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Now I want you to pay attention it wasn't anything in Israel wasn't the third their military.
Why are we going over and Talking about dead guys from 2 ,300 years ago 2 ,500 years ago, why are we talking about these schmucks? Why are we talking about these guys for the most part who were bombs?
Well Romans 5 4 says this it says that scripture Old Testament scripture was written So that we may learn From other folks's actions both their mistakes and their victories. I know in my life I have so many Mistakes and I'm not talking about.
I sped on Germantown, right? Don't you know those we have don't you just love those Christians you ask them What are they struggling with and the height of their spiritual struggle is well? I'm just trying to obey the speed limit, you know, and the first thing that goes from my mind is you liar, you know but in reality Every little mistake we do and in my life.
I learned something from it from the repentant aspect Of it. Let me say that again. From the repentant aspect of it you see ladies and gentlemen. It's easy to show up on church on a Sunday morning. It's easy to sing hallelujah.
But man that day-to-day grind when Rocky Balboa music ain't playing in the background and you're being tempted and you're being it's those moments even in that failure where God's grace can heal and that scar tissue can be a battle-scar of victory.
This morning. We're going to look at the life of Asa the great-grandson of Solomon the grandson of Rehoboam. And he has become king of Judah. Which at this time was a split nation the two tribes of Israel in the south and the ten northern tribes.
Were involved in a civil war and Asa was one of the five Godly kings that ruled Judah and so we're going to learn some things from him. We're going to learn how we need to be consistent in obeying God how we need to be consistent in overcoming threats and how we need to be consistent in Consistency, so let's look at a couple of things starting in 2nd Chronicles chapter 14.
2nd Chronicles chapter 14. Let's start with verse 1. Abijah Asa's father died. He slept with his father's and they buried him in the city of David ie Jerusalem and Asa his son reigned in his place in His days the land had rest for ten years verse 2 and Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.
I I know. This sounds oversimplified. But I want God to be able to say that about me more than anything else in this world. You know pastor Jeff was the greatest pastor in the whole world. Okay, we need one of those amen signs in the back.
You know pastor Jeff was the Perfect specimen of the male species. Pat all that stuff doesn't matter to me. Man I want to hear attaboy when I get home. I want to hear son you did what was right in the eyes of God now.
How do I do that because I have failed so much and I'm not talking about when I was a drug addict loser. I'm talking about last week right past weekend. I'm talking about this morning. I have failed so miserably.
How do I keep from doing that and do what is right in the eyes of God. Well the first thing we have to do. Is we need to learn the blessing of? Obedience. Let's learn the blessing of obedience. Look at first story.
It says this it says he took away the foreign altars and the high Places and broke down the pillars and cut down the ashram guys in obedience. You need to understand that the first thing that you have to obey is God and God alone.
It is an absolute necessity. That God has a preeminence in your life. I had a lady that was in my office, and she was talking about obeying her husband.
And she was like why don't I got to obey him. You know that sounds old-fashioned.
I'm like well. Yeah, it does it was written. Oh, I don't know around Genesis 1 sometime. Master this question. Do you have a job? Yes? Do you have a boss? Yes? Do you do what he says? Yes, so what you're saying is you'll obey for money, but not for the Word of God.
That makes you a whore. You've whored yourself out to this world. You're willing to obey a man who does nothing but pays you a paycheck. But one who has entered into a covenant before God. You're not willing to obey.
Mmm.
You see we got to obey God. And obeying God is doing what he's asked us to do and it's not Obeying culture. Look at this verse 5. It says. He took out all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars.
You see he first cleaned his own bowl. He first looked at his own life. And then when he was done with that that which he had authority over He also made sure that was right with God. Ladies and gentlemen we get that backwards sometimes.
We get it backwards to where we want other people to do right and obey and do all this but inside our own hearts. We're not obedient. You ever wondered why children grow up and think the church is full of.
Mm-hmm it ain't the church. They're really condemning. It's your home.
It's your home.
If you want to obey God you got to obey God alone. But did you got to obey God rather than what culture is telling you to do. Some of the music you let your children Listen to and some of the TV shows you allow them to watch.
Is not obedient to God if it's a little cartoon. That's just a kid show. Man do not make the mistake that Satan in this world have figured out if they start with the children early. By the time they get to college no matter about you brought him up in church some tofu eating sandal wearing hippie PhD will go there is no God.
You evolved from an ape. Oh, well, okay. Let me write that down. Stop listening to what culture says. Stop believing the lies of this world. Stop all the black and white conservative Democrat Republic.
Stop eating the pill and listening to culture. Your number one culture is God and God alone. Third thing in obedience is we've got to understand that there is no favoritism. The parallel the parallel of First and second Chronicles is first and second Kings.
