2 Chron 24:1–25:28, 1 John 1:5–10, Ps 103:1–14

Today’s Theme: Urgency

And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 2 Chronicles 24:5 (ESV)

There could have been lots of reasons for the procrastination (to delay, to put off intentionally) of the Levites including a distrust of the royal family, some may even have questioned why the king did not just use royal funds. In any case regardless of the priest’s possible reservations, it was still up to them to obey the king.

We must avoid procrastination in our lives even if it appears to be backed by apparent good reasoning.

We have been called to active and quick obedience, we should not delay in obeying the Lord and should not be slack in doing the work of the Lord.

Jesus spoke against procrastination all the time, for example in Matthew 8:21–22 and Luke 9:59–62 Jesus deals with those who would delay his calling on their life.

We must ensure that we do not delay in responding to God like the five procrastinating virgins of Matthew 25:2–13. We should not make excuses as in Luke 14:16–21. Remember “Now” is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. 2 Chronicles 24:17–18 (ESV)

Joash was not a strong king, he was easily led astray. The priest Jehoiada had brought him up and guided him but he never seems to develop his own relationship with the Lord.

His delay in obeying the Lord and setting his heart to follow the Lord in the days of the great priest Jehoiada has left him open to the evil council of the princes of Judah and he has now sold himself into apostasy.

The urgency of God’s call to relationship with himself and the requirement to make a conscious stand for God in our own hearts is crucial. We must settle our minds while we still can on wholly following the Lord.

God knows why the call is so urgent and why procrastination is the tool of the enemy, the reason is that we are in the middle of a war for the souls of men and the glory of God. We need to act quickly and decisively so we are not blown around with every new wind and swept away with each new wave.

In Ephesians 4:14 Paul tell us to grow up and not be so easily carried away.

Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’ ” 2 Chronicles 24:20 (ESV)

Zechariah is a great example to us, unlike the Levites and the king who showed hearts full of procrastination and unfaithfulness. Zechariah speaks boldly, he is empowered by the Holy Spirit and speaks with the urgency of an ambassador of God’s kingdom to the people who had fallen away.

In the New Testament we are called to desire prophecy, this is not prophecy on the level of the revelation of scripture but is like the bold stand and proclamation of Zechariah. 1 Corinthians 14:1,39

We should have God’s urgency in our hearts as we proclaim his truth, without delay and without fear, like Zechariah we may lose our lives but we are messengers of God’s Kingdom and the message we carry is an urgent message with a call for immediate response. Acts 17:30

The king shows how evil he has become, this is the danger of procrastination in obeying the Lord, we can become callous and wicked. Lets determine in our hearts today to be like faithful Zechariah and not like the cowardly Joash.

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart. 2 Chronicles 25:2 (ESV)

The kingdoms urgent call to “now faith” obedience to the Gospel is not one that can be satisfied in a half hearted way. Jesus calls us to follow him fully, with all our hearts.

This king is an example of a person who dips their toe into the water of being a disciple of Jesus Christ and then retreats in disbelief, fear, laziness or some other selfish reason. We are called to dive in with our faith in God and his word.

Jesus call us to follow him with all our hearts, it is the first and greatest commandment. In Luke 9:62 “Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We will see later that this half hearted following of the Lord opens the king up to the dangerous pitfall of false confidence.

See Romans 10:16, 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and 1 Peter 4:17 on the call to obey the gospel.

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom. 2 Chronicles 25:20 (ESV)

Here we see two things, Gods sovereign hand is at work to bring about Gods purposes concerning the compromising and wicked king … who did not follow the Lord with all his heart.

We also see the opposite extreme to delay and procrastination, namely fleshy false confidence. Philippians 3:3, 19

The danger of having a lukewarm relationship with the Lord is that we can easily end up charging forward in false confidence to our own destruction.

The urgent call to move forward is only applicable to those in the Lords army, those who are not truly committed must first hear the call to repent and obey the gospel.

