Asa's Continued Success (2 Chronicles 15)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:13.150 He may be seated. Let's turn our attention to second chronicles, Chapter Fifteen. 2 00:00:20.269 --> 00:00:26.500 Second Chronicles Chapter Fifteen, this is part two a three part story about 3 00:00:26.539 --> 00:00:38.289 King Asa. Second Chronicles Chapter Fifteen. This is God's word. Let's give 4 00:00:38.289 --> 00:00:44.210 our attention to it. The spirit of God came upon Azarai, the son 5 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:47.810 of obd, and he went out to meet ASA and said to him, 6 00:00:48.609 --> 00:00:53.840 hear me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin, the Lord is with you, 7 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:58.000 while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be 8 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.920 found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 9 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.909 For a long time, Israel was without the true God and without a teaching 10 00:01:07.030 --> 00:01:11.269 priest and without law. But when in their distress, they turned to the 11 00:01:11.430 --> 00:01:15.549 Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by 12 00:01:15.629 --> 00:01:21.140 them. In those times, there was no peace to him who went out 13 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:26.459 or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of 14 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:32.060 the lands. They were broken in peace. Is nation was crushed by nation 15 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:36.329 and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 16 00:01:37.489 --> 00:01:42.290 But you take courage, do not let your hands be weak, for your 17 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:49.959 work shall be rewarded as soon as asa heard these words, the prophecy of 18 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:56.879 Azariah, the son of Obed, he took courage and put away the detestable 19 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.319 idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he 20 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:05.870 had taken in the hill country of Ephrium, and he repaired the altar of 21 00:02:05.989 --> 00:02:08.870 the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the House of the Lord, 22 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:14.509 and he gathered all Judah and Benjamin and those from Ephraim, Manassa and 23 00:02:14.629 --> 00:02:20.060 Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from 24 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.020 Israel when they saw that the Lord, his God, was with him. 25 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:30.889 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifty fifteen year of 26 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:34.729 the reign of ASA. They sacrifice to the Lord on that day, from 27 00:02:34.729 --> 00:02:38.969 the spoil that they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep, 28 00:02:38.889 --> 00:02:43.129 and they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their 29 00:02:43.210 --> 00:02:47.319 fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever 30 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:50.919 would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to 31 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:54.439 death, whether young or old, man or woman. They swore an oath 32 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:59.590 to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with sumpets and with 33 00:02:59.789 --> 00:03:05.349 horns, and all Judah rejoiced over the earth, over the oath, for 34 00:03:05.469 --> 00:03:08.789 they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, 35 00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:15.780 and he was found by them and the Lord gave them rest. All 36 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:22.539 around. Even Maka, the mother, or his mother, King Asa, 37 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:29.090 removed from being Queen Mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. 38 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:34.610 Asa cut down her image, crushed it and burned it at the book Brook 39 00:03:34.729 --> 00:03:39.090 Kid drawn, but the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, 40 00:03:39.289 --> 00:03:44.439 the heart of asa was holly true all his days and he brought into 41 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:49.039 the House of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, 42 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:53.840 silver and gold and vessels. And there was no more war until the 43 00:03:53.960 --> 00:04:00.509 thirty five year of the reign of ASA. May God bless his words to 44 00:04:00.669 --> 00:04:10.500 us. Well, I said, here we have the second of three parts 45 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:16.339 of ASA's reign, and here, in this account of a great success during 46 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:21.579 Asa's kingdom, we have a story that tells us something about the past so 47 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:28.970 that we can understand what God is doing in the present. God reve feels 48 00:04:29.050 --> 00:04:31.689 these things to us in the Old Testament, not just so that we might 49 00:04:31.769 --> 00:04:36.689 be interested or here a nice story, but so that we might know something 50 00:04:36.810 --> 00:04:41.879 of him. He tells us these things so that we might know who he 51 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:46.680 is and the things that he's done and the things that he's doing even now. 52 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.439 And so I want to start with speaking about an ever true promise. 