Class Lesson August 18, 2019

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

For years I had the privilege of taking students on a week-long backpacking trip into the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada range in California. The terrain was incredibly rugged, but the views were incredible. Each year we highlighted the importance of watching your surroundings and being aware of where you were at all times. We stressed this because, in case someone got lost, he could find his way back to the starting place.

Without fail every year, a few students failed to listen to their guide and got lost. After a search, someone would personally guide them back to camp. When asked what happened, they told the same story: they couldn’t remember the right way to go.

Too often we do the same thing. We rely on God to do something in our lives only to forget the next time what it was He did for us. King Asa was no exception to this. Asa had been an exceptional ruler through most of his reign, but he hit a period in his life when he “forgot to remember.”

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

2 Chronicles 16:1-6

1 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. 2 Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3 “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.” 4 Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6 Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.

King Asa’s peaceful reign finally came to an end. For thirty-six years, the once united nation of Israel had been divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Since the Lord had blessed King Asa and the Southern Kingdom, many Jews from the Northern Kingdom were migrating south (2 Chron. 15:9).

King Baasha, who ruled the Northern Kingdom, didn’t like that so many of his people were migrating to Judah. So Baasha built a fortress in Ramah five to six miles north of Jerusalem to stop his people from going south to King Asa in Judah. Ramah was on the border between the two kingdoms, but because it was actually in Judah, it wasn’t Baasha’s land to build on. However, Baasha was ambitious and built a military compound anyway.

King Asa must have felt intimidated when he saw the threat of his neighboring king and the encroachment upon his land. We might wonder if Asa panicked, since he devised his own plan: a bribe for outside help. Instead of depending on God, Asa looked to “Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus” (v. 2) to the north of Israel. Both Israel and Judah had treaties with Ben-Hadad, but Asa bribed him to break the treaty with Israel with the gold and silver from the temple’s treasury. From a human standpoint, Asa’s strategy was successful. It may have worked, but it came at a cost.

• The temple treasuries were dedicated to God, yet Asa gave away those things as a payment to another king.
• Asa failed to trust God.
• Asa’s lack of trust set a bad example for those who lived under his rule. The king had discredited trust in God, and his subjects would follow his lead.

Asa was about to learn the hard way that he would never be in any situation where it would not be necessary to depend on God—and the same is true for us.

2 Chronicles 16:7-9

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

A price tag is attached to every decision we make, and King Asa was about to learn that hard lesson. Asa had thought it was a good decision to enlist Ben-Hadad, but it carried a heavy price tag. Judah’s king appeared to be victorious, but from God’s viewpoint, he was utterly defeated.

The king became aware of that defeat through a reminder by the seer Hanani, who was God’s prophet to speak God’s truth to the people. A seer was a prophet who was used as the mouthpiece of God to deliver truth to the people—and Asa was about to get an earful of truth!

Hanani reminded the king what God had done for him in the past. While the king had some great and valiant warriors, Hanani reminded Asa that it had not been those warriors who were victorious over the vast army of and Libyans; it was because he had “relied on the LORD” (v. 8). What a reality check that must have been for the king!

The outcome for King Asa wasn’t what he thought he would get. Hanani informed Asa if he had simply relied on God to deliver them from Israel, he would not only have gained the victory over Israel, he would’ve been victorious over Aram as well. Trust in God would have given Asa the victory he sought—and then some.

Remember the price tag? For Asa, the price was peace. Judah had experienced peace for much of King Asa’s reign, but that would no longer be the case. Hanani told Asa that God looks continually for those who remain faithful to Him. To those “fully committed to him,” (v. 9) God shows Himself to be strong and throws His full support behind them! Because Asa had failed in his commitment to God, he would “from now . . . be at war” (v. 9).

We can avoid Asa’s tragic mistake as we keep God’s faithfulness on our radar. He has taken care of us in the past, and He will do so now. Let’s be people “fully committed to him.” When we are, it doesn’t matter how big the army is that stands in front of us, we can trust Him to deliver us far beyond what we might accomplish on our own. God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).

