Spiritual Reformation

It's good to have the choir as always in a nice full choir behind us. And so let's have a round of applause again for a choir. Today. You may be thinking, Man, I would like to sing in the choir. And we can always have more people in the choir. And all you have to do is ask Terry, and I've heard that tryouts are grueling. And they only take a select few. But But anyway, know, always use more smiling faces, singing to us. Well, if you pay attention to the news, at all this week, you probably heard about this little boat submersible, which I didn't know was even a word until this week, that tried to go check out the wreckage of the Titanic. And as it got somewhere close to 13,000 feet below sea level, the structural integrity of the vessel collapsed, and it imploded which they believe that happened. And there was also a shipwreck where many people lost their lives with the no one's talking about that. And they didn't have a lot more people died. And that one as opposed to this one, we're only five people died, but just the nature of the story, the nature of the vessel, the the inhabitants or the passengers who paid $250,000 for ticket and a little tube, he ultimately died just kind of caught the world by storm, just interest of it. But what has come to be known is there just wasn't enough testing wasn't enough research into into how to make one of these things not implode. And I'm sure from now on, studies will be done. If there's any type of regulation, or any type of building and more of these submersibles changes, I'm sure we'll be made reformations, if you will, will be made there will be reforms, or else people will never want to do something like that again. Amen. We are in First Kings chapter 15. Today as we talk about spiritual reformation, spiritual reformation, I'm just going to read verses nine through 15. And then we'll pray. God's word says in the 20th year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, and he arranged 41 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Makai, the daughter of Abby Sholom And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord as David his father had done. He put away the male Colt prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his father's had made. He also removed Macaw his mother from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Astra and ASA cut down her image, and burned it at the brook kedron. But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. And he brought into the house the Lord of the Lord, the sacred gifts of his father, and his own sacred gifts, silver and gold and vessels. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. So we look at this passage and it was we read through these kings we see some kings that you consider good as Terry was talking about, and and some many that were considered that the Lord as we look at aces life, we see that Asa was far from perfect. It's something about his heart orientation toward you, made him a good king. Let us see some positives. Let us see some negatives from his life today that can show us how we can make spiritual reformation in our own lives, but also in our families, also in our churches, also in our communities, our places of work, our state, even Lord, our nation, and our world. Show us how personal reformation can spark and reformation throughout other people, which goes into communities Father, Lord, I pray that my words today are your words. When I pray that you speak through me, that your spirit comes a through this preaching, and that your spirit is in this room as it receives your Word, Jesus name. Amen. All right. Several things about reformation today, several things about reformation. First, reformation starts with making changes that really is what reformation is about. It's about making changes. And how do I make changes in my life? Well, you make changes in your life by making them seems like something that would be, you know, already understood. But you'd have to start making a change some where no matter how small it is. Verse nine talks about how in the 20th year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah. Now I thought this was interesting as I was reading through this. I don't know I can't trace too far back in my lineage in my genealogy. But I do know that I had a great grandfather named ASA Wallace. Interesting, right. So Wallace, and so his mother, my great, great grandmother named him after one of the good kings, even though he was far from perfect, right. And so interesting that he notes here that too, too much often, but it has a name in the Bible. And this was at the beginning of the time, that the kingdom of Israel had split into two kingdoms, Israel. And then Judah, and Judah was just one tribe. But there were two rulers. And ASA ruled the smaller kingdom of Judah, which was considered the real tribe of Israel, if you if you would, it contained to Jerusalem, and it contained the temple and the places where people were to worship. And it said that he reigned for 41 years in Jerusalem, which was a nice, long time to reign. And it says in verse 11, that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as he lists through the Kings, you'll see this with all the different kings, some kings will say they did what was wrong in the eyes and Lord, and very few, they'll say he did what was right, and he is one that did what was right, even though he was far from perfect, and even though he did not take reformation, near as far as he probably should have, or could have. But he did do this verse 12. He put away the male Colt prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his father's had made. And this is just a couple generations from Solomon and David, just a couple, not very long, not many years. You read this and you think, Wait a second, they were a male cult