DESTRUCTION THAT BRINGS PEACE
First in Series – “Peace That Expands & Lasts: Lessons from Asa”
2 Chronicles 14:1-5
Rev. Todd G. Leupold, Perth Bible Church, Sunday 8/3/2008 AM
INTRODUCTION:
As we naturally struggle to find and understand our current place in the history of PBC & God’s work in our community, it is helpful to recognize that we may find both commonality and wisdom from Israel’s similar struggles and questions in years past.
Last summer, we spent 2 months learning about revival from 2 Chronicles 7:14. For the last five weeks of this summer, we are again going to take time to explore lessons in revival from 2 Chronicles. Through Scripture we will travel together to a time and place far removed and yet in many ways remarkably similar to our own. We will encounter a special, ’called out’ group of God’s people who are just beginning with their fourth generation as an established nation. What started gloriously, and at times continued so in spite of many mistakes and loss of vision, has now reached a critical time that will do much to determine if, how and with what identity this special group of God’s people (Israel) will continue to exist.
As we celebrate 50 years as Perth Bible Church, we too will intentionally or unintentionally determine the shape of our next 25-50 years based on the ideas, attitudes, actions and associations we choose in ALL of our relationships – with the LORD, with each other, and with unbelievers. What will we choose?
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 14:1-5
PRAYER
I.) A COMMUNITY THAT NEEDS PEACE
The biblical Book of Chronicles was originally written for the Israelite community at a time when this once great nation had been reduced to a tiny minority living in conquered exile among the Babylonians. They were a confused, shattered, divided and dwindling people struggling to understand their place in the world and in God’s Plan. They had little hope or confidence that there even was anything that could be done to improve their long-held situation, overcome past sins and mistakes, or reclaim past glories. In short, they were a people in desperate need of encouragement.
The mighty LORD God provided just that through His inspired Book of Chronicles, a historical review of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites! This encouragement, however, came not from a miraculous or instantaneous act of God to change their present situation, but rather a reminder that God is always faithful to those who are committed to be true to Him. That God keeps all of His promises (in His time) and that He can be trusted even in times such as this, because He has proven it before. And He will do it again – for a truly committed and faithful people!
And so God chooses to encourage the nation-less people of exile with a reminder of the revival their people earlier experienced after Judah and the monarchy appeared doomed at the start of it’s fourth generation.
The Kingdom of Israel was truly established and first experienced peace and prosperity under the godly rule of David.
David was succeeded by his son Solomon. At various times and in various ways Solomon ruled both with godly wisdom and with sinful foolishness. On the surface, the Kingdom continued to grow and prosper, but underneath the foundations began to crack.
Next Solomon’s rebellious son Rehoboam assumed the throne. Under his carnal rule, the Kingdom divided into two nations: the Northern Kingdom of Israel (10 of the 12 tribes) and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin). God’s Hand of blessing withdrew from Israel, but continued with Judah (as the inheritors of God’s promises to David) when they righteously turned to Him.
After Rehoboam died, his son Abijah became the King of Judah. Abijah spoke strongly of following the Lord, but did not do much about it. He allowed idol worship to continue to grow and flourish. His reign was marked by continued, bloody civil war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in which God gave Judah the greatest victory.
His son, Asa, then assumed the throne of Israel.
With the split of the Kingdom under Rehoboam, the succeeding years became less and less focused on the Davidic monarchy, and more and more focused on what scholars refer to as the “Second Temple life.” That is, their focus and main concern, rather than politics and federal government, was now centered around their life together as defined and maintained by their relationship to the Temple.
Under Asa’s leadership, great and necessary but difficult and very unpopular reforms were undertaken, and God responded by blessing Judah with a spiritual revival, a national revival, and ten years of peace and prosperity!
HOW?
II.) ACTIONS THAT BRING PEACE THAT EXPANDS & LASTS
A.) Destruction – 14:1-5
B.) Fortification – 14:6-7
C.) Dependence on the LORD – 14:8-15
D.) Whole-Hearted Perseverance – 15:1-19
E.) Wariness Toward ’Outside Treaties’ – 16:1-10
- We will more closely examine the first action this morning, and then the others in the coming weeks together.
III.) DESTRUCTION THAT BRINGS PEACE
A)PEACE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT DELICATE
Peace in our day can often be like a delicate flower in a garden of weeds. (show slide)
Sadly, this is too often true even in our fields of Christians.
Because Peace Is Beautiful but Delicate,
B)PEACE CANNOT SURVIVE AMIDST COMPETITION
Things that compete with peace are like the weeds competing with your flowers to dominate the space, nutrients, sunlight, water and character of your garden or lawn.
Weeds so easily spread, multiply and thrive because they are at their best when they are most shallow. You see, most all weeds reproduce via an over-abundance of small, lightweight seeds that very easily, naturally and quickly spread out over short and great distances alike by the most common and simple actions as wind, rain, briefly clinging to insects, animals and people. To germinate (phase from a seed to a growing plant) all they need is to rest upon the top of the ground with the barest amount of soil, water and sun. Once rooted, even a little, weed tend to be very drought-resistant and are avoided by most plant-predators. Weeds as a group are infamously difficult to get rid of for very long. But individual weeds are generally very easy to destroy because of their shallow roots.