2 Chronicles 16:10-13

10 Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. 11 The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. 13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.

The truth hurts. It’s hard for most of us to hear the truth about ourselves. We know, of course, that the right course of action is to accept the truth and respond accordingly. Unfortunately, our pride often gets in the way, and we react with anger and outrage. Or we look for someone else to blame. Everyone around us suffers because we don’t want to deal with the truth, especially when it has consequences we don’t want to hear.

That’s where we find Asa. It didn’t matter that Hanani was a prophet used by God to bring truth to him; Asa didn’t want to hear it, so he put God’s prophet in prison. Furthermore, in his rage, Asa even “oppressed some of the people” (v. 10). Everyone was going to suffer—including God’s prophet.

So how should we receive truth and act on it in a proper and fitting way?

• 

  Accept the truth and be thankful that someone was willing and courageous enough to tell it to you; trust that they delivered it out of love.
• Claim ownership of the truth that the person pointed out to you. Take time to evaluate it, digest it, and then develop a plan to act on it.
• Learn from your mistakes and move forward from them. Don’t waste time wallowing in guilt over them once you have sought forgiveness for them.
• Trust God to guide you as you move forward.

Asa’s sin was not in seeking medical help, but in not seeking the Lord. Asa should have looked to the Lord even as he looked to the physicians. The God who intervened to lead Asa’s army to victory is the same God who could bring healing. Instead, Asa let his pride and ego get in the way of turning to God.

In place of pride or self-centeredness, let’s walk in humility as we focus on Christ and experience the benefits of our obedience.

LIVE IT OUT

God will certainly guide those who look to Him. Choose one of the following applications:

• 

  Write. Make a list of truths from God’s Word you have learned recently. Evaluate how you responded to each one and, if necessary, what you could have done differently.
• Memorize. As a reminder of why you can always trust God, memorize 2 Chronicles 16:9a: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
• Speak. If you know someone who needs a course correction, ask God for direction in how to speak the truth in love to him or her. Consider carefully your words and pray for the person’s openness to hear the truth from God’s Word.

Just as one can get lost in the wilderness, we can get lost in life if we “forget to remember.” The God who guided us in the past, will lead us into the future.

Hope to see everyone this Sunday!!


In His Love,


David & Susan

Teacher Notes:

1. We Pursue Godliness when we make God the focus of our life. 
2. We Depend on God by calling on Him first in all circumstances and trusting Him with the outcome.
3. Each day we should act with courage in following Christ. Step in with a word of challenge or encouragement. As they face their problems, walk alongside them and remind them of the presence of Christ, that you know to be in your life is also in their lives. The meaning of the name is “Yahweh has helped.”
4. We should live our very lives as an act of worship.

Remember God's Faithfulness

George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That statement reminds us to learn from the past. 

However, it implies what we did in the past was wrong. We also did some things correctly; we did right things that we need to remember and repeat.

Earlier in his reign, King Asa depended on God during a time of trial. God blessed him with victory. However, later in life, when facing another threat, he sought help from other sources rather than calling on the Lord. Sadly, his failure to rely on the Lord led to a season of despair. 

Asa had been an exceptional ruler through most of his reign, but he hit a period in his life when he “forgot to remember.”

Chapter 16 describes the latter days of King Asa. Alas, he had begun well as a man of faith, but in the end, he acted like anything but. Three major truths emerge for us. First, don’t depend on others for what you should be depending on God to do. That strategy will fail every time.

Second, don’t forget what God has done. What He has done in times past he can do again for those who are whole-heartedly committed to Him. And third, don’t let pride and self-centeredness dictate your behavior. Pride is the path to ruin.

2 Chronicles 16:1-6

In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah. Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.” Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah. 

King Asa devised his own plan: a bribe for outside help. Instead of depending on God.

From a human standpoint, Asa’s strategy was successful. It may have worked, but it came at a cost.

• The temple treasuries were dedicated to God, yet Asa gave away those things as a payment to another king.
• Asa failed to trust God.
• Asa’s lack of trust set a bad example for those who lived under his rule. The king had discredited trust in God, and his subjects would follow his lead.

