Evening Second Chronicles in chapter 16. We will finish tonight with the life of King Asa. Again, we're actually, though it may not appear like it, we're actually preaching through first Kings. But as I mentioned to you, when there is supplemental information about one of these characters that is found in Chronicles, we're gonna go ahead and try to grab some of that. as we're making our way through Kings and looking at those varied leaders of both Israel and Judah. Chronicles almost exclusively covers the southern kingdom of Judah, almost completely. So we'll pick up with the northern kingdom, Lord willing, next time. But there really won't be much of anything in Chronicles about them at all. Let me read our text to you this evening, 2 Chronicles chapter number 16. Remind you, Asa was a good king. Remember this? When he came in, he cleaned house spiritually, got rid of the idols and many of the high places, the worship of the false gods, even kicked his grandmother out of the throne or out of the throne room. was attacked, trusted God, received a great victory. Later, they were attacked again, and this time he didn't trust God. He went over to these pagan Gentile kings for help, and so his life is, we noted, one of inconsistency. Sadly so. But let me read our text. 2 Chronicles 16 verse 11 says, And behold, the Acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet until his disease was exceeding great. Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord. But and you can interject only to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers, died in the one and fortieth year of his reign, and they buried him in his own sepulcher, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and diverse kinds of spices prepared by the apothecary's art, and they made a very great burning for him. That's probably burning of incense, and or sacrifice, but not burning his bones there at the end. They was buried instead in the sepulcher. I want to think this evening about the life of Asa and I'm going to entitle the message, The Embittered King. The Embittered King. Of course, that word embittered simply means to be filled with bitterness. And I think that by the time we finish this evening, you will see, I believe, sadly, that this rightly represents the later years of the reign of Asa. He was filled with resentment, anger, spite, and bitterness. I think much of that comes from the rebuke that he received by God's prophet, but it led him to being defiant, a defiant king. Now we've learned a few lessons from the life of Asa already. We took note of how when he became king, the first thing he did was clean house and got rid of all of these pagan worship and idolatry. And there was a time of spiritual reformation and transformation during the reign of Asa. But then, if you'll remember, a large Ethiopian army came against him, trusted in God, God delivered them, God sends a prophet that speaks words of encouragement over Asa, and Asa's all happy, happy, happy. Some years pass, another army approaches, this time from the north. King Baasha of Israel attacks, but this time instead of trusting God again, he turns to these pagan Gentile king to come run into his rescue. He bribes him, enters into covenant with these idolaters to come run into his rescue, and God sends another prophet. And the second time the prophet comes with a word of rebuke, and he quite literally scolds the king for his behavior. So one of the lessons we learned was that we should trust God all the time and every time. He had delivered Asa and Judah before. No reason not to trust him again. So the same God who delivered them and has delivered us last time hasn't changed. Rely on him. Don't be inconsistent and don't compromise with the enemies. And then secondly, we should humbly receive rebuke from God when we do wrong. Hanani, the prophet, shows up and rebukes the king for turning from faith in Yahweh God to hiring these pagan, Gentile, polytheistic idol worshiper to come running to their rescue. The prophet sent by God rebukes him, and King Asa is livid. He is angry. He is mad, throws the prophet in prison, and takes out his wrath on some of the people. And it appears that that same anger and bitterness just continued to fester in him for the remainder of his life. So the lesson there for us was when we do wrong and we are rebuked by the word, we should humbly receive that rebuke, not be arrogant or stubborn or stiff-necked. So we identified him as not only a king who cleaned house and an inconsistent king, we also noticed him as a calloused king, cold and calloused in his response. Tonight, I want to give thought to the embittered king. Now, don't get me wrong, Asa, he is a good king. If you were to look at our messages, this will be one of affirmation and three really of condemnation or criticism. But he is, overall, he is a good king. He's just not a perfect king. And I will remind all of us, if someone took the highlights of our life and the low points of our life and examined them, there would absolutely be some times where we were inconsistent and calloused. and cold and taking out our fury on others who had done no wrong. So we don't want to be overly harsh against Asa. But the author has included these very clear contrasts. He did good. You know, an army approaches. He trusts God. He does good. God sends a prophet with words of affirmation. Army approaches, he doesn't trust God, God sends a prophet with words of condemnation. And those contrasts, they're just as clear as black and white on the page for us to see, to learn. And in fact, if we are wise, we will learn from the mistakes of others. In fact, 1 Corinthians 10, Verse 11 tells us that these things, he's talking about ancient Israel, the things that happened to them happened as examples for us or warnings for us. So tonight I want to learn a couple more lessons from the life of Asa before we let the king rest in peace. A couple more lessons from the life of Asa before we let him rest in peace. The first thing, and this almost sounds silly, but let me develop it. When faced with illness, pray and go to the doctor. Pray and go to the doctor. Now let me just sort of develop that if I will. If you look at our text, in verse 12 it says, in the 39th year of his reign, so Asa reigns for 41 years, Near the end of his reign, he developed some kind of sickness or disease in his feet. When you read the 12th verse, you don't