I Once Longed for New Things to Obey — Carter Conlon

God bless you. Good morning Times Square Church. Gonna share with you this morning a message. It's entitled. I once longed for new things to obey. I once longed for new things to obey. Second Chronicles, please in the Old Testament chapter 15 and If you go to the find the book of Psalms you go back five books from there and you're in second Chronicles chapter 15.

The Call to Renew the Altar

I once longed For new things to obey. Now father, I thank you for the anointing of your Holy Spirit. I Thank you Lord for your strength and your power to be able to speak this word today Lord your entire kingdom is not by might nor by power, but by your spirit.

And so I yield my life and body and mind into your hands and I ask Lord Jesus Christ That you be glorified O God in everything that's spoken and said and done today. Lord Jesus be glorified. Thank you for it in your precious name.

Amen. Second Chronicles chapter 15, please verse 1. And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded and He went out to meet Asa and said unto him here you meet Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you be with him and if you seek him he will be found of you.

But if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel had been without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn to the Lord God of Israel and sought him he was found of them.

And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. A Nation was destroyed of nation and city of city for God did vex them all with all adversity.

Be you strong therefore and let not your hands be weak for your work shall be rewarded. And When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet he took courage and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim and Renewed the altar of the Lord that was before the porch of the Lord.

Finishing the Race Through Scripture

I once longed for new things to obey. Now the Lord has had me on a personal study. I Been spending some time in the scriptures studying the lives of of those who started well and finished poorly. Now I want to tell you why because when Joshua Began to lead the people of that generation into the place of promise that was theirs the Lord appeared to Joshua in the beginning of this particular juncture in his ministry and In chapter 1 of verse 8, this is what God spoke to him.

He said this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. But you shall meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous.

Then thou shalt have good success. Now the Lord said to Joshua you're to take this book of the law. Now he's in the same place that others had been and you're to you're to meditate on this day and night.

Now meditating means you're to let it you to read it. You're to study it. You'd understand it. You're to long for it. You're to let it be part of the very fabric of your life. You're not to veer to the left or to the right of anything it says and if you do these things You will have good success.

Now Joshua had just seen his predecessor Moses a wonderful man of God that the Bible says is the meekest was the meekest man on the face of the earth a man of impeccable courage and deep hearted faith but he had seen Moses not finished the course on this side of eternity in the full measure that God had intended for his life and There had to be something in him that he said Lord.

I I want to study it now folks. I don't know about you, but I am 57 years of age now. I started in ministry at around 28. I was in full-time ministry at the age of 33 and it's been an incredible journey.

It's been a marvelous journey. I know that I have been supernaturally helped all the way along the way we have gone into foreign countries. We have seen God do the miraculous before us. It has been an incredible journey but in my heart a Lot of these men in the scriptures They didn't really falter until the latter part of their life in ministry and in my heart I said God I don't want to finish poorly.

I Want to finish the cry of my heart is that at the end of my days? That I'm putting my feet up into my bed. It's a prayer. Constantly and like Jacob I can bless each of my children my grandchildren My heritage and I can speak into their lives and I can raise my hands and shout to God and give him glory for all That he's done.

I don't want to get to the end of this journey and look back With regret. I don't want to be on my deathbed saying Oh God, if only Oh God. If only I'd done this if only I'd done that I'd rather look ahead from this vantage point and and do it now.

And study it now and know it now and walk in it now. If you're if you're fortunate enough to outlive me and you're at my funeral I hope that you can shout with glory and say God answered his prayer. He finished the course and I hope my children can stand in whatever pulpit it happens to be and they can make a declaration That on his deathbed Our father was able to reach out and put his hands on their heads and bless us.

The glory of God was on him. It's a cry of my heart to finish this. I want to finish like Paul. I want to finish the race like Peter. I want to finish like those that have that have finished it in victory and I don't want to go Through the course or journey who those who didn't and one of the ways to avoid the pitfall is to study the scriptures Intently clearly with it with an honest heart.

