We turn in the word of God to 2 Chronicles chapter 14. Now, by way of introduction, I point out that three chapters, 14, 15, and 16, describe the reign of Asa. What we must avoid doing is going to the last chapter and then look at his life through the lens of the last chapter. If God had intended that, it had brought the last chapter to the front. Of course, we would then still go to the last chapter, thinking we were wiser. So we must simply follow God's given raccord as it is, for that is how God wants us to study it. And we look at this chapter under the heading, Hope Appears. Hope Appears. First of all, then, good and right. in verses one to five. In verse two it says, Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. Now as you listen to the reading of the word of God, I'm sure you picked up the emphasis that's there. The word quiet dominates this section. So in verse one we read, the land was quiet, And in verse five, the kingdom was quiet. So quiet dominates this section. And within those two comments, we see how really marvelous things were in this particular period. Four things you will notice. First of all, from verse two, mercy remains. mercy remains. Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. Here is God's verdict upon Asa in those days. It's not what historians think, it's what God thinks. And you know even whenever we're looking at the history of our nation and If you like studying the lives of prime ministers, you know, all the way back as far as you want to go to the first minister arrived at Downing Street and the history of Downing Street and how it came to be number 10 and number 11. That's all fascinating. And who occupied and lived there is fascinating. But at the end of the day, we have to make a judgment, don't we? How good was that prime minister? How good is the present prime minister? The conclusion we arrive at is not the final verdict. God's verdict is the final verdict. And after all that has happened since Solomon, it really is incredible that Judah not only exists, but has a king. And God's verdict upon him is that he did what was good and right. That's a mercy. And you know, in a small sense, it is a mercy that we're not living in the situation of China or North Korea. That's a mercy. May become like North Korea, but as it presently is, it's a mercy. We should be thankful for that. Here's a mercy. Astonishingly, after what has happened, here is us. Secondly, Reformation pursued in verse three. God's verdict is based upon how Asa pleased God. And you will see those phrases, he took away, he broke down, he cut down. This repeated emphasis. He's attacking the symbols of idolatry. the altars of strange gods, the high places, the images, the groves. Here was reformation pursued, a reformation that was definitive, distinctive, a determined reformation. No half measures here. You know, when you're cutting down and breaking down, that which is wicked, That is distinctive, but there has to be determination, and it symbolizes determination. He took away, he broke down, he cut down. And thirdly, in verse four, spirituality promoted and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to do the law and the commandment. Asa is clear in the direction that he wants the whole nation to go. He is clear in his directives given, seek and keep, or we might say, trust and obey. Seek God and keep his law. Trust him. and obey him. You see how wonderfully simple the gospel message is. I was reading, I've been reading recently, you know, John Wycliffe, well, for a certain reason, but I've been reading it, and just to read through one treatise after another, how wonderfully simple, but how evangelical it was. When you read it, you think it's just like, well, I could preach it myself. That's the way it's always been in the church, at least in the believing church and the evangelical church. The word evangelical, by the way, has its origin in Wycliffe. Plain, simple, direct, uncomplicated, but wonderfully stirring. Seek and do, trust and obey. What a call to these people. So that everyone from the youngest to the oldest could understand, this is what I am to do. And of course, do we not also sing these things? I have no intention of becoming wearisome and making a point. I often may sing all this, but Psalm 119.10, what does he say? With my whole heart have I sought thee. Oh, let me not wander from thy commandments. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I've rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies. So we sing this truth. Seek the Lord and keep his law. And the fourth thing you have in verse five, comprehensive change. You know, politicians, all of them, When they want to get into power, they promise a new age, a new day, a new thing, a new leadership, a new style. Well, if they were really radical, this is what we would want. Comprehensive change. He took away out of all the cities of Judah, the high places and the images. Not just in one place. He didn't just say, well, you know, let's deal with Jerusalem and get it sorted. No, he says, let's go to every city and get it sorted. And every village and every town, everywhere these symbols of idolatry exist, they must be dealt with. Comprehensive change. Not tinkering around the edges. Oh, no, no. Not for PR. Not to look good. But let's carry it through. place after place. And then we read, and the kingdom was quiet. Where does the quietness come from? It comes from all of these things. You know, we have trouble between nations, and we have trouble within nations. It's a Sam 2 situation all the time. Where's the peace going to come from? Now, you ask a communist, where will we get peace? And their answer is, we'll put everybody