The following is a quote from John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress about a fool called Vain-Confidence “He therefore that went before (Vain-Confidence by name), not seeing the way before him, fell into a deep pit, which was on purpose there made by the prince of those grounds to catch vain-glorious fools withal, and was dashed to pieces with his fall.”

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 (ESV)

The world likes to focus on the scripture that says “God is Love” but the same bible tells us here that “God is Light”, this is less popular because this speaks of purity, holiness and truth as revealed in the light of Gods word.

God’s love and light always work together.

Truth matters, it is core to God’s very being.

God is total light, this is why he calls for total allegiance, he will not share his glory with anyone else, we are called to follow him alone with all our hearts.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 (ESV)

Some ask why do I need to go to church? Well here is the reason, it is evidence that we are truly in fellowship with God.

Active life in the church is how we practice the truth and show evidence of true discipleship. If we feel drawn away from fellowship we need to check our hearts

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (ESV)

We must not have vain confidence, we must humbly and honestly come before God each day and confess our sins so that he can cleanse us.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Psalm 103:1 (ESV)

We should worship and serve the Lord with all that is within us, not with lukewarm hearts.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11–12 (ESV)

God is so merciful and gracious to us so lets not delay in our service for him today.

2 Chron 21:1–23:21, 1 John 1:1–4, Ps 102:1–28

Today’s Theme: Covenant

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 21:6 (ESV)

Here we see the evil sting of compromise. The bible tells us that believers should not be aligned with unbelievers, we should not be unequally yoked or bound together and one of the key areas concerning this is Marriage.

Paul speaking in 2 Corinthians 6:14–15 states, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?”

Jehoshaphat’s compromise of marrying into the family of Ahab exposed his son to the evil influence and demonic strongholds of Ahab which were idolatry and witchcraft.

If we allow compromise in our lives we open the door to death and destruction. For our own sake and the sake of the upcoming generations we must not give way to compromise through unwise unions with the ungodly.

Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever. 2 Chronicles 21:7 (ESV)

Covenant is very important to God, as we see here, it is because of covenant that God was not willing to destroy the house of David.

The word covenant is used in the sense of a contractual arrangement between two parties, which required binding action from one or both parties.

The Hebrew word used here is “berit” which means covenant, league, confederacy or treaty.

A covenant is an agreement enacted between two parties in which one or both make promises under oath to perform or refrain from certain actions stipulated in advance.

Covenant in the Bible is the main way used to describe the relationship between God and his people and serves as the legal constitution of the kingdom of our God the King.

God’s covenants are a great lens to reveal to us who God is. We thank God for the new covenant we have in Christ.

And after all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 2 Chronicles 21:18 (ESV)

God is both judge and executioner. God’s hands are not tied, nor is his will weak. God will see justice done and will judge the wicked.

Modern ideas of God see him as someone who would never inflict sickness or misfortune on anyone but this is not the God of the bible. Jesus told us to fear the one (God) who could destroy both soul and body in Hell. Matthew 10:28

We should fear God as judge and at the same time give thanks that he will not allow injustice and wickedness to go on unpunished.

No matter what man does God will see his purpose and plan come to pass and has the power and authority to kill whoever he desires for their own sin, for leading God’s people astray and for being a tool in the enemies hands to frustrate Gods plans.

This wicked King received no honour in his death, God also allowed him to die in great agony, these are both signs of his death not merely being natural but judicial punishment for breaking the law (the covenant).

And Jehoiada the priest gave to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God. 2 Chronicles 23:9 (ESV)

We are called to be a royal priesthood and at the same time we should be like soldiers ready to defend and restore the kingdom of God here on the earth. Jesus is our great General and King and we are called to be like Soldiers and Priests in his service. See 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Timothy 2:3

As a side note: Today’s account is like reading a really good novel, full of action and intrigue, it is like the script to a really good film. Gods word is full of real life accounts and is written so beautifully that it engages the heart while teaching us lessons for our own life.

I thank God that his word is not just records, I’m grateful that through the wonder of creation and the beauty of his word, God tells us stories (true stories) to engage our hearts and minds. If you missed that today and think what is he talking about, read it again.

And Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king that they should be the LORD’s people. 2 Chronicles 23:16 (ESV)

We thank God for this godly man Jehoiada, it is though his stand for God that Joash will grow up to be a godly king and he has led the way in these reforms that have seen God’s people restored to covenant relationship with him.

Compromise and sin is cut off as the people destroy the house of baal.

It is also significant that Jehoida set watchmen and gatekeepers for the house of the Lord. We are called to be watchmen in prayer and gatekeepers in the word and truth.

Jesus told us to watch and pray and the bible teaches us that we should guard the gates of the church from heresy by knowing, rehearsing, living and defending the truth.

that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 (ESV)

This is how we received the New Testament, eye witnesses from the ministry of Jesus like John wrote down what they had seen, heard and experienced for our sake that we might believe and come into relationship with God.

We should thank God for the writing and preservation of the New Testament / Covenant today.

We testify about what God has done for us too, so that others may come into fellowship with him.

Jesus is the word of life, Jesus is eternal life and has always been with God.

And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:4 (ESV)

Our joy will only be complete when we share the Gospel with others, good news shared is great news!

But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. Psalm 102:12 (ESV)

We say amen and affirm again that God is the great King

to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, Psalm 102:20 (ESV)

We can use this as we pray for our inprisoned brothers and sisters around the world

But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the LORD. 2 Chronicles 19:2 (ESV)

Jehoshaphat was not just compromising with a sinner but with an apostate (one who knows the truth and turns away from it) who had made it his mission to attack God’s people. Paul tells us to turn away for these sorts of people in 2 Thessalonians 3:14, 2 Timothy 3:5 and Titus 3:10 (from yesterday’s reading)

We are called to draw a very clear line of demarkation, we should not walk in compromise or throw in our lot with those who are clearly opposed to the Lord.

It goes against conventional wisdom but to truly love we have to truly hate. If I love my wife, I should hate the thought of being unfaithful. If we love God and his ways we will hate sin and those who set themselves against the Lord.

We should not love the wicked or those who are enemies of God, however we are commanded to love those who have made themselves our personal enemy. Matthew 5:44

Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 19:4 (ESV)

The king’s heart was set on the Lord. His response was not one of pride or anger when Jehu spoke to him. Instead we see that he set about bringing the people back to the Lord.

We need to ask ourselves, what will we do when corrected, will it spur us on in the the work of the kingdom or cause us to draw back.

Hebrews 10:39 encourages us “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

And Jesus reminds us that pruning is just so we can grow in John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. 2 Chronicles 19:6 (ESV)

We are called to minister on God’s behalf too. We have received the power of attorney which is “the authority to act for another person in specified legal or financial matters.” We speak and act as God’s ambassadors and government ministers for his kingdom.

Jesus gave us authority to work on his behalf in the world in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Also see John 20:23 and Matthew 28:18-20

Paul points to this same idea of us ministering on God’s behalf in 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Also see Ephesians 6:20 and Galatians 4:14

Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3 (ESV)

Again Jehoshaphat’s response when faced with a fearful situation is not to be swallowed up by the fear but to acknowledge it and turn to trust in God.

He saw that his dad ended up in pride, not seeking God for help and he learned the lesson that he should not harm himself in pride but humbly ask God for help.

When we are afraid, we should not ignore the fear, we should acknowledge it and then turn to God with it and ask for help.

We are reminded in 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. 2 Chronicles 20:6 (ESV)

This verse remind us of one of the bible’s overarching themes, that God is sovereign over the universe, over every government and no one can withstand him. He is the king ruling by divine decree, when he speaks a thing it comes to pass, no one can resist him. God is The God King, The Sovereign Ruler over all. This truth should fill us with awe and faith.

O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (ESV)

God does not require that we know what to do, just that we keep our eyes on him and trust him.

Hebrews 12:2 reads “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (ESV)

We fight by standing firm and seeing God work. We need to make up our minds to stand for the truth, just making a stand for the truth means we are at war with the enemy.