Paul told Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3 16 and 17 that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof that means To prove your theological viewpoint for correction for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be perfect Thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Now the word perfect means brought into that place of That God would have him or her to be Brought to that which is the perfect will of God. Let's put it that way for your life. That's don't turn there.

Uzziah’s Pride and the Loss of Godly Fear

But in 2nd Chronicles 26 This chapter speaks about a king Uzziah king of Judah. I'm only speaking about two kings of Judah today and he was marvelously helped the scripture says until he was strong. This king had such advantage.

He was given a Similar to Solomon he was given a brilliant intellect and it was given the power to lead people. He was given the power to see things and to invent things instruments of war. For example, he was he was given the ability to prosper and to lead the people of God into a tremendous 52 year period.

He was 16 when it began to rain and he rained for 52 years and in those 52 years There was a tremendous peace and advancement of the kingdom of God under his leadership. But when he was strong the scripture says his heart was lifted up to his destruction.

For he transgressed against the Lord God. He went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. Now it's almost unthinkable that this man would do this. It's it's like living your whole life in the church and it's suddenly doing at the end of your day something so abominable.

That people stand back in horror and say how is it possible? How could he get so jaded in his thinking? How did he did he not read the scriptures did the desire not know? Did he did he not have the history of of those that attempted to offer?

False fire on the altar of God and what happened to them? Did he not understand? That there's a place in a position given by God and there are some places and some things that are Forbidden by God and he knew he had to know as a king of Judah.

He had to know that that he had no Authority to go in to the altar of incense and to in a sense take the office that was reserved strictly by God for the priesthood and Yet he he walks into that office and I don't I don't know how to understand this other than He had to have lost the fear of God.

There's a grave danger folks, it's it's a danger for me. It's a danger for you that when you and I have walked in the blessing of God for many years. And we've known nothing but the favor of God the human heart can begin to think that God will no longer hold us accountable for what we do.

That somehow things we knew in our youth and things we fled from in our youth and things that we knew were wrong suddenly become right. It's part of the twisted human condition, it's part of that fallen nature of Humanity that ultimately wants to be its own God and wants to be able to say this is good and this is evil.

Even if God's Word says has an opposing view to that viewpoint. You sigh as a type of somebody here today with the history of walking with God. Worshiping yet. You're doing something which you clearly know is a violation of the Word of God.

Now that that applies to some people here today you have a history. There's some here you've walked with God 10 years 12 years 15 years and you've known the blessing of God. You've known the favor of God, but yet today you are here worshiping in this house.

And you have you are clearly doing something that you know is a violation of the Word of God, but somehow Feel in your heart there will be no accountability for this. He started out this particular King.

At 16 he ruled for 52 years and he ended up a leper he finished his journey in the leper colony folks. With with all that God did and all that was in his life and everything 52 years of history is wiped out by one foolish act now.

We have the history of it, but but it should have brought him to a glorious finish. There should have been a glorious conclusion to his life instead. He's a leper in a leper colonies. He's literally put away by the hand of the Lord when he when he went into the The altar of incense to offer what only the priests were allowed to do.

The Bible says the leprosy rose in his forehead. You see had a disease in his mind and the leprosy on his forehead was a type of that disease that had gotten ahold of Him that I can do whatever I want to do in spite of what God says and there will not be a consequence to it.

Beware of it Beloved beware of it beware when you and I have walked a long time in the blessing of the Lord beware of this casualness beware of this this wrong view that somehow because God has been with me for so long and he's blessed me for so long that now I'm free to do what I once knew was sin and Somehow not suffer any consequence.

Asa’s Faithful Beginning

Now, let's look at Asa the king of Judah. That we're talking about today. This is a king that came before Uzziah. Chapter 14 verse 2 tells us that Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of The Lord his God 2nd Chronicles 14 2 in other words He started good and he started right just like many here today have.