in prison or to the sword. You ask any ideology in the world and they say, well, we know how to deal with troublemakers. And you ask the Christian, How shall we have peace? And the Christian says, the country needs the gospel. The country needs spiritual change. Then there will be peace. Good and right. Secondly, built and prospered, verses six through eight. Now the descriptive sequence in this section is very important. And it's only as you follow that sequence that you see the theology that lies underneath. Again, you see the wonder of the written word. Because what it tells you is, theology is behind all the activity. So in verse six, He built, we're told, because the Lord had given him rest. So the rest or the quietness of the previous section is now carried forward in this section, but now the theology of it all is being explained. He built because the Lord gave rest. And then you come to verse seven and you have the same repetition. He built because the Lord gave rest. But it's not just a mere repetition. It's now an explanation of all the building. And in the explanation, you have a sort of syllogism. What does it say? We sought the Lord, verse seven, the Lord gave us rest, therefore we built. That's the essence of the second half of verse seven. Because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, he has given us rest in every sign, so they built and prospered. We sought God, the Lord gave us rest, therefore we built. The logic is impeccable. Here is an important syllogism, a way of thinking, a way of reasoning, which explains building, prospering. Their spiritual state and condition led to their building the kingdom. So let's apply it in reverse. to our own day. Why are things at a low ebb? Why are things so bad? Because our spiritual condition is low. We are not spiritually prosperous. Our nation is suffering because of the low spiritual state of the church and the Lord's people. The nation has, as far as it can, cast off all the influence of Christianity. They've held on to certain institutions, but they have robbed the institution of its heart and centre and replaced it with secularism. So things are in a bad way. But look at this kingdom. We built. Why did we build? Well, step one, we sought the Lord. Step two, the Lord gave us rest. Step three, therefore, we built. So the first thing then we saw was good and right. Second, built and prospered. Third, verses nine to 15, rest and go. Rest and go. Verse 11 says, we rest on thee and in thy name we go. Everything that had happened in verses 1 to 7 is now being tested. That's quite remarkable in itself. The question arising from verses 1 to 7 is, was it all genuine? Were they sincere? Upon what and whom were they really depending? That's why verses 9 to 15 are here. God is putting it all to the test. You know, it's like engineers, when they plan something, they design something, and then they'll make a scale model and they'll test it to see if it's actually going to work. I mean, you don't want them building a bridge and they haven't tested the material and looked at all the angles of it and so on and the weight and everything else. And then the first car on the bridge, well, the whole thing collapses. But you must also note the sequence. In verses one through seven, you're told all these wonderful things. And then in verse eight, this strange verse, That just seems out of nowhere to talk about the army, until you get to verse nine. Let's note three things. First of all, verse nine, unexpected assault. From nowhere came this enormous army, led by this man called Zerah. Now, for seven verses, we were told how wonderful everything was in God's kingdom, how wonderful everything was in Judah, how peaceful and quiet things are, how prosperous, not in any mediocre sense, but a fulsomeness in that blessing. And of course, the language used emphasizes how there's an overabundance. It's all great. And then comes this host. The sheer size is remarkable. 1,000, 1,300 chariots. Totally unexpected. As they went out against them to battle, what's going to happen? Second, verse 11, necessary plea. Here's the proof of verses one to seven. And you will note the fulsomeness and the accuracy of this plea. As I cried on to the Lord, his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God. Let not man prevail against thee. What is the essence of the plea? Listen carefully to his reasoning. He speaks of the power of God. It is nothing with thee to help. You can help the many or you can help the few, but it doesn't matter. Our relative size is irrelevant. How big we are, how small we are, it's irrelevant. How big this army of the Ethiopians is. Two to one, Judah's outnumbered. 1,000,000 versus 500,000. And that's to say, Lord, size doesn't matter with thee. Thou art the Almighty One, the power of God. And then there is their need for God, help us, O Lord. We cannot possibly succeed. We need Thy help. But Thy help, our small size doesn't matter. our insignificant little army against this great host. God makes all the difference. Then he speaks of their faith in God. We rest on thee, in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God. Let not man prevail against thee. You see what he's saying? It's not about man. It's about God, the honor of God, the glory of God. That's what this conflict is all about, he says. And it is very important that we Christians don't lose sight of this. in this present providence that we face. We must not reduce the whole conflict in our country to one of personalities. This is a battle between theism and secularism, between God and man. between the word of God and the words of men, between the law of God and the law of man, which will triumph