King Asa was a man who loved God and obeyed God.
He didn’t get his reverence for God from his father. His father was certainly not a man who pleased God. Neither did he get his reverence for God from his grandfather.
After Solomon was king of the unified nation of Israel the kingdom was divided into two nations.
Ten of the tribes of Israel separated from the other two and appointed their own king who was not a descendant of David.
The remaining two tribes were still ruled by a descendant of David. The first king of those two tribes from the Southern kingdom, which by the way was called Judah, was Solomon’s son Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was a terrible king. He turned the hearts of the people away from Jehovah. He built idols on every hill and the people worshipped the idols rather than God. He reigned in Judah for seventeen years. When he died his son Abijam, or Abijah as he was also called, became the king.
He reigned only three years. He led the men of Judah into a battle against the nation of Israel and God gave him a victory even though there is no mention of Abijam destroying the idols that his father had built.
But Abijam’s son Asa turned out to be one of the greatest kings that Judah ever had. Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God,
....The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Asa was that kind of person -- However, even the righteous are not exempt from hard times. – Psalm 34:19
But Asa didn’t panic because he was honest before God which changed his way of thinking -- He prayed! He was a man of prayer. Some people only pray when they are facing a crisis situation.
They are like the pilot who radioed to the tower...... “Pilot to tower.....pilot to tower....we’re four hundred miles from land, eight hundred feet high and running out of fuel...please instruct...over.”
Tower: “Tower to pilot...tower to pilot...repeat after me...”Our Father who art in heaven.”
Some people only pray when they are in trouble.
Some people assume that kind of thinking is accurate – especially regarding prayer…they “assume” too much…
Some time ago I heard the story of a fire, of which,
a newspaper photographer needed to get close pictures.
His newspaper agreed to hire a plane for him at the local airport. When he arrived at the airport, sure enough, a plane was there.
He jumped in and yelled "take off"! The pilot did.
Once in the air, the photographer yelled to the pilot to make two or three low passes over the fire.
The pilot asked "why?". He answered, Because I’m a photographer! Photographers take pictures. I’m going to take pictures of the fire!"
The pilot replied with alarm, "You mean you’re not the flight instructor?"
Both men had made the wrong assumptions. The photographer had assumed that he was in the right plane. The pilot had assumed the man was his flight instructor.
It is never good to make assumptions. King Asa, in our text, shows us how to prepare instead of assume.
He shows us how to have an "Altar(ed) State Of Mind
1. Clean Your Prayer Altar (2 Chronicles 14:2-5)
In his book Why Prayers are Unanswered, John Lavender retells a story about Norman Vincent Peale.
When Peale was a boy, he found a big, black cigar, slipped into an alley, and lit up.
It didn’t taste good, but it made him feel very grown up. . . until he saw his father coming.
Quickly he put the cigar behind his back and tried to be casual.
Desperate to divert his father’s attention, Norman pointed to a billboard advertising the circus.
"Can I go, Dad? Please, let’s go when it comes to town." His father’s reply taught Norman a lesson he never forgot.
"Son, he answered quietly but firmly, "never make a petition while at the same time trying to hide a smoldering disobedience."
Our altars are often clouded with the incense of disobedience. To get rid of that cloud, we must be determined learn to do what is right…
(vs.2) Determine to live a righteous life
James 5:16b – The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Try praying other than JUST when you want something.
Little Johnny was saying his bedtime prayers a week before his birthday. In a loud voice he listed all the things he wanted.
“Don’t pray so loudly,” his mother instructed. “The Lord isn’t hard of hearing!”
Johnny said, “Maybe He isn’t……but Grandma is.”
King Asa was a righteous man who loved God and served God and when a crisis came upon his life, he was already right with God, and when he prayed God heard his prayer.
“....The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”
Many Christians are defeated because they never realize they have the power to become righteous – or they’ve been fooled by the devil into thinking they’ll be a hypocrite.
Many believers who have been freed from the bondage of sin through Christ are still dragging around their shackles, even though they are unlocked, and tripping over them. Their “unlocked” shackles have become a stumbling block in their relationship with Christ --- and with others around them.
Repeat after me, I AM FREE! I AM FREE!