53 00:04:53.550 --> 00:04:58.670 Then will promise that comes from the Lord, and then will consider ASA's response, 54 00:04:58.790 --> 00:05:02.790 a model response, I think, and then finally we'll finish with an 55 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:11.420 assuring action, God's reward and what he gives to asa fulfillment of these promises. 56 00:05:13.019 --> 00:05:19.459 So first the ever true promise, as Ariah comes to King Asa by 57 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:25.009 way of God. The spirit of God, we read, came upon Azariah, 58 00:05:25.050 --> 00:05:29.290 the son of Obed and now, as God's spokesman, is what this 59 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:31.730 is, what prophets are, he goes and he goes to King Asa and 60 00:05:31.810 --> 00:05:35.959 he speaks to him and all jude and and Benjamin. He speaks to the 61 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:42.360 southern kingdom and he says these words. Is we read in verse two. 62 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:46.839 The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, 63 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:50.509 he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he 64 00:05:50.589 --> 00:05:57.670 will forsake you. There's something very simple about this, but it's also very 65 00:05:57.709 --> 00:06:02.589 profect sound. There are some things that we seek that we do not find. 66 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:08.060 It's a remarkable thing to say that if you seek it, you will 67 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:12.980 find it. It's often not true. I don't know how many of you 68 00:06:13.100 --> 00:06:16.180 are searching for your keys before you came here, I was. I found 69 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.449 them, fortunately, but there are often times we don't find the things that 70 00:06:20.569 --> 00:06:28.569 we're looking for, and not just possessions, but the big things love, 71 00:06:30.290 --> 00:06:36.519 peace, meaning or truth, justification, holiness, forgiveness of our sins. 72 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:46.149 Some people go their entire lives seeking these things, hope, promise, salvation, 73 00:06:47.709 --> 00:06:54.110 something spiritual, something meaningful, something heavenly, and they seek and they 74 00:06:54.189 --> 00:06:59.790 seek and they never find it. For Asa to say, for God, 75 00:06:59.949 --> 00:07:03.740 to say through Asa, if you seek me, you will find me, 76 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:11.019 is an amazing promise, especially because God is higher than all of these things 77 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:15.970 that we seek, higher than our possessions, higher than the things that the 78 00:07:15.050 --> 00:07:21.250 relationships that we might have, higher than even these great blessings I mention, 79 00:07:23.009 --> 00:07:30.480 peace and Truth and love and forgiveness and all the rest. The flip side 80 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:35.240 is also true. If you forsake God, he will forsake you. It's 81 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:40.680 a very simple and profound thing. When we come to the Lord, he 82 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:44.430 gives himself to us. When we leave the Lord, well, we are 83 00:07:44.589 --> 00:07:47.670 left from the Lord. He gives us over to our own forsaking, our 84 00:07:47.709 --> 00:07:57.029 own turning, our own unrepentance. But here we have this, this beautiful 85 00:07:57.069 --> 00:08:03.259 promise, and it's a promise of grace, isn't it? God doesn't owe 86 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:11.819 us are finding him. God doesn't owe us peace and love and truth and 87 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:16.129 hope and forgiveness. But that's what he's promising. When he says you will 88 00:08:16.170 --> 00:08:22.850 find me, he means find me in this blessed way. When you read 89 00:08:22.930 --> 00:08:31.240 about the gods of the various belief systems, various pagan gods, Astra that 90 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:37.240 we as mentioned here and others, they're not always that predictable. Sometimes there 91 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:41.549 are there like a surprise. You don't necessarily know what you're going to get. 92 00:08:43.870 --> 00:08:46.950 Maybe one day