have to be a Bible scholar to get the weight of the words. Look, in the 39th year of his reign, he was diseased in his feet until his disease was exceeding great. Yet in his disease, he sought not to the Lord, but only to the physicians. So he became ill, some kind of sickness. I don't know I don't know if the king was diabetic, and he had a wound in his feet that just would not heal, and so the infection began to spread. Most of the commentators suggest that he had gangrene, some kind of infection. We just simply, we don't know, but he could track some type of infection in his feet, and it cripples him, and it slowly spreads through his body, and it kills him. But there is something weighty at the close of verse number 12 that everyone should notice that yet even in his illness he refused to cry out to Yahweh for help. But instead he only trusted or turned to the physicians to the doctors. So when the king was faced with this illness, what should he do? Should he pray and ask God for healing? Or should he go to the doctor and ask them for medicines or the apothecaries, if you will, and ask them for help? The answer to that is it's not either or, it's both. It's not it's both. When faced with an illness, the first thing the believer should do is pray. Call out to God. But if that illness persists, go to the doctor. Go to the doctor. I am convinced, and I think everyone should be, that God in his great wisdom has given wisdom to these doctors. We live in a time of Great advancement in medical care and technology. And God has given men the ability to discern these things. And it is foolish. It is foolish not to avail ourselves of this. But not only to the earthly means, we must also call upon heavenly means. I have known people, and you may think I'm off, but I have legit known people that when they got sick, they refused to go to the doctor. They think there's something super spiritual about not going to the doctor. Well, that's silly. So, God, and follow me for a moment, when it comes to healing, supernatural or divine healing, God normally operates normally. Now there's a good rule for life. God normally operates normally, which means that yes, sometimes when we face some kind of illness, cancer, sickness, sometimes he does supernaturally heal. He can do that. And he has done that. But it is unwise for someone to depend solely on that, instead it might just be God's will to use the doctor's knowledge or experience as well as the medicines to bring healing. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease, he did not seek Yahweh to heal his disease, but only to the physicians. Only to the physicians. See, something even as simple as the last few little words of the biography of Asa, something like this has theological implications to it. Should Asa just trust God to heal him, not go to the doctor? Or should Asa just go to the doctor and leave God out of this? Isn't it God's desire to always heal his people? Is there anything wrong with going to the doctor? Should I pray or should I seek medical treatment or both? There are theological implications even to something like this for us to consider. And I will say it is not always God's plan to heal, physically heal every believer from every illness. You notice I said physically, right? Sometimes it is God's good purpose to allow an illness to continue, even in the life of a devout Christian. But if that person is truly born again, God will heal them fully. He may not do it the way we want him to do it, but he will heal them fully. Body, soul, mind, and spirit. But having said all that, Asa's problem really doesn't seem to be theological in nature. It's not like he's grappling with, should I do this or that? Should I just ask for healing or not? That doesn't seem to be his issue. Instead, his issue seems to be pure stubbornness, bitterness. Asa's sin, listen to this, was not turning to the doctors, but only turning to the doctors. His sin was not turning to these physicians, but failing to cry out to the great physician for help. The text never criticizes the king for going to the doctor, but for only going to the doctor. It seems, and I think that I'm right, that the author here is pointing out the king's bitterness, his anger, his resentment at being rebuked by the prophet. It's almost as if his success has swollen his head. And he sits on his royal throne with his crown barely fitting over his ego, acting like who does this prophet think he is to rebuke me? And he refuses to hear, it's not Hanani, it is the word of God that is rebuking him. And even years, After God had sent this prophet to rebuke the king, the king, it seems like Asa is still sour. And I'm asking, maybe because I'm a preacher, is poor old Hainanai still sitting in prison all these years later? Is the king still taking out his wrath on some of his citizens? What we can see in him is an embittered king. I don't know, maybe some of you have seen this or noticed this, but have you ever seen an ivy vine growing up the side of a tree? You ever taken notice of that? Well, I've spent enough time in the woods that I've seen that time and time again. If that ivy vine is not cut off and it continues to grow, it will slowly choke that tree to death. It'll do it. It'll cut off and it'll actually, that vine will pull nourishment from the tree to feed itself. And you'll notice, like a toxin, it spreads. And it will weaken limb after limb. Branches will start to wither. The tree will stop producing fruit or nut, whatever it reproduces with. And that tree, just because of that vine growing up, that tree will slowly die. All from a root, a vine growing up on it. And the warning is, Hebrews 12, 15, that we are not to let a root of bitterness grow inside of us. Bitterness to take root inside of us because it will choke your spiritual life out of you. And I think that's exactly what happened to Asa. Like that ivy vine growing up a tree, that bitterness grew up inside of him and little by little it pulled the spiritual nourishment out of him until he withered up and dried and embittered old man. Asa did not deal with that root of bitterness when it was small. He didn't humbly receive the rebuke and little by little it choked the spiritual health out of him. So I say, go to the doctor, but don't fail to also call on the great physician. So maybe the real lesson is this. Don't let stubbornness and bitterness keep you from turning to