II Chronicles 15
Azariah gives message to King Asa verse 1- 7
And the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded
and he went out to meet Asa –
and said to him
Hear you me – Asa and all Judah and Benjamin
The LORD is with you – while you be with HIM
and IF you seek HIM
HE will be found of you
BUT IF you forsake HIM
HE will forsake you
Now for a long season Israel has been without the true God
without a teaching priest – without law
BUT when they in their trouble did turn to the
LORD God of Israel – and sought HIM
HE was found of them
And in those times there was not peace to him that went out
nor to him that came in – but great vexations were upon
all the inhabitants of the countries
and nation was destroyed of nation
and city of city – for God did vex them
with all adversity
Be strong therefore – and let not your hands be weak
for your work shall be rewarded
King Asa removed false worship verse 8
And when Asa heard these words
and the prophecy of Oded the prophet
He took courage – and put away the abominable idols
out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin
out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim
and renewed the altar of the LORD
that was before the porch of the LORD
King Asa gathers people to Jerusalem verse 9- 10
And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin
and stranger with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh
and out of Simeon
for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance
when they saw that the LORD his God was with him
So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month
in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa
People entered into covenant with the LORD verse 11- 15
And they offered to the LORD the same time
of the spoil which they had brought
seven hundred oxen – seven thousand sheep
And they entered into a covenant
to seek the LORD God of their fathers
with all their heart – with all their soul
that whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel
should be put to death – whether small or great
whether man or woman
And they swore to the LORD with a loud voice – with shouting
with trumpets – with cornets
and all Judah rejoiced at the oath
for they had sworn with all their heart
and sought HIM with their whole desire
and HE was found of them
and the LORD gave them rest round about
King Asa removed his grandmother verse 16
And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king
he removed her from being queen
BECAUSE she had made an idol in the grove
and Asa cut down her idol – and stamped it
and burnt it at the brook Kidron
King Asa’s heart was perfect verse 17- 18
But the high places were not taken away out of Israel
nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days
And he brought into the house of God the things that his father
had dedicated – and that he himself had dedicated
silver – gold – vessels
No more war verse 19
And there was no more war
to the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded (1961 “came upon” [hayah] means take place, exist, be in existence, abide, appear, be among, or be on his side)
DEVOTION: In the Old Testament is said to abide on individual for a time period and sometimes then leave an individual. Here we have HIM coming to Azariah with a message that he is to share with Asa regarding the state of the nation of Judah. There has been a falling away from the LORD under the previous reigns of the kings.
Asa had to deal with the sin in the nation or the LORD would not bless. There had to be a seeking of the LORD with their whole heart if the LORD was going to bless the nation.
Today the Holy Spirit indwells those who are genuine believers from the time they become a believer until their death or the sounding of the trumpet to call believers to meet the LORD in the air.
This indwelling helps the message of the LORD communicate what gifts the LORD has given to individuals Christians to serve the LORD in the local church. The Holy Spirit gives words to say when a believer witnesses to those around them concerning their salvation. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin in the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit manifests the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer.
We have to remember that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune God of the Bible. The three persons form one God who is active in the life of a believer. Each person of the Trinity is active in our prayer life. We are to address the Father through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Jesus name when we pray. The Holy Spirit helps us know what we should be praying for in our life. Sometimes we just don’t know what to pray in a given situation and HE helps us.
Asa was given an assignment through the prophet Azariah who received instructions from the Holy Spirit. Asa went to work after he heard the message. We need to go to work once the Holy Spirit communicate with us through the Word of God.
CHALLENGE: We need to understand who the Holy Spirit is and how we can work together with HIM to serve the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. (571 “true” [‘emeth] means stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness, assured, establishment, faithful, right, sure, or verity)
DEVOTION: When the people of God have a proper relationship to the LORD, the blessings are flowing. When the people of God are out of proper relationship with the LORD, the blessings stop flowing. God’s people need to keep short accounts with the LORD. There needs to be a constant evaluation of our relationship with the LORD.
