FORTIFICATION THAT PRESERVES PEACE
Second in Series – “Peace That Expands & Lasts: Lessons from Asa”
2 Chronicles 14:6-7
Rev. Todd G. Leupold, Perth Bible Church, Sunday 8/10/2008 AM
INTRODUCTION:
When have begun looking at the reign of King Asa in order to learn more about how we may experience a Holy Spirit revival that results in “Peace that Expands and Lasts.”
One wise person has suggested that our need for revival come at times become most evident when it affects our worship singing. For instance, we sing
“Sweet Hour of Prayer” and struggle with a few minutes.
“Amazing Grace” and focus on others’ faults and offenses against us
“O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing” and then use the 1 we have for gossip and slander
“Onward Christian Soldier” and then expect an extended leave.
“Blessed Is One Day” and wonder when will this hour and fifteen minute worship service will ever end?
“I Will Celebrate” and decide in our hearts ’just as soon as I get my way.’
We could go on and on, couldn’t we?
(adapted from illustration scene in “Steps To Revival” by Bobby Daniel, www.sermoncentral.com)
We laugh, but I’ll bet my bottom dollar we have all been guilty of this kind of stinkin’ thinkin’ in our lives.
Last week we began this study by learning that the first step to revival that brings peace is to have the courage and faith to destroy that which hinders it – especially those things that can be so very popular and beloved. This week, we will look at the next step: “Fortification That Preserves Peace.”
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 14:6-7
PRAYER
When we do stand up to that which hinders our spiritual lives in Christ and find ourselves in a period peace, what then?
From Asa’ we learn that even the most deserved and hardest fought periods of peace are only temporary. There will always be another challenge, temptation and battle that will someday come along and seek to once again shatter that peace.
In his godly wisdom, Asa effectively demonstrated for us what we need to accomplish even in our best, most peaceful and prosperous times, if we are to continue to maintain and defend it.
First, we must . . .
I.) BUILD: CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
1 Corinthians 12:27
Personal Illustration: NOTHING, apart from the Holy Spirit and the Bible, has had a greater impact on my spiritual life, growth and maturity than the experiences I have had living in authentic community. I am very blessed to have discovered this from the beginning of my new life in Christ as I intimately connected with the Christian Fellowship on our college campus. We were all different personalities, backgrounds, styles and preferences. I didn’t experience some automatic, magnetic connection with everyone, nor they with me. I made mistakes, stumbled, sinned and offended. So did they. We were all immature and struggling to learn what it means to be an adult and what it means to be a Christian. But as we daily chose to persevere and ’live life together’ like the disciples in Acts 2, even our imperfections, immaturities, mistakes, arrogance, and misguided enthusiasm became tremendous tools for growth, maturity and transforming ministry in and for Jesus Christ! As long as we put our sense of community and identity in Christ above all else, we found ourselves growing through our agreements and disagreements, successes and failures, wisdom and foolishness, selfishness and selflessness – together!
Greg Ogden, in his book Transforming Discipleship, explains:
“. . . We have an inadequate view of the church as a discipleship community. . . many
view the church as an option, not a requirement, when it comes to living the Christian
life. . . Biblically, discipleship is never seen as a me-and-Jesus solo relationship, for the
church is a discipleship community. . . Our value as believers is known by playing our
God-assigned part in building up the church. . . The collective strength of the church has
been weakened by the trend over the last generation toward isolated, personalized belief” (pg. 51).
To follow this thought, we see that the Bible teaches that we build Christian community
THROUGH:
A.) RELATIONAL INVESTMENTS
We need to be personally, positively, and biblically investing in one another’s lives through encouragement, equipping, challenging, reconciling, and holding one another accountable.
B.) REPRODUCTION
It is never enough in the eyes of Christ to simply find or establish our own maturity or even our own community!!!
Christ calls us to take this blessing and, by His Spirit, seek to see it reproduced exponentially in others as well - until we are ALL growing in Christ together!
C.) TRANSFORMATION
The mark of true Christian community is one is which lives are noticeably and radically transformed toward the likeness of Christ and His character!
How? Greg Ogden suggests:
“Three ingredients converge to release the Holy Spirit to bring about a rapid growth toward
Christlikeness. These can be summarized in the following biblical principle: When we
(1) open our hearts in transparent trust to each other (2) around the truth of God’s Word
(3) in the spirit of mutual accountability, we are in the Holy Spirit’s hothouse of
transformation” (pp. 153-154).
