When Asa became king of Judah, he got rid of idols and places of false worship. As he sought to turn people back to God, God blessed him.
In 2 Chronicles 14:8-15, we’re told a crisis faced Asa and Judah, when a million-man Ethiopian army with three hundred chariots invaded the land. Asa sought the help of the Lord through prayer. God heard his prayer and they defeated the huge army, taking much spoil.
Then in 2 Chronicles 15:1-2, we’re told that as Asa was coming back from this victory, the prophet Azariah met him with a word from God. “The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
Having just experienced such a great victory, no one was inclined to forsake God. There was a renewed commitment to God, and a second cleansing of the land. Asa had a long and prosperous reign over Judah.
Then in 2 Chronicles 16, we read how the king of Israel, who likely was jealous of Asa’s wealth, decided to invade Judah. Fortifying the city of Ramah, just north of Jerusalem, he wanted to cut off supplies to Jerusalem. In response, Asa took money from his treasury and sent it to the king of Syria to hire mercenaries to attack Israel in the north.
As the Syrians invaded Israel, the king had to redeploy his troops to the north. Then Asa sent troops to Ramah to dismantle the fortifications being built, and used the materials to fortify his cities. This was a clever strategy that worked. Asa was no doubt proud of himself and of his wealth, knowing he could always buy his way out of trouble.
But then came a rebuke from the prophet Hanani, who said, “Because you relied on the king of Syria and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped your hand.” He reminded him of how, when invaded by the Ethiopian army, because he trusted in the Lord, the Lord had delivered them. Then he said: READ TEXT
The Bible makes it clear that our God is all powerful. When we speak of God being all powerful, we often use the word, “omnipotent.” This word comes from the Latin words, “omnis,” which means “all,” and “potens,” which means power.
The Bible teaches that there are two sides to God’s omnipotence:
1. He is free to do all that is consistent with His nature.
Therefore, there are certain things God cannot do -
A. God cannot lie - Titus 1:2
B. God cannot be tempted to sin - James 1:13
C. God cannot deny Himself - 2 Timothy 2:13
D. God cannot go back on His promises - Psalm 119:89
If there are things God can’t do, how can He be all-powerful? Well, omnipotence doesn’t mean God can’t exercise self-limitation. God can’t contradict His nature. So it’s impossible for God to lie or to die.
Neither can God contradict things He has established. So God cannot make two plus two equal five, nor will He circumvent man’s free will.
God has limited Himself to acts that are consistent with His righteous, loving character. He can’t do evil and He can’t do anything irrational. He can’t go back on His Word. He’s all-powerful when it comes to things that are right, but He has no power to do things that are wrong.
2. He is free to do all that is necessary to accomplish His purpose.
Which brings us to our text for today. Two things:
A. God wants to display His power.
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth . . .”
Since God’s free to do what’s necessary to accomplish His purposes, He can, has and will intervene in the affairs of men. As we look to God’s Word, we find many instances in which God intervened by His power in the affairs of men. Like He did on behalf of king Asa.
But the greatest example is the coming of Christ. Christ coming this world was God intervening in human history by His power to fulfill His purpose to redeem a lost mankind and restore His creation to its former glory. God is working with a purpose and toward a goal.
“But indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.” - Numbers 14:21 (NASB)
That’s God’s goal. That’s God’s purpose. And it will happen because He is alive and active in the affairs of men by His power.
B. God wants to display His power through the lives of His people.
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
Chuck Smith shares a great illustration that really gets to the point of how God wants to work in and through believers to display His power.
Suppose we want to build a youth center because kids in our town have nothing to do but get into mischief. We draw up plans, and have an option on the property. As we go to the community for financing, we find there are three types of givers.
1) The man that must be sold on the value of project to him. You explain how he’ll benefit from his gift, how all the donors will be listed in the paper, and how you will have a photographer take a picture of him handing over his check.
2) The second has to be made aware of the problem and what you’re doing to solve it. Once persuaded, he gives to the project.
3) The third is aware of the problem and feels something needs to be done. He asks around to find out if anything is being done, and discovers what you have planned, so he calls you up and asks you to come over and get a check.
Which one of these givers most closely resembles how God gives?
Many feel the first man comes closest to how God gives, for their prayers are sales pitches, informing God of the problem and telling Him how He could receive good publicity if He comes through.
Then there are those who think the second man best represents God. So their prayer time is share time, informing God of all their needs. But Jesus told us that our Father knows our needs before we ask Him.
But according to our text, the third man best represents how God works. He has something He wants to do, He’s seeking a person whose heart is in harmony with His so He might invest through them His resources to get the work done. The tragedy is that God can’t always find that person. God said to the prophet Ezekiel:
“I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. I couldn’t find
anyone. Not one.” - Ezekiel 22:30 (The Message)
Conclusion: There is one question we must find the answer to if we are going to see God’s power released in our lives: “How might we be a people of God whose hearts are fully committed to Him?”
A heart fully committed to God is free from idolatry.
There’s a reason why John gives us the admonition:
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” - 1 John 5:21 (NIV)
Because if you have an idolatry problem, you have a power problem.
That was Asa’s problem. Initially, his heart was fully committed to God, as illustrated by his passion to remove idolatry from the land of Judah and call the people to look only to the Lord. When they looked only to God and trusted only in Him, they experienced His power at work on their behalf and God’s power was put on display for all their neighbors to see. But when Asa, ironically made his wealth (a blessing that God had given to him) his idol, God’s power was absent from His life. Sometimes, even good things that God intends for us to enjoy, like family, can become idols in our life and be allowed to take God’s place. How can I know if there idols in my life?
Simple: Is God’s power present or absent in your life?
If I have a power problem, I have an idol problem.
So, how do I free my life from idols so His power can be displayed in my life again? The answer is to give God His proper place! Consider the example of Asa: Read 2 Chronicles 14:1-4
A. Center your life around His person - v. 4
B. Devote your life to His purpose - v. 3
C. Live your life for His pleasure - v. 2
Have you heard of the Solar One project? It’s the world’s first large-scale solar-powered tower for generating electricity. The tower’s 300 feet tall. On top rests a receiver, surrounded by mirrors. If you drive during the day, you’ll see what looks like a ball of fire glowing from the top of the tower. When sunlight strikes these mirrors, it’s reflected to the receiver at the top. The heat generated is turned into electricity. When the mirrors are working in harmony, tremendous power is generated from the sun. This process is possible only when the sun’s light – the real source of the power – is reflected onto an otherwise helpless receiver.
Have you considered that God wants us to reflect His power on earth? As we live our lives with God at the center, rather than something else (an idol) our lives cannot help but be transformed. Everything about us will change – our attitudes, actions, motives, desires and lifestyle. And as we are transformed, we will light up the world around us.