the God will be angry with you, maybe one day 93 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:50.110 the God will be pleased with you. There's a kind of capriciousness that we 94 00:08:50.230 --> 00:08:56.580 read in the stories of the gods desiring appeasement and all kinds of ways. 95 00:08:56.620 --> 00:09:00.779 It's never predictable, it's never knowable, but here the God the one true 96 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:09.539 living God, makes himself extremely predictable, reveals himself in this extremely simple way. 97 00:09:09.690 --> 00:09:16.289 If you seek me, you will find me and you'll find him in 98 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:22.009 in blessing. It's a promise that God made in Deuteronomy. I want to 99 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:26.120 read to you this. It's similar, but I want to read it to 100 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:31.240 you to remind you of the main point here, that it's an ever true 101 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:41.710 promise. So Deuteronomy a chapter four, verse Twenty Nine. Deuteronomy for twenty 102 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:46.269 nine. But from there you will seek the Lord, your God, and 103 00:09:46.470 --> 00:09:50.429 you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and with 104 00:09:50.590 --> 00:09:58.539 all your soul. And then again, listen to God's words. Let Me 105 00:09:58.620 --> 00:10:01.299 Book Mark My page there so I can find my way back. Listen to 106 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:11.409 God's words in Luke, Chapter Eleven, verse nine. Luke Eleven, verse 107 00:10:11.490 --> 00:10:16.090 nine, Jesus says, and I tell you, ask and it will be 108 00:10:16.129 --> 00:10:18.169 given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will open 109 00:10:18.250 --> 00:10:22.879 to you, be open to you for everyone who receive, everyone who asks 110 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.000 receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks 111 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:31.840 it will be opened. And then Jesus goes on to use this very tender 112 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:37.629 analogy. He says what father among you, if his son asks for a 113 00:10:37.830 --> 00:10:41.309 fish, will, instead of a fish, give him a serpent, or 114 00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:46.309 if he asks for an egg, will give him a Scorpion? If you, 115 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:50.299 then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your 116 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:56.820 children, excuse me. How much more will the heavenly father give the Holy 117 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:16.250 Spirit to those who ask him? These promises are repeated throughout the Gospel. 118 00:11:16.289 --> 00:11:22.080 There are reminders of of this Great Truth and there are parables as well. 119 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:26.720 I remember the parable of the Prodigal son, one who was not seeking communion 120 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.639 with his father, but sus the opposite. He forsaked his father, he 121 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:37.190 left him, he moved away. But what happened when he decided to turn 122 00:11:37.190 --> 00:11:41.830 again and to seek his home and his father? Didn't just find his father, 123 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:48.340 his dad was running towards him. There was no mystery, it was 124 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:52.740 no wondering, there is no searching really, he simply went home and there 125 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:58.539 he was, his father running toward him. And this is the promise of 126 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:01.129 God. This is the great and gracious promise of God. Then, when 127 00:12:01.210 --> 00:12:07.169 we seek him, he reveals himself to us. Not It's not a it 128 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:13.450 can't be a double minded seeking, of course, a kind of let's philosophizes 129 00:12:13.529 --> 00:12:20.720 about esoteric things and maybe something wonderful will happen. It's not a halfhearted seeking, 130 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.080 seeking but not seeking, a wanting to know but not really caring. 