Are You Fired Up Or Fizzled Out?

ARE YOU FIRED UP OR FIZZLED OUT?

2 Chron. 14:2-16:13

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Two Aggie cowboys, Wally and Dallas, each bought a horse and they rode them together for the summer. When winter came, they didn’t want to pay to have them stabled for the winter.

2. Instead, they decided to release them in a pasture and get them in the spring. Wally asked, "How’re we going to know which horse is which when we pick them up?"

3. Dallas answered, "I know! We'll cut the mane off of my horse and we'll cut the tail off of yours. That way, we'll know which horse belongs to you and which belongs to me.”

4. That seemed like a great plan, so that’s what they did. When spring came around, however, they discovered that the mane and tail had grown back during the winter.

5. Wally said, "Since the mane and tail have grown back, how do we know which is yours and which is mine?"

6. Dallas responded, "Well, I guess you'll have to take the black one and I'll take the white one."

B. TEXT

14:2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the Lord and to obey his laws and commands. 7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars.” 8 Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men from Judah, equipped with large shields and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from Benjamin, armed with small shields and with bows. All these were brave fighting men. 9 Zerah the Cushite marched out against them with a vast army and three hundred chariots…. 10 Asa went out to meet him. 11 Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us…we rely on You…don’t let mere mortals prevail against you.” 12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. 13 Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. 15:1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2 “Listen to me, Asa….The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 7 Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 8 When Asa heard these words…he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land….He repaired the altar of the Lord…. 9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and….11 they sacrificed to the Lord….12 They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord….15 They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. 16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah…because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel …fortified Ramah [for war against Asa]. 2 Asa then took the silver and gold…and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 “Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”4 Ben-Hadad [attacked Baasha]. 7 Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “You relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God….9 You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 10 Asa was angry with the seer…he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. 12 Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. 13 Asa died. 2 Chr. 14:2-16:13.

C. THESIS

1. I remember as a child my mother telling me this as she dropped me off for school. “You better act right, because if you don’t I’m going to find out and when I do, it’s going to be bad.”

2. Guess what? Every time I did something wrong, mom knew. I’m not really sure how she knew, but she did.

3. Jesus told the lukewarm Church of Laodicea, “I know your works…” Jesus knows everything about us. He knows this Church and our attitude towards Him.

4. He knows if we are “fired up” or “fizzled out”. What is your attitude toward God? Today we’re looking at the life of King Asa.