Hope for the Oppressed

HOOK

The story of my political career— the year was 1993, this was when I lost everything I inherited from my parents.. that night at the dirty kitchen with Joan, Aj and Jaja— and there was no food on the table— reminded of Pastor Sam Talaver who planted the seed in me during my teenage years..

My experiences are very similar to the life’s success and failure of King Asa, though I thank God so much that I did not ended up the way he did— he got sick and died!— because after he turned away from God, he never went back seeking the Lord

2 Chronicles 16:12 (NIV)

12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.

Israel was ruled by Saul, David and Solomon until it was divided into two kingdom during the time of King Rehoboam [son of Solomon] in 930 BC

King Rehoboam oppressed his people

1 Kings 12:13–14 (NIV)

13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”

KINGDOM WAS DIVIDED IN 930BC

So why did Israel and Judah split? The immediate argument was over taxation, but God’s prophecy makes clear the real problem was sin.

JEROBOAM BECAME THE FIRST KING OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

Jeroboam [an official of King Solomon— the father of Rehoboam] became the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel as God had promised— with him was 10 of the 12 tribes namely, Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Napthali, Reuben, Simeon and Zebulun

REHOBOAM WAS KING OF THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM OF JUDAH

Rehoboam [son of Solomon] managed to keep the leadership of the Southern Kingdom of Judah with only the tribe of Judah and Benjamin and much of the tribe of Levi, the tribe that served at the temple — and Jerusalem became its capital

Even though all the tribes were descendants of Jacob (also called Israel, Genesis 32:28; 35:10) and were known as Israelites under the single nation with this name, these peoples were now separated into two nations

After King Rehoboam, he was succeeded by King Abijah— his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord and nothing much was said about him— and then

ASA BECOME THE THIRD KING OF JUDAH IN 910BC

In 910 BC, King Asa became the third king of Judah— he started great when he ruled Judah, but he did not finish well— let’s take a closer look at his life [1 Kings 15]

BOOK | LOOK | 2 CHRONICLES 14-16

ASA DID GOOD IN THE EYES OF GOD

2 Chronicles 14:2 (NIV)

2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.

Cleaned up all the foreign gods plus he commanded all in his kingdom to seek the Lord.

King Asa builds a wall around Judah to protect them— the kingdom was at peace under him

Then issue came, the Cushite marched out against them with thousands upon thousands [indicates a large army]—

KING ASA CALLED TO THE LORD

2 Chronicles 14:11 (NIV)

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, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

The Lord heard Asa and crushed the Cushite— Answered prayer!

The prophet Azariah came to him with a message from the God

THE LORD IS WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE WITH HIM

2 Chronicles 15:2 (NIV)

2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

But if you forsake God, God will forsake you

King Asa took courage— He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin

They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul

In verse 13, even commanded all who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman

And because they sought the Lord— they had peace

BAASHA WENT UP AGAINST JUDAH

In chapter 16, Issues started when Baasha king of Israel [usurped the throne from Nebat son of Jeroboam] went up against Judah

Instead of seeking the Lord— King Asa relied on his wealth and allies

King Asa sent silver and Gold to Ben-Hadad the King of Aram [Syria]

KING ASA HAD A TREATY WITH KING BEN-HADAD

2 Chronicles 16:3–4 (NIV)

3 “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.” 4 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.

King Asa should have sought and cried out to the Lord as he did last time when he was against the Cushite— Foolishly, he turned immediately to another King (he relied and hope with a human resources) instead of turning to the Lord.

HANANI REBUKED KING ASA

2 Chronicles 16:7 (NIV)

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

But instead of listening to Hanani [a prophet]— King Asa order that he be thrown in prison and at that same time, King Asa brutally OPPRESSED some of the people

So many times, when we rely on ourselves and our own resources, things seem to go well for a season— However, things are not well when we have stopped hoping in God and started hoping in what man can do.

We miss tremendous blessings and we bring unnecessary hardship on ourselves.

God would not only have protected Asa from Baasha and Israel, he would give the entire Syrian army into the hand of King Asa— However, Asa threw it away by trusting in money and intrigue instead of God

THE EYES OF THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR FULLY COMMITTED HEARTS

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

Hanani [the seer] reminded all of us that the Lord is watching all the time and we shall stay committed with Him no matter what— Hanani stresses that we should rely only to God to no one else

Forsaking God has its consequences— you’ll be tempted to oppress the people— and when abandoning could result not just to illness but even death!