It was an it's a type of a true conversion of coming to Christ and saying I I want to do this God's way. I remember when I first got saved I said to my wife Teresa I said If this is the truth, I want the whole thing.

I Want to live it this way. I want to walk it this way. I used to started this way. He did that which was good and right. Verse 3 says he he wholeheartedly served the Lord. He took away the altars of the strange gods in the high places and cut down the images in the groves.

And that's the type of of those of us who've come to Christ and in those first years you so longed for some new thing to obey didn't you and When God spoke it was it was just a given when God speaks. That's what I do.

God directs that's where I go. God says this is no good and I agree and it's no good. If the Lord says tear this down I tear it down the Lord says put it away. I put it away and there are so many here today that you can you can you remember those altars that you the altars of lost in the altars of substance abuse and hatred and violence and bitterness and all these other things and You simply put them away because God said to put them away.

Verse 4 tells us that he led others into obedience that says he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and To do the law and the commandments and you led your family. You led many in your sphere of influence into the obedience of God.

There are people here today that people are saved in church in the kingdom of God because of your obedience because you have your zeal. You many brought your whole you brought your whole family into the kingdom of God.

Just like Asa did verses 5 and 6 says he took away all the cities of. Out of all the cities of Judah the high places the images and the kingdom was quiet before him and he built fence cities as places of protection the land at rest and no war because the Lord had given him rest and He brought the people into rest.

Do you remember how wonderful it is when you first? Came to that place. Do you remember those early years when you walked with God and the rest came into your soul? And worship was something you just had to do and it wasn't confined to church.

Was it you had to worship on the subway you had to worship? I remember waking up in the middle of the night and singing sometimes just oh Jesus just speaking his name the gratitude. For what he had done the rest that he brings into the heart and into the soul.

The assurance of heaven when you die and the wonderful future that he gives to those who belong to him. Verse 7 tells us in chapter 14 that the under his leadership the people built and they prospered.

Things began to happen. People around began to be industrious. Verse 8 tells us that he knew the source of his strength and that as with King David the People became mighty under his leadership. Verse 8 says Asa had an army of men that bear spears targets and spears out of Judah 300 ,000 out of Benjamin that bear shields and drew bows 200 and four score thousand and all these were mighty men of valor and there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with a host of a thousand million actually a thousand thousand and 300 chariots and they came to Maryshaw.

Then Asa went out against him and they set the battle in array in the battle of Zephthah at Maryshaw and Asa cried unto the Lord is God and said Lord It is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power.

Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord thou art our God let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah and Ethiopians fled and the scripture says they were so Beaten that there was hardly a few of them left together.

Trusting God in Impossible Battles

He knew the source of his strength. He knew his strength was in God. An army came against him with almost two to one odds. But he went into prayer and he said God he had that same spirit that Jonathan had on him.

When Jonathan with just his armor bearer climbed up onto the top of a cliff to take a an acre of ground from a hole Squad as it is of the enemy and he said Lord, it doesn't really matter if you're in there.

So God we're going to win this battle and we're going to fight it for your glory. And that's that's been the type in the pattern. You and I have known this we've we've walked in impossible places. You've come through some doors.

You've come through some trials in your life where you knew you didn't have the power to get out Of what held you and you went into the prayer closet and said Lord, I know I'm weak, but it doesn't matter.

Because the power of your Holy Spirit is on me. I have your word Oh God and for the glory of your name. Take me out of this place and take me into the place where you want me to go. And can't you say today that God did that God opened that door of impossibility?

Asa prospered everywhere he went. Verse 14 of chapter 14 says they smote all the cities round about Gerar for the fear of the Lord came upon them. They spoiled all the cities for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

They smote also the tents of cattle and carried away sheep and camels in abundance and returned to Jerusalem. He prospered everywhere. He went everything he touched began to prosper and if you are walking with God With a true heart, you know this to be true.

Now I'm not saying everybody here is going to become a millionaire. But what I am saying is that you see the prosperity of God. You see the blessing of God you see it in adversity. You see it in the fire.