At the communion services in most churches the pastor asks everyone to examine themselves and their relationship with the LORD. The prophet was telling Asa the choices he had regarding his kingdom. IF he honored the LORD, he would be blessed. IF he didn’t honor the LORD, he would have war and cursing.
There are times when the children of Israel worshiped false gods. The mother of the king set up an idol to worship. They had many false gods in their lives.
Asa decided to clean up the nation of false worship. He did it, except for the high places. God looked at what he had done and declared that his heart was perfect all his days. Perfect doesn’t mean without sin. Perfect means that he had a mature relationship with the LORD.
We sometimes put people or things before the God of the Bible in our lives and they are false gods. These counterfeit gods are many. Some of them are wealth, fame, political party, and many more.
If the LORD isn’t first, then whatever is first in our lives is a false god. Keep the LORD first. We need to seek HIM first and all the others will follow later. We NEED HIM FIRST TO HAVE HIS PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES.
There is only ONE RIGHT God that created our world. HE sent HIS Son to die on the cross for our sins. HE was our substitute. WE need to teach this truth to all those who will listen to us.
Don’t listen to the false teachers who are trying to say that there are many ways to heaven. Don’t listen to those who predict the date that the LORD will return. Don’t listen to church leaders that don’t believe the Bible.
CHALLENGE: Listen to the Word of God and those who TRULY believe it!!!
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: 7 But you strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. (7939 “rewarded” [sakar] means wages, payment, expense, maintenance, or a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing)
DEVOTION: Asa was living in a time when there was no peace. He was living in a time when there was trouble everywhere. People where troubled with many problems. God was vexing the land. HE was causing trouble because they were not seeking HIM so HE was allowing them to face the consequences of their actions of not seeking HIM. The prophet gave the reason for these dark times.
When a nation is not seeking the LORD there are going to be many dark things happening in that nation. The instructions to Asa was to be strong and courageous that this time in the nation of Judah. He had to take action that the LORD wanted him to take if he wanted the nation to be blessed of the LORD.
The action had to be to take all false worship out of the city of Jerusalem to start with and then make sure that the rest of the nation followed his example. He had to take his grandmother off the throne because she was the one who established the false worship through his father.
There are people in our families that sometimes move us away from the LORD rather than closer to the LORD. We have to be sure that we are listening to the right voices from the right people in our families.
Some voices are not giving us good instructions and so we have to have wisdom from the LORD to help us understand HIS message for our life rather than a message that would not please.
The false gods of today are different from the false gods of the past. They had idols set up and people would go to them with gifts and bow down to them and say their prayers to them. Today we have gods like money, television, texting, video games, and many other things that distract us from communicating with the LORD through times of meditating on the Word of God and prayer.
We have to be strong and courageous to stop worshiping false gods and spending time with the ONE TRUE God of the Bible by praying and reading HIS Word to learn what responsibilities HE wants us to handle in our life of service to HIM.
Children can serve the LORD at home, at church and at school by their words and actions. This message has to be communicated to them through their parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers and pastor.
CHALLENGE: We need courageous children in our world because they can reach others for the LORD with their proper actions and attitudes.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. (5315 “soul” [nephesh] means life, the part of a person that thinks feels, wills, and desires, perhaps an extension of the literal meaning throat, or self)
DEVOTION: This is a commitment to the LORD where an individual is willing to put his/her heart and soul into the relationship. It is a total commitment to the LORD to try to live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
This is not an easy task. This takes work each day to keep such a relationship with the LORD. It is only through prayer and a daily study of the Word of God that we understand what the LORD expects of us.
We know that even after making this commitment we are prone to sin. We have to work each day to try to please the LORD will all our actions. We have to be in an attitude of prayer, so that, when we fail, we can confess our sin and ask for forgiveness and the LORD will grant it as HE looks into our heart to see if it is genuine.
