14 Preaching/Teaching: 2 Chronicles 15

Unexpected Courage

The courageous Heart

Dangerous disciples have courage

A heart that is fully committed to God is courageous.

Sermon Series: Who God is looking for.

ETS – A heart that is fully committed to God responds with courageous faith B. ESS – C. DDS – Starting our 6,000 houses this week. D. Title of the sermon:

NOTE TO SELF TIE IN BETTER HOW COURAGEOUS JESUS WAS INTO THE GOSPEL MAYBE THE WHEN HE WAS AT GETHSEMANE AND SAID NOT MY WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE

Every person should have a courageous heart like ASA because

Introduction:

Living courageously for God is not easy.

Background:

We are going to look at some key chapters in 2 Chronicles, but here is the background.

Asa is inheriting a peaceful and powerful kingdom. This is rare for Israel.

Situation

1. Every person should have a courageous heart because we have access to God’s spirit (1-7).

God can use you

You may be thinking to yourself, Nate I am not that courageous.

Okay-God can use you to be a courageous warrior.

2 Chronicles 15:1 NASB95

Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

We don’t know much about Azariah. We know he is the son of Oded. But what is important here is that the spirit of God is leading him.

This man is about to give David’s great, great grandson a sermon that is going to impact the direction of the nation. Why? Because the Spirit of God is on him.

Now he could be scared of preaching to a king but he is courageous because the spirit of God.

Who sparked this revival in Israel: Some random person.

2 Chronicles 15:2 NASB95

and 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. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

He is telling this to the king. Arguably the most powerful man in the world.

There are two options:

Conditional promise-

If Asa stays with the Lord-God will stay with him. Not only that wherever you seek him you will find him.

Or

Or you can abandon him and he will abandon you.

clarify if you are a believer you will go to heaven, but if you do not seek God you will live as a baby or immature believer all your life.

This prophet was coming strong to ASA, it reminds me of one of my favorite missionaries who said this.

“Father, make of me a crisis man. bring those I contact to decision. let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” —Jim Elliott

This is how Jesus was

This is how this prophet was and this is how we are if we are seeking after Jesus.

Application:

Do yo believe that you can be courageous for God?

Are you tapping into God’s spirit?

These two questions go hand and hand together.

Seeking God is our greatest privilege

2 Chronicles 15:3–4 NASB95

“For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. “But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

Seeking God is not natural. It was not natural back then and it it not natural now.

You are not the cool person to show up to work and be the person who loves Jesus. It is not easy and it is the status quo.

And just like Israel sometime God has to take us through difficult things to remind us that this is our greatest privilege.

Maybe talk about Joy here-.

Courageous living is rewarded

2 Chronicles 15:5–7 NASB95

“In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

Observations:

The people were without the true God, were without a priest to teach them and without the law to instruct them (3).

v.3-The role of priests as teachers reflects God’s covenantal framework: “teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them: (Lev 10:11; cf. Debt 33:8-11). The teaching of God’s will—both then and now—infuses God’s people with the spiritual direction and energy needed to walk in a manner pleasing to him.

Result of this =

Dark times, not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land (5)

Nation fought against nation, City fought against city why = God was troubling them with every kind of problem (7).

Many times we want things to be easy as possible but God does not work like this. He will you difficult situations, evil people and hard things to test us to see what we are really make us and to also make us into better followers of him.

Application:

Are you tapping into God’s spirit right now?

2. Every person should have a courageous heart because God desires dangerous disciples (not comfortable Christians) (8).

2 Chronicles 15:8 NASB95

Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord.

How did Asa blow up the status quo?

Leveled the idols

Asa knew there were some things that were going to keep them from seeking God. he knew that they would worship the created rather than the creator.

When believers act like and live like unbelievers we are comfortable Christians.

-Removed all the detestable idols

Some of you students say I want to grow closer to God, but the reality is there are things in your life that are not allowing you to. Maybe it is an impure relationship, maybe you spend all your time on the phone or on Video games. You have so many things cluttered in your life you have squeezed God out completely.

Application: what are some things that you need to remove from your life?

Is there a friendship or relationship that is keeping you from Jesus?