prostitutes in the land, and they were idols in the land already. And so that begs the question, when do these statues of these foreign gods what are these people doing these detestable practices? But when did they come into the kingdom? When did this happen? Well, it started with Solomon. Started with King Solomon. As we covered last week, he married foreign wives, many foreign wives. The Bible says that they turned his heart to their gods. So he built shrines for his wives so they could worship their gods, and brought the practices of these pagan religions into Israel to make his wives happy to peas, them. The Bible tells us that Solomon also worshipped them. He didn't just bring him in. He also worshipped these gods he worshipped Ashura. he worshipped Moloch. If you look at what exactly they did, this was very troubling. ASRock was considered the God of though we know it wasn't a God at all of love and fertility. So she was represented by limbless tree trunks. They were planted in the ground, and then the trunk was carved, a symbol that represented the goddess Solomon put these trunks and to the temple. Now, these are not just decorations. This is like putting a Christmas tree in the church, although we wouldn't do that, right. It's not something like that. It's not just a symbol of the culture. They worshipped here. They actually worshipped them. The worship Asher was noted for its since you ality, and it evolved ritual, prostitution, the act of prostitution before the idol was how they worship. So you had a literal prostitution happening in the temple of God. That's what what happened when you would worship you would do something like that. What about Moloch? Moloch demanded child sacrifice. Moloch worship included what's called passing children through the fire. It's believed that that idols AMOLED are giant metal statues of a man with a head of a bull. And each image had a hole in the abdomen. And they would place the baby in that hole of the abdomen. Sacrifice that child. And the firstborn be sacrificed and they believe that Moloch would give them financial security and future children if they just gave him their first. Again, these places were all across the land. They weren't just Christmas decorations, things like that. They were demonic, false gods, that people of Israel worship them. They served them. The ASA made reformation. So just say on verse 12, the first thing he did was he kicked out the prostitutes from the land, kick them out. And all the idols his father's had made, he removed them from the temple area. Verse 13, he also removed may cause his mother from being queen mother, that was her honorary title, and he stripped her of that title. Why? Because she had made an image for Astra. And so he cut down that image and he burned it, and he put it in the river. But verse 14 tells us this. But the high places were not taken, taken away. Now, what are the high places? Well, they also were established by Solomon. And each of these shrines were high up on a high hill, there outside of Jerusalem, and his wives and others could worship there. So we see the ASA reformed inside the temple, he got the things out of the temple of God, but he left them up in the outstretched areas of the nation. He didn't take down the high places, but he started with the most important aspects of getting these detestable practices out of the house of God. But verse 14 tells us Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was holding true to the Lord all his days. And he brought into the house of the Lord of the sacred gifts of the Father and His own sacred gifts, silver, gold and vessels reformation starts with just making changes. I'm sure it wasn't an easy change, for him to make, even though it was the right thing to do. It was the moral thing to do. I'm sure people have gotten used to doing what they have done. They believed in some of these gods, they worship multiple gods. But ASA started making changes. When it comes to personal reformation information in our own lives. It starts with making changes. It starts with just changing your habits. Maybe you just maybe you just eat too much, right? I get like that when I'm bored. I eat too much. Well, instead of having two donuts, you know what I can have? You're gonna have one, you're gonna say zero? No, I'm gonna have one right? Little changes 1% better than the day before. Maybe even that right? To change a habit, you you need a new habit. Maybe you need a new circle of friends, a circle of influences, you might need to replace those in your life that are influencing you, negatively, you need to make changes. Most of you, most of us if you've lived any amount of years and many of us in here, have you realized at some point in your life, what you're doing is not working. You just realized that and you make changes in your life. It may not be overt sinful things, but things that are not good for you things are not beneficial even maybe reformation starts with changing. Secondly, reformation continues with resisting. Compromise, resisting. Compromise. For 16 tells us that there was war between ASA and Baasha, king of Israel. This is a sad statement. There was constant war between the kingdom of Israel between the divided kingdom of Israel and it never ended. As long as these two rained at the same time, for 17 tells us the Bashar king of Israel went up against Judah and Bill This city called Ramallah, and he built it so that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa, the king of Judah. So in a long protracted war, and a strategic move by Shah gained the upper hand in the days of Asa, because he blocked a main trade route into Judah, at the city of Ramallah, this would bind. Aces economy would stall it, it would starve them out, it would be what we would call at the very least, an economic recession, possibly