131 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:30.029 Honestly, but when we go to the father of Heaven, the one who 132 00:12:30.230 --> 00:12:35.070 created the heavens and the earth and has revealed himself in the world in these 133 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:37.990 saving ways and says to us, when you come to me in faith, 134 00:12:39.350 --> 00:12:41.950 when you seek me with your heart and your soul, I will be there, 135 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:50.620 it's a wonderful promise. It's a gracious promise, it's a promise filled 136 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:56.700 with hope. So that's the promise of the Lord. How are we supposed 137 00:12:56.700 --> 00:13:01.129 to respond to that? Well, you already know. You don't respond to 138 00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:05.690 a gift like that with ungratefulness. You don't say never mind, you don't 139 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:11.409 walk away, you don't forsake the Lord lest he forsake you. Instead, 140 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:20.320 you do what asa did. ASA gives us a model response to this ever 141 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:24.960 true promise. What does he do? He does exactly what God says is 142 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.070 to do. He turns with all his heart and his soul to God. 143 00:13:28.590 --> 00:13:33.870 He turns to God as the true God and he puts away all the idols, 144 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:39.509 he takes them out of Judah and Benjamin, even this one that his 145 00:13:39.629 --> 00:13:46.220 own mother made, a detestable image reread in verse sixteen for Astra. He 146 00:13:46.500 --> 00:13:52.340 cuts it down, crushes it, Burns it at the Book Brook Kid Drawn. 147 00:13:54.259 --> 00:14:01.129 It's pretty dramatic, right. Asa makes a statement and perhaps a hard 148 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:05.450 thing to do. I'm not sure who knows what his mother was like, 149 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:13.960 but then you imagine any family situation, that even the lowest level, and 150 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:18.799 I think you can imagine that these things would not be easy. But now 151 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.360 we're talking about someone who is described here in our passage as the Queen Mother. 152 00:14:24.470 --> 00:14:28.990 And he doesn't just do he doesn't just destroy this image and cut it 153 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:35.309 down and crush it, etc. But it says he removed her from being 154 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:39.860 the clean mother. Obviously she's always his mom, so to speak, put 155 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:43.740 in that informal way, but this title that she held, this place in 156 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:50.059 Israel. He says you're done because of this thing you've you have done. 157 00:14:50.379 --> 00:14:56.690 He does what Jesus says sometimes happens when we come to the Kingdom of God 158 00:14:56.850 --> 00:15:01.330 and are faithful in it. We have to forsake even our family them to 159 00:15:01.490 --> 00:15:07.240 follow after the Lord and encourage. That's the word that is used by the 160 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:11.320 Prophet. Take courage, he says in verse seven, and that's the word, 161 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:16.600 that's the very action that asa takes. In Verse Eight. He took 162 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:22.149 courage and he put away the detestable idols. Following after the Lord sometimes takes 163 00:15:22.269 --> 00:15:28.549 courage. Following after the Lord, seeking him that he might be found, 164 00:15:28.669 --> 00:15:35.429 is not always easy. Sometimes we see it seems like such an easy choice. 165 00:15:35.470 --> 00:15:39.500 We think of the Prodigal Son. Say you're eating slop with the pigs. 166 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:43.740 Why in the world would you not go home to your heavenly father? 167 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.019 And yet, when we're often in those same situations, we have hundreds of 168 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:52.970 reasons why we don't want to do the thing that would seem so right to 169 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:58.210 do, so obvious to do. What are the consequences? All? All 170 00:15:58.289 --> 00:16:00.570 be embarrassed, I don't know how. What if he's not there? And 171 00:16:00.730 --> 00:16:07.320 on and on and on. We have fears. There's a very real fears. 172 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:15.000 Sometimes it's very real consequences attached to those. But we're called in faith 173 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:21.789 to trust the God who has made the promise. That's where the courage comes 174 00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:26.750 from. It's not just from some kind of in word strength it's from trust 175 00:16:26.950 --> 00:16:32.110 in the Lord. He takes courage because he believes with the spirit of God 176 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:37.379 has said through has a Riyah. He believes what the Lord had said and 177 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:41.379 promised to Solomon, his promised to Solomon in his prayer and David in the 178 00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:48.889 Covenant and Moses Back in Deuteronomy. And he takes that courage, and it's 179 00:16:48.929 --> 00:16:53.690 not only a personal one, but as king as leader of his people. 