(vs. 3) Rid yourself of religious relics – a cluttered altar
Check your life to see if you’ve practiced religious idolatry.
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."
We do the same with God sometimes when it comes to “buttering” him up…we dress up our altars with “religious things”
"God will hear me if I wear this cross around my neck in front of my friends…"
Then we become angry when our world crashed down on us.
If you have a comfortable or politically correct image of God in your mind, and you worship it, then that is religious idolatry
Religious idolatry blinds us from the true faith in God because we depend on “rules” or “relics”
Clear your altar of things that make you feel “holy”
(vs. 4) Begin seeking God in personal matters - personal victories
Sometimes we have to put legs on our prayers. God will answer our prayers, he often uses us to in the process.
God saved Noah and his family but He told Noah to build the boat.
God saved the Israelites from the Death Angel, but He told them to put the lamb’s blood above the door.
God gave the Israelites their first victory, but they had to march around Jericho seven times.
A vital part of praying effective prayers is being willing to do what God tells you to do to bring about the answer.
Before you can have an effectual prayer of honesty, you need to find your “marker” of when God answered your prayer.
(vs. 5) Seek a higher level of commitment in your life
Loose Wire…
A missionary named Herbert Jackson tells a story about when he went into the mission field and someone gave him a car, but the problem was that the car wouldn’t start.
The only way he could get it to start was to get someone to push it.
So each day, after he got it started, he would either have to park it on a hill or leave it running so he get around to his duties.
He did this for two years until illness forced him to take his family and a new missionary was sent to replace him.
On the day he was leaving, Mr. Jackson was showing the new guy the ropes, especially how to start the car when the new guy popped the hood and said, "Mr. Jackson, I think this is your problem."
And he reached down and connected a loose wire and the car started right up.
The point was that the power was there the whole time, but a full commitment means leaning fully upon God.
Saying, "God you are my power. God you are my strength.
This only comes when you seek a higher level of commitment in as a Christ follower (i.e. pick up trash that’s not yours – do a random act of kindness – pay for someones dinner at the restaurant with telling them who did it)
Seek a higher level of commitment and quit serving God on your terms or when it’s convenient for you.
Begin a higher level of commitment by removing the secret sins (the high places – as Asa did) to really experience the next level in your commitment.
To recap:
1. Clean Your Altar
then...
2. Install Spiritual Strongholds To Protect You From Doubts
(vs. 6) Fortify your thoughts with determination
Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men
Determine to finish something what you start. Too many people are determined to be honestly wrong...
Honestly Wrong…
Two men were talking together.
The first challenged the other, "If you are so religious, let’s hear you quote the Lord’s Prayer.
I bet you $10.00 you can’t."
The second responded, "Now I lay my down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
The first pulled out his wallet and fished out a ten dollar bill, muttering, "I didn’t think you could do it!"
Determine in yourself, your spirit to strengthen your walk with Christ – don’t just think about it and hope it happens coming each Sunday.
(vs. 7) Surround yourself with spiritual walls/hedge to protect your thoughts through music, scripture, verses, inspiring messages
ON CUE, HAVE TEENS COME AND ARRANGE FOLDING CHAIRS RANDOMLY THROUGHOUT THE AISLE BETWEEN THE PEWS
Sometimes when we face a difficult situation in our lives such as King Asa was about to, we turn to God in prayer, but find that while "we were at peace in our land", the enemy has placed strongholds or obstacles in our life to slow us down or hinder our prayer in seeking God’s deliverance and strength
RAISE YOUR EYES TOWARD THE CEILING AND BEGIN PRAYING TO GOD AS YOU WALK DOWN THE AISLE, BUMPING AND HAVING TO STOP AND GO AROUND THE CHAIRS (BE CAREFUL NOT TO TRIP!)
(vs. 8) Practice your faith by exercising your spiritual gear
The Bull Moose....
Recently National Geographic ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose.
The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide.
Often the antlers, their only weapon are broken. That ensures defeat.
The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs.
Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually.
The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight.
Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk.
There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await.
Satan will choose a season to attack.
Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now—before the wars begin.
The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they’re needed.
