Repentance That Resulted In Judah’s Revival
Text: 2 Chron.15: 1, 2, 8-15
Intro: In the text under consideration today, we have the wonderful story of man named Asa, who was the king of Judah. Though Asa loved God, he found himself the leader of a nation that was spiritually perverse, and therefore far from the blessings of God. Just prior to Asa’s reign, the kingdom of Judah was steeped in the worship of the false god Baal, and his consort Asherah. These were the Canaanite gods of fertility, and were worshiped with the most base and vile practices.
In light of these depraved and deplorable conditions, it’s easy to see why righteous King Asa realized the need for Judah to turn from its idolatry and sin, and return to God. It is so often the case that when God seeks to do a work among His people, he calls out a man (or woman for that matter), who will seek the Lord with all their heart, and cooperate with His plan. God’s people were in dire need of spiritual revival. So He sought out Asa, a man who would be the instrument through whom He would work His plan and purposes.
God still seeks for men and women with tender hearts, who will yield themselves totally to His will and work. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none” (Ezek.22: 30). In the situation of backslidden Judah, God found a willing vessel in King Asa. But as God pleads and beckons today for men and women to surrender to His will and stand in the gap for the United States of America, does He find in you a heart ready to do his bidding? Does God find in you one who is not only disturbed about the wickedness of our nation, but one who is also determined to seek the Lord until He answers your prayers for revival?
I am convinced that if God’s people would honestly repent of their spiritual coldness and carnality, God would still send revival to this country; even as rebellious and ungodly as she has become. May God burden our hearts with that possibility today.
Theme: Even in Judah’s despicable situation we see…
I. GOD’S PREREQUISITE FOR REVIVAL
A. Notice God’s Forthright Promise.
2 Chron.15: 1 “And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”
NOTE: [1] Please understand that God did not make this promise lightly. I believe the basic rule of thumb in the Bible is simply this: God commits Himself to those who commit themselves to Him. The basis for that statement is found in the Gospel of John:
John 2: 23 “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
[1a] Asa, from the time he began to reign in Judah, showed that he was committed to God.
2 Chron.14: 2 “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God:”
[1b] One of his first acts as king was to instigate religious reforms.
2 Chron.14: 3 “For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
4 And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.
5a Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images…”
[1c] When facing Judah’s enemies, Asa clearly placed his trust in God alone.
2 Chron.14: 11 “And Asa cried unto the Lord his 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.
12 So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.
13b …and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.”
[2] In the latter part of 2 Chronicles 15: 2, God told Asa that if he would seek the Lord, he would continue to be blessed and helped of the Lord. This was amazing considering the great wickedness that had permeated the society of Judah. God was not minimizing or excusing Judah’s sins. But He was clearly offering forgiveness and restoration if Asa and the people of Judah sought the Lord by returning to Him. God through His prophet had said, “…if ye seek him, he will be found of you…” (2 Chron.15: 2b).
B. Notice That God’s Faithfulness Was Proclaimed.
2 Chron.15: 3 “Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
5 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.
6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.”
NOTE: [1] Folks, God is faithful. He doesn’t just throw us away because we’ve sinned. He is patient and longsuffering to us in spite of ourselves.
2 Pet.3: 9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
[2] God still extends His promises and faithfulness to those who will truly, from the heart, turn from their sins and seek Him.
2 Chron.7: 14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Prov.8: 17 “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
Jer.33: 3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Isa.55: 6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
[3] God always keeps His promises, and He is always faithful.
We make a lot of promises to others and many promises are made to us. Sadly, too many promises are broken on both ends of the equation. God, however, never breaks a promise.
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Don’t let the broken promises of this world keep you from believing the promises of God. God will always act, “...according to His promise” (2 Peter 3:13). “God is not a man that He should lie...” (Numbers 23:19). God says, “I will not fail you, nor forsake you,” (Joshua 1:5) and He meant exactly what He said. So, whatever you are going through today, lean heavily upon the promises of God—they never fail—or maybe it is better to say that the promises do not fail because GOD NEVER FAILS!!!
II. ASA PLANING FOR REVIVAL
A. He Took Courage.
2 Chron.15: 7 “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
8a And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage…”
NOTE: Asa took courage because he simply believed the message God had given him through the prophet. Paul spoke of the relationship between the Word of God and faith when he said, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom.10: 17). Faith in God always results in encouragement. The Psalmist said, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Ps.42: 5).
B. He Gave A Command.
1. He commanded that all false gods be destroyed.
2 Chron.15: 8b “…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.”
NOTE: False gods can take many forms. But whatever form they may take, they are unworthy of our adoration and worship, for they are weak and worthless.
Hideyoshi, a Japanese warlord who ruled over Japan in the late 1500s, commissioned a colossal statue of Buddha for a shrine in Kyoto. It took 50,000 men five years to build, but the work had scarcely been completed when the earthquake of 1596 brought the roof of the shrine crashing down and wrecked the statue.
In a rage Hideyoshi shot an arrow at the fallen colossus. “I put you here at great expense,” he shouted, “and you can’t even look after your own temple.”
2. He commanded that Jehovah be given the worship He deserved.
2 Chron.15: 9 “And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
10 So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
11 And they offered unto the Lord the same time, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.”
NOTE: Some Bible scholars believe that this gathering could have been a celebration of the Feast of Pentecost, which was a day of worship, thanksgiving, and praise toward Jehovah God.
C. Asa Led The People To Make A Covenant.
2 Chron.15: 12 “And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;
13 That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.”
NOTE: [1] Today we might think this type of covenant to be too harsh. However, this was simply a part of the Law given to Moses. Deuteronomy 17: 2-7 prescribed that anyone caught worshipping false gods was to be put to death. This was to stress to God’s people the holiness of the one true God. Someone has said, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” That statement has been attributed to the late Adrian Rogers. But whoever said it uttered a definite truth. God is not content to be merely one of many things to which you render worship and adoration. He must be the sole recipient of your worship, for He is Lord over all. Though I realize that no one can be sinlessly perfect in this life; we must be willing to turn our backs on all that offends God if we ever hope to see revival in our personal life, and in the life of the Church in general.
[2] This also stresses the idea that sin against God (especially idolatry, as in the case of Judah) is not to be tolerated, but terminated (Matt.18: 8, 9). It was obvious to all that took part in this covenant that it was not to be taken lightly.
III. OBEDIENCE PRODUCING REVIVAL
A. The People Obeyed Cheerfully.
2 Chron.15: 14 “And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15a And all Judah rejoiced at the oath…”
NOTE: Why would these people be so happy and joyful about having made a commitment to worship and serve God alone? Someone once said, “Joy is the byproduct of obedience.” I think that explains it best.
B. The People Obeyed Completely.
2 Chron.15: 15a “And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire…”
C. The Lord Responded Compassionately.
2 Chron.15: 15b “…and he (Jehovah God) was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.”
Theme: Even in Judah’s despicable situation we see…
I. GOD’S PREREQUISITE FOR REVIVAL
II. ASA PLANING FOR REVIVAL
III. OBEDIENCE PRODUCING REVIVAL
