2 Chro No.12 Reluctant Obedience

How good this joyful morn! All things are changed away. His love is as great as it was, And he knows I'll bless your way. His peace has blessed my heart, And saved me from my sinful.

He will praise him for all that he's done, And for sin I will bless him now and again. Father, we offer this service to you and pray that you'll speak to us through your word. Bless every boy and girl, every mum and dad, every person who's here.

May we be aware of your presence increasingly. And this we ask for the Saviour's sake. Amen.

2 Chronicles chapter 25 Amaziah was 25 years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years. His mother's name was Jehoadim.

She was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. After the kingdom was firmly in his control, he executed the officials who had murdered his father, the king.

Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted in accordance with what is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers. Each is to die for his own sins. Amaziah called the people of Judah together and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds for all Judah and Benjamin.

He then mustered those 20 years old or more and found that there were 300,000 men ready for military service, able to handle the spear and shield. He also hired 100,000 fighting men from Israel for 100 talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel, not with any of the people of Ephraim.

Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow. Amaziah asked the man of God, but what about the 100 talents I paid for these Israelite troops? The man of God replied, the Lord can give you much more than that. So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home.

They were furious with Judah and left for home in a great rage. Amaziah then marshaled his strength and led his army to the Valley of Salt where he killed 10,000 men of Seir. The army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive, took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

Meanwhile, the troops that Amaziah had sent back and had not allowed to take part in the war raided Judean towns from Samaria to Beth Horon. They killed 3,000 people and carried off great quantities of plunder. When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir.

He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burnt sacrifices to them. The anger of the Lord burned against King Amaziah. He sent a prophet to him who said, Why do you consult this people's gods which could not save their own people from your hand? While he was still speaking, the king said to him, Have we appointed you an advisor to the king? Stop, why be struck down? So the prophet stopped but said, I know that God has determined to destroy you because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.

After Amaziah, king of Judah, consulted his advisors, he sent this challenge to Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel. Come, meet me face to face. But Jehoash, king of Israel, replied to Amaziah, king of Judah, A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon.

Give your daughter to my son in marriage. Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle on the foot. You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom and now you are arrogant and proud but stay at home.

Why ask for trouble? Cause your own downfall and that of Judah also. Amaziah, however, would not listen for God so worked that he might hand them over to Jehoash because they sought the gods of Edom. So Jehoash, king of Israel, attacked.

He and Amaziah, king of Judah, faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. Judah was routed by Israel and every man fled to his home. Jehoash, king of Israel, captured Amaziah, king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah at Beth Shemesh.

Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a section about 600 feet long. He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the Temple of God that had been in the care of Obed-Edom together with the palace treasures and the hostages and returned to Samaria. Amaziah, son of Jehoash, king of Judah, lived for 15 years after the death of Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel.

As for other events of Amaziah's reign from beginning to end, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they conspired against him in Jerusalem and he fled to Lachish. But they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. He was brought back by horse and was buried with his fathers in the city of Judah.

O God and Father, we come before your throne. In and of ourselves we have no right. It would be an intrusion in your presence were it not for the fact that you have bid us enter.

That such an urge should come our way from you will always bewilder us. But we thank you that your heart is not like ours. You do not reward people according to their doings but out of your infinite mercy.

If we were you we would not seek such as ourselves. But we thank you that you do seek us and you long for our fellowship. Sometimes, Lord, we are reluctant to respond to the grand invitations that you send but nonetheless you keep sending them.

But this day we would seize the opportunity and come before you. Some of us with remorse in our hearts. The path we have trodden is not one that you directed us to.

And as a result we have found life tough. Some of us, Father, through no fault of our own have discovered great problems and pressures coming in upon our families and we don't know what to do. But whether we are the cause of the predicament in which we find ourselves or whether it's part of your mysterious providence we come before you right now and ask for help.

Some of us are parents and we need direction in the bringing up of our children. Some of us are professional people and we need help in the way that we handle our business affairs. Some of us are elderly and retiring years have brought with them their own particular pressure.

We thank you that you are the God of every age group. We come to you, Lord, and ask that whoever we are and whatever our circumstances you will deal with us. Some of us mourn.