Asa was about to learn the hard way that he would never be in any situation where it would not be necessary to depend on God—and the same is true for us.

1. Don’t depend on others for what you should be depending on God for.

What are some lasting truths from 2 Chronicles 16:1-6?

• Peace doesn’t last forever; someone is always out there to challenge our efforts to live faithfully as God’s people.
• When threats come, we are compelled to figure out how we will respond.
• We need to exercise caution that we do not grow dependent on ways or means that are counter to faithful living or that exclude the way of the Lord.
• Don’t be deceived that every win is a true victory; rather, consider what you may have given up to get it.

2 Chronicles 16:7-9

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

The outcome for King Asa wasn’t what he thought he would get. Hanani informed Asa if he had simply relied on God to deliver them from Israel, he would not only have gained the victory over Israel, he would’ve been victorious over Aram as well. Trust in God would have given Asa the victory he sought—and then some.

Remember the price tag? For Asa, the price was peace. Judah had experienced peace for much of King Asa’s reign, but that would no longer be the case.

God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).

2. Don’t forget what God has done and can do.

What are some lasting truths that come from 2 Chronicles 16:7-9?

• As difficult as it may be to hear, we need persons who care enough to offer correctives to us when we fail.
• We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we can devise our own plans for dealing with life issues that challenge us.
• We are to avoid leaning on others and other things and failing to rely on the Lord during times of difficulty.
• When we leave God out of our lives, even when we win, we lose; for He has more in store for us than we can imagine.
• The Lord is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful and desires to strengthen the faithful in our times of weakness.

2 Chronicles 16:10-13

Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.

The truth hurts. It’s hard for most of us to hear the truth about ourselves.

Asa’s sin was not in seeking medical help, but in not seeking the Lord. Asa should have looked to the Lord even as he looked to the physicians.

3. Don’t let pride or self-centeredness dictate your behavior.

What are some lasting truths that come from 2 Chronicles 16:10-13?

• Uncontrolled anger can lead us to irrational and unreasonable behavior.
• Pride, self-centeredness, and anger can become barriers to a right relationship with the Lord if we refuse to confront them and repent.
• Faithful followers of the Lord will seek Him in all situations because we know He is good, able, and does all things well. 
• Death is the way of all people; we need to prepare ourselves for it.

Closing: What a sad ending to Asa’s story. And it could all have been avoided had he maintained his focus on the Lord who had been so faithful to him. Asa’s story has been the story of many others. It could become our story if we choose to walk the same path of drifting from the Lord.

Just as one can get lost in the wilderness, we can get lost in life if we “forget to remember.” The God who guided us in the past, will lead us into the future. 

Class Lesson August 11, 2019

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

A common cry in our culture is: “I don’t have enough time!” We do live busy lives, but have you ever noticed we find time for what we really want to do?

Such as …

• . . . spending the afternoon leisurely shopping.
• . . . enjoying an evening at the movies.
• . . . going on a much-needed vacation.
• . . . watching TV or surfing the Internet for hours.

Most Americans who “regularly” attend church actually do so only two to three times a month. Unfortunately, even for those who do attend church weekly, the tendency is to limit their worship to just a few hours a week. So, if how we use our time is a statement about what’s important to us, what do our schedules say about the importance of worship?

We’re called to live our lives as an act of worship each day. As we weigh that truth, let’s see the role worship played in King Asa’s life.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

2 Chronicles 15:10-15

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 ancestors, with all their heart and soul. 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.

In our previous session, King Asa “repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple” (15:8). Now Asa brought the people together for a great celebration. This occasion was likely the Festival of Weeks—also referred to as Pentecost—one of the three annual celebrations that required the people to return to Jerusalem.

The great number that had gathered was only matched by the offering they made to the Lord: “seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats” were to be sacrificed. This offering came from the plunder King Asa and his army had taken in their victory over the Cushites (2 Chron. 14:14-15).