Kings was written more in a contemporary fashion. Chronicles was written post-exilic. Okay, some of you don't know what that means. It's cool. I asked the local MIT kid, but here's here's what we got to understand.
I want you to read verse. I wrote it on your little papers first Kings chapter 5 verse 13. Here's what else Asa did he also removed? Maka his mother from being Queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Ashera and Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook of Kidron.
Husbands can't talk to you for a second. We all know your wife now and that it's especially for you young men. You young man, especially young men who were fitting to get married.
Okay, you ready?
Your wife does not cook like your mom. Don't ask her to okay.
For you young men.
Who want to replace your mommy with a woman. Do not do that to her. And you need to mature and grow up before you're?
Ready for marriage, okay.
But I want you to understand this Asa was a stud. Because the Queen mother of his country his own Mommy was not exempt from the truth and the standard that God had set and Asa Was going to maintain. Do you have favorite people in your life who you sometimes let slide with things?
Do you have a favorite child? You do really I never really had one. I Really never did. I mean my daughter was perfect in every way and she gave me the least trouble out of all five of them. But she really wasn't my favorite.
Josiah.
His food bill was too high. Joshua he was getting hurt all the time. Jeremiah who he was a DD. Little Jeff. Oh, I hated little Jeff. Hated him. Oh my gosh. He would wake up in the morning and he walked down the stairs and he'd go.
Good morning everyone. I Wanted to punch him right in the face every morning. Don't have favorites. Don't be a respecter of people. We train pastors all over the world. If you chase love Minister and respect only the people that can serve your church financially.
You are an apostate and you need to leave. You say it's all God's sheep all God's people when you obey God. Listen to me. When you obey God, you need to obey God alone. You need to obey God and not culture.
And you need to obey God and not have favorites. One more verse out of first Kings real quick. I think I think it's important I think I wrote it on your paper as well going back to culture. I want you to actually read God and Asa's Mentality against a certain segment that is graining in popularity in our culture today.
Verse 12. He put away the male cult Prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his father's had made guys. You younger generation and the average age of this church is 28.
28.
28 years old, but I'm telling you it's the babies That I feel for the little Ava's little nana's the jazzy's God the Everett twins. You know. You see because they're gonna have to undo they're gonna have to undo what their father's allowed to happen.
I Need to just say this because I love you. If anyone here is struggling with a whole trans thing Please come get help. Now listen, I'm not being mean to you. Okay, I'm saying you were deceived and you are gonna make mistakes That you cannot unmake.
Okay.
It is a lie. It is a delusion. And you are being fed from the culture of this world from the pit of hell something that you will not be able to recover from. Okay, and our children are gonna have to fight Against what their father's allowed to happen in churches.
They will. But I praise God not here. Second thing not only in obeying God. How do you overcome stuff? How do you get closer to God? How do you learn more? Well, I have some bad news for you. If you want to grow in maturity in Christ.
If you want to grow in strength in Christ. This is how God does it. He doesn't do it supernaturally when you just pray Lord make me stronger in your word.
You're there, right?
It doesn't work that way. Trust me. Okay, I've met pastors from all over the world, especially Puerto Ricans. They don't know nothing right and they pray a brunch. I mean they do the whole. Don't work.
Don't work. How do you learn to be mature in Christ? Well guys you ever got to overcome some things. I hate this season of life. Literally, I do. I hate this time frame, but I hate being 56. I do. I.
I.
Have hearing aids in but I also have these rubber things on my glasses to keep my glasses falling off my face. But the hearing aids and the things that hold my glasses on won't both fit. And so the hearing aids are flopping around on the side of my head.
I feel like my wife. I have to reach in and pull my suspenders back up, you know. Like I'm wearing a bra or something. Everything in my body is falling apart, you know.
Season in life. Oh.
Thank you. But guys I'm learning more now than I ever have before and it's through the trials and tribulations of life. Is that right? It's through the trials and tribulations of life. We look at verse 6 chapter 14.
Verse 6 He built and fortified cities in Judah for the land had rest. He had no war in those years for the Lord gave him peace. So he was at peace. But read verse 7 God had given him peace in verse 6.
But in verse 7 he said to Judah let us build these cities and surround them with walls towers gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him and he has given us peace on every side.
Now watch so they built and prosper. I want us to understand then in our matriculation to a more mature Christian. There is no such thing as neutral buoyancy. In other words you if you're not going up guess where you're going down.
You can't stop still ain't no neutral in the Christian life. And even though you may be at peace and even though can't rest on your laurels. You can't rest in the state of peace of your end. You need to build yourself your family your church and your community because I promise you a battle is right around the corner.