180 00:16:53.730 --> 00:17:00.610 He eliminates false idols, he turns away from them and then he calls his 181 00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:07.680 people together to renew the Covenant with God. And they do that. We 182 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:14.559 read and verses ten and following. They gathered in Jerusalem in the third month 183 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:18.990 of the fifteen day of the reign of asa and they sacrifice to the Lord 184 00:17:18.069 --> 00:17:22.390 on that day, from the spoil that they had brought seven hundred action oxen 185 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:30.380 and seven thousand sheep and they enter into a covenant to seek the Lord Asa. 186 00:17:30.539 --> 00:17:33.859 Or, I'm sorry, as a Riah says, a said Judah Benjamin, 187 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:36.940 this is what you must do. And they all stand together and they 188 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:41.819 say that's what we're doing, that's where we're going, that's the direction we're 189 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:45.930 heading, full speed ahead. Take down the idols, take down the Ashra 190 00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:51.890 Poles destroy them in the cities and they make a covenant. They make sacrifices 191 00:17:52.769 --> 00:17:57.880 with all their heart and soul. They even declare that whoever would not seek 192 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:03.599 the Lord would be put to death. They are serious, in fact, 193 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:11.119 they're so some they're so committed in this way that they swear an oath with 194 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:18.150 a loud voice and shouting and trumpets and horns. Can you imagine the fervor 195 00:18:18.309 --> 00:18:26.509 of the moment? We were reading in our men's Bible study or reviewing some 196 00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:32.500 chapters and acts and from the Ephesian City, and there in these stories, 197 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:36.980 and I think it's an axe twenty, there's this great uproar, there's this 198 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:42.250 huge crowd and commotion going on. This riot in ephesis so bad that people 199 00:18:42.289 --> 00:18:48.450 didn't even know why they were there. You see the exact opposite having happening 200 00:18:48.490 --> 00:18:52.529 here at this Covenant Renewal Ceremony. They say isn't a riot. It's loud, 201 00:18:52.650 --> 00:18:57.079 but it's not a riot. They are all there with singleness of purpose 202 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:03.559 and of mind, before the Lord to seek after him. And you know, 203 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:11.190 they do in some ways what the Christians and ephesis did, when the 204 00:19:11.230 --> 00:19:15.069 Christians in ephesis turned to the Lord. What did they do? They compiled 205 00:19:15.230 --> 00:19:18.789 all of their magic books, their sorcery, all of it together, and 206 00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:23.269 they burned it. They put it away. It was expended and s of 207 00:19:23.339 --> 00:19:26.619 yeah, it was worth a lot of money. Yeah, but who cares 208 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:33.460 when it comes to knowing the Lord and seeking after him? Their response, 209 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:38.170 ACE's response, Judah's response, Benjamin's response, these are the responses of faith 210 00:19:38.490 --> 00:19:42.410 and when you hear the promise of the Lord, it should be your response 211 00:19:42.529 --> 00:19:48.210 as well. When we come to the Lord, we should seek him with 212 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:52.490 all of our heart, all of our soul, and turn away from everything 213 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:59.920 that's false. Don't kind of cling on to the old garbage, wondering if 214 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:03.240 there might be some use for it in the Kingdom of God. Maybe this 215 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:10.869 idol might still approve helpful somehow, maybe these old sins might serve some purpose 216 00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:15.390 in the service of the Lord. Of course not. No, we go 217 00:20:15.589 --> 00:20:19.470 to the Lord, rejecting all that belongs to the Kingdom of the evil one, 218 00:20:21.069 --> 00:20:22.819 all that belongs to the world, the flesh, the old way of 219 00:20:22.900 --> 00:20:29.819 the life, and we go to your way. We go to the God 220 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:33.539 of our fathers, we go to the one who has made these promises again 221 00:20:33.740 --> 00:20:41.250 and again, and you know what happens? Exactly what the Lord said would 222 00:20:41.250 --> 00:20:49.440 happen. He gives them peace. We read in Verse Fifteen. The he 223 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:56.680 was found by them and the Lord gave them peace all around, just like 224 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.519 he did with Solomon. It's like he did with David, just like he 225 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:07.150 does with Jesus. When we come to the Lord, when we seek after 226 00:21:07.269 --> 00:21:15.549 the Lord, he gives us peace, he answers his promise, he confirms 227 00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:21.740 that he fulfills it. God doesn't leave us hanging. He doesn't offer a 228 00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:26.380 thing halfheartedly and say, never mind, I changed my mind. He says 229 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:32.420 he will be found, and to find the Lord means to find peace. 