Following the sacrifices, the people “entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul” (v. 12). God had already established a covenant with Moses and the people when they were still in the wilderness (Ex. 19:5-6); frequently in their history, however, the Jewish people failed to keep this covenant of loyal love. Now King Asa and the people made a public declaration—“with loud acclamation” (v. 14)—to return to and renew that covenant.

Our world today doesn’t fully appreciate the importance of a covenant. We make tons of promises that we never keep or even have an intention of keeping, but God does not lie, nor will He abandon what He promises. No covenant has ever had greater significance than the one God has given us through Jesus Christ. Christ shed His blood to bring us into a relationship with the Father. It is truly an eternal covenant.

The people of Judah were not to enter into this covenant lightly. Their worship and celebration of God required them to commit all they had to Him. They were to seek God with all their heart and all their soul—and not just for one day a week or a few times of year. This was to be the way they lived on a daily basis.

King Asa certainly did not take this covenant lightly. He was determined for his people to fully seek the Lord their God, and whoever would not abide by this covenant “were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman” (v. 13). While we may think that’s harsh, the king’s stance emphasized the great importance of living out a covenantal relationship with God.

It surely must have been a wondrous thing to hear the entire kingdom taking an oath together. The people of Judah declared their allegiance to worship God with their lives. While individuals may have renewed their own covenants with God as well, this is the first time Scripture records that the people as a nation renewed their covenant all together. The actions of King Asa and the people show us that authentic worship has two requirements.

1. Worship involves sacrifice. Worship is more than “sacrificing” an hour or two at church on Sunday. While we don’t need to bring hundreds and thousands of animals to the altar to sacrifice, we are to bring ourselves as a living sacrifice to the altar of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
2. Worship involves obedience. Speaking words of worship can be easy, but living them out requires action.

2 Chronicles 15:16-19

16 King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it 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. 19 There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

Asa would not let anything keep him from acting on his renewed covenant to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. He continued to wipe out all forms of idolatry. His loyalty to God ran deeper than even his loyalty to family. He even removed his own grandmother, Maakah, from her position as queen mother because she had also fallen away from following the Lord. Maakah was in a position of great influence, and her pagan practices were encouraging others to do the same.

Scripture does not tell us what became of Maakah. We would hope that after Asa “demoted” his grandmother, she took the same oath the people did to renew their covenant with God. No mention is made of her death, which most likely would have been the course for her if she had not sworn to renew the covenant with God. Some may think this was a drastic way to treat his grandmother, but when dealing with idol worship, we can accept no compromise.

Since King Asa was being so thorough, why did he not remove the high places, the places where pagan worship occurred? He had “removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah” earlier in his reign (2 Chron. 14:5), but their presence years later highlights the persistent pull of our fallen nature toward false worship. It’s possible that, in removing all the idolatry, Asa had repurposed these sites for better purposes. Other scholars note that  verse 17 refers specifically to the high places in Israel. Asa was king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, not the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Although he had acquired some of Israel’s land, he never took his reform further north into these lands.

In spite of this omission, “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life” (v. 17). His commitment to seek after God in all things became his personal quest for the remainder of his life. Asa went to great lengths to restore the things that were taken from the temple during the time of Jeroboam; he committed the consecrated items from his own treasury and from his father’s treasury.

When we look at the life of King Asa, we can’t help but notice that his desire to remain focused on God was his top priority. We too cannot allow any distractions to pull us away from a lifestyle of worship. So how can we make Jesus Christ the top priority of our lives?

• Identify the distractions. We are sinners, constantly tempted to allow worldly things to distract us from where our focus needs to be. Honestly evaluate your life and identify those distractions that continually pop up as you go from day to day. Knowing where the distractions come from will help you avoid putting yourself in a position to be tempted by them.

• Understand to whom you belong. If you are a Christ-follower, you are a child of the living God. He has promised to meet your every need. Nothing that attempts to offer us satisfaction compares with the contentment we receive from God’s provision.

• 

  Pursue godly living at all costs. Seek to live a life that is pleasing to God in everything you do. It may be tough at times, but your ability to live out your life as an act of worship can be a reality when your focus is on Him and Him alone.