And if you aren't preparing if you aren't preparing to overcome threats in the future. You're gonna be the slugger that Proverbs and Psalms talks about where winner will overtake you. Ladies and gentlemen, we are constantly in this place.
Improving figuring out asking questions. What can we do? We have to we have to we live in a hundred-year-old building to call system. Looks like I did it. Matt and Brandon went in there went. Oh, no, shut the door need to plan for that.
Well pastor. How are we. I don't know yet, but we're gonna come up with a plan. We're gonna look at individual things. Well pastor, what are we gonna do with this group? How do we do this? How do we do this?
We don't just sit around and go. Well, the Lord will guide us when we get there.
That's a cop-out.
That's laziness. That is apathy. Husbands fathers if you run your household like that. I Promise you start doing this because that's what you're gonna be doing to your 14 and 15 year old daughters.
Bye.
Because they're gonna try to find security and peace because they can't find it in you. They're gonna find it somewhere else. You need to plan. Already now watch this. So in this passage, they're all at peace.
They're building up the cities. Everything's fine. But they're just preparing and then all of a sudden the Ethiopians show up. Oh my gosh. Those Ethiopians can't trust them for nothing. I got a whole mess of them worshiping God over there them Ethiopians.
We have an Ethiopian church here, I don't know if y 'all know that we got a Mexican one but we also have an Ethiopian one. I always ask the pastor if he's gonna let me go to his homeland and Stab a zebra or something and he thinks it's funny, but I'm actually being serious.
I want to go hunt over there. But anyways Ethiopian army comes up and they come up through Egypt. They were actually a client state of Egypt at this time and they're marching towards Judah. And Judah's like, oh my gosh.
Here's our first big test read verse 11 and Asa Cried to the Lord his God. Oh Lord. There is none like you to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us. Oh Lord our God for we rely on you and in your name We have come against this multitude.
Oh Lord. You are God. Let not men prevail against you so the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah and the Ethiopians fled. Now I want you to understand something you overcome things by planning.
But ladies and gentlemen, if your prayer life is Non-existent as a Christian you're gonna be like a pinball in a pinball. Sorry wrong age demographic you're gonna be like a piece of trash blowing in the wind.
Whatever the wind pushes you that's where you're gonna go. You have to have a prayer life that is commensurate with a day in times in which we live now. I know that some of y 'all are thinking. Oh, no, I pray I ain't talking about over dinner.
Good Lord good meat good bread. God bless loves eat or whatever you redneck say. I'm talking about where it's just you and this is something I struggle with as your pastor. I Pray heard about those prayers.
I'm talking about the prayers in your closets. You know what? My best prayer time is in my truck. That's my but that's my best prayer time because I'm not focused on other scarce people because you're on the same roads I am.
I don't really don't focus on a whole lot else, right? I mean, there'll be times, you know, we're like, you know. Welcome to Fayette County. Oh crud, you know, I was going home and I'm thinking about everything.
I end up in Fayette County where I get a ticket, but I got to come back, right? Guys, it is prayer. You've got to have a prayer life to overcome these things. But I want you to notice something else and this is for the hippie Christians.
Okay. It's not just by prayer look again at that verse it says and We have come out and met them if you go to the next if you go back to verse 10 It says and Asa went out to meet him and they drew up their lines of battle in the valley of whatever.
You know what you need before you have prayer Is you got to have faith? How many y 'all just thought it?
Gotta have faith. Hi.
You gotta have faith. Listen to me kids if you're relying only on prayer Jesus told the disciples watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. It's not just praying it pornography and the internet is wearing you out.
Don't just pray about it. Cancel your internet, right? If you were drunk, don't be going to bars. Okay, well I'm there to share Jesus no, you're not drunk. You dare to get a drink if you are a drug add drug addicts.
And start hanging out with those who are reforming and have more maturity. In other words, you've got to step up to the plate to fight. I know a lot of Christians want to go by feelings and oh lord you deliver me.
I'm so in this seed of faith God proudest prayer. But I'm not actually going to engage anything that's not faith. Show me your faith without works. James said that your faith is not something tangible.
Unless it is put into practice. You can't have faith in neutral. It's gotta be in drive. You say if you want to overcome threats. You got a plan you got a prayer but guys you got to have faith to fight and last thing is this.
It's consistency in you need to be consistent. Turn with me to 2nd Chronicles 15. Just the next chapter over 2nd Chronicles 15. And we're actually going to be in chapters 15 and 16 more next week. But I just want you to talk about seeing consistency in verse 15.