God. Whether that is for physical healing, or whether that is for spiritual healing. The king was angry over the past, angry that he got rebuked, angry that he got called out, angry that he messed up, but instead of being angry at the right person, he was angry at everyone else. He should have been angry at himself. And rather than repenting, humbly repenting, he allowed that bitterness to fester inside of him. So you know this? Here it is. You ready? The real problem was not with Asa's feet. It was with his heart. That was the real problem with the king. This is a sad ending to an otherwise good life of a godly king. He defiantly refused in the end of his life to cry out to God for healing. Let me just, let me try to put this back in your mind. This is the same man that trusted God when a million man army showed up to attack. He cried out, cried out to God for help. But now, now he refuses. to ask God for help. Turn back a page or so in your Bible and look at 2 Chronicles 14. Excuse me. We read this but I want to put it back fresh in your mind. 2 Chronicles 14 verse 11. Now this is when that million man army showed up and Asa cried unto 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. I mean, that is rich. I mean, that is powerful language. This is the king showing a wonderful example to Israel. Lord, help us. We're trusting in you. Well, that vast Ethiopian army bearing down. Asa says, Lord, we're putting our all on you. And now at the end of his life, he refuses to even call upon the name of God. It's a tragic end because he was an embittered soul, angry, frustrated. And I think that I'm reading the author right that this is a warning for all of us. Don't let bitterness, disappointment, anger keep you from crying out to God for help, whether that is physical healing or whether that is spiritual healing. Don't let your past whatever, whether you've been rebuked, whether you got your feelings hurt, whether somebody said something, whether the preacher make you mad, don't die an embittered soul. And sort of the last summary And the last lesson that I want to take from the life of Asa, and I think it is a summary, is this. Finishing well isn't guaranteed. Finishing well isn't guaranteed for any of us. If you've been in this Christian journey for any length of time, there are people who have had a significant impact in your walk with Christ, whether pastor, preacher, you know, church member. There are people who have had just a profound impact. For me, one of those individuals is Pastor John MacArthur out in California. I've never met him. He don't know me from Adam's house cat. He don't have any idea who I am on planet Earth, but I have listened to him and learned from him for years. He has served the Grace Community Church out there for over 50 years, faithful expositor. I've got his commentary series. I read them weekly, listen to dozens of his sermons, but he's got old. This past week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, was their Annual Shepherds Conference big conference that they have it's for pastors I had the privilege to attend it a few years ago. They just do a wonderful job. It's really encouraging But he'd been in a hospital for seven weeks and had just gotten out And he was so weak for the first time and how many ever years he couldn't go to the conference But they made about a two and a half minute video of from him at his home and released it at, it's called ShepCon, they released it at the conference, and I watched that video yesterday, and I'm getting so old and soft that tears begin to roll down my eyes, down my face, because he's weak, and he's frail, and he's 85, and in his words, I'm running my last lap. but he is finishing well. And there is a lesson to be learned from Asa on the negative side. Don't be like that. As opposed to someone, if I may, and I can't mention every name, but a Bobby Dean, who finished well. Christian? Ken Bliven finished well. That is not guaranteed for any of us. How different the end of Asa's life could have been had he humbly received the rebuke from the prophet, considered the words given by God, sent to him, and that led him to repentance and a renewed commitment to Following hard after God. How different the end of his life would have been? But instead he's embittered, angry, sour. Christian, if I'm called upon to preach your funeral, or whoever preaches mine, I want this much, I pray this much could be said. kept the faith. He finished the course. He ran the race. And there is a crown awaiting him. Believer, finish well. Whether you're 90 or 19, finish well. Don't let anything keep you from finishing this Christian life, clinging to Christ alone. Abide in Him, remain in Him, cling to Him, die with your arms wrapped around the cross or the feet of the Savior, however you want to say it, finish well. Finishing well isn't guaranteed for any of us. I mentioned this not too long ago. One of the guys that always preached at the Shepherds Conference there in California was Steve Lawson. And as I mentioned to you, in his mid-70s, it has just come to light that he'd been involved in an affair with a girl about a third of his age. That caused me to cry as well. You talking about those two men have had such an incredible impact on my life and ministry. I can't put it into words. Listen, all of us are susceptible to sin and don't you dare think for one minute you're not. Finish well. How different indeed were the closing lines of the biography of the life of Asa, how differently it would read had he not been so embittered, so sour. Verse 13, after 41 years, Asa slept with his fathers. He died. They buried him in his own sepulcher. He had planned his own funeral. He had made plans for this in the city of David. They laid him down in sweet odors and spices all by the apothecaries. And Asa, though we have critiqued his life, Asa was a good king. He was a good king, not perfect. But because he's dead and gone, we need another king. And we need another king who is consistent and compassionate, not calloused. We need a king who has never been rightly rebuked for sin in his life. We need a king who was always in constant communication with God. And the only person that qualifies for that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only one that qualifies for that. Asa, sadly, didn't finish well, but King Jesus did. And all is going to end well for all who put their faith in him.