You see it in the flood. You see it on the mountaintop. You see it in the valley. You see the blessing of God. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Everywhere we go. And in chapter 15 verse 12 It says that Asa brought the people into a covenant to seek the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul.

Verse 14. They swear to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with cornets and all Judah rejoiced at the oath. For they'd sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire and he was found of them and the Lord gave them rest roundabout.

He brought the people into sincere and joyful worship. Now isn't that what we're experiencing today in this house and every time we meet God is here with us. Presence of the Holy Spirit is here and there is sincere and there's joyful worship.

And you remember the first time you experienced this. Whatever seat you were in wherever you were in this house or one that's similar to it. How that it seemed like nothing when God asked you to do something how your heart burned, but the Word of God was preached.

How you wanted to honor him and to glorify him and to see your family life in God. How you began to move and you began to see God's power and God's prosperity at every turn in chapter 16. The scripture shows us that the northern kingdom of Israel came up against Judah and Built a fortified city as it was against one of the areas of Judah.

Asa’s Turn from Prayer to Human Reasoning

And suddenly we see this turn in Asa all this history. All the faithfulness of God all the oaths all the worship all the promises. Everything that God has done is now about to be put on an altar of testing and this King comes up against Asa and Asa went into the house of the Lord.

But he didn't go into the house of the Lord to pray. He didn't go in to the house of the Lord to Seek again that God glorify his name in an impossible situation. He went into the house of the Lord to go to the treasury and to take out the treasures that were there and to hire a foreign army.

To come and fight against his enemy and you see Asa now all of the treasures that have been brought into the house of the Lord and The New Testament typology is incredible that all that God had brought into that house all that was set apart for the glory of God.

He now comes in and you can picture him coming into the temple. He would have had to have most likely quite a few with him going into the treasury. I don't know what he took out gold silver. Maybe some of the shields of gold that had been built for the warriors.

He takes all of this out he carts it out and ships it off to Syria and Hires the Syrian army to come and fight against his enemy and so the Syrian King came in fought against the Northern Kingdom or Part of the Northern Kingdom and caused this Northern King to leave off building of this this the city of that he would build to starve out some of the places of Judah and He left off building it and retreated in verse 6 of 16 That says the naysa the king to call Judah and they carried away the stones of Rama and the timber thereof wherewith Bashar was building.

That's the king of the northern part of Israel and he built therewith Giba and misbah. So it looked successful. It looks like hey we won again we we literally we outsmarted our enemy. It might even have given some credit to God for this and We've taken down this fortified city.

They were building against us and we've used the stones of it to build two more places of habitation for the people of God in Judah. Now what possible problem could God have with this? Verse 7 Says. And at that time Han and I the seer came to Asa king of Judah and Said to him because you've relied on the king of Syria and not relied on the Lord your God.

Therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of your hand now bottom line. You've turned to the flesh. You've turned to human reasoning. You're no longer trusting in God. Your reasoning has taken over from the Spirit of God.

We're not the Ethiopians. That's the army of 1 million and the Lubam's a large host with very many chariots and horsemen. Yet because you did rely on the Lord He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.

To show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him herein. You've done foolishly. Therefore from henceforth you shall have wars. You've done foolishly Asa. You started in the spirit and you've moved to the flesh.

You started with a wholehearted trust in God. You started with a Passionate heart that burned for the things of God. You started with a mind that was open to the Word of God. But now after this long series of walking with God, you've now moved to human reasoning.

You're now reasoning your life. You're reasoning your future path. You're scheming and plotting and planning about how you're going to get through then one time. It was faith and faith alone that was guiding you and it has an appearance of success.

But the prophet of God said no, it's not success. It's foolishness. You've literally cut off the source of your own strength. That was brought you to where you are. You've cut that source of strength off and now the end result is you're going to have trouble.