230 00:21:33.769 --> 00:21:38.849 We read in Verse Nineteen. There was no more war until the thirty five 231 00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:45.529 year of the reign of ASA. If you under why the thirty five year 232 00:21:45.569 --> 00:21:51.680 business, well, you'll have to come back next time. But here we 233 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:57.759 have an assurance of God, we have this confirmation of his promises, this 234 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:03.630 moment in history where God promised one thing and he fulfilled it. And this, 235 00:22:03.750 --> 00:22:07.829 of course, isn't the only time. God does this over and over 236 00:22:07.150 --> 00:22:11.950 and over and over again, and these is why these things are recorded for 237 00:22:11.990 --> 00:22:17.460 us in the Old Testament and in the new testament as well, God fulfilling 238 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:21.339 his promises again and again and again, so that we might remember them, 239 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:27.180 that we might call these stories in our minds and in our hearts and follow 240 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:33.130 after the Lord, remember his promise, remember that he fulfills them, that 241 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:37.890 he stands firm a by them. And of course he does this in Jesus, 242 00:22:38.730 --> 00:22:42.130 the Great King, much greater than a so much greater than any King 243 00:22:42.289 --> 00:22:48.400 God ever raised to the throne of Israel, the once and final king who 244 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:55.759 comes to create a reign and a rule of peace forever. He does this 245 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.430 first in our own hearts, by reconciling us to God. This is what 246 00:22:59.549 --> 00:23:03.150 Paul says in Romans. He says, therefore, you now have peace with 247 00:23:03.390 --> 00:23:08.470 God, you who were once enemies, you who once fought and we're combative 248 00:23:08.710 --> 00:23:14.259 and pushed against him and wanted your own way and went after other idols. 249 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:23.660 You now have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus sought after the Lord, 250 00:23:25.579 --> 00:23:27.410 he sought after the will of his heavenly father. He came to do 251 00:23:27.730 --> 00:23:33.650 all that he was sent to do, and everything was found. Jesus took 252 00:23:33.690 --> 00:23:41.009 courage, Jesus acted as the perfect king and through him he secured our and 253 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:47.720 by his works in Him we have a peace that is secured for us forever. 254 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:53.400 Nothing changes about the promises of God that those who seek him will find 255 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:59.150 him. But Jesus tells us and teaches us. God teaches us by his 256 00:23:59.349 --> 00:24:03.589 spirit in his son, the here is how we come to the Lord. 257 00:24:04.670 --> 00:24:11.700 Here is how we seek after him, through the king, through the savior. 258 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:15.460 We all into seeking after the Lord. Need to come under his rule 259 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:21.619 and his reign. To come to the Lord, to seek after him isn't 260 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:26.930 to find someone other than Jesus or in addition to him, it is to 261 00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:33.329 find Jesus himself. and Jesus secures this peace for aught for us, on 262 00:24:33.490 --> 00:24:38.759 between us and God, and he does it forever through his blood and his 263 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:45.240 work on the cross. And that spiritual peace that we have with him and 264 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:51.200 the bond of peace that we have with one another through communion with him will 265 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:55.630 one day be a political one. Is Well, not here on earth and 266 00:24:55.710 --> 00:25:00.390 these kingdoms, but when the Kingdom of God comes in consummation and with power 267 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:07.019 and with glory, we will have peace forever and ever. The kinds of 268 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:14.859 victories that God gave Israel over her enemies were modeling, were typify, were 269 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:21.890 foreshadowing that peace that we would have and the Kingdom of Heaven forever. The 270 00:25:22.210 --> 00:25:29.089 resurrection is proof of these things. God's rising victorious over his enemies. Death 271 00:25:29.289 --> 00:25:32.769 could not hold him, the enemy could not hold him, our sins could 272 00:25:32.769 --> 00:25:40.960 not hold him. Jesus is victorious and he secures our peace and so beloved. 