KING ASA GOT SICK

2 Chronicles 16:12 (NIV)

12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.

KING ASA DIED

2 Chronicles 16:13 (NIV)

13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.

SPIRITUAL MYTH

There is a spiritual myth that if we have had a spiritual experience it will carry us for the rest of our lives— it’s a myth!— You could start well in your walk with God but not able to end well

The minute we stop feeding our inner fire with God it begins to die out and we face the danger of forsaking God

Seeking the Lord is a major theme in Chronicles— the Hebrew word literally means trample underfoot— make a way!

What does seeking the Lord means?

OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD

2 Chronicles 14:4 (NIV)

4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.

SEPARATION FROM KNOWN EVIL

2 Chronicles 15:8 (NIV)

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

FORTIFYING OUR LIVES AGAINST SPIRITUAL DANGER

2 Chronicles 14:6–8 (NIV)

6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest. 7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men.

TRUSTING THE LORD, NOT METHODS

2 Chronicles 14:11 (NIV)

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, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

COMMITTING OURSELVES TO WORSHIP THE LORD

2 Chronicles 15:17 (NIV)

17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

GOD’S STRENGTHENS WHOSE HEARTS ARE FULLY COMMITTED

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

GOD’S STRONG SUPPORT MEANS REST

2 Chronicles 14:6–7 (NIV)

6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest. 7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

GOD’S STRONG SUPPORT MEANS ROUTING THE ENEMY

2 Chronicles 14:12 (NIV)

12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

GOD’S STRONG SUPPORT MEANS THE REWARD OF SEEKING THE LORD

2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV)

7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

GOD’S STRONG SUPPORT MEANS REJOICING

2 Chronicles 15:15 (NIV)

15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

What happens when you forsake the Lord?

Asa reflects this in his life— he started well— spiritual reforms brought revival and God's blessing was evident

But later he forsook the Lord and God brought His discipline on Asa—   "If we seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you."

If we forsake the Lord, we come under His discipline

Forsaking the Lord means:

1. Trusting in our schemes rather than in the Lord

2. Using what works without regard to whether it is biblical

3. Rejecting God's means of correction

When we forsake the Lord we come under His discipline [yes God is love, but He is also just— we must know what’s in the border of love & discipline]

God's discipline involves verbal correction [Hanani rebuked Asa 16:7-9]

2. God's discipline sometimes involves problems to cause us to turn to Him (16:9)

3. God's discipline sometimes involves illness (16:12)

4. God's discipline sometimes involves death (16:13)

The lesson from Asa's life is if we seek the Lord He will strongly support us but if we forsake Him we will come under His discipline

Even if you have been a Christian for a very long time— the question is...

Are you actively seeking the Lord?

TOOK

GOD WILL DELIVER ME FROM MY TROUBLES IF I CALL ON HIM

2 Chronicles 14:11 (NIV)

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, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.”

Psalm 50:15 (NIV)

15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

QUESTION: When trouble comes, who do you call on first? Your spouse? Your Pastor? Your boss? Your friends? Or the person causing your troubles?

I WILL FIND GOD IF I SEEK HIM WITH ALL OF MY HEART

2 Chronicles 15:2 (NIV)

2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

QUESTION: Are you actively seeking the Lord? In what ways are you seeking Him?

GOD WILL ESTABLISHED MY PLANS IF I COMMIT MY WORK TO HIM

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

QUESTION: God strengthens those who are fully committed to him. Do you commit everything that you do to the Lord? How do you commit all that you do to the Lord?

In the game of golf they say— it’s not how you drive, but how you arrive!

In the game of basketball they say— it’s not how you dribble, but how you shoot the ball

This sermon is a timely rebuke for myself— in the past week I veered to lean towards my allies, but God reminded me through the failures of King Asa that if I did so there will be consequences— one of which may be oppression!

I might be just like King Asa when he oppressed some of the people— and I thank God for always faithfully looking over me

What about you? Are you relying on your allies? or on God?

We might feel that we are oppressed— maybe you’ll say, “Oh, the Pastor is oppressing us”, while the Pastor may at the same time say, “My church is oppressing me!”

If we felt that way… let’s hear what our Lord Jesus Christ said about it

Luke 4:18 (NIV)

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

Jesus did not come to this earth just to proclaim the good news— he also came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners— he came to restore the sight of those who are blind— and he came to set the oppressed free

Our Lord Jesus is the Hope for the Oppressed!

Let’s pray…