Principles of Faith: Asa 2 Chronicles 14-16

God’s View of Faith “And without faith it is impossible to please Him...” Hebrews 11:6 “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

What is Faith? “…For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 A Personal Dependance Great Expectations

2 Chronicles 14:1-7

2 Chronicles 14:2-7 Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. [3] He removed the pagan altars and the shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. [4] He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord… So Asa's kingdom enjoyed a period of peace…No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.

TROUBLE! 2 Chron. 14:8-9 [9] Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots. They advanced to the city of Mareshah…

Asa’s Reaction… 2 Chron. 14:11 [11] Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, "O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!"

Great Expectation of Reward! “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ…” 2 Cor. 2:14 “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless”

God’s Reaction to Asa’s Prayer… Great Beginnings [12] So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. [13] Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off vast quantities of plunder.

A Change… And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side. – 2 Chron. 15:15 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa's reign. – 2 Chron. 15:19

A Spiritual Denseness… 2 Chron. 16:1 [16:1] In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa's territory in Judah.

A Spiritual Denseness… 2 Chron. 16:2-3 Asa responded by taking the silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord's Temple and from the royal palace. He sent it to King Ben-hadad of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus, along with this message: “Let us renew the treaty that existed between your father and my father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone.”

A Spiritual Denseness… 2 Chron. 16:4-5 Ben-hadad agreed to King Asa's request and sent his armies to attack Israel. They conquered the towns of Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all the store cities in Naphtali. As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his project of fortifying Ramah.

A Spiritual Denseness… 2 Chron. 16:6 Security! Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah.

The Plan Backfired … 2 Chron. 16:7-9 At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram…What a fool you have been! From now on, you will be at war."

Why did this happen? The Asa Syndrome He forgot the Lord? (25 years later…) Older and wiser now… More practical The Asa Syndrome

All God Wants… God is not cruel... “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” – 2 Chron. 16:9 God is not cruel...

A Bad Reaction… 2 Chron. 16:10 Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison. At that time, Asa also began to oppress some of his people.

Despised, sour, ill, stubborn A Sad Ending… 2 Chron. 16:12-13 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a serious foot disease. Even when the disease became life threatening, he did not seek the Lord's help but sought help only from his physicians. [13] So he died in the forty-first year of his reign. Despised, sour, ill, stubborn

"A man who lived below his potential." The Tragedy of Asa: "A man who lived below his potential." How? He under-valued faith in God: “Even when the disease became life threatening, he did not seek the Lord's help but sought help only from his physicians.” – 2 Chron. 16:12 These [trials] have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. – 1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) 16:12 Says it all. Faith was “the God thing” – impractical, He did not see the suffering in his life as an opportunity to trust in God, and grow in his faith. Suffering can be exactly this kind of opportunity: the chance to draw near to God, and deepen your faith in God. To Asa, suffering was merely something to escape as quickly as possible. “Get me outta here!” Suffering is the real proof of what you actually value: I’ve seen it and lived it dozens of times. It’s so EZ to make cavalier/casual statements about how important God is -> until real suffering settles deep into your life. Not the nagging, irritating kind -> the kind of suffering that saturates your entire world, everywhere you go, deep, deep inside your world is colored by suffering. Then the question arises: how will you handle it? Asa faced suffering with a kind of desperation: a pitiful, anxious, frantic series of trips to various doctors & remedies & solutions that never worked. Never once did he see suffering as an opportunity to turn to His Lord and Savior for relief: …and suffering destroyed this man’s life, because he under-valued his faith in God. AP: You may be suffering (and nobody likes it), but you can react to your suffering 2 ways: #1) become consumed with trying to end it (or escape it) immediately (and it will seem to work, for a little while…); or #2) use this suffering as an opportunity to finally, truly, genuinely cast yourself on God and depend on Him.

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. A practical question: what do you depend on? More precisely: who will you depend on? “you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God… At that time you relied on the Lord” – 2 Chron. 16:7,8 First, let’s be clear: it’s an issue of trust. Faith is not some ambiguous, mystical, other-worldly emotion that you must summon up from the pit of your gut. It is an everyday, practical question: “Who are you going to trust?” (2Chron.16:7,8) “Who or what are you going to rely upon?” “What are you going to depend upon?” This was the choice Asa faced. WHO: a very personal sense of trust & dependance. There is a significant difference. I work at the Federal Reserve – a very high-security environment. It’s never been robbed – ever. So, you might say I trust in the security of the Federal Reserve. That’s a comforting thought, but not really something I think about too much. On the other hand, I trust my wife. And she’s someone I think about a lot. I do depend on Darlene – and saying that is an intensely-personal interaction. God, too, is a person, and not just the Federal Reserve of spiritual blessings we can cash-in, and to trust in him is an intensely personal interaction.

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Asa’s approach brought security! A clear blueprint for success… Asa used these materials to fortify the towns of Geba and Mizpah. God’s approach seems strange “you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God…” Yet Asa’s blueprint was only apparent success There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. – Proverbs 14:12 First, let’s be clear: it’s an issue of trust. Faith is not some ambiguous, mystical, other-worldly emotion that you must summon up from the pit of your gut. It is an everyday, practical question: “Who are you going to trust?” (2Chron.16:7,8) “Who or what are you going to rely upon?” “What are you going to depend upon?” This was the choice Asa faced. WHO: a very personal sense of trust & dependance. There is a significant difference. I work at the Federal Reserve – a very high-security environment. It’s never been robbed – ever. So, you might say I trust in the security of the Federal Reserve. That’s a comforting thought, but not really something I think about too much. On the other hand, I trust my wife. And she’s someone I think about a lot. I do depend on Darlene – and saying that is an intensely-personal interaction. God, too, is a person, and not just the Federal Reserve of spiritual blessings we can cash-in, and to trust in him is an intensely personal interaction.