Locking Away the Voice of Correction

The rest of your life you would you would think the scripture would say and Asa fell on his face and said Lord God Forgive me. That's what Joshua did when Joshua Made a mistake with the Gibeonites and actually welcomed into the camp of of Israel an enemy of the people of God.

Joshua fell on his face and God was able to speak to him and correct him. You would think that Asa would have been able to bring be brought into a place of correction. And I think this is a pivotal moment in many people's lives.

It says then Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in a prison house. Put him in a prison. In other words, he locks away the voice of correction and He now holds the key to what can and cannot be spoken.

He is angry with spiritual authority and The scripture tells us and he oppressed some people. Verse 10 says Asa was wroth with the seer and put him in a prison house for he was in a rage with him because of this Thing and Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

In other words the people around him started to become discouraged. He was once leading them into might he was once leading his family into the glory of God the strength of God. But now he's become angry with the voice of God now.

He's moved from the spirit to the flesh. Now he's locked the voice of God in a prison and that's exactly what people do. Come into the house even this morning and say well if pastor Carter or pastor William or pastor Theresa or Patrick or whoever's speaking if They speak this I'll let them out and listen to them.

If they don't I'll lock them up again. I Will choose what truth is. I will choose when to bend my knee and when not to bend my knee. I am the master of my own destiny. No one has the right to tell me that what I'm doing is wrong after all I've been walking with God for 30 years.

Who has the right to tell me that my journey is a foolish one that I've turned into a measure. I know what's right, and I know what's wrong. We we were victorious my pathway led to victory. We were able to build two fortified cities out of the ruins of this attack.

How dare this prophet of God tell me that I've done foolishly. I'll take him and I'll put him in a prison. Isn't that what Herod did to John the Baptist? He put him in a prison and he locked him up and that's that's what the backslidden Christian will always do with the voice of God all through history.

Those that backslide and move to the flesh will lock away the prophet of God in a prison and say I will call for you When the time is convenient, and if you don't speak to me what I want to hear. Then I'll lock you right back up again in prison.

I will shut you out of my life. I will shut you out of my mind. I will shut you out of my family. God help me that I never get to that place. God help me angry with spiritual authority angry. The scripture says he was in a rage now.

He probably had a still kept his smile. He probably still walked regally and royally probably still very much had the bearing of a king. But he's got an internal rage in him. Now. He can't get away from the thought that that he was rebuked.

What's wrong with this? What's wrong with this prophet? Does he not know all the good things I've done? Is he not seen the last 30 something years that I've been walking and serving God? Is he an unaware.

Is he unaware of the victories that I've won? Is he how dare he? Take it upon himself to rebuke me and that is the dilemma of the older Christian folks. It's never the really the problem of the young one.

It's the dilemma of those who have walked with God and verse 12 tells us. Now this is the Lord's mercy and Asa in the 39th year of his reign was diseased in his feet. Until his disease was exceeding great.

Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord but to the physicians. I'm not against doctors obviously. I Don't think the physicians in those days had a whole lot of skill. You see Uzziah was diseased in his forehead because his mind Had turned against the ways of God.

Asa was diseased in his feet because he was pursuing a direction. That God was trying to stop him and get him to come back. It was all just really a sign. Even the psalmist in Psalm 119 says Lord in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me that I might learn thy statutes.

God you've you've faithfully allowed this into my life. If if something has come into your life that you don't understand can could you have the courage to just stop and say all things? Do work together for good to those who love God and are the called.

So that means if it's something I don't like I don't understand. Is it possible God you've allowed this into my life to stop me. From something I'm doing something. I'm thinking somewhere. I'm going something.

I'm embracing something that's gotten a hold of my life is in your faithfulness God. If Asa would have just stopped it says he didn't seek God and say Lord Why are my feet diseased? The Lord would have sent a prophet to him if he couldn't hear himself and said because you are walking on the wrong path.

You are walking in the flesh. They say you started in the spirit and you've moved to the flesh. You've walked too long in your own strength. And so Asa slept with his father's Verse 13 he died in other words and died in the 140th year of his reign 41 years in ministry.