LIVE IT OUT

How will you live your life as an act of worship this week? Consider the following applications:

• 

  Memorize. Commit to memory Psalm 105:4: “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Let the challenge of that verse become second nature to you.                                                                        
• Take inventory. During the coming week, take note of the things that distract you on a daily basis. Beside each item on your list, note practical steps you can take to avoid these distractions.                                                                                                                                                                              
• Share. Talk with a trusted friend about the things that tend to pull you away from wholehearted worship. Ask this friend to hold you accountable to stay away from away distractions and to covenant with you to pray.

Most of us live very busy lives. Too busy. But if we’ll learn to live our lives as an act of worship, we’ll find the right things at the top of our list—and some of the other things falling off the list altogether.

Hope to see everybody this Sunday!


In His Love,

David & Susan

Teacher's Notes:

Quick Review:

Pursue Godliness: How do we do this? 

1. Seek to live a life that pleases God.

2. Remove any barriers to godly living. 

3. Guard against temptations and spiritual attacks. 

If we make God the focus of our life, we will pursue Godliness!

The first phase of his tenure as king included a ten-year reign of peace during which he began a series of reforms to spiritually and militarily prepare Judah for potential future threats and challenges. 

Depend on God: What does this look like?

1. We begin by calling on Him. 

2. Then we must trust Him.

When we truly realize that God is greater than any challenge we face, we will depend on Him more!

The first major challenge came from Zerah the Ethiopian. Asa’s loyalty to the Lord led to a great victory. 

Act with Courage: We are going to have problems in life and this really calls for courage.

1. Each day we need to remain courageous in following God.

2. Our courage can and will inspire and encourage others too.

BE AN "AZARIAH" in someone’s life. Step in with a word of challenge or encouragement. As they face their problems, walk alongside them and remind them of the presence of Christ, that you know to be in your life is also in their lives.

The meaning of the name is “Yahweh has helped.”

Asa did not rest on that accomplishment. Urged on by the prophet Azariah, Asa stepped up his efforts at reform by continuing to eliminate idol worship and undertaking repairs to the altar in the temple. His influence was widespread, for people saw that the Lord was with him. Finally, he called the people of Judah and Benjamin together for some kind of covenant ceremony, an act of rededication and worship.

Worship Continually: Live your life as an act of worship. 

It is common, even among church attendees, to view worship as an event. It is right and needful to gather with others for times of worship, but worship is not limited to those times. Worship should be a lifestyle, something that infuses every aspect of our day. 

When and where does worship come most naturally to you?

King Asa gathered the people together for a time of worship, but his worship of God was seen in the things he continued to do, things that reflected his commitment to God. The day-to-day walk.

2 Chronicles 15:10-15

They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. 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. They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. All who would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. They took an oath to the LORD with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. 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.

Authentic worship includes being obedient to the Word of God, giving ourselves whole-heartedly to the Lord’s service, as well as giving sacrificially from the resources He has given to us. 

Giving Ourselves to God: What does this mean?

Romans 12:1-2

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

· The writer Erma Bombeck wrote, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’” That’s the point Paul makes in these two verses. He’s talking about using everything God gave him, giving his whole person—his all—to God.

We understand the idea of giving an offering of money at church. We put our cash or our check in an envelope and drop it in the plate. But most of us need some help with the idea of offering ourselves to God, giving our all to Jesus. We can’t put ourselves in an envelope. We can’t climb into the plate when the usher comes by and say; “My offering to God today is myself.” It would be easier to take out our checkbook and double our offering and put it in the plate than it would be to give our all to Jesus.

True spiritual worship is giving ourselves to God continually. Living godly in an ungodly world requires it.

1. Authentic worship includes both sacrifice and obedience.

• Worship is for God’s glory.
• Worship of God includes giving unto Him from all the resources with which He has blessed us.
• We are to have no other gods in front of the Lord God.
• In worship, we commit ourselves to be His people and honor Him as our God.
• Authentic worship calls for the full engagement of our minds and our hearts; it is a matter of volition and devotion, and a time for reflection and rejoicing.
• God honors the heartfelt worship of His people with His blessing.

