ON Learning from Chronicles Sermon 4 of 8

ON Learning from Chronicles Sermon 4 of 8 January 26 th 2020 “To the Heart of It” 2 Chronicles 16: 9 page 696

ON So Far… • Sermon 1: • We need to have a Soul purpose in life that directs us and fills us. In Chronicles the Soul purpose is to serve God from His Holy City – Jerusalem, and in His Holy Temple.

ON So Far… • Sermon 2: • The second sermon was a two-part sermon with part one reminding us that an allknowing God knows all and has a record of everything. Our life is on the record. • Jesus offers us a way to have our sins taken “off the record” by substituting His holiness with our sinfulness and we need to accept His offer.

ON So Far… • Sermon 3: • God’s way is always the better way and He forewarns us of the trouble of not following His way. • Knowing “how did we get here” helps us to make better decisions and move forward in better ways as the next generation takes over.

N Questions… OTwo • 1. How much does an allknowing God know? • 2. Does God care why we do what we do, or does He just care about our actions?

Today’s Sermon N O • 2 nd Chronicles 12 -16 reminding us of God seeking whole-hearted obedience. • God knows why we do what we do, and He seeks wholehearted obedience because it is best for us and a blessing to Him. • I have a six-page summary of 1 st and 2 nd Chronicles if you are interested.

2 Chronicles 12: 1 -2 on 691 N O O • “After Rehoboam’s (Solomon’s son) position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. 2 Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of king Rehoboam. ”

2 Chronicles 12 Notes: N O • vs 6 (after the attack) they humble themselves, vs 8 they are saved but are allowed by God to be in subjection to the Egyptian king, vs 9 the articles of the Temple are removed and this may be a key reason for this record, even though we read of his repentance vs 14 records Rehoboam as an evil king because “he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord. ”

2 Chronicles 13 N O O • Abijah at war with Jeroboam – the 1 st king of the divided kingdom in the Northern 10 tribes. • vs 12 Abijah says “God is with us; he is our leader” and vs 13 -20 record God giving the victory while vs 20 speaks of Jeroboam’s death by the Lord and vs 21 speaks of Abijah’s growth in strength and blessings.

“To The Heart of ON It. ” • In 12: 14 we learned that God had a record of Rehoboam not setting his heart on seeking the Lord. • 2 Chronicles 14 -16 bring us to the summary of King Asa and the condition of his heart.

2 Chronicles 14: 2 -7 on page 693 N O O • 2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to obey his laws and commands. 5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest. (unlike Rehoboam)

2 Chronicles 14: 2 -7 on page 693 N O O • 7 “Let us build up these towns, ” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side. ” So they built and prospered.

2 Chronicles 15: 10 -18 on page 695. N ON • 10 They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 11 At that time they sacrificed to the LORD seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. 12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul.

2 Chronicles 15: 10 -18 on page 695. N ON • 13 All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. 14 They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 15 All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.

2 Chronicles 15: 10 -18 on page 695. N ON • 16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 18 He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

2 NChronicles 16 O • Speaks of his slip at the end • 2 Chronicles 16: 9 includes this line “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him”… • Verse 10 speaks of Asa’s anger and brutal oppression, in vs 12 he once again does not seek help from the Lord, this time due to his illness, and he dies from it with verse 14 telling us “and they made a huge fire in his honor. ”

N Questions… OTwo • 1. How much does an allknowing God know? • 2. Does God care why we do what we do, or does He just care about our actions?

ON Right Things for the Right Reasons • God knows why we do what we do, and He seeks whole-hearted obedience because it is best for us and a blessing to Him. • In Revelation 2 Ephesus is praised for many good things and 2: 4 says “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first” and they are warned that their lampstand might be removed.

Who do you connect with in N accounts? Othese • Can you see the Rehoboam aspects in your life when you have done things your way and God allowed the consequences into your life and in humility you turned back, and the consequence was not as bad as it could have been? • Can you connect with Abijah and his long battle with Jeroboam as he calls people to seek God and know that their victory is from Him?

Who do. Nyou connect with O in these accounts? • Do you connect with Asa and his actions of reform to remove things from his life and get back to serving God for the right reasons with a dedicated heart? • Do you connect with Azariah as one sent by God to remind people of the next steps of their faith and obedience to God and have you received others well that have come to help you in your faith and wholehearted service?

Who do you connect with in N accounts? Othese • Do you connect with the Israelites who have been given the call to wholehearted obedience and you are eager to put the effort into serving God in this way while others around you decline the offer and accept the consequences? • Do you connect with Asa’s life as God knows that he did not do everything perfect but what he did came from a good heart and the warning to keep focused until the end and seek the heart of the Lord in obedience every day?

ON Think About It • Would you want all of your life recorded and summarized in this way and what would that record tell? • Let’s be thankful for the opportunity of repentance as we dedicate ourselves to seek him wholeheartedly.

2 OChronicles 16: 9 N • “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” • • You can life a wholehearted service to God and He will help! • Let’s conclude in Prayer.