even a depression. So what should ASA do? What should he do when your enemy has come against you? And has done things to where you cannot eat? You might starve what should you do? Not go to your enemies. But that's what ASA did. Now, it might seem logical. But it wasn't the right thing to do. Look at verse 18. Asa took all the silver, all the gold that was left in the treasuries of the king's house and gave them into the hands of servants, right? He emptied out the bank account the same because the county emptied it out. And he went to Ben Hey dad, the son of Habermasian, the son of HeZI, and king of Syria, Syria, we lived in Damascus, saying let there be a covenant between my father and your father, Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. He didn't tell him he was emptying out a savings account. He said I'm giving you a present. Silver and gold. Break your covenant with bigshot king of Israel, that he may withdrawal from me and Ben, Hey, Dad, listen to King ASA. And he sent commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and he conquered Eisen, Dan Abel, Beth McCall and Chyna rock with all of the land of Neftali. And when banksa heard it, he stopped building Ramana he lived in tears. The king ASA made a proclamation to all of Judah, no one was exempt. And they carried away the stones of Romans timber with Bashaud and building him with them King ASA built Kiva of Benjamin in Mizpah. Now without all the names and towns you get lost, and what happened here. What exactly happened? God did not save Judah, and ASA. Syria, did Syria, save them with being financed from the savings account of Judah? Yes, they were saved. But imagine how well it would have gone. If he said simply ask God for help. And not the king of Syria, amen. He got relief. But it costs them. It costs them and it costs them even more than we know. Look at Second Chronicles 16 Verse seven, we see more into the story here. At that time, Nanny, the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God. And at this point, he is thinking the army in the king of Syria has escaped you. He was their enemies. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans, a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen, you had because you relied on the Lord, He gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord, run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him, the seer says you have done foolishly and this this was kind of like a prophet. He spoke truth into his life. You've done foolishly in this For from now on, you will have wars he says, Listen, this is a bad decision. It might you might think it worked out for you on the front end. But there's gonna be a consequence. You didn't go to the Lord, you let your enemy escape you. You brought your enemy in here, and now you're never going to have a time of peace. So what did he do? Did he tears close and repent? asked Lord to forgive them. No verse 10. The Neysa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison for he was in a rage with him because of this and Ace inflicted cruelties. upon some of the people the same time though let's not forget, Asa was a good one. He was a good one. Think about how the bad ones were. He was mad, and angry, not just with not just I don't think with the seer Hernani. He was angry at himself. He was angry at God ultimately, when we are when we get mad with God's word. When we get mad with God's truth spoken to our lives, we're really mad at God. And we see this happening to Asa, he takes it out on literally God's Messenger. Sometimes moral, and spiritual compromise seems like the only way out of a difficult situation. But it's not. It's the devil tempting you with the easy way out. And that's what happened with ASA and aces situation that only prolonged his problems. And he was so angry about it. He took it out on God's Messenger and God's people that tells us he took it out on God's Messenger in God's people. As we make personal reformation in our lives, we are going to be tempted to compromise. What we know is right. And we know it's right because the Holy Spirit is speaking in our lives. We share the saint If you know Jesus Christ, we share the same spirit. That's how we can agree on so many things house is that would that be possible? My family and I can't even agree on what we want for dinner. There's only six of us. But how can we agree on what is right so much as we can as a church body across the world? We must resist the temptation to compromise our Christian morals. what God says is right is right. Amen. Doesn't matter how popular that is. Doesn't matter. What people said was right. 50 years ago, what they say was right, 10 years ago, what they'll say is right in 20 years. God's word never changes. And sometimes it'll be easier for Christians to live there to live in God's word being right. And as we all know, sometimes it becomes harder and more difficult to not compromise spiritually. But if we're going to see reformation in our hearts, we're going to see it in our churches, in our communities, in our nation. We have to resist the temptation to compromise Amen. We have to resist it. And finally, number three, reformation continues with godly counsel, Godly counsel. Verse 23, tells us now the rest of the acts of Asa, all his might, all that he did. Cities that he built, are they not written the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in his old age, he was diseased in his feet. It just kind of seems like he just kind of threw that in there. Yeah, well, that's not nice. It's the last thing you gonna say about him. He is He used to be. And he slept with his fathers in the city of David, his father and Jehoshaphat and his son right in his place. But if you look at Second Chronicles 16, we get a little more background as to his diseased feet. And we know why this