Too often even believers who are trying to live a life that is please can think lightly of sin. This has to be a continual challenge to keep our attitude right. Sin is not a light thing.
Yes, we have eternity promised but we need to be an example to others that is pleasing to the LORD. We are here to help others understand what it means to be totally committed to the LORD by our confession of sin and our works of righteousness.
Are we willing to enter into a covenant with the LORD to seek HIM with our whole heart and person?
CHALLENGE: The LORD wants our total commitment to HIM on a daily basis. This can only happen as we are willing to keep our accounts with HIM short! That is where praying without ceasing comes in.
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: 13 That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (1875 “seek” [darash] means to seek with care, to inquire about, investigate, to try to get or reach something one desires, resort to, search, or to consult)
DEVOTION: Can you imagine a nation of believers in the ONE TRUE God of the Bible making a covenant to kill all those who would not seek the LORD with their whole heart and soul? The nation of Judah under the leadership of Asa was making such a commitment. They wanted the nation to be pure. They wanted everyone to stop worshiping the false gods that the previous kings had allowed in the land.
The message was clear. Anyone that was not seeking the LORD was going to be put to death. It didn’t matter their social standing in the community. It didn’t matter if they were small or great. It didn’t matter if they were a man or a woman. They were all going to be judged by the same standard.
There are other religions today that are putting people to death if they would not convert to their religion. This is not the way it is with Christianity today but back in the Old Testament there was a commitment to stay as a pure nation before the LORD to receive HIS blessing.
Today the people of God are scattered in all nations and they are to witness for the LORD and let the LORD judge those who reject the message of Jesus Christ. There is no central government that is set up today that can be called a Christian government. This was not true in the nation of Judah. The central government was established around the worship of the LORD.
We live in a different time but we still have to get the message out of salvation for all those who will commit their life to Jesus Christ with all of their body, soul and spirit.
CHALLENGE: Who have we told today about the LORD? Are you seeking the LORD with all of your heart? This has to be the goal of every believer today.
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: 17 But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless, the heart of Asa was perfect all his days (8003 “perfect” [salem] means intack, untouched, complete, whole, or undivided)
DEVOTION: Asa’s failure to remove the high places from Israel (v. 17) appears to be a contradiction of 14:2, which states that he did remove the foreign altars and high places. Rather than seeing here a contradiction, it probably is better to see in the two statements in 14:2 and 15:17 evidence of the persistence of the indigenous cults over several years. Since 15:17 refers to the latter part of Asa’s life and 14:2 refers to early reforms, the two statements simply indicate a state of affairs up to thirty years apart. Further, the words “from Israel” could well refer to Asa’s failure to carry out his reforms in northern areas over which he exercised authority for a time (cf. v. 8). The gifts he gave were no doubt the spoils of war from his campaign against Zerah. His father, Abijah, would have dedicated booty taken from the war against Jeroboam (13:2–20). (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 272). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers).