David’s beginning in the Bible was great – but too many believers are similar to young David, where the armor is too heavy or slows you down as to make it uncomfortable to you
(IF YOU HAVE ONE, SHOW A CLIP OF YOUR FAMILY VIDEO PERHAPS OF YOUR CHILD LEARNING HOW TO RIDE THEIR BICYCLE WITH HELMET, ELBOWPADS, GLOVES, ETC. - THE OBJECT IS TO SHOW SOMETHING CUMBERSOME YET PROTECTIVE)
Work out in your armor as warriors and soldiers do. They work out in their gear, sometimes weighing up to 50 lbs.
Ephesians 6: 11-17: Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Asa spent the peaceful years building up his army and fortifying his kingdom--so should you, because you can bet that the enemy has spies watching your land...
The last point is to:
3. Face Your Fears With Confidence
(vs. 9) Never be surprised at circumstances or events that come.
When Your Hut Is On Fire....
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited Island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky.
He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.
He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him!
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.
Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
1 Peter 4:12-13, 17 - Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God…
Avoid letting your surroundings, events, competitions to dominate your thoughts
(vs. 10) Confront your challenges with the faith you’ve received
Tugboat Turnover…
(for slides to this illustration, go here:
http://koti.mbnet.fi/~soldier/towboat.htm
In 1979 the tugboat Cahaba was headed down the Tombingbee River in Alabama, USA.
The current was flowing fast as the tug’s pilot approached the bridge and released his coal barges.
He then put his 1800 horsepower twin engines into reverse to get away, but when the boat moved slightly off line the current swung the boat sideways and slammed it into the bridge.
The current was so strong that it forced the boat down under the water.
To the astonishment of onlookers it passed under the bridge and popped up, upright, with the engines still going and the pilot at the wheel, on the other side.
Why did it come back to the surface in an upright position?
Because it was ballasted with a metre thick lining of cement on the bottom of the hull.
It is a vivid reminder that life can often go horribly wrong, but if we have the right "ballast" - faith in Christ - then we can get through it and emerge upright on the other side.
What’s on the bottom of your boat? What are you depending on to get you through your challenges?
(vs. 11) Pray with passion
Which Does God Believe?
Whenever the family gathered for meals Grandpa had the habit of grumbling about the food his wife placed before him.
The meat was either over-cooked or undercooked or the peas were too hard or too mushy.
But, being a religious man, he would insist the family give thanks.
One day after his usual combination of complaint and prayer, his grand-daughter asked, "Grandpa, does God hear us when we pray?"
"Why, of course," he replied. "He hears us every time we pray."
She thought about this and asked, "Does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?"
"Yes, dear, every word," he replied, encouraged that he had inspired his granddaughter to be curious about spiritual matters.
However, his pride was quickly turned to humility when his granddaughter asked
"Then which does God believe?"
Can I believe you if you say “you’ll pray for me”?
Do you pray with passion, or just pray to get it over with?
Do you say you will pray for someone just as a kind gesture?
(vs. 12) Pursue the promise
Long Run…
During a Monday night football game between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, one of the announcers observed that Walter Payton, the Bears’ running back, had accumulated over nine miles in career rushing yardage.
The other announcer remarked, "Yeah, and that’s with somebody knocking him down every 4.6 yards!"
Walter Payton, the most successful running back ever, knows that everyone --even the very best-- gets knocked down.
The key to success is to get up and run again just as hard.
Prayer isn’t getting what we want – but submitting to the Father’s will – God loves us too much to give us everything we want.
BEFORE YOUR MESSAGE, GO TO THE DOLLAR STORE AND BUY ABOUT 20 CANDLES IN A GLASS CUP (OR MORE ACCORDING TO HOW MANY FAMILIES YOU HAVE IN YOUR CONGREGATION. HAVE THEM LIT ALL ON A TABLE DURING THE MESSAGE
CLOSE SERVICE BY INVITING FAMILIES TO COME TO THE ALTAR AND SPEND THE REMAINDER OF THE INVITATION TIME PRAYING FOR EACHOTHER FOR STRENGTH, DETERMINATION, AND CONFIDENCE.
*****POWERPOINT SLIDES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST*****