Are sports an idol in your life, do you enjoy sports more than God?

What area of your life do you need to take courage in?

Repaired the House

Repaired the altar of the Lord

The Lord’s house was messed up. There are so many ‘so called’ Christians who have messed up houses. We want to live like the rest of the world and also have a deep intimate time with God. Asa said I am going to fix this problem so we can do what the Bible tells us to do and seek God. If you will level the foundation now you can start moving forward. Guys I want to make one challenge to you. Do you have a scripture memory program? Just the other day no one has memorized these 12 verses? Who is going to step up to the challenge.

Illustration:

Asa was a dangerous disciple now.

Navy Seals are dangerous people: share the water scene from this movie.

We as people love the status quo. In one of my favorite military Act of Valor he quotes his dad.

‘Before my father died, he said the worst thing about growing old was that other men stopped seeing you as dangerous. I’ve always remembered that, how being dangerous was sacred, a badge of honor.’

What if one of you said I want to be a dangerous disciple. Let’s see what God does next because of one dangerous disciple who had a courageous heart

Every person should have a courageous heart like ASA because

God can use one person to spark a fire (9-15)

3. Every person should have a courageous heart because God can use one person to spark a fire (9-15).

Azariah was the first spark.

Now Asa was going to through in his spark.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that eve has. Margaret Meade

2 Chronicles 15:9–15 NASB95

He gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who resided with them, for many defected to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. They sacrificed to the Lord that day 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep from the spoil they had brought. They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. Moreover, they made an oath to the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with horns. All Judah rejoiced concerning the oath, for they had sworn with their whole heart and had sought Him earnestly, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

Illustration:

Billy Graham story-

Exegesis:

v. 8-9—When Asa took courage or maybe verse 15 or 17

9: resulting in many from Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim gathered to him because the Lord God was with him.

11-Much sacrifice taking place

12-Entered a covenant with the Lord

illustration marriage

14-Made an oath

15-God allowed them to find him

15-They had rest

Why did he spark a fire?

He did what he was created to do:-Worship (9)

They noticed his relationship with God-Are you a closet Christian. SO many people are proud of things that are not good to be proud of. But are you proud to be a Christian. We all worship something, God created mankind as worshipers, but most people worship the wrong things, but in verse 9 it tells us that ASA was worshipping what he was created to worship-God and people noticed because he was walking with the Lord and the Lord was walking with him.

Illustration:Can you picture for a moment if mom asked you to fill up her tank with gas and you put Dr. Pepper in there. It would not run. Most of us are like that God says worship me and we worship other things and as a result we are running on Dr. Pepper.

How do you seek the Lord-You Worship him.

Initiative-Have you ever noticed we talk initiative in the things we like to do the things that are important to us. This was important to ASA so he took initiative.

He became a missionary.

Missions exists because worship doesn’t-John Piper

The ultimate goal is worship. We do missions so we can have more worshippers. Because one person worshipped now we see tons of worship going on thousands of animals were being offered to God because one worshipper invited others into worshipping the living God.

Ill-If you were on trial for being a Christian would people say innocent or guilty?

He did not lose sight of the heart

Heart from Paul Tripp’s book.

How do we live for the eternal-we desire to see more worshipers for Jesus Christ. Everyone

for all their hearts and souls mentioned twice-

Application-

Are you a person of Character?

Is your walk with God evident to those who are around you?

Do you desire to see others hearts worship the Creator?

Do you have initiative?

Every person should have a courageous heart like ASA because

God gets tons of glory when they attempt hard things by faith (16-19)

Illustration:

Have you noticed the greatest things in life are usually not easy. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was ask my wife out on a date.

Exegesis;

The reason their was a dark time in Israel and things were not going well is because Asa’s grandma was worshipping false gods. So the reason it was so dark and God’s word was nowhere to be seen was because of his family.

16 King Asa even deposed his grandmother* Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. 18 He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.

19 So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Ashram Pole-a Canaanite fertility symbol (cf. comments on 14:3), which Asa destroyed and burned … in the Kidron Valley (cf. 29:16; 30:14), just east of Jerusalem.

Why does God make us do hard things?

He makes sure we want him more than anything else

He knows that the heart controls everything