273 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:45.359 That's why we go to him. That's why we seek this king and 274 00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:49.269 this king alone. That's why, when we seek after God, we can 275 00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:55.430 be assured that he we will find him, because he's given to us, 276 00:25:56.069 --> 00:26:02.910 because he's given himself to us, even in his very own son, all 277 00:26:02.950 --> 00:26:10.099 the various moments of fulfilled promises throughout the ages come to this consummation in Jesus, 278 00:26:11.059 --> 00:26:18.730 and so go to him, seek him, knock, ask and you 279 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:22.930 will find him. You will find peace and God and all the things that 280 00:26:23.089 --> 00:26:30.210 people seek apart from him, love and forgiveness and hope and salvation and truth, 281 00:26:30.930 --> 00:26:36.240 justification, forgiveness, all of these things that people seek apart from him 282 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:44.319 you will find in him and you will know it forever, not for a 283 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:48.950 decade, not for a few decades, not just for your earthly life, 284 00:26:51.269 --> 00:26:57.950 but for or ever. You will know the Lord Amazing Grace, how sweet 285 00:26:57.990 --> 00:27:02.579 the sound that saved a wretch Mike like me. I once was lost, 286 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:07.299 but now was found. Was Blind, but now I see. We don't 287 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:11.940 just find the Lord, but he finds us and he blesses us very much 288 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:21.569 in him. So let us pray, let's thank him, Lord, as 289 00:27:21.609 --> 00:27:27.609 we consider your promises, your great promises of grace and your warnings that those 290 00:27:27.650 --> 00:27:33.359 who turn away from you will be rejected by you and will find only curse 291 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:42.799 and wrath and slavery and and and and great terror. These two truths we 292 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:52.150 hold as everlasting, as something that is always been true, ever since you 293 00:27:52.309 --> 00:27:56.430 first promised it, and always will be true, and we ask that, 294 00:27:56.670 --> 00:28:03.220 while there is yet time for you to be found, that each and every 295 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:10.099 soul here would seek you and would find you. We pray, Lord, 296 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:15.529 for our lost friends, family members. We lift them up to you, 297 00:28:15.730 --> 00:28:21.049 and we asked that you would work in their souls, that by your spear 298 00:28:21.210 --> 00:28:23.490 right, you would bring about a seeking in them, a courage in them 299 00:28:23.690 --> 00:28:30.039 to flee from the wrath that is to come and instead find the peace that 300 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:33.240 we know, the peace that we love and enjoy each and every day, 301 00:28:34.440 --> 00:28:45.109 peace that passes even understanding what a joy it is to know you. Lord, 302 00:28:45.190 --> 00:28:49.190 we lift up our particular prayers this evening and asked that you would answer 303 00:28:49.269 --> 00:28:55.589 them according to your wisdom, your will and your grace. We pray for 304 00:28:56.579 --> 00:29:00.859 summer's grandparents. We asked that you would bring them salvation, that you would 305 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:04.619 comfort them in their failing health and that they would know that every grace and 306 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:11.450 every good gift, every breath they have, comes from you. We pray 307 00:29:11.569 --> 00:29:14.930 the same for Cora, though she is young. Lord, we ask that 308 00:29:15.009 --> 00:29:18.490 you would teach her to number her days, that you would cause her to 309 00:29:19.250 --> 00:29:25.599 continue to seek after you. We thank you that she continues to join us 310 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:33.279 and come among us and desires to know water. This in her Lord, 311 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:37.039 continue to work in her and bring her to salvation, that we all might 312 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.750 praise your name and call her a sister. We pray for Charlie and Ian, 313 00:29:41.829 --> 00:29:45.630 and they are salvation. We asked that you would convict them of sin, 314 00:29:45.109 --> 00:29:48.910 that you would draw them to yourself, that you would teach them where 315 00:29:48.950 --> 00:29:55.460 peace in truth may be found. We pray for our sister, Elysia. 