CHALLENGE: The people sometimes didn’t stop worshiping idols at home even it the king had commanded that they stop. It is sad but true that some people who claim to be worshiping God sometimes have other gods in their lives that they have not stopped worshiping. There are habits (sins) in our lives that honor some things we don’t want to stop worshiping even after we have accepted the LORD. HE wants our whole heart which include our old habits.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Covenant to seek the LORD God
with heart and soul verse 12
Swore unto LORD with loud voice verse 14
Oath verse 15
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Teaching priest verse 3
Offering to the LORD verse 11
700 oxen
7,000 sheep
Shout to the LORD with trumpet & cornets verse 14
All the people rejoiced verse 15
Dedicated things brought in house of the LORD verse 18
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law verse 3
Covenant verse 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12,
13, 18
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 2, 4, 8, 9, 11-15
12
True God verse 3
LORD God of Israel verse 4, 13
God did vex with all adversity verse 6
Altar of the LORD verse 8
Porch of the LORD verse 8
LORD his God verse 9
LORD God of their fathers verse 12
LORD gave rest verse 15
House of God verse 18
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit of God came upon Azariah verse 1
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangers verse 9
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not being with the LORD verse 2
Forsake LORD verse 2
Without a true God verse 3
Without a teaching priest verse 3
Without law verse 3
No peace verse 5
Weak verse 7
Abominable idols verse 8
Not seek the LORD verse 13
Queen setting up false worship verse 16
Idol verse 16
High places verse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Hear verse 2
LORD with you verse 2, 9
Seek the LORD verse 2, 4, 12, 15
Turn to the LORD verse 4
Peace verse 5
Strength verse 7
Work verse 7
Reward for work verse 7
Prophecy verse 8
Renewal verse 8
Courage verse 8
Covenant with all heart and soul verse 12
Swore to the LORD verse 14, 15
Rejoice verse 15
Whole desire toward the LORD verse 15
Rest verse 15
Heart perfect verse 17
No war verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Azariah – son of Oded: Prophet verse 1- 8
Spirit of God came upon
Message for Judah and Benjamin
LORD is with you
Seek the LORD
Be strong
Work will be rewarded
Asa verse 2, 8- 19
Took courage after hearing words
of Azariah the prophet
Put away the abominable idols
Renewed altar of the LORD
Saw the LORD his God was with him
Gathered people together in Jerusalem
3/15
Offered unto the LORD
700 oxen
7,000 sheep
Covenant to seek the LORD God
with heart and soul
Put to death those who wouldn’t
enter into covenant with LORD
Removed mother from being queen
cut down her idol
Didn’t take high places from Judah
Heart was perfect in his days
Brought into house of God things
his father had dedicated
Brought into house of God things
He had dedicated
No war until 30th year of his reign
Judah and Benjamin verse 2, 8
Jerusalem verse 10
Maachah – mother of Asa verse 16
Removed from being queen
because she made an idol
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Put to death those who wouldn’t enter
into covenant with LORD verse 13
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QUOTES regarding passage
15:1 The phrase “the Spirit of God came upon …” was common in the Old Testament for an activity of the Spirit particularly in reference to prophetic inspiration. The Chronicler used it several times (20:14; 24:20; cf. 1 Chr 12:18; 28:12). (Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 269). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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Though the New Testament encourages people to make a priority of seeking God, it emphasizes that God seeks us much more than we seek him. There is a sense in which no-one truly seeks God (cf. Rom. 3:11), even though God invites everyone to seek him (Acts 15:17; 17:27). Ultimately, people find God because Jesus came ‘to seek and save what was lost’ (Luke 19:10), and was prepared to search for one lost sheep out of a hundred or for a wayward child (Luke 15). Seeking God is nonetheless very necessary, and the New Testament renews the Old Testament’s invitation, ‘seek and you will find’ (Matt. 7:7, etc.), and affirms that God rewards those who go on seeking him in faith (Heb. 11:6). (Selman, M. J. (1994). 2 Chronicles: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 11, pp. 409–410). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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15:1 Spirit of God. An act of the Holy Spirit, common in the OT enabling servants of God to speak or act uniquely for Him. Azariah. This man was a prophet mentioned only here, who met Asa as he returned from the victory and spoke to him before all his army. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Ch 15:1). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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What a mercy it was that the Lord did not forsake his people in the midst of their idolatry, but poured out of his Holy Spirit occasionally upon the minds of some to preserve a sense of his presence among them. Sweet thought! (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther (Vol. 3, p. 481). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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15:1 Asa’s second great period of reform (cf. 14:2–8, on his earlier efforts) occupies 2 Chronicles 15. His actions came as a result of the victory in 896 b.c. over the Cushites (14:12–15), and particularly because of the preaching of “Azariah son of Oded,” a prophet who remains unknown apart from this passage. (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 487). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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15:1–7. In due course Azariah son of Oded, a prophet of the Lord mentioned only here, went … to … Asa and challenged him to remain true to the Lord so that he could continue to enjoy God’s blessing. He was told not to lead the people into lawlessness (without the true God means without His presence and blessing, and without the Law, v. 3, probably means without knowledge of or obedience to it) and anarchy (great turmoil, v. 5, and distress, v. 6) such as they had experienced in the past, probably in the time of the Judges. Instead Azariah told Asa to be strong. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 631). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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A second round of reforms (15:1–19) begins with Azariah’s prophetic message. Azariah emphasizes the presence of God with his people when they search for him. This principle is illustrated by highlighting the international chaos during the time of the latter judges.