I'm sorry in chapter 15 verse 3. Chapter 15 verse 3 it says this. For a long time Israel was out the true God without a teaching priest and without a law. You have to be consistent in seeing the real problem.
Let's just stop for a second. Let me explain. Judah and Asa had just come off a massive victory. They chased the Ethiopians all the way back down to Ethiopia and son they were scooping up the treasure on the way.
You know, they were taking gold. They were taking horses and chariots and armor and weapons. I mean, it's like the Ethiopians were just and They were just collecting it on the way. They chased them so far down there.
They they were literally on foot running for their lives for days and days. They chased them. They had just come off a great victory. And what does God say? After that great victory does he sit there and go?
Hey, I had a boy good job. Go sit back down and rest now. No in all of chapter 15. What he does is he does this he reminds them that if they're joining this Moment of peace and they want this peace to continue.
He says you got to obey. You've got to obey you've got to follow me. One of the consistent things in my life that I need is I need to continue to see the real problem and the real Problem is me.
Husbands you need to protect your wives.
You need to protect your wives. You do you need to have. They are 15 and the a k -47 and 432 magazines and all the little prepper thing and the little light that you can shake and the little fire starters.
And you need all that garbage.
No.
You're spending all your time resources money thoughts about living like freaking Rambo in the woods somewhere shooting communists falling out of the sky. Come on, grow up. We've got a real invasion. They're Puerto Ricans everywhere like cockroaches.
We need to envelop a spray or something, you know. Guys, you don't need to protect your wives and your family from North Koreans or Russians or Democrats or liberals against it. You need to protect them from you.
Your mouth and your actions set the tone and the pace in your households. Talk to a young man who's dating a young lady. He's like man. I really love her. I'm gonna marry her. I go. Are you sleeping with her?
Well?
Well, you set in the wrong pace son.
You're setting right. She's supposed to follow you. Not you follow her. You're supposed to set the tone and the pace and guys I'm preaching to the choir here. Okay, I get it. It's hard. It's difficult, but that's why God made you a man.
Buck-up stop whining and see the real problem as the real problem and look it says here in verse 3. You want the answer for a long time. Israel is out the true God without a teaching priest and without a law.
Let's just boil that down into a modern conception. We were without God. We were without churches who have real pastoral leadership and were without the Word of God in our lives. If you are an individual and want success in this life for you and your family as a Christian and you forsake God.
You forsake the assembling of God's people together and you forsake the reading and obeying of God's Word. I give you a hundred percent chance of absolute abject failure. There you go. I don't agree with that.
Will you take your opinion and come see me in about 15 years because you're arrogant self. Your kid is going to be on my couch, and you're gonna look at me and say I don't know what happened. I raised them up in a Christian home.
No you didn't. In tattoo, but see that's what church culture is fed us. It's fed us that we're not Catholic. We're good. You know, I'm Baptist. I'm automatically going. Rapture happened now. 80 of Baptist churches wouldn't even know it on a Sunday morning.
But at least we're not black.
You know.
We white Anglo-Saxon Protestant Republicans, you know. Well, I'm out of there Trump forever. Someone actually wrote on the pastor's notes. Oh, I love pastor Jeff, but maybe don't use so much shock value.
It freaks people out.
Freak out.
The church is like a dead body that I feel like we need to take the little things, you know, give me 300.
Don't really believe that garbage.
You think you're good. Watch. You think you're good. Because You believe in God?
You think you're good because you ask Jesus in your heart is your Lord and Savior and Nothing's changed in your life guys. I'm not trying to shock you. I'm not here to entertain you I'm here to warn you you are on the road to hell.
Well, I Don't feel that.
To your feelings. If you don't have God if you don't have the assembling of yourself pastor Jeremiah read it this morning if you claim to be a Christian yet hate your brother you are a Liar, well that offends me.
Oh my gosh. I can't deal with that much stupid. You are literally dying on the vine. Instead of humbling yourself and repenting you become offended at the truth. That's trying to save your life. God's words not there for your feelings.
It's there to save your soul. Guys, please learn the consistency of God the assembling and the Word of God itself to save your life. Second thing. Let's talk about repentance. Verse 14. But when in their distress they turn to the Lord the God of Israel and sought him and.
After enough songs and groveling and donations to the local pastors helicopter fund He was found by them. Couple of lies we need to dispel here first of all. And a lady broke my heart, and if we only finish with this I'm cool lay broke my heart last week.
Young lady, this is what she said. I've already repented and I did it again.
What do I do now?
Okay, and I'm not making fun of her. Listen to me in her little brain. She thought repentance was a one-time deal. Okay, how many of you older mature Christians know that's not true. You know the last time I repented.