Sure there are any number of annual flowers that also start from seeds. But most of them need to be planted quite a bit deeper and are much more sensitive to changes in soil, water and sun. Also, even the best and strongest of annuals only live for one season.
Now compare these to everyone’s favorite perennials. Most perennials – and certainly the ones most likely to survive and thrive – need to start as bulbs or are split off from a successful ’parent.’ They must be planted much deeper in the soil, surrounded by nutrients, well watered, and given abundant time to settle and establish their root system before they sprout above ground. Even then, they need normally need a season of specialized nourishment, protection, and proper environment if they are to complete their growth and flower. Then, if they are to flower in abundance and/or re- bloom, they need to continue to be carefully cared for: nourished, protected, and ’dead-headed.’ That is, those parts which have died, grown out their purpose or become sick or diseased need to be pruned away before the rest can bloom. Perennials can be a lot more work, require a lot more attention and knowledgeable care, and still uncertain about how they will prosper from one parcel of land to the next. Yet, when they do thrive and are allowed to grow strong they will keep coming back year after year. Not only that, but as longer as they continue to be carefully nurtured and protected, they will get stronger and more abundant with each new season. As that occurs, the weeds and temporary changes in conditions and environment will have less and less of an adverse impact upon them.
What’s the point?
Ungodly and unbiblical attitudes and behaviors, even and especially within believers are the weeds in God’s Kingdom Garden. They often look like flowers, act like flowers, and even bloom like flowers, but their beauty is fleeting at best and their impact always becomes ugly and destructive.
Among God’s people when young King Asa ascended to the throne, the weeds that were desolating God’s Designed Garden were the people’s divided devotions to various idols and gods, which they expressed in various ways.
They considered themselves to be flowers because they multiply so rapidly, know lots of others just like them, thrive so much, and every now and then even open and bud and look nice for a short season. Yet, when God looks upon them He sees only rank, selfish, uncontrollable and destructive weeds that must be eliminated if His Garden of Israel is ever to grow into His design for it.
What are some of the ’weeds’ or competitions to peace in our relationship with Jesus, our lives, families, and church?
Pursuit of material gain. Self-promotion. Worldly success. Popularity among people. Positions (official or unofficial) of influence, power and prestige. Emotionalism. Advocacy (pushing for one good, even godly pursuit, without regard to others). Or how about the Veggie Tales favorite, the ’Rumor Weed’?
As Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, writes:
“The first step in any spiritual awakening is demolition. We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls. Rationalizing has to cease. We have to start seeing the sinful debris we hadn’t noticed before, which is what holds back the blessing of God . . . Anytime people get hungry to truly know the Lord, the Holy Spirit quickly puts a shovel and broom into their hands. Husbands and wives begin to deal with long-buried issues hurting their marriages. Adults take a closer look at their choice of TV programs and movies. Church members begin the damage wreaked by their gossip, their racial attitudes, their criticisms.” (Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire pg. 159.)
Peace can NOT survive amidst competition, therefore, the first necessary step to establishing peace is that . . .
C)DESTRUCTION OF DIVIDED LOYALTIES MUST PRECEDE PEACE
Peace will only be strong grow and endure to the extent that these weeds of competition are utterly removed from the ’garden.’
Ultimately, we may sum up these competitions to peace as “divided loyalties.” That is, anything (idea, attitude, action, or person) which in any way requires any of our focus to veer from Loving God Absolutely and Loving Others Sacrificially in any way or at any time is a weed invading God’s Garden.
If we, like King Asa, are truly serious about doing our part to care for God’s Garden (His bodies, His families, and yes His church), then we too have no choice but to utterly and complete uproot and forever discard the weeds that threaten it!
Just ripping off their heads, waiting until they ’die naturally,’ or running them over with the mower or weed-wacker so we can no longer see them may provide a temporary reprieve, but that is all. What is really necessary is to remove them completely all the way down to the deepest root!
And not just certain weeds, but all of them.
This is exactly what King Asa did against all popularity, worldly perspective and resistance and yet is repeatedly mentioned in God’s Holy Word as “what was good and right in the sight of the LORD his God.”
Again, in the words of Jim Cymbala:
“ . . . I know what most easily destroys churches. It is not crack cocaine. It is not government oppression. It is not even lack of funds. Rather, it is gossip and slander that grieves the Holy Spirit. . . the general concern to live with clean hearts and clean speech before the Lord prevents many problems from ever getting started.” (ibid, pg. 160).
CONCLUSION OR NEW BEGINNING?:
I want to conclude this message by repeating something I said in the introduction:
As we celebrate 50 years as Perth Bible Church, we too will intentionally or unintentionally determine the shape of our next 25-50 years based on the ideas, attitudes, actions and associations we choose in the present in ALL of our relationships – with the LORD, with each other, and with unbelievers. What will we choose?
What idolatrous and sinful ideas, attitudes, actions and relationships will we destroy once and for all?
Will we be a community garden known for its weeds or its faithful beauty?
