“ If God is your problem, only God can be your solution “

“ If God is your problem, only God can your solution “

2 Chronicles 15:1-6 ( NASB )

2 Chronicles 15:1–6 (NASB95)

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

2 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.

3 “For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.

4 “But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

5 “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.

6 “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

“ If God is your problem, only God can your solution “

What's really sad today

is that a lot of Christians today

don't even know

That God is the problem

The people of God

is blaming everything

on the devil

When most of the time

it's God that's causing their problems

Our text today

Is tailored to teach us

that God was the problem

and that only God

was going to be

the solution to their problem

A Prophetic Word & A Prophetic Warning (2 Chr 15:1–7)

The Spirit of God

directed Azariah

to go out and meet Asa

as he returned

from the victory over Zerah

This prophet reminded

the victorious host

that “Yahweh is with you when you are with him.”

Note: God don’t Forsake His people but His people forsake Him

Azariah rehearsed

what happened

during the period

of the Judges

when the people forsook Yahweh

Those priestless

kingless and lawless days

were full of

internal strife

and external oppression

“God troubled them with every kind of distress.”

For Asa

however, Azariah

had a word of encouragement

If he was strong

and courageous

there would be reward

for his work (2 Chr 15:1–7)

Illustration : in Europe when someone in a sanitarian is going to be released

Illustration : They was unable to get to the root of the problem

Note: A lot of Church folks are slinging mobs because they haven’t realize that God is their problem

Verses5-6

5 “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.

6 “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

Chaos has become normalize

in the culture

there was individual chaos

those who came out

There was family chaos

those who went in

and came back home

There was urban chaos

because city rose up against city

There was international chaos

because nation rose up against nation

So there was calamity

on every level

and in every direction you look

What should capture

your mind

and catch your attention

is the last line in verse 6

“ for God troubled them with every kind of distress “

Out of all that's going on

you would think

That the text would say

That the devil troubled them

If God is your problem

only God can be your solution

If God is your cause

only God can be your cure

In other words

when they look at

the culture landscape

God says blame me

Illustration:

Our churches have chaos -- our Homes have Chaos — our jobs have Chaos & God is saying BLAME ME

What the culture

was experiencing

was the wrath of God

now the wrath of God

is different in the old covenant

than from the new covenant

In the old covenant

the wrath of God

was His direct intrusion

into the affairs of men

to bring judgment

Illustrations :

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭19:24‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven,”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭16:29-30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.”

Over and over again

you see that active

wrath of God

But not so

in the New Testament

with the death of Jesus Christ

on the cross

God relationship to the world shifted

So in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5

we are told

that with the death of Christ

the world was reconcile back to God

So now the world

do not experience

the active wrath of God

that was part of the Old Testament

now the world experience

the passive wrath of God

The passive wrath of God

is explaining to us in

Romans 1:18,24,26,28 (NASB95)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,

“ God gave them over “

In other words

God abandon them

To life without him

In the Old Testament

there would be judgment

from heaven in history

in the New Testament

there would be disruption

of history due to divine abandonment

One is active wrath

the other is passive wrath

both are wrath

as a dissatisfied God

allow culture to see the repercussions

of what happens when He is exit from the environment

2nd Chron. 15:6 “ By God “

2 Chronicles 15:6 NASB95

6 “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

So now the question is

what was the things

that caused God

to distress his people

In 2nd Chron. 15

but also in the new covenant

in Romans chapter 1 which is applicable to us today

It’s in verse 3 we see 3 reasons why the wrath of God was creating disturbance in the culture

1st Reason — “ For many days Israel was without the true God “

So there have been

An extended

period of time

without the God of the Bible

It did not say

there was no God

it says

there was no true God

If You don't have

the true God

That means you have

a false god

false gods in the Bible

are called idols

An idol is any noun

person, place, thing or thought

that you look too

as your source

Idols was not just

things to be worship

they were things

to respond to the worshiper

So an idol

was used to bring about

benefits to the one

worshiping the idol

So they was worshiping idols

for vegetation

for fruits

for productivity

they worship idols

for rain

And to take care of their animals

Note: Idols was sources looked to for provision

We don’t have

the kind of idols

they used in biblical days

but now we have

American Idols …………JOBS - PEOPLE - FACEBOOK / SELFIES

False gods

had accompany them

Even In Ezekiel 43

God says you have allowed

your politics and your throne

to get too close

to my throne

as though the White House

and the church house is equal

We let things in the world

and things we like

get too close to God’s throne

that's why there's

a distress in culture and people personal lives

Illustration: Black Friday — everybody is shopping because the sales everywhere and that's how people are as long as they can get God on discount they are good but the moment he becomes full price we will shop elsewhere ( The True God )

The true God

was no longer the source

there was an unauthorized

deity that have replaced the true God

Note: Anything you put before God is an idol

1st Reason — “ For many days Israel was without the true God “

2nd Reason — No teaching Priest

He didn't say

there was no preachers

He was saying

that the preacher

wasn't saying the same thing

God was saying

God's truth

was not the final word

coming from the pulpit

Note: Preachers don’t want to preach the TRUTH/THE bible because it will offend the members

Because there was no teaching priest

there was no true God

We need preaches

and people

that will stand flat footed

on God's word

Example : 2 Tim 4:2-5

Illustration : Bring your problems — marriage — job — finance — governor and I won't switch books when it comes down to the governor

A teaching priest

is gonna stand

in the pulpit

And say I'm not doing a gay marriage

he's going to stand

in the pulpit

and say abortion is wrong

life comes from God

1st Reason — “ For many days Israel was without the true God “

2nd Reason — No teaching Priest

3rd Reason There was no Law

People made up their own laws

I want ( My Truth )

I want ( How I feel )

I want ( What I want )

4th verse 4 — 4 “But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel “ and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

If God is your problem only God can be your solution

You have a compound name for God

In verse 4

You have Yahweh - Elohim

Elohim the word God

Is the word used in Genesis 1

Elohim created the heavens & the earth

The only name you will see

In the book of Genesis 1

Is the word Elohim

When He is creating the Earth - Vegetations - Animals

But then in Genesis Chapter 2 verse 4

When He is about to

Get His apex of creation

And relate to Him

We have the compound

Name for God

His name now is Yahweh or Jehovah

So from chapter 2 verse 4 and following

You don’t see Elohim anymore

You see the Lord God , the Lord God , the Lord God

Elohim is His power Name

Yahweh is His Relational Name

So the power of Elohim

Is always tied to the

Relationship of Jehovah

So where there is no Jehovah

You will miss out

On what Elohim can do

And if you appeal to Elohim

And there is no Yahweh

Because there is no relationship

Then there is a breach

But when you “ Return to the Lord God “

So that He’s Yahweh - Elohim

That’s why in Chapter 3

When Satan show up

He says “ have God said “

Because he don’t mind religion ( Elohim )

As long as there’s no Yahweh ( Relationship )

So he get’s her to talk about God

Without talking about

Our relationship to the God

That we need

To heal the distress

In the culture ----------- “ Return to the Lord God “