What does sacrifice and obedience look like in worship today?

2 Chronicles 15:16-19

King Asa also deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley. Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. He brought into the temple of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

What could have been one major, personal challenge Asa faced in carrying out his reform? Why was such action necessary? Have you had an encounter with a family member or friend that challenged your devotion and worship of the Lord? How did you handle it?

2. Authentic worship focuses on God alone.

• Devotion to and worship of the Lord may lead us to face challenges even from people close to us, family members and friends.
• We are to demonstrate our commitment to the Lord by ongoing efforts to remove those things from our lives that would dishonor Him.
• Authentic worship focuses on God alone.
• Even though we may falter from time to time, we are still to focus the desire of our hearts on those things that please the Lord.
• God will honor our sincere worship with peace of mind and heart.

How can we incorporate worship into our daily lives (beyond Sunday)?

How is worship part of your daily living beyond just “going to church” or having a “quiet time”? When was the last time you spontaneously worshiped the Lord? 

Board Activity: 

Conclusion: 

When we honor the Lord in worship and live lives dedicated to Him, the Lord will respond with blessing––blessing unmatched, unparalleled, and unavailable from any other source.

For many, worship is “going to church.” Certainly, we ought to gather with the church to worship, but persons can “go to church” and never worship. It has happened to the best of us. 

Authentic Christian worship is a personal encounter with God in which we experience: 

• deepening of faith, 
• strengthening of service, and 
• cleansing from sin. 

It is an intimate experience of the spirit, wherein we come to know the presence of the Holy Spirit, express adoration and praise to God, and affirm our commitments to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Appropriately, someone has described worship as recognition and response. In worship, we recognize God’s majesty and glory and respond with adoration and praise. We recognize His holiness and righteousness and respond with confession and repentance. We recognize God’s grace and love and respond with commitment and service.

God is worthy of our worship because He is God. No other reason is needed. He is the omnipotent One, the omnipresent One, and the omniscient One. He is Creator and Redeemer. No other is like Him. Thus, none other is worthy of worship.

Worship is not limited to a group gathering; neither is it restricted to a particular time or place. Worship can take place whenever the Holy Spirit creates the environment and when a spiritually sensitive person follows the Spirit’s direction. Therefore, the way we live our lives can be a legitimate expression of our worship of the Lord, much as it was for Asa and others in Scripture. This is not a justification for not attending worship services, but it is an acknowledgement that worship is broader than Sunday at the church. 

Consider these suggestions for developing a lifestyle of worship.

• Prepare yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually for a time of worship.
• Make prayer a regular part of your day, not just the quiet time each morning, but throughout the day seizing moments to talk to God.
• Read and study passages in the Bible that model a lifestyle of worship. For example, read from the Psalms regularly, and study Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4, both of which model God focused worship.
• Listen to the Holy Spirit who makes known the things of God throughout the day, if we are only attentive to Him.
• God often “surprises” us with daily manifestations of His presence. Look for them and worship Him. 

Class Lesson August 4, 2019

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. We’ve all heard that cliché. But let’s admit that it can be pretty discouraging when one failure follows another, and all doors seem to slam before us. Many people surrender to the discouragement and move on to other pursuits, but some keep going, no matter what. Consider:

• Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.1                                                                                              
• Steven Spielberg was rejected by a film school three times.                                                                                                    
• Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for having no imagination.                                                                           
• Elvis Presley was fired after his first performance and told to go back to driving a truck.2

King Asa gave us an example of courage in the face of challenge. He knew that to succeed, he would have to continue the good work he was doing. He would have to keep at it if the people were to remain focused on God. When challenges persisted, he persisted more.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

2 Chronicles 15:1-7

1 The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. 2 He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. 4 But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. 5 In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. 6 One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. 7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

When we complete a major project, it feels good to stop and take a breather. Perhaps that’s what King Asa did after the war in 2 Chronicles 14. In fact, many years may have passed between the war and Azariah’s arrival with a message from God. But then again, Azariah may have gone “out to meet Asa” right as he returned from battle. We just don’t know.