in our generation. We need to pray and think like Asa. Let not man prevail. Unexpected assault, necessary plea, Answered prayer, verses 13 to 15. Look at the language. Verse 12, the Lord smote. And verse 13, destroyed before the Lord. Verse 14, the fear of the Lord came upon them. You know what's wrong with our country? There's no fear of God. But perhaps we should be more blunt and say, you know what's wrong with the church? There's no fear of God. That's what's wrong with us. What do we need? We need the fear of God. Not a slavish fear, but the reverential fear of God. And again, we note the sequence of events. In verse 10, Asa went out, and in verse 15, and returned to Jerusalem. We should always marvel at the way the word of God sets things out for us. The way it's put together is just so staggering and wonderful. The Lord is saying, Luke, can you see the wonder of this? He goes out and he comes back, and between those two points, the Lord came down and the Lord worked. And he went out, he says, with a few, and he came back with abundance. The spoils of the enemy. were in his possession. The Lord prospered in a most remarkable way. What's the Lord teaching these people? There's the question, and brings us to application. Surely the first lesson the Lord is teaching is this, a well-known lesson, them that honour me, I will honour. The Asher's case is long gone, but I think that's one thing that stood out, wasn't it? I laugh when I think of the smallness of the item itself that caused so much trouble. But the principle is what mattered. Shall we honor God or deny God? Here is a biblical record for all generations to hear, to read, and to learn. Them that honor me, I will honor. So I say always to older Christians, authenticate that for younger people. What have we got? Reformation of life, spiritual pursuits, and that leads to the Lord's blessing. Let's look at a couple of passages. The first is in Psalm 18. Psalm 18 and verse 20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. I will honor them that honor me. And then we look at a contrast in John 5. John 5, and in verse 44, how can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Here is the Lord diagnosing the spiritual condition of the unbeliever. What is it they want? They want the applause, the favour of the world. Not the honour of God, the smile of God, the blessing of God. The hardest thing to do in life is to honour the Lord. And you know, the moment you begin to say, I will honour the Lord, the Lord sends a simple test to see how well we're going to do. The smallest of tests. And we might say, oh, well, we'll pass that one, okay. And he sends another one, an even more complicated one, and a harder one, and a more sensitive one. And each time we have to remember, them that honor me, I will honor. Shall we have the smile of God or the applause of the world? John 12, 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honour. Very simple, isn't it? If we want the honour that comes from God, What are we to do? Serve the Lord. Follow Christ. Obey him. Second lesson, blessing and trouble are not opposites. In the Pentecostal charismatic world, you know, the idea is if you're a Christian, everything's going to be miraculous, wonderful. But if you have trouble, you must have sinned. If you've got a sickness, you must have sinned. Trouble, therefore, they say is from Satan. Blessing comes from God. It's a sort of a Gnostic way of looking at things. Here, the blessing is unmistakable. The blessing is unmistakable. God repeats it time after time. Quiet, rest, prospered. Over and over he keeps repeating the words. The blessing of God is apparent. And then the next section is, along comes the trouble. God surely sends the trial to reveal what's in our hearts. Peace and prosperity are in themselves a test. There's the warning that Moses gives in Deuteronomy 4. It starts in verse 9. Only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life, but teach them thy sons and thy sons' sons. And then in verse 23, take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of anything which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. And in verse 31, the Lord thy God is a merciful God. He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he swore unto thee. So Moses is laying out the basic principle here. This is how you are to live. But then in chapter six, verses 10 to 12, he says, It shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which he swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not, and houses full of all good things, which thou fillest not, and wells digged, which thou diggest not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantest not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full, then beware, lest thou forget the Lord. So peace and prosperity is a test of our spiritual faithfulness, and everything's going well. Trouble is also a test. So you have the prosperity in verses one to seven. They're tested, they seek the Lord. Along comes the trouble, they are tested. they seek the Lord. So trouble tests us. Psalm 50 and verse 15. And call upon me in the day of trouble, for I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Why does God deliver? That we might glorify him. So blessing and trouble are not polar opposites, but God sends both to test us and to try us. Thirdly, idolatry is a serious problem. Now, idolatry is always attractive. Why is idolatry so attractive? Well, let's make a case for idolatry this evening for a moment. Let's make out the case for idolatry. What's grand about it? Well, you can make your own gods like yourself. So that's what makes it attractive. You design, you design your own god. What is