I'm not joking when I say this.
Saturday night.
That was what no. Friday night two nights ago. I screwed up again.
Again my gosh.
I'm such a loser. You know what I mean. I mean at least I'm not Robert, but I am a loser. How many times do you have to repent? Every day. You see we were brought up and some of you older bass Baptist we've run most of you off, but Older Baptist you know this was their time of repentance just as I am.
Without one plea and they come up here. They pray Jesus come in my heart and say and then they go over here. They get dunked in water. They're a member of the church, and that's it. They're good to go letting all of you know.
That you're big poopoo face. But see then here's what happens, and I don't want to give too much truth here. But here's what happens you start feeling like you and God are this far apart. Wait a minute.
Here's the other one you feel like your prayers. Don't get further than the.
Uh-huh.
You feel cold.
Dead.
You feel like that piece of pizza two weeks old in the refrigerator. She's throwing the microwave and it's half cold half hot. But you eat it anyway because you're too lazy to warm it up. Some of you drug addicts in here hit that one right on it.
There yeah, oh.
At least I wouldn't be so stupid as try to make pizza with ketchup David Stanley, but anyways.
You forget.
That it's the joy of the Lord. That's our strength not preaching not music.
Joy. You know you get that joy again.
Let me quote a guy who murdered a friend. Who committed adultery? Again and again and again and then lied and covered it up and didn't repent and Because he wouldn't privately repent. He was publicly condemned.
He said this.
God restore unto me the joy of my.
Salvation. Cast me not away from your presence.
You see.
The same truth. Remember truth is truth all the time. Some of y 'all in this room right now. That's exactly where you at. That's exactly where you at. And I ain't making funny. And I ain't yelling at you and I don't big poopoo face.
All I'm telling you is dude we get it. We're losers to come on down here and repent and get some accountability. The cookies are so much better on this side of the line. Life is so much better living without the constant conviction of God.
Oh child of God if you're living in sin, I can tell you for a fact. It is a miserable.
Existence.
Miserable, I mean, it's just kind of like hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, it's like a two-year-old. Why why why why why don't that's like? Hey, buddy. Hey, I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. It's like we'll not leave you alone.
But after a while he'll stop.
You want to know fear? It ain't the living in sin. It's when you stop feeling the conviction. I just got sick to my stomach.
That'll eat you up.
Guys let me tell you something cool about repentance. It's one humble heart away again.
That's it.
Well, I've gone too far. God's not speaking. God doesn't love me. God doesn't want me. Well, yeah, he kind of does cuz he already said it and God's not a liar. You are never too far from the grace of God.
How many times do you have to repent. As many times as you sin? As many times. How many times can you be restored to Christ until the day you die. I Praise God for that. Last thing is this. We have to come to a place Where we are consistent in that repentance and verse 11.
They sacrifice to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 mother-in-law's and 7 ,000 sheep. Oh I'm sorry. 700 oxen and 7 ,000 sheep.
It never gets old where yet. And sacrificing.
Focus.
Guys, it's only been 32 minutes.
Focus we're almost done.
Well, the music people come up there Pavlovian that should chill you out that it's almost over. Okay. There you go. Start salivating. It's almost over. Okay now focus. Okay, focus guys wonderful pastoring in a DD church.
Where are you sacrificing? Here's the thing about repentance. You see repentance is a twofold action. You turn to God and away from that which you know is not right. But here's what is always is truth with it as well.
It's gonna cost you something. It is it's gonna cost you something. It's gonna cost you that codependent relationship. It's gonna stain. But it's gonna cost you. It's gonna cost you the comfort of that drug or that alcohol or whatever else that you think is making you feel in control and feel safe.
It's gonna cost you that because here's the thing. God knows it's a lie, even though you don't. It's gonna cost you sometimes your happiness to give you joy. Let me say that to you again. It might cost you your happiness.
So that you can experience joy it might cost you this.
It might cost you your life.
Well, yeah, but pastor I don't want. Hmm. And don't pull your hand back from the plow. Christian. Don't pull your hand back. Whatever God requires of you. You've got to come to a place where you literally go.
I'm done. I'm done. I.
Surrender everything. I'm done trying to figure it out. I'm done trying to lie to myself. I'm done manipulating me and everybody else. I'm done relying on feelings. I'm done relying on people. I'm done relying on Churches and religion.
I'm done with all that crap. God. It is you and you alone that I want to serve. It is you and you alone that I want to belong to. It is you and you alone that I will bow my knee. And you need to do it every day.
I close with this. Jesus said if anyone wishes to come after me Let him deny himself. Daily pick up his cross and follow me. Where are you today?