What we do know is what Azariah said, and that message was clear: Asa and the people were to continue to seek after the one true God. Azariah reminded them that the Lord was with them as long as they continued to walk in His ways. Azariah gave them a history lesson, reminding them that for many years Israel was away from the presence of the Lord or any word from Him. He was most likely referring to the time of the judges when lawlessness and faithlessness was a way of life for the Israelites. The people had no one to teach God’s law to them and no priest to uphold the ways of God before them. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the correlation between the lack of instruction and understanding of God’s Word and lawless behavior. As a result, the people could not find peace—anywhere.

Azariah’s historical account included a call for them not to make the same mistake. They would avoid this grave error if they continued in their quest to find the Lord and live for Him. Asa had made progress, but he and the people still had much work to be done. They needed to remain steadfast in their pursuit of following God.

The people of Judah had carried off much plunder from their battle against the Cushites (14:13-14), but far more reward awaited them in the future. Those rewards were conditional, though. Asa and the people would have to remain courageous, steadfast in their faith, and not give up in their pursuit of the living God. Their faith must be resolute; they had no margin for distractions. If they were going to receive God’s rewards, Azariah warned, they would have to keep their focus solely on the Lord.

Many Christians know how hard it can be to remain strong and stand firm in their faith. For example, Linh Dao was only ten years old when her father was arrested for being a pastor in Vietnam. She knew why the authorities had come to their house, so she hid the Bibles in her school backpack. When questioned, Linh referred to the Bibles as books for children.

A year later, she was able to visit her father in prison, but only through a chain-link fence. Finding an opening in the fence, however, she stepped in to hug her father. The authorities didn’t stop her, since she was just a little girl. What harm could she do, after all?

The “harm” she did was to smuggle a pen to her father. With that pen, Pastor Dao was able to write passages and sermons on nothing more than cigarette paper. Those bits of paper circulated the prison, leading others to Christ.3 Linh Dao remained strong and acted with courage in the face of potential harm to herself and her family.

Just as Azariah told the king “your work will be rewarded,” (v. 7) God graces our work with reward. Our reward may not be immediate. God did not bless Linh Dao with an obvious reward, but she knew the blessing of obedience. Nothing we do for Christ escapes His attention.

2 Chronicles 15:8-9

8 When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. 9 Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

King Asa didn’t need courage to face another war; he needed courage and persistence to finish the reforms he had started before they had defeated the Cushites (2 Chron. 14:2-5). It is amazing to see what Azariah’s words did in the heart of the king. Azariah’s words from the Lord were straightforward, reminding Asa and the people that God had been with them in the past and He would continue to be with them if they sought Him with everything they had.

Azariah’s words sparked a new fire in Asa to move forward in his quest to bring his people back to God. This reform had two aspects.

• Remove what’s wrong. With a renewed passion, Asa got rid of all the idols that were an abomination to the Lord. He sought to be thorough, not just removing idols from the nation he ruled, but from the cities he had captured as well.

Years earlier Asa had started out well, but now he needed to finish what he started. It’s not clear why Asa did not fully carry out this reform earlier, but it is reasonable to assume he faced opposition. He may have been the king, but kings can still face resistance from their own subjects. No doubt many of the people were fond of their idol worship and rituals. Here we see Asa removing idols again; Asa needed to be persistent in doing right, because the people were persistent in following their sinful human nature.

• 

  Restore what’s right. It’s not enough to remove the negative and harmful things from our lives; we must replace them with that which pleases Christ. Asa not only removed the idols and the altars the people used to worship those idols, he also renovated the altar of the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. With renovations at the temple complete, King Asa put the altar to use.

Asa’s courage didn’t just benefit him or those in the Southern Kingdom. Others from the Northern Kingdom benefited as well. Because it was so obvious that God was with King Asa, ”large numbers had come over to him from Israel.” What a witness to God to have people coming to be with you because they heard God is with you. Here are some things that can help you in following God with persistent courage.