Diseased in his feet in spite of all that happened and they buried him in his own Sepulcher or grave which he had made for himself in the city of David. You know, you can be the whole time you attend church.

You could be making yourself a grave in it and They laid him in the bed, which was filled with sweet odors and diverse kinds of spices. Prepared by the apothecaries art and they made a great very great burning for him.

Folks if we ever lose the dependence on the Holy Spirit you hear me. Here's what here's what you end up looking like you're looking real good. You smell real sweet, but you're very very dead. One of the churches in Revelation the Lord said you have a reputation that you live and Are dead and the the word dead means you were cut off from the enlivening influence of the Holy Spirit.

It's that simple. You are now walking in the flesh. You you've learned how to sing the songs. You've learned how to clap your hands. You've learned how to you've learned how to shout at the right time.

You've learned how to attend church on time. You've learned these things but you're now cut off from the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit. You smell good. You look good very very dead. And that's how he ended up but go back to chapter 15 now with me where we began today.

Renewing the Altar Through Repentance

I want to Conclude with what we started with. This is close to the middle roughly of his reign. In that vicinity and the Spirit of God came upon as Uriah the son of Odin. I I believe the Lord's given me this because We are 23 years of church now and many who are here.

I've walked even longer than that with God and We're at this point of chapter 15 where the Lord comes and he says He went out to meet a son said to him hear me a son all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you be with him.

If you seek him he'll be found of you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel has been without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn to the Lord God of Israel and sought him he was found of them.

And in those times there was no peace. Now think about our season that we're living in in this world. No peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great Vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries and nation was destroyed of nation and city of city.

For God did vex them all with adversity. We're seeing that and it's going to increase in the coming days. Be strong therefore and let not your hands be weak for your work shall be rewarded. Now look at the contrast between The middle of his life basically in the end of his life and when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet He took courage and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin.

And out of all out of the cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim and he renewed the altar of the Lord. That was before the porch of the Lord he renewed the altar and Folks what God has been speaking to my heart and I'm preaching predominantly to myself this morning.

This has been my personal study. What he's been telling me is that you don't have to finish poorly if I can speak to your heart if you will go into this book and study it and Let it study you and let it become part of your life when he heard these words.

He heard that the cities were going to be in disarray that nation was going to stand against nation. But God promised to be with him and he took courage and put all of the things That were on that altar that shouldn't be there.

He took them off. Got rid of them and he restored and renewed the altar of the Lord. That altar that the New Testament talks about where I should be laying my life down as a living Sacrifice for the purposes of God.

That altar is the altar I'm talking about. That altar where it's not my will but thine. Not my ways, but your ways. Not my thoughts, but your thoughts. That altar. That altar folks that altar. I'm not willing to fail because of success.

I'm not willing to falter because there's been a history of faithfulness. It's that altar. That altar where I am given the privilege and so are you of laying our lives down that altar? Where my eyes once filled with tears at the mention of the name of Jesus.

That altar. I Remember one time there's a six-hour movie called Jesus of Nazareth as a new Christian. I was invited to somebody's house and they put it on the VCR player and I couldn't get through it.

I was crying so hard I Wept and I'm talking. I'm not talking about just the scenes of the cross. I'm talking about just hearing the words of Jesus and knowing he died for me knowing I was called to walk with him.

I couldn't get through it for the tears. For the gratitude and there was something in my heart that said Jesus all my life. I want to live for you. I want to walk with you. I want to glorify your God.

Know where you asked me to go is going to be too great. No sacrifice too hard. Getting back to that place where your heart burned when his word was preached. I remember hearing elder David's testimony elder bills testimony about how they sat in the balcony and and cried and their hearts burned.

When the Word of God was preached and the Lord took them from there and now they're elders in this church. Staying at that place I Loved the Word of God. I didn't care how long the message was when I'd go to church as long as of course there was the anointing was on it.