THE DANGER OF A LUKEWARM HEART
The example of Amaziah II Chronicles 25 CHCC: 11-02-03
INTRODUCTION:
Most of us are used to the typical American greeting, “How are you doing?” We answer “Fine, and how are you?” automatically … pretty much without thinking. I know of a Bible College student from India, though, that could catch you off guard. Instead of the quick “How’re ya’ doing?” He would stop, look you right in the eye and ask, “How is it with your soul, brother?” Now there’s a question to make you stop and think.
That’s the kind of question I want to ask you this morning. How is it with your heart, brother? How is it with your heart, sister?
We’re going to look today at an obscure Bible character named Amaziah. He was a King in Judah about 200 years after David was King of Israel. The account of his reign is found in the 25th chapter of II Chronicles. Now, if you read a biography of a political figure today, the account will start with their younger days, go through all the events chronologically, and then maybe end by summing up their character and accomplishments.
But the Bible turns that upside down. When the Bible introduces a King, it starts right off by telling the condition of that person’s heart. And in this case, the King had a LUKEWARM HEART. Look in II Chronicles 25:2:
1. The Lukewarm Heart II Chronicles 25:2
He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. II Chronicles 25:2
Let me take a minute to set the scene. After the reigns of King David and King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel divided into two separate Kingdoms called Judah and Israel. It’s a little tricky to keep straight because the southern Kingdom of Judah had all the things we associate with Israel: Jerusalem is there, the Temple is there, and the Kings are the descendants of David. The northern Kingdom had none of these things, but retained the name of Israel.
The Kingdom of Judah had been through rocky times. King Amaziah took the throne after his father was assassinated. In fact, the last 3 rulers before Amaziah were all murdered … so he had good reason to be looking over his shoulder as he took the throne. According to the text, Amaziah had his father’s murderers executed, but he did not execute the sons of those assassins. That was a tactic used by most monarchs as a “security measure.” But Amaziah was obeying the Law of Moses, which said that sons were not to be punished for their fathers’ sins. In other words, so far Amaziah did what was right in God’s eyes.
Next we see Amaziah preparing to attack the bordering nation of Edom. In order to “beef up” the army, he hired 100,000 mercenaries from Israel. These were big, tough professional warriors. But the problem was that Israel had become unfaithful to God. God’s favor was no longer with them. And to make an alliance with an ungodly nation was against God’s law. So, a prophet came and reminded Amaziah, “It’s God who has the power to help you or overthrow you. Get rid of those mercenaries or you will lose God’s favor.”
Amaziah paid attention, but he couldn’t help hedging a bit. After all, he’d paid those mercenaries up-front and he didn’t want to lose his investment. Verse 9 tells us: Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?”
This is the first hint we get that Amaziah was not whole-hearted in his desire to obey God. Now, it’s true that Amaziah was talking about a lot of money. 100 talents would be about 4 tons of precious metal. At current silver prices that would be well over $500,000 dollars.
Amaziah’s heart was set on earthly, material concerns. But the prophet re-directed his mind to focus on God and his power: The man of God replied, “The LORD can give you much more than that.”
So Amaziah obeyed God. He dismissed the mercenaries (about 25% of his entire army). And … with God’s blessing … he won a decisive military victory. But then Amaziah does something that jolts us. Verse 14 tells us that he takes the idols from Edom and sets them up. And worse than that, he worships them!
He has just won a great victory … obviously from God’s hand. He has every reason in the world to be praising God, and God alone. But instead he turns to idols. He appeared to be running the good race --- then he made a sudden U-turn. It’s obvious that his heart has suddenly gone from LUKEWARM to downright COOL.
2. The Cool Heart II Chronicles 25:14
God’s prophet points out to Amaziah that what he’s done is not only wrong, it’s flat-out STUPID. If your army beat their army, isn’t that proof positive that your God is better than their gods?
But Amaziah’s heart was not turned toward God. Amaziah had been influenced by the godless culture around him. In those times, people believed that when a nation won a battle it was not because their gods were stronger but because the losers’ gods abandoned them and moved to the other side. By worshipping the idols, Amaziah was thanking them for “helping out” with his victory… as if the one true God could not have done it without them.
What is most disturbing about this account is that one minute Amaziah appeared to be serving God and the next minute he was blatantly bowing down to foreign idols. Have you ever seen anything like that?
· A well-known Christian leader appears to be 100% committed to God’s work, but suddenly appears on the front page in a public scandal.
· A friend or mentor who has helped you grow as a Christian suddenly falls into depression or anger and turns away from God.
· A young Christian is going all-out for God and then suddenly decides to forget the whole thing and go back to his old life.
Since all we can see is the outward appearance, these things seem hard to understand. But if we could see the heart, as God sees the heart, we would surely see a heart that has moved from LUKEWARM to COOL to STONE COLD.
3. The Stone Cold Heart II Chronicles 25:16
Remember how the scripture summed up the condition of Amaziah’s heart: He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly. II Chronicles 25:2
Obedience is important, but it is not enough. God is after a heart that is fully devoted to Him. Amaziah did what was right, but he never put his whole heart into it. He started out with faith, but it was a flabby, lukewarm faith. Even after he sinned by worshipping idols, God … in his mercy … gave him another chance. But look at how he responded to the prophet’s warning:
While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” II Chronicles 25:16a
In other words, I don’t want to hear anything from God. If you don’t stop talking, I’ll have you executed. No small threat from a King. So the prophet summed up where Amaziah’s STONE COLD heart was going to take him.
So the prophet stopped but said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.” II Chronicles 25:16b
The rest of the story goes down hill fast. The COLD-HEARTED King lurches from one disaster to another. First he attacks the northern nation of Israel and gets trounced. The Israelites capture him, then plunder the temple and the palace. After 10 years, Amaziah is released and returns to his ruined country of Judah. But, after a while, he is chased from his own palace and assassinated by his own people.
I Corinthians 10:6 tells us that these Old Testament accounts were recorded examples for us. So we need to ask: What can we learn from Amaziah’s example?
If nothing else, Amaziah teaches us that a lukewarm heart is a dangerous thing. If left unattended, it will ultimately grow stone cold.
When we talk about the heart, we usually just think of our feelings. But when the Old Testament talks about the heart it includes not just our feelings, but our mind, our will, our entire spiritual nature. It embodies the whole life of a person. Jesus said this was the greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Matthew 22:37, Deuteronomy 6:5
CONCLUSION:
So let me ask you again: How is it with your heart, brother? How is it with your heart, sister?
When I hear that question, I think about two kinds of folks.
The first are folks --- many of you fit this category --- who work hard, seeking to serve God in your church, your jobs, and with your families. You are diligent and devoted in your obedience to God. But maybe you need to ask yourself, How is my heart? Do I remember the ONE I’m working for? Is my heart getting cool?
Remember that God doesn’t need all your hard work. A loving Father lets his little child “help” him even though he could do the job better and faster himself. God allows us to work with Him so that we can have the pure joy of being with Him and doing what He loves to do by His side. If your heart is LUKEWARM, tend to it now. Take a long walk with God. Pour out your heart to Him. Place your heart back in His hands. Don’t let your heart grow cold.
Some of you are in a very different place. You’re sitting in church because it’s the way things worked out today. But when you walk out the door, God really doesn’t matter very much. God doesn’t play a part in your “real world” every day. I would challenge you to ask yourself: How is my heart? If the answer is Lukewarm at best, then it’s time to ask God to light a fire under you. Seek him with your whole heart. He will be found by you if you seek Him. And he will take a cold dead heart and bring it to life.