• Don’t do it alone. Before you even get out of bed in the morning, ask God to walk with you every step of the day. Lean on His lordship and the presence of His Holy Spirit in your life.                                                                                                                                                             
• Determine ahead of time that, no matter what problem or difficult situation you may face that day, you will not be deterred from focusing on your relationship with God.                                                                                                                 
• 

  Take time to read God’s Word. Spending time with God in His Word will bring encouragement and strength, and will continue to feed your passion for Him.                                                                   
• Look and listen for others that God might use throughout the day to give you a word of encouragement.                                                                                                                                                                 
• Don’t forget to thank those whom God has used to encourage and challenge you. Your words of gratitude could be the encouragement they need in that moment.

LIVE IT OUT

If we are to overcome persistent challenges, we must display persistent courage. Choose one of the following applications:

• Pray. Ask God to show you what things have become distractions in your life and are keeping you from seeking Him with a deeper passion. Confess those things and resolve to seek God with your whole life.                                                                                                           
• Memorize. Commit 2 Chronicles 15:7 to memory. “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” Let that verse come to mind when problems persist.                                                                                                                                               
• Encourage. Be an “Azariah” in someone’s life. Step in with a word of challenge or encouragement. As they face their problems, walk alongside them and remind them of the presence of Christ in their lives.

Rather than becoming discouraged with problems that persist, we can ask for strength from God to face our challenges with courage. King Asa serves as a great example for how to do just that.

Hope to see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan


NOTE: We will be having a breakfast celebration for the Spencer's this Sunday in lieu of a lesson. Please see a summation of lesson # 3 below.

Act With Courage

What helps you to be able to live courageously for the Lord? How do you maintain spiritual courage? How do you restore it after a moment of weakness or a time of failure?

Following the great victory over Zerah the Ethiopian and his army, Asa and his army returned to Jerusalem with all the spoils of victory. In the interim, God had been at work to prepare Azariah to deliver an important message to Asa and the people. The verses to be studied in this lesson record that message and tell us how Asa responded. 

OUR CHALLENGE in this lesson is to remain courageous in following the Lord. Our courageous stand for Him can influence others to be drawn to Him because they see Him in and through us.

I. Remain courageous in following God.

2 Chronicles 15:1-7

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” 

What are some lasting truths from 2 Chronicles 15:1-7?

• God calls out individuals to declare His message to His people.
• We are to be attentive to the proclamation of God’s Word.
• We are confronted with a choice: seek the Lord or forsake the Lord, understanding that our decision has a corresponding result.
• When we abandon God, we make ourselves subject to His judgment.
• A life lived apart from the Lord is chaotic and hopeless.
• When we repent, the Lord hears and restores.
• We are called to stand for the Lord with boldness and to carry out what He calls us to do with courage.

II. Our courage in following God can inspire and encourage others.

2 Chronicles 15:8-9

When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple. Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

What are some lasting truths that come from 2 Chronicles 15:8-9?

• Obedience to the word from God includes removing whatever things become objects of worship instead of the Lord.
• We are to take actions that regularly enable us to renew our relationship with the Lord.
• We are to treasure opportunities to gather with others to worship the Lord and renew our vows to Him.
• When we show great courage and dedication to the Lord, others will be drawn to Him because they see Him in us.

Conclusion: God is good. His blessings are abundant and free. He gives us victory and hope, not just for today but for eternity. All that being true — and it is — then why does it take courage to live for Him?

And yet it does. We are constantly challenged by problems, struggles, and life issues. Satan works through them to weaken our resolve, to break us down, to put those things between us and our relationship with the Lord. Truly, persistent problems call for boldness of spirit and courage of heart, both of which are possible only when we remain devoted to seeking the Lord, heeding His word, and living by faith.


BE AN "AZARIAH" in someone’s life. Step in with a word of challenge or encouragement. As they face their problems, walk alongside them and remind them of the presence of Christ in their lives.