Our hearts are filled with thoughts of loved ones now with you. We praise you for memory. But we bless you for hope.

And we thank you for the latter even more than we do for the former. We have a hope that is steadfast and certain. Gone through the curtain and touches the throne.

Our whole life is built on him who is the hope of the world. The savior of the soul and the guarantor of eternal life. And we bless you that our loved ones are safe.

Having confessed the Lord Jesus on earth. In his embrace in heaven. We pray for those leaving our church.

Serving you in distant lands. And ask your blessings to be upon them. We pray for our world and its need and particularly the Middle East with all its problems.

We pray for our boys and girls and our young people and ask your hand to be upon them in this church fellowship. Now hear us as we confess all our sins and bring before you all our praises. The blessed name of Jesus the Lord.

Amen. Father we come to your word and pray your blessing. As right now we reflect upon the truths of scripture.

Write them indelibly into our hearts and may our wills respond to what our minds receive by the empowering of your spirit. For Jesus sake. Amen.

Let's turn to 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles rather in chapter 25. Our Lord Jesus quoted that Jewish Shema. That Jewish prayer and declaration.

In Mark's Gospel chapter 12 and verse 29. When asked the question what is the greatest commandment. And he said well you should love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul.

With all your strength. Seems to me that the interest that there is today in holistic in holistic medicine. That is treating the whole man ought to have its parallels spiritually.

In as much as what the Lord Jesus Christ requires from you and me is total commitment. And what I'm going to example from scripture for you illustrate from scripture for you. Is that the subject of reluctant obedience.

Or if you like the tragedy of defective discipleship. Now let's just again get the New Testament moorings quite firmly placed within our minds. When our Lord speaks of following him.

He uses categories which seem to indicate that such an assignment is a tough one. For an example in the 10th chapter of Matthew's Gospel. And the 38th verse he says this.

Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. And just in case we didn't get that quite clearly. From the teaching of our Lord Jesus.

He repeats it later on in the 24th verse of the 16th chapter. Then Jesus said to his disciples if anyone would come after me. He must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me will find it. You see the point.

Here is our Lord and he's telling you how you are to be his disciple. And he says it needs total commitment. Commitment to the point of being prepared to exchange life on this earth.

For the death of a martyr. And as a consequence of your trust in the Lord Jesus and your obedience in your life toward him. To be received ultimately into eternal glory.

Now let's go back to Chronicles in chapter 24. The second historical book that bears that name. Because here is one who shows us in the Old Testament something of the tragedy.

Of not being completely committed to the Lord Jesus. Or rather to the Lord God as they understood the Godhead in those days. The 25th chapter of 2 Chronicles.

We are told in the second verse of a man called Amaziah. Who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But not wholeheartedly.

Not wholeheartedly. Now you will know that the writer of the Chronicles. Is very concerned that kings and ordinary people in those days.

Showed a full commitment to Yahweh. To Jehovah. You read in earlier chapters of the standard of commitment that was required there.

Look at the 9th verse of the 16th chapter. The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth. To strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

So God is eagerly concerned in Old Testament times. For a fully committed people. You get the same sort of instance in the 9th verse of the 19th chapter.

You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. You see that the Old Testament in no way negates the New Testament. Both complement one another.

The people in the Old Testament they can give you an illustration. Of the sort of life that you ought to live. Or if you like the sort of mistakes you ought not to copy.

That's the reason for delving into these historical books. Blowing the cobwebs from off the pages. And seeing their men in all their flesh.

In all their weakness. And sometimes in all their strengths. And asking that we might copy the latter.

And we might avoid the former. I think it's the campaigners movement that has as its motto. Through and through.

That's a good motto. It's a good youth organization. What the Lord is asking of you and me, my dear brothers and sisters today.

Is that we might be through and through. In our commitment to him. I was brought up on the authorized version of Scripture.

And I guess it's still my favorite actually. There's a verse I never used to understand as a kid. You know how it is when you're children.

You sort of grow in vocabulary. And for years you may have some vocabulary wrong. And then it's corrected.

For instance, so this isn't in Scripture. My earlier years recall the Korean War. Not the Boer War.

