people they don't go along with it
they just you know Christians
say I'm not going to live
the Christian life I'm not going to make the effort
to you know
do what's necessary
you know do what's required of me
because it's just too much
work and look the Christian life is work
it's work every single day
it's work when you do
feel like it it's work when you don't feel like it
it's discipline it's work
to stand
against the wiles of the devil
to crucify the
flesh to bring your body
under subjection that is work
every single day
to read your Bible is work
that's why so
few people are doing it
because it's work
and if we're easy everyone would do it
look I
love the Bible I love every page of it
you know what some pages are work to read
and not to just
gloss over with my eyeballs
but to actually comprehend what the Bible's saying here
it's work
you know what it's
worth it because it leads to rejoicing
look everything that Asa went through was
worth it
because if you look at verse 15
right
and all Judah rejoiced
at the oath
they said hey we're going to follow God
through your heart soul mind and strength
and whoever's not for that is going to be put
to death
and of course all the Sodomites were like
we don't want to do that
it's like okay we got rid of them
they're put out of the land but you know for the rest of us
and it wasn't a
bunch of people going well I guess
if we have to
we'll serve God
oh if I have to read my Bible
I guess I will
oh if I have to pray
and be heard by the God of heaven
I guess I'll just make myself do it
because after all I don't want to be put
to death
no they did it
and you know what it led to rejoicing
and
they sware into the Lord with a loud voice
it says in verse 14 and was shouting
and it wasn't like
why
it wasn't that kind of shouting
it was like
yeah
that's the kind of shouting
they were excited
you know like people go crazy at some
sporting event when somebody scores
a touchdown or sinks a three pointer
and everyone loses their minds
you know they were getting excited about God
imagine that
you know
they got the trumpets you know they struck up the band
da da da da da
you know
they do it at the games like this is what he's talking about
it wasn't them all going oh man
I guess we have to
and all Judah
rejoiced it said in verse 15
at the oath
not at oh God's on our side
again oh it's great to have God on our side again
they rejoiced at the oath
they rejoiced at the fact that they
were in a nation that they were amongst people
that loved God and wanted to fight his battles
and wanted to you know live their lives
according to the word of God that's what they rejoiced
at that they were going to seek the Lord their God
this is great
you know and that ought to be our
attitude when it comes to
the people of God
and look I know sometimes
coming to church
it can be tough
and I know that because I've been doing it
for a long time
and when you get out of work and the
traffic's heavy and you're tired and you
just want to eat dinner and go home
or you know it's Sunday night
and there's something else going on
you know it can be tough to
drag yourself there but you know what we should always
come through those doors rejoicing
that we're amongst God's people
we should be
glad to be here
we should be glad at the preaching of the word of God
this is the kind of attitude that you have to have
if you're actually going to do something for God
in your life
because if you're just going to drag yourself
through the Christian life you're going to quit
look it's just a matter
of time
you're just dragging yourself through who wants to just
drag themselves through life?
nobody
and if it's going to come down to me just going along with the flow
and just getting back in the flesh
and not having to drag myself through the Christian life
that's what people are going to do
and that's what people do all the time
so you know we need to check
our attitude when it comes to the things of God
and the Christian life
and I understand that sometimes you know
it is work to just
do what we have to do
but we need to be reminded that
you know at the end of all this
laboring and all of this work
and all of the preaching and all of the battles
and all of the preparing and all of that
effort that goes in
to preparing your heart to seek the Lord your God
you know what it leads to is rejoicing
it leads to a full heart
it leads to joy in life
that's what serving the Lord comes to
and I don't have time to go there I got to close
but the Bible says in Proverbs 29
when the righteous are in authority
the people rejoice
but when the wicked beareth rule
the people mourn
and that righteousness exalted the nation
but sin is our approach to any people
and we could apply that
on a national scale
but you know we could also apply that
on a personal level
in our own personal lives
when the righteous are in authority
people rejoice
when mom and dad are right with God
people rejoice
it's a happy home
it's not always the easiest thing to do
there's ups and downs
there's a lot of struggle
there's a lot of work that goes into that
but people rejoice
so those are the good things to do
we could have just read 1 Kings 15
and gotten it over with last week
just make some quick points
but when you start to really dig in
to what these characters
went into their lives
you get a lot more lessons out of it
there's a lot of squeeze here
in 5th 2nd Chronicles
there's whole chapters dedicated
to this guy Asa
and what is it that we're seeing
in 5th 2nd Chronicles
before we just write Asa off
based on how he ends his life
and just say oh well he ended poorly
he kind of backslid there
at the very end of his life
there was a lot of great things
that he did early on
he turned an entire nation back to God
even so much so that
those in Israel were coming out unto him
and you want to talk about
idolatry they're way off
they're way off
off the rails up there
they're falling on this great revival
takes place people are rejoicing
at the oath of the commandment of God
but that all came after what
after the preaching after the preacher
was sent and told them to
prepare themselves and to do the work
and to strengthen their hands and not be weak
after the battles
which came after what
preparing themselves
for the battle ahead that's what we need
to do in the Christian life that's what we need to do
that's what we need to do as individuals
that's what this church needs to do
because I know we're coming up on four years
but look four years is a drop in the bucket
you know four years we're still
just getting off the blocks folks
and I'm fine with that
I mean we've got to start somewhere
but look if we're going to be the people
that do something here
we have to be like Asa and prepare ourselves
early before the battle comes
then the great works come
and we'll be rejoicing all the way through
all the way through
because no matter what stage
we're in as a church
we're still with God's people
we're still with people
I trust that love the Lord
that are happy at the oath
that are happy at the preaching of the word of God
that are happy to hear what the Bible says
that are happy to do it
so there's rejoicing all the way through it
but look the great works that we want to do
there's going to be a battle
and there has to be a time of preparation
as a church
that's on a personal level
we each have to do that for ourselves
and then we can have
the victories then we can have the great rejoicing
let's go ahead and pray
dear Lord again thank you for your mercy
thank you for your compassion
thank you for your
the fact that you pity us Lord
as a father does his children
Lord I pray you'd help us to
Lord just take advantage of the
great opportunity that we've been given
as individuals to live for you
everyday of our life and Lord
as a church Lord in the years to come
as we remain faithful to you
and to your word as we are willing to take the stands
that need to be taken and to fight the battles
that need to be fought Lord
not only will we be able to see great victories
and have the excitement
Lord but also
Lord to people that rejoice
because we know that you are pleased
with us Lord that
we are already on the winning side
Father I pray you'd help us to acknowledge that
Lord that we would be a grateful people
and that we would desire to serve you
all the days of our life we ask in Christ's name
Amen. Alright we'll go ahead
and sing one more song
before we go
we are going to sing
song number 41
sweep by and by
song number 41
sweep by and by
song number 41
sweep by and by
song number 41
sweep by and by
song number 41
There's a land
that is fairer than death
There's a land
that is fairer than death
In thy faith we can see
thee fall
For the Father
leads over the world
to prepare us a dwelling place there.
In a sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
In a sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore.
From the loneliest songs of the past,
in thy spirit shall sorrow flow.
Now in thy sight will the blessing of Christ,
in thy sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
In the sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To our bountiful Father above,
we will offer our tribute of praise,
for the glorious victory's won,
and the blessings that follow our days.
In the sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
In the sweet lie and lie,
we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
All right, thanks for coming everybody.
Please do join us for cupcakes and ice cream
in honor of a certain young girl's 11th birthday.
Thank you.