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Based on the evidence He has provided… Fear and Trembling (1846) Kierkegaard “…make a ‘leap of faith’ into a religious life, which is inherently paradoxical, mysterious, and full of risk.” Reasonable & simple: as opposed to unreasonable and complex! Soreen Kierkegaard popularized the phrase, “a leap of faith!” But that’s not from the Bible! It’s more like a step of faith: a reasonable step. AP: He calls on you to return – “Don’t you remember how I took care of you so well?” “Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and horsemen? At that time you relied on the Lord, and he handed them all over to you.” – 2 Chron. 16:8

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Trust in God is always a simple choice. But not an easy choice. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philip. 4:6-7 Simple, like David describes… (AP: If your life has become snarled, complex, over-burdened, over-taxed…it means you’ve left the realm of faith in God! This describes a life trying to avoid God.) (GOSP: This is what the term salvation means – “Lord, I call upon you to save me! I am powerless, and unable to save myself!”) Lovingly, God responds to this kind of simple, sincere choice – why would anyone resist it? “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless” – 2 Chron. 14:11 Come near and rescue me! – Psalm 69:18 For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Trust in God is always a simple choice. Trust in God is always a victorious choice. “they found him” -> means “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” God always responds lovingly to this simple choice. He will immediately begin moving into your life. His presence will make an immediate difference: “…desires of your heart…” You will immediately begin experiencing the peace, fulfillment and “victorious Christian life!” Like 2 Cor. 2:14 -> This is what God’s leadership looks like: a life of triumph. AP: If your life is one of abject defeat and confusion, you know one thing for sure: that God is not leading. Eagerly they sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side. – 2 Chron. 15:15 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. – James 4:8a Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ... – 2 Cor. 2:14

Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Trust in God is always a simple choice. Trust in God is always a victorious choice. Trust in God is not always available. God offers a reasonable, clear opportunity to rely on Him. However, the opportunity does not last forever before other matters crowd our lives and we forget all about Him: no choice is a choice. GOSP: God is not planning to move away from us, but we can move far from him or erect a barrier between ourselves and him. Don’t wait until you have drifted far away from God to seek him. Later in life turning to him may be far more difficult. But never forget the warning: “Today you must listen to his voice. Don't harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled.” – Hebrews 3:15 "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram… – 2 Chron. 16:8 “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.” – Isaiah 55:6

"A man who lived below his potential." Principles of Faith Faith means trust. Trust can seem a dangerous choice. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Trust in God is always a simple choice. Trust in God is always a victorious choice. Trust in God is not always available. Trust in God is not yesterday’s choice. You had an exciting / vibrant / revolutionary start with God, and now that’s all over? Now you’re done with that “youthful zeal” and you’ve got to move on to the harsh realities of complex adulthood? I don’t think so! Asa’s “complex” and “sophisticated” adulthood wasn’t too impressive! Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. – 2 Chronicles 14:1-2 Ps. 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” -Matt. 18:3

Faith: your most precious and powerful posession Faith means trust. Trust is dangerous. Trust in God is always a reasonable choice. Trust in God is always a simple choice. Trust in God is always a victorious choice. Trust in God is not always available. Trust in God is not yesterday’s choice. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.' " – Isaiah 44:8 (NASB-U) You had an exciting / vibrant / revolutionary start with God, and now that’s all over? Now you’re done with that “youthful zeal” and you’ve got to move on to the harsh realities of complex adulthood? I don’t think so! Asa’s “complex” and “sophisticated” adulthood wasn’t too impressive!

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” 2 Chron. 16:9

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him “For the waywardness of the naive shall kill them, And the complacency of fools shall destroy them. But he who listens to me shall live securely, And shall be at ease from the dread of evil.” Proverbs 1:32-33

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him #2 - Building your relationship with Him. 2 Cor. 6:1 And working together with Him…

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him #2 - Building your relationship with Him. 2 Cor. 6:4-5 …but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger…

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him #2 - Building your relationship with Him. 2 Cor. 6:6-7 …in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left…

Avoiding the Asa Syndrome #1 - Willingness to Trust Him #2 - Building your relationship with Him. “…For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Questions? Comments?

The Man With the Smelly Feet ASA - SENIOR HI 7/97 The Man With the Smelly Feet

2 Chron. 14:1-7 Asa his son succeeded him as king, and in his days the country was at peace for ten years. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.

A Promise: Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

2 Chron. 14:8-9 TROUBLE! Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and 280,000 from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men. Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and came as far as Mareshah.

Asa’s Reaction: v.11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, "Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you."

God’s Reaction: So the Lord routed the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar; and so many Ethiopians fell that they could not recover, for they were shattered before the Lord, and before His army. And they carried away very much plunder.

A Promise: 2 Cor. 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ...

A Change -- 2 Chron. 16:1-6 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord's temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. "Let there be a treaty between me and you," he said, "as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me." Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work.

God’s Reaction: At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand...You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

A Sad Ending And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.