The Korean War. And I wondered how guerrillas managed to handle machine guns. Because the BBC was always talking about guerrilla warfare.

Now you probably caught on to this very quickly. But it took me some time to work out that the word didn't really imply what I thought it meant. There's a verse in the New Testament that says of Christians.

They are to keep themselves unspotted from the world. And I thought of measles. But then later on when maturity set in.

I began to realize that what it really meant was that Christian people. Ought not to compromise in worldly things. They ought not to pick up the disease that is rampant in our world.

The tragedy of a defective discipleship is this. It tries to turn two ways at the same time. And as a result there's a spiritual collapse.

So here is this man. This King Amazigh. And he stands out as someone who can warn us in the way that he lives.

He's not totally unregenerate by any means. There's a half-hearted congratulation. He serves the Lord.

But not. There's the rub. Not wholeheartedly.

Let me try and analyze for you his problem. It's great difficulty it seems to me from the third and the fourth verses. It can simply be expressed like this.

He was in conflict between his desire to live by the word of God. And his concern for self-preservation. Verse four.

He did not put the sons of the assassins to death. Assassins of his father. But acted in accordance with what is written in the law in the book of Moses.

It's not the scenery that's important for us this morning. It's the principle. He acted in accordance with the book of Moses.

That means he tried to live his life in keeping with scripture. But then he's concerned about his personal well-being and insurance. Like you and I have these conflictions between faith in God's provision.

And ensuring that we've dotted every I and crossed every T. So that when the years go by we might have sufficient resources to be able to live reasonably in our world. Now I can't work through for you the tensions between those things. But I give them as an illustration.

Because this is the problem that Amaziah faced. And it's the problems that many Christian people face today. Wanting to live in accordance with the word of the Lord.

But also securing yourself so that your future really pivots on your own ingenuity. And now as I say there's a balance that has to be made. We need to put away.

We need to provide for ourselves. But not to the exclusion of faith. Why was there this putting of the assassins to death? Not all of the people who were involved in the death of the king.

But some of them. Not their children. But the ones who were actually involved in the act.

Why does he have these put to death? Because he's concerned about his future you see. He wants to act in accordance with the word of the Lord. He also wants to preserve his future.

It's a conflict between the word and the self. There's a further conflict here that King Amaziah illustrates. And it's a conflict between God's power and what I would call human resourcefulness.

It's almost the same but there's a certain difference in the mistake that he now makes. God's power and human resourcefulness. You see the Israelites in those days or the Jews.

They were split into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom of Judah. And we're concentrating on that.

And the king of Judah. And also the northern Israelites. They had problems from the Edomites.

Difficulties. Militarily. Politically.

Now it was right for a king to secure his borders. But the problem with Amaziah is this. That he believes clout belongs to numbers.

Did you hear that? He believes that military might depends on having the largest army. He will have a corrective from the theology of Jonathan. If he'd read about Jonathan.

Because Jonathan who was the beloved son of Saul. And the beloved companion of David. Says in the first book of Samuel in the 14th chapter.

And the 6th verse. Let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised Philistines. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.

Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving. Whether by many. Or by few.

And a recurrent note in the book of Samuel. And the book of Kings. And the book of Chronicles is this.

That numbers don't matter in the service of God. It's not how many men you've got on your side. It's rather a question of.

Is the Lord on your side? In the book of Chronicles. The one where you're at at the moment. Turn back to chapter 14.

And here's a king who's got a problem. Similar to that of Amaziah. Only his name is Asa.

Verse 11. Defines the nature of the difficulty. The 9th and 10th chapter.

The 9th and 10th verses. Indicate the strength of the opposing army. Then, verse 11.

Asa called to the Lord his God and said. Lord there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us oh Lord our God.

For we rely on you. And in your name we have come against this vast army. Oh Lord you are our God.

Do not let man prevail. Against you. You see again it's the problem of numbers.

Asa gets it right. Jonathan had it right. Gideon had it right.

He didn't need. Though it was a hard message for him to take from the Lord. He didn't need.

So many men when he was engaged in battle against the enemies. Of God's children. What he required was.

Quality. On the part of the men. And sincerity.

In his own heart. So here is a king faced with a similar problem. And he's into the business of numbers.