Several activities mark Asa’s reforms: the suppression of idolatry; repair of the altar probably accompanied by the restoration of related rituals; renewal of the covenant between the people and God; and the deposition of the idolatrous queen mother Maacah.
This is the first covenant renewal ceremony since David’s day. This renewal is identified as an act of the entire nation and as a time of great joy.
The removal of the high places is problematic; Asa is described both as removing them (14:2) and as not removing them (15:17). There were idolatrous high places and high places for illegal worship of Yahweh. It is possible that Asa removed the pagan high places but did not suppress the illegal worship of Yahweh at other high places. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). 1-2 Chronicles. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 284). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
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Ver. 1. And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, &c.] The same with Iddo, as Hillerus thinks; and some suppose this to be the name of the son as well as the father, but called Azariah, to distinguish him from him, see ver. 8. on whom came, as the Targum, the spirit of prophecy, instructing him what to say to Asa; and the Jews say he is the same with Iddo, and he the same that was sent to Jeroboam, to reprove him for the altar he built. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 61). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Sol Ibarra writes (Mexico): Wake up!!! We’re still on time! God asks for repentance and that we turn to Him. Today is the perfect weather. Today may be the day of your salvation! Tomorrow may be too late!!!! Do we not see the evil in our midst!!!! Do we think we are innocent? God is going to sue each of us what we have done about His Son. He came to redeem a people who refuse to be redeemed, thus despising his sacrifice for humanity! Time is running out!!! React like the prodigal son and allow God to give you a new and eternal life!!!!
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Pleading with Sinners to Be Reconciled to God
FROM John MacArthur Jan 26, 2018
The means of our reconciliation to God—the sacrificial death of Christ, the perfect forgiveness God applies to our sin—are divine works. But there is a human component that goes along with it. We bear some responsibility, too, if we are to be reconciled and redeemed. Paul hints at it in 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
In God’s divine design, He has given each of us the responsibility to respond to the gospel in the obedience of faith. He doesn’t pluck us out of this wicked world against our will— we’re not robots that He merely has to reprogram. God is the initiator; He’s the Savior. But it does not happen without a response.
The two little parables in Matthew 13 perfectly illustrate this point. Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matt. 13:44–46). Christ’s point in those two parables is that if you want salvation, it will cost you everything.
Reconciliation to God isn’t a little bump in the road of life—it’s a radical transformation and reorientation of your entire being. We become new creatures entirely. Paul had just made that very point in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Being reconciled to God means dying to our old selves, our old lives, and our old interests. Christ repeatedly urged His disciples to count the cost of following Him. It’s why He told them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). Responding in obedience to God’s call to be reconciled to Him can cost us everything—even our lives.
The rich young ruler understood that. It’s why he walked away from Christ in shame (Luke 18:18–30). When Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give everything to the poor, He wasn’t offering the young man salvation by works. The money itself wasn’t the point—it was a question of his willingness to do whatever the Lord told him to do. What would he give up for the sake of his eternal soul? It was a test of his obedience and what he valued most in his heart. And he failed miserably. Reconciliation to God doesn’t happen on our terms, according to our schedules, when it’s convenient for us. It’s a radical redemption and transformation, and it requires us to be penitent, submissive, and completely sold out for God’s purpose and work. Nothing less is acceptable. And because of that high cost, Paul says we have to “beg” sinners to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).