was put in here because the reader thought we knew about this. It says here and the 39th year of his reign, King Asa was diseased in his feet and his disease became severe. Yet even in this disease, he did not seek the Lord but sought help from physicians. Now, this does not mean you should never go to your doctor. There are many doctors, Christian men and women who are doctors, especially we can trust and go to. What this is telling us is that he went to the doctors, but he never stopped and asked God Hey, Lord, help me. Give me direction. Right? give me direction. What can I do about this? Now remember ASA one was one of the good things. And he had all types of counsel. And sometimes I wonder if we have too many opinions speaking into our lives. Too many people telling us, here's what you should do. Well, here's what I did. Here's what worked for me. Well, this makes sense. Well, I had good experience with this. Well, this worked for me. And that helped me and right. So it's interesting to me when I get on Facebook, and I see people ask you to they'll go and they'll ask for recommendations for somewhere. Hey, do you mind no good place to eat? That's okay. Well, they'll ask for advice about something. People will give you advice. It could be helpful, could not be that no matter what advice we get, no matter what counsel we get, we always need to stop and ask ourselves, did I seek the Lord? Did I seek the Lord? Well, I went to the doctor can't do nothing about it. And I went to the other doctor got a second opinion. And he didn't do anything about it. What did you ask God? Oh, no. We don't know if ASA forgot. We don't know if he was still mad at God. But he didn't seek the Lord. And again, Asa was one of the good kings makes us one of the good ones. But it wasn't perfect. But we can learn a lot from him. Reformation our life continues with godly counsel. One of the great stories of the Christian church in a time of the Roman Empire was a man of testament named of his name was Telemachus. He was a hermit. He lived out in the desert. And Rome was becoming more and more Christians Christianized. More more believers in Rome were being were being Christians, as we know that eventually became the religion, the state religion of Rome. But it was more what we had called nominally Christian. But a Christian is the name, but not all Christians and actions. And this was we knew this was the case because they still had the gladiators happening. In the stadiums in the Coliseum where were 80,000 people would, would sit together, right, and they would watch two men duking it out. Until someone killed the other and they would cheer. You know about the gladiators. Tell him make us left his hermit abode in the desert. And he made his way to Rome, and came across these fights. And he was horrified. He felt himself these are people of God. And are all these God's children? Well, he did what you've seen on TV before people leave the seating area and run into the stadium and security attacks them. You've probably seen that before. But he wasn't doing it for fun. He left the seat. He got into the arena, and he stood right in between the two gladiators. And they just tossed him aside. He came back again. And the crowd got upset because he was ruining the entertainment. He was causing a spectacle. So they began to stone him, throw stones down at him and things like that. Finally, the commander gave the command and a swordsman came out and slew Telemachus did right there in the Coliseum. There's different accounts of the story. But one account says that there suddenly there was a hush and among the crowd, and there was silence. And the crowd realized that a man of God had just been killed in the stadium in the Coliseum. And some say that that was what ended the gladiatorial games. Man took a stand, didn't compromise and gave his life and people realize the silliness in the evil of what they have been enjoying reformation, all it takes is one person Amen. I'll take this one. One person. But tell him make us would have never done that if he hadn't made changes in his own life first. His heart was right with the Lord. So he could do that starts with us it starts with one person, our own hearts in our own homes, and our own workplaces. And it spills out into our community. It's a lot of things about our world, our nation that we love, I love the fact that America is the land of opportunity that anyone can move here. If they work hard enough they can do and make what Babel whatever life they want to make Amen, they can still, you can't do that other places in the world. You can still do it here. It's a blessing that God has us living here. But there's still a lot of issues as we know a lot of evil where we live I mean it always starts with one person making changes to bring reformation. Heavenly Father we thank you so much for who you are Lord and Christ Jesus. Lord, it's easy for us to get upset with the world upset with where we live, we see evil happening and things going on we don't agree with that we know is wrong. But father reformation starts in our hearts starts with us. And so Lord today I pray if there's one in here today that does not know you. That's never turned to you for salvation never placed their faith in you. They would do so today that you would save them or maybe it's someone watching online right now. That for some reason, finds themselves watching this online and they do not know you. You would save them from they would turn to you today. Or as we leave here today. As we leave here today, Father, I pray that you would show us the changes we could make in our own lives that we would make changes Lord that that we would resist compromise. Lord, that we would seek your counsel in our decision making, although we love you, we ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.