316 00:29:55.619 --> 00:29:57.460 We thank you for her and the gifts that you have given her. The 317 00:29:57.579 --> 00:30:02.380 blessings that we received through her. We asked that you would heal her and 318 00:30:02.539 --> 00:30:07.009 continue to help her to be well. We look forward to worshiping with her 319 00:30:07.049 --> 00:30:11.809 again soon. We pray for Tory and we ask that you would help her 320 00:30:11.849 --> 00:30:17.289 as she moves her dad here to Tucson. We pray for that transition. 321 00:30:17.609 --> 00:30:22.359 We asked that you'd heal him of his pneumonia. May She and and and 322 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:27.599 him as well see your grace and your movement and in their lives. We 323 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:30.279 pray for help and ask that you would help her tonight, even now. 324 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:34.200 Would we ask that you would comfort her soul, that you would assure her 325 00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:41.829 of your promises. We also I'm hear her prayer request and join our hearts 326 00:30:41.910 --> 00:30:45.029 with hers. As we pray for president trump, we asked that you would 327 00:30:45.029 --> 00:30:49.059 be with him and his cabinet is new administration. We asked that you would 328 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:56.500 give him wisdom and God that he might guide the country and in wisdom and 329 00:30:56.660 --> 00:31:00.299 in Godliness. We asked that you would work your saving power in him, 330 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:06.170 that you would draw him to yourself, that you would work mightily in his 331 00:31:06.410 --> 00:31:12.089 life that he might know the goodness of your grace. We ask that you 332 00:31:12.410 --> 00:31:18.640 would keep him well and secure, that you we pray for our entire nation 333 00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:23.640 and we asked that you would, you would be with us in whatever times 334 00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:29.920 we find ourselves. We Lord, as we wonder about the future and we 335 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:34.029 think about the difficulties that we might face. We asked that you would give 336 00:31:34.069 --> 00:31:40.309 us courage and perseverance, that you would teach us that we may not be 337 00:31:40.509 --> 00:31:45.549 afraid, knowing that you are king and God above all. We pray for. 338 00:31:48.460 --> 00:31:52.099 We pray for Vannie's cousin, UNICE. We asked that you would be 339 00:31:52.180 --> 00:31:56.740 with her at the end of her days, bring her your comfort and encouragement. 340 00:31:57.019 --> 00:32:02.450 We pray for Rachel and Christopher. We praise you for their desire to 341 00:32:02.609 --> 00:32:09.089 marry. We asked that you would help them with their plans, the upcoming 342 00:32:09.170 --> 00:32:15.000 plans, and that you would prepare them for a long life together, of 343 00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:24.359 enjoying one another and growing in godliness together. We also pray for Harold. 344 00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:29.720 We asked that you would be with him and his upcoming heart procedure. Please 345 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:34.150 help us to find ways, very practical ways, to encourage him and Carol. 346 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:38.630 We asked that you would help us to provide for their every need while 347 00:32:38.670 --> 00:32:45.700 he goes through this heart procedure, that you would watch him, over him 348 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:52.539 and bring him through that well. Finally, Lord, we we consider the 349 00:32:53.700 --> 00:33:01.130 great sadness the way in which the unborn are treated in our country, that 350 00:33:01.289 --> 00:33:07.769 the most a fragile and helpless and weak and those who don't have a voice 351 00:33:07.809 --> 00:33:19.119 are murdered so cruelly, so thoughtlessly, so terribly. We asked that this 352 00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:23.839 as something that would change. We thank you for the progress that has been 353 00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:30.269 made in this area. We thank you for the people that fight to overturn 354 00:33:30.589 --> 00:33:37.670 this decision and work against it. We ask that this great evil would be 355 00:33:37.750 --> 00:33:40.859 put away from us. We asked that you would do this by your grace, 356 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:47.859 in that you would be with all those who feel the the great consequences 357 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:53.059 of this, that there would be forgiveness and joy in knowing your grace. 358 00:33:54.769 --> 00:34:01.289 Our heavenly father, our comfort is in you. Are Only Comfort is in 359 00:34:01.369 --> 00:34:07.210 you. All blessing is in you, and so we seek you and we 360 00:34:07.690 --> 00:34:12.280 ask that you may show yourself to us. We pray this in Jesus name. 361 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:19.280 Let's stay