more, you are in complete control of your own superstitious beliefs. You can be as eclectic as you like, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of Greek ideology, a little bit of Romish ideology, maybe a little bit of evangelicalism. You know, you can be as eclectic as you like, a bit of this and that. Furthermore, you can perform whatever rituals you like. You know, if it's a design of God, It can be a design or liturgy and ritual. So, you know, as fashions change, you simply change your rituals. So it's always contemporary and up to date. You know, if the fad is for the young people to do handstands in the aisle, let's have people doing handstands in the aisle. You know, a design or liturgy. And of course you can change whatever you wish at any time. You see why idolatry is so attractive. But there's one big problem. God hates it. And there's no getting around that. And it's not because of its flexibility. that God hates it. Nor, perhaps we might say, even because of its worldliness, God hates it. The core issue is God hates it because it robs him of the glory due unto him. God did not make us that we might worship anything we like. That's not why God made the world. That's not why God made human beings, for us to devise our own religion. He made us that we might love, serve, and worship him. and that we might do all this in righteousness, holiness, and truth. There is neither righteousness, nor holiness, nor truth in idolatry, because it's made out of the heart. What comes out of the heart? Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, and the list is horrendous. But when the gospel comes, Change is a sinner. Righteousness, holiness, and truth become the marks and characteristics. In regards to Milton's Paradise Lost, in the preface there's a wonderful line. She who thought it beneath her dignity to bow to Adam or to God now worships a vegetable. That's pretty neat, isn't it? She who thought it beneath her to bow to Adam or God, worships a vegetable. So Asa is tested by first commandment loyalty. And he passes the test. But what about us? 1 John 5, 21. John writing to the church, he says, keep yourselves from idols. He doesn't need to specify. The one word is enough, because as Calvin says, you know, man's heart is a factory of idol making. We can make an idol of any. We can make an idol of the most lawful things. Work is lawful. We can make it an idol. Money is lawful. We can make it a god. Looking after your health is lawful, but we can turn it into a god. We've become fitness fanatics. Keep yourselves from idols. And fourthly and finally, in our going out, And in our coming in, we desperately need God. So the psalmist says in Psalm 121 verse 3, he will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. We need that truth about God. And then comes verse 8, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth even forevermore. We need constantly in our going out and coming in to rely upon the Lord. And what, of course, does James tell us in James 4? He tells us in those well-known words, Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow. We will go into such a city and continue there a year, and buy and sell and give again. So we make plans. We say, well, tomorrow we're going to do this. Next week, we hope to plan to travel to so-and-so's city, and we're going to do such and such business when we get there, and then we'll come back and meet up or whatever. Then he says, don't be a fool. ye know not what shall be in the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away, for that ye ought to say, if the Lord will. Deo valente, God willing, dee thee. Fascinating usage about the use of DV. One of our national heroes had a tendency, a lawful right tendency, to write in his letters at the end, DV. And there were some very clever academics in the early 1900s from within that terrible group known as the Bloomsbury Group who mocked this way of thinking. My dear friends, this is a biblical way of thinking. If the Lord will. Now, we need to be careful we don't turn it into some kind of cliche because, you know, you might even hear someone say, well, if the Lord will, I would like to be buried in so-and-so place. Well, my dear friends, you know, we need to be careful we don't turn it into just an add-on, but to be serious. If the Lord will. So when we make our public announcements, how does it always end? D.V. If the Lord will. Because the Lord can take everything and you know what the Lord can do in Providence? He can change all your plans. If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or that. God willing, if I'm alive tomorrow, You know, sometimes you ring up and you order something and you say, well, I'll be there to collect it. And you say, if the Lord wills. And there's a pause on the phone and you might say, well, you know, I could take a stroke, a heart attack, there could be a volcano, third world war could break out and the other person says, oh, I hope none of those things happen. You say, but you don't know that. You don't know tomorrow. So, God willing, Next Thursday, we shall look at Chapter 15, if the Lord wills. And on the Lord's Day, God willing, we shall gather and worship. And God willing, tomorrow, you may be at college, school, or work, if the Lord wills. And you'll come home, if the Lord wills, as you left in the morning, in health, to eat your supper. but only if the Lord wills. So that little phrase, you know, that delightful comment, that Esau went out and then he returned, it binds the section together. You know, like two bookends. He goes out and he comes in. And in between, the Lord does all these wonderful things. May the Lord bless these words to your hearts.