You see. He recognizes who God is. That God is powerful.

Yet he leans back on his own resourcefulness. And as a result. He examples.

A reluctant obedience. A defective. Discipleship.

So the man of God comes to Amaziah. And he tries to correct him. Look at verse 7. A man of God came to him and said.

Oh king. These troops from Israel. These mercenaries that you have brought into your army.

They are not absolutely necessary. In fact full stop. They are not necessary.

The reason. The Lord is not with Israel. The northern part of.

The promised land. The Jews had split in terms of their allegiance and political grouping. Had gone so far away from the Lord.

That the Lord no longer has an interest in them at that point. The Lord is not with Israel. Not with any of the people of Ephraim.

If you go and fight courageously in battle. God will overthrow you before the enemy. For God has the power to help or to overthrow.

It's not just numbers that makes the church effective. Though obviously you want large groups of people coming to the Lord. It's not the mega congregation that should be the most important goal on our horizon to achieve.

It's quality. That's what the Lord wants. Not relying on our ingenuity.

Our resourcefulness. But relying on Him. I was at a conference over this weekend of FIBA.

FIBA is absolutely packed. In terms of its mission radio enterprise. With sophisticated technology.

And with transmitters and studios and so on around the world. I don't criticize that. I've been a supporter of FIBA for years.

But it's amazing what God can do just on His own. Without any equipment at all. It's amazing what God can do on His own.

With just a handful of people. And primitive means of communication. Oh yes my brothers and sisters.

Exploit all the possibilities that there are. In terms of getting the gospel out today. Use the technology in the interest of the church.

But never, never fall back on human resourcefulness. Over against the power of God. Or else you will witness in your own life the tragedy of a defective discipleship.

Another aspect of Amaziah's difficulty is this. There's a contrast between God's provision and human investment. Now look the prophet comes to him and tries to advise him against what he's intending to do.

God can enable you to be successful in this military escapade. Without the help of mercenaries. But says Amaziah.

I paid for them. What about the hundred talents? What about this money that I've wasted? What about my return on this? Now you know where he's coming from. You're aware of the financial expertise of the Jewish nation.

You were aware of the capitalist economy that there is in Europe. And increasingly in our own country. And it's the voice of the capitalists.

It's the voice of the man who wants to get the best out of human investment that's speaking here. And how does the man of God respond? He cuts the king down to size. The Lord can give you much more than that.

The Lord can give you much more than that. You see human investment in terms of money. Over against relying on the power of God.

Is a feeble thing for you to put your trust in. This is what Amaziah has to learn. That God's provision is better than human investment.

So the king goes on into battle. He acknowledges to some degree the advice of the prophet on this instance. And then he marshals his men.

And he goes and repulses the enemy. It's a bloody campaign. There is a lot of blood and cruelty in the Old Testament.

The Lord God is not condoning this. It's part of a culture that's moving to a greater ethic. As is exemplified in the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So what happens when Amaziah is successful? Well look at verse 14. He goes off to the land of Edom. He slaughters this huge number of people.

And then he takes the idols that have been used by the people of the Edomites. The replicas of their gods. And he brings them into his own territory.

And he sets them up and he worships them. He burns sacrifice to them. There's a primitive logic about it actually.

But it's so primitive that no true Israelite should ever have fallen. For what seems to be the weak sense behind it. It's the thought that if the gods of a country that you're invading turn turtle on the people in the land that you're entering.

It's because they've sided with you. You understand? They've become your gods. And so here is Amaziah who falls for this weak logic.

And starts to worship pagan gods in his own country. Yet God has an exclusive claim on your life. On my life.

Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve. So the man of God again comes to Amaziah. And he says why do you consult this people's gods which could not save their own people from your hand.

Do you ever get upset when a man is preaching? In one sense that's a good thing. I'm never too overjoyed. When people go away from the church simply elated.

I want folk to be encouraged. For that I plead. But there's also a sense in which the word of God ought to be affecting us and correcting us.

And one of the things you ought to thank God for more than anything else. If there's someone like this in your life. It's for a man or a woman who speaks the word of God to you.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend. The pulpit that is always buttering up the congregation. And never calling the proverbial spade a spade is totally unhelpful.