We need to stand firm holding to our faith no matter what the world says, we should not compromise or shift around, we need to stand.

Paul rallies us to stand in Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

We stand. God fights. We win!

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. 2 Chronicles 20:22 (ESV)

We pray this will happen today as we come together to worship the Lord this Pentecost Sunday

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the LORD will destroy what you have made.” And the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish. 2 Chronicles 20:37 (ESV)

We should not seek to build God’s kingdom through compromise with sinners and those opposed to God and the bible. Whatever is accomplished will ultimately be destroyed.

As we read earlier (verse 20) we are established and successful if we trust the Lord and believe the prophets and leaders he has appointed over us. We do not need to scheme and work things out in our own way, we need to trust God!

Paul reminds us that we must be careful how we build because all we have done will be appraised and rewarded and anything done in compromise is like building with wood, hay or stubble which will not survive the testing by fire as we read in 1 Corinthians 3:12–15 “…If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. Titus 3:14 (ESV)

We are called to practical good works, we should actively serve one another and not assume that”someone else” will do it.

Good works here speaks of “visible acts of service that emerge from genuine faith”. Paul was calling for the believers to help the ministers he was sending to them. This gave them a practical way to work out all he had taught them in the letter.

We all have duties to fulfil in and as the body of Christ. We noted earlier in todays reading that the work we do is on the Lord’s behalf.

Today we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit and birth of the church. We were given the Spirit to empower and enable us to work on God’s behalf and serve one another.

I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; Psalm 101:2 (ESV)

This is the very essence of integrity, doing right when no one is looking

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Psalm 101:3 (ESV)

The western world is so saturated with media that we need to be very careful about what we allow to come before our eyes.

There is the obvious things we should not allow to come before our eyes like the sexually immoral and pornographic media that floods the airwaves.

The more subtle thing is just general sin, displayed and spoken about as normal through media, this can slowly change our minds and bring us to a place of compromise like king Jehoshaphat with Ahab.

As we read today we should not love the sin and ways of the world or those that push / promote it we should hate sin and the wicked because we love the Lord.

His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17:6 (ESV)

Courage is the strength of spirit that enables a person to face fear and difficulty. We are called to have this virtue in our character as Christians in the way we serve God just like Jehoshaphat. We must be bold and stand for the Lord.

Paul encourages us to be bold because of the hope we have through Christ in 2 Corinthians 3:12 “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold”

Jesus gives us boldness, we can be courageous because he gives us assurance in Ephesians 3:12 “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.”

We should pray for one another that we would have courageous faith. Paul asked for this prayer for himself in Ephesians 6:19–20 “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. Titus 3:8 (ESV)

As Christians we should be devoted to good works in both our own behaviour and doing good for others. We were not saved by works but we do work because we are saved.

The word devote here has the sense of “to be preeminent”. We should lead the way in good works as an example to others and it should be one of the highest priorities of our lives.

Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! Psalm 99:5 (ESV)

Here and in verse 9 we read that the Lord is holy. This is one of Gods great, unique attributes and speaks of Gods essential being, God literally is Holy.

The hebrew word “qados” is translated as “holy,” It describes that which is by nature sacred or that which has been admitted to the sphere of the sacred by divine rite. It describes, therefore, that which is distinct or separate from the common or profane.

With this definition in mind we realise that we are made holy by God and called to live in honour of that by remaining separate from sin.

Hebrews 12:14 reminds us to “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 (ESV)

In the middle of our secular society we should affirm again that yes, the Lord is God.

While the lie of evolution has become the conventional wisdom on how we got here, we must stand by the truth that God created us, we belong to him, he is the king and deserves our allegiance.

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5 (ESV)

Another great attribute of God is that he is good. God is not evil and can not be tempted with evil he is good, he always has been and always will be

We see the reflection of Gods goodness all around us in creation, in the coming of Jesus and in the truth of his word.

Romans 2:4 remind us “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”