When I was in college, I played football, and I had a coach who meant a lot to me personally. Throughout high school and college, he was the best coach I ever had. His name was Jim Brownfield, and he was a legend in southern California. He coached at every level of football. He was innovative, he was creative, and I cared about him a great deal.
I remember sitting next to him on the plane as we were flying up to San Francisco for a game. I took that opportunity to communicate the gospel to him with all my heart, but he rejected it. Through the years, I had opportunities to be with him here and there, at golf tournaments or other functions. He knew about my church and the ministry God has called me to, and he watched my life from a distance. And every time I was with him, I tried to talk to him about the Lord. He’d say, “I respect that. I respect you. But I’m not interested.” I felt like I was always begging him, “Coach, this is the most important thing you’ll ever do.” But he was stubborn.
One day, I got a phone call. Coach was in the hospital. He had heart problems. Surgery hadn’t helped, and it looked like he was about to die. When I arrived at the hospital, the nurse said to me, “He hasn’t moved for three days. We haven’t seen any motion, so I can’t promise anything.” I walked in the room, took his hand, and said, “Hey, Coach, it’s Johnny Mac.” He opened his eyes and smiled. I said, “Coach, one more time, can I beg you to be reconciled to God? Coach, you are the thief on the cross. You have no future. This has to be your time. Will you open your heart to Christ?” His head went up and down. He grabbed my hand, started to squeeze it, and reached his other arm over and grabbed my other hand. I was locked in his grip. The nurse came in and scolded me, saying, “Sir, you’ll have to let go of him.” I said, “I’m not holding on to him. He is holding on to me.” With every last ounce of his strength, he was responding to the call of the gospel. For all those years, I had begged and pleaded with him—right down to the last hour. And as we prayed together in his hospital room, the Lord poured out his forgiveness and reconciled Coach Brownfield to Himself. I’m so glad I went to the hospital that day. I’m so thankful I had one more opportunity to beg him to be reconciled to God.
We ought to cling to the vital doctrine of God’s sovereignty. But don’t ever let your view of sovereignty overwhelm or obscure the fact that sinners have a responsibility to respond to God—and we have a responsibility to beg them to do so. God accomplishes His reconciling work through—not in spite of—the obedience of faith from those He calls to be reconciled. This excerpt is adapted from Good News: The Gospel of Jesus Christ by John MacArthur.
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THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:11
There are some principles about the subject of spiritual gifts that stand out clearly in the biblical teaching. The first is that spiritual gifts must be differentiated from natural gifts. We all have natural gifts, but the spiritual gift that any one of us may possess is something separate from and entirely different from this. It is a gift that is given directly to us by the Holy Spirit. Some people have fallen into the error of thinking that a spiritual gift really means a person’s natural gift taken hold of by the Holy Spirit and heightened so that it becomes a spiritual gift. But that is not what Scripture would have us believe. A spiritual gift is something new, something different.
The second principle is that these gifts are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit in a sovereign manner. This is emphasized very clearly in 1 Corinthians 12; notice verse 11, for instance: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” “As he will.” It is He who decides and not us. He decides what particular gift to give to a particular person. Verse7 enforces the same point: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” It is a gift, it is given, it is something that comes entirely from the Holy Spirit.
Third, each Christian is given and therefore has some gift: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” The clear implication there is that every single Christian is given some particular gift. So from this we deduce that every true member of the Body of Christ, every true Christian, who has been baptized into the Body of Christ by this one Spirit, has some particular spiritual gift. The fourth principle taught in 1 Corinthians 12, obviously, is that the gifts differ in value; see verses 14-30.
A Thought to Ponder: Every single Christian is given some particular gift. (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 265-266, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Women of Faith
God is faithful, this is His character! God never walks away from you to fend for yourself.
He is always there for you. God sent His son, Jesus, to die for all the people on the earth.
God is interested in every last detail of you, including the number of hairs on our heads!
Praise God!
So when you need some God-Confidence, remember you are not alone.
God is interested in every last detail of you, including the number of hairs on our heads!
Psalm 33:4 says “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness.”
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