The man who does an Amaziah. Who once more following the pattern of some of the previous kings. Endeavors to silence the voice of God.

Is a man who is foolish in the extreme. Verse 17 the king spins round. Or verse 16.

And he says have we appointed you an advisor to the king? Shut up. Or be struck down. And the prophet anticipating John the Baptist will not cower in fear at all.

But he blurts out as do his predecessors in similar situations. I know that God has determined to destroy you. Because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.

Now follow through the next verse. What does the king then go and do? Jehoash verse 18. The king of Israel.

Sorry. Verse 17. Amaziah the king of Judah consulted his advisors.

Verse 16. You have done this and not listened to my counsel. The king consulted his advisors.

You see the point. Here is human compromise if you please. Allowing the advice of ordinary mortals to supersede the commands of God.

And acting in respect to the former rather than the latter. Let's hasten on as we analyze this defective discipleship. The king now flushed with a victory that he has had over Edom.

Determines that he will expand his borders and he will invade the territory of the brother kingdom of Israel. And so he sends a communication having been so advised. By men who actually were working for his spiritual and physical downfall.

He challenged Jehoash king of Israel to fight him. And the king sends back in terms of a telegram. A parable.

And he talks about a thistle in Lebanon. Alongside a cedar. The thistle threatening the cedar.

And the cedar showing its full force. As the thistle is crushed underground. So says the king albeit provocatively.

This was what will happen to you if you invade my territory. They say that whom the gods want to destroy. They first make mad.

Here is the king of Israel identifying the weakness of the king of Judah. You are arrogant. And proud.

Verse 20. Amaziah would not listen. My dear friends.

It doesn't matter that you remember the name of Amaziah. Or Jehoash. Or any of the actual political scene in this 25th chapter.

But in the name of God. Have in your mind. The picture of a man.

Who represents the tragedy of a defective discipleship. He acknowledges God. He also acknowledges his own human ingenuity.

And he will taper the former. Temper the former. In regard to the latter.

He will weaken one. In the interest of the other. And the net result is.

You've got a man falling apart. I speak lovingly. But perchance prophetically.

There are some here just like that. The word of God. You need to live by it.

But the balance of your life is more towards. Your own human reason. You know something of the exclusive claims of God upon your life.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. With all thy soul. With all thy strength.

You know it. Yet there's another idol. Not the unsophisticated business of those idols.

That they shook out of Edom and brought into Judah. You're not like that. But don't you know there are 20th century idols.

That stand for exactly that. That take your time. That take your interest.

That take your attention. Every idol I have known. Whatever that idol be.

I sacrificed it to thy throne. Why? Because this God wants from you. A whole hearted dedication to himself.

The tragedy of Amaziah was. He had the ball at his feet. The potential was enormous.

But he blew it. Because he enthroned his reason over against the revelation of God. And when you do that you're in difficulty.

Even if you don't totally reject the revelation of the Lord. It's the compassionate Jesus. Who says to his disciples.

If a man is to follow me. Let him take up his cross. Let him deny himself.

To what degree are you doing this? Think it through. Look. My heart just burns at the moment.

My problem is you've heard me for too long. Some of you. You've heard this type of preaching too often.

It's lost its cutting edge. Because you've become hardened to it. The most important thing in life.

Is that you live according to the Jewish schema. Hear oh Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord.

And you shall love the Lord your God. With all your heart. With all your mind.

With all your strength. You say pastor I'm trying. God bless you if you are.

But some of us are not trying hard enough. May God by his grace. Grant such a fullness of his spirit.

That we will want to offer our God. A greater quality of discipleship. Than we have heretofore.

Maybe for some person here. This will be the last message. You'll ever hear.

In this area. I ask you. In the name of God.

To receive it now. Don't shut the messenger up. Or close your ears.

To what God wants you. To hear. Amaziah died.

It was quite an honorable death. In Jerusalem. It was respectable.

That he could have done so much more. Achieve such greater things. He could have had a much greater.

Memorial. May you have. The best memorial possible.

Falling from the lips of Jesus. Well done. Good.

Wholehearted. Faithful. Servant.

Enter into the joy. Of your Lord.