II.) FORTIFY: SELF, FAMILY & CHURCH
The late Biblical scholar, John White wrote in his book The Fight:
“War is not something that illustrates aspects of Christian living. Christian living is
war. It is into the real war that the Christian is to plunge.
Wars on earth are but tremors felt from an earthquake light-years away. The Christian’s
war takes place at the epicenter of the earthquake. It is infinitely more deadly. . . To
acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord is to join an army. Whether you know it or not,
you have enlisted.” (pp. 216-217).
And, I would add, as an enlisted member of the Lord’s army (even those on light duty or who have gone AWOL) are glowing, hated targets of the enemy, as well as their family and their church!
Ephesians 6:12, 18
A.) AGAINST THE FLESH
Romans 7:23
1 Peter 2:11
Folks, most of the time our greatest enemy and destroyer is our sinful selves!!!
It is also the hardest to battle and the one that wounds us the most. The nice thing about ’flesh wounds’, however, is that they can be healed.
To again quote John White:
“Of course you may get wounded in battle! But it is the man or woman who gets up and
fights again that is a true warrior. . . There is no place for giving up. The warfare is so
much bigger than our personal humiliations. To feel sorry for oneself is totally inappropriate.
Over such a soldier I would pour a bucket of icy water. I would drag him to his feet, kick him
in the rear end and put his sword in hand and shout, ’Now fight!’ (pg. 222).
B.) AGAINST THE WORLD
That is, the values, ideas, philosophies, teachings, habits, and cultures that are all around us but have a source other than the True Living God and His Holy Inspired Word!
C.) AGAINST THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
Simply, anything that does not live in or is at all afraid of the light of God’s holiness and truth belongs to the darkness and is the enemy of light.
Chief of these very real powers is Satan and his horde of fallen, rebellious angels.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Satan, the Great Deceiver, is the originator and greatest practitioner of the classic “divide and conquer’ strategy. He will use anyone he can, sometimes without their even realizing it, to accomplish his destructive goals.
Let us, then, not allow ourselves to be used as the unwitting accomplices of darkness through our disagreements, pride, personal preferences and unforgiveness!
III.) PREPARE FOR THE NEXT BATTLE
As long as sin has not been completely obliterated from this world, there will always be a ’next battle’!
Will we be ready to win it?
The Spirit of Almighty God assures us that if we fully equip ourselves with the armor and weapons He offers and provides, and take our stand united through faith in Christ, we can and will withstand any and every attack and defeat our spiritual enemies!
Sadly, do we still see and/or experience occasional defeat. Why? Because, too often too many of Christ’s followers choose to stand and fight in false pride and self-allegiance while refusing the armor of God!
Let us not make that mistake! Let us get and remain fully equipped in:
A.) TRUTH
As a Roman soldier’s belt held everything together while protecting the soldier’s most vulnerable area, so a complete understanding and accepting of God’s Truth equips and protects His people!
B.) RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Roman soldier’s breastplate protected his vital organs from the front and back, but could only be put on by another. In the same way, Righteousness (that is a moral and legal standing of being ’right’ before a perfectly Holy God) is something that only Jesus can clothe us with, and that is absolutely essential to protect our spiritual heart and vitality.
C.) TESTIMONY
Like a Roman soldier in specially designed war sandals, the Christian will always be ready to move forward for Christ, no matter the circumstances, when he or she uses the testimony of Christ’s salvation and provision in their lives as a source of traction.
D.) FAITH
Used properly, a Roman soldier’s shield was designed to protect him from any forward assault, even the feared flaming arrows. If they were wounded, it was only because of their own failure to properly use and hide behind their shield in tight formation with their fellow soldiers. Likewise, faith is a certain defense against the worst the enemy can attack us with – but only to the extent that we exercise it - properly, and in tight formation together.
E.) SALVATION
In the same way that a Roman soldier’s helmets intimidated their enemies, so our salvation (attained by the grace of God) is that protection and symbol of inevitable victory for the believing Christian.
F.) SCRIPTURE
If we are to have victory and ultimately peace, we must also be able to effectively counter-attack.
According to the King of Kings, it is only through intimately knowing, internalizing and applying God’s Scripture that we may repel the demonic hordes and their artillery of lies, deception, distortion and evil.
CHALLENGE:
How much of the above represents the commitment of time, talent, and heart that you are currently giving?
How much of the above represents the commitment of time, talent, and heart that you will determine today to begin and continue to give?
