RENEWING YOUR COMMITMENT
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Chronicles 15: 1-19
Picture taken from Google
Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of
Solomon’s Wisdom FB page
Scheduled Teacher: Sis. Liza F. Biado
JANUARY 15, 2022
MEMORY
VERSE
Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be
weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
2 CHRONICLES 15:7
INTRODUCTION:
What
is your response after a lot of work? What is your body’s response after a
tiring work? Most of our answers are in the same, we need “rest”. I remember
that the attitude of some CBT members before was to rest after a big event
happened. I don’t say we don’t need to rest but the attitude of some members
was they skipped minor events and also some services just to take rest. After
rest or vacation, they went back. I don’t judge them, but the consistency is not
there and the fact that you can have your rest while attending the church.
There are lot of days to schedule and not Sunday. Sad to say sometimes they
took this “okay” and not a big deal. I said this because I asked one of the
members why her friend was not with her and she answered, “He’s too tired after
the event last time and it’s expected for him to rest and that is fine. All of
us need rest you know”. I just kept quiet and left. I realize If all pastors
have that attitude, no one will preach on one of the Sundays if all of them get
tired from any work.
The situation goes the same with Israel, after the
battle with Ethiopians. God helped them with this battle (2 Chronicles
14:11-13). After the battle God spoke to the prophet and reminded the King Asa
and the people. In 2 Chronicles 15: 1-3,
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 2 And
he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and
Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he
will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 Now
for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching
priest, and without law. 4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God
of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
God reminded the king and the people the possibility that they
forget their God and their covenant. In verse 4 proves that they just
approached God in times of trouble. These reminders made Asa, the king of
Judah, encouraged the people to renew their covenant. WHAT MADE THEM RENEW
THEIR COVENANT?
LESSON OUTLINE:
1. THEY ARE ENCOURAGED THAT THEIR WORK
SHALL BE REWARDED (2 CHRONICLES 15:7)
Be ye
strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be
rewarded.
Aren’t
you encouraged with these words, “for your work shall be rewarded”? What
happened to King Asa when he heard these words? In verse 8 says,
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, and 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.
Asa
took courage with the words came from the Lord and he did amazing works: he put
away the abominable idols out of the land of Judah and Benjamin and out of the
cities which he had taken from Mount Ephraim. We can see here the great efforts
he did. The next line the verse said, “and renewed the altar of the Lord,
that was before the porch of the Lord”. We don’t know what kind of renewal
he did to the altar, but we can feel in this verse his heart and eagerness to be
with God’s will and his courage to follow God in the presence of his mother who
was against God’s will.
Does this verse, 2
Chronicles 15:7, applicable if we stop from serving? (allow responses) Again
let’s read, “Be ye strong therefore, and let not
your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded”. The words, “let not your
hands be weak” simply shows that we need not to allow our work for the Lord to
stop and encourage us to be strong.
2. THEY SAW THAT THE LORD IS WITH THEIR
LEADER (2 CHRONICLES 15:9)
And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers
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.
It’s
important that you discern that God speaks to you through a leader or a pastor
in entering to God’s covenant. You cannot enter to a spiritual covenant by
yourself or without God’s word or the people use by God to speak to you. God
uses ordinary people to speak to you. The people followed King Asa because they
saw God worked in his life. What they did.
·
They gathered themselves in Jerusalem
(verse10). We can see that God’s word and with the help of the pastor we can
follow God’s will. God’s word moves you and help you enjoy spiritual things
like going to church.
·
They offered unto the Lord
(verse11). Giving is not a question if people are enveloped with God’s word. Therefore,
if we hear Christians are being complaining about money mothers though the
giving in that church is transparent and not questionable then we know the
answer for this.
·
They entered into a covenant (verse
12) to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all
their soul.
3. THEY BECAME AWARE THAT GOD WOULD HOLD THEM
ACCOUNTABLE IF THEY FAILED TO YIELD TO HIM (2 CHRONICLES 15:2,13)
The
words of Azariah carried a real threat as well as a real promise. Starting well
is not always the key to victory—how you end is much more decisive. Twenty
years ago, you might have been on fire for the Lord, ready to storm the gates
of hell. But, what about today? Are you eager to serve him right now? Are you
ready to say “yes” to his call in your life? If not, be ready to face the
consequences. Our God will not sit idly back while his children go astray—he
disciplines those he loves and will use every measure available which is in
line with his character to make sure the prodigals come home.
When Judah heard God’s call to commitment, they gave themselves
totally to the Lord.
14 And they sware unto the Lord with
a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
15 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.
These two
verses give us reminders that in giving our commitment to the Lord, we should
commit with all our hearts. Their decision made them proud which mentioned in
verse 14. They sware with a loud voice which means they openly announced their
oath and they did it with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets they are
happy and not regretful for the decision we have made. The question is every
time we promise to the Lord or make an oath, are we regretful or are happy?
CONLUSION:
Swimming the
English Channel
Source unknown
It was a fog-shrouded morning, July 4, 1952, when a
young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the water off Catalina Island.
She intended to swim the channel from the island to the California coast.
Long-distance swimming was not new to her; she had been the first woman to swim
the English Channel in both directions.
The water was numbing cold that day.
The fog was so thick she could hardly see the boats in her party. Several times
sharks had to be driven away with rifle fire. She swam more than 15 hours
before she asked to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage
her to swim on since they were so close to land, but when Florence looked, all
she saw was fog. So she quit. . . only one-mile from her goal.
Later she said, "I'm not
excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land I might have made it."
It wasn't the cold or fear or exhaustion that caused Florence Chadwick to fail.
It was the fog.
Many times we too fail, not because
we're afraid or because of the peer pressure or because of anything other than
the fact that we lose sight of the goal. Maybe that's why Paul said, "I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 3:14).
Two months after her failure,
Florence Chadwick walked off the same beach into the same channel and swam the
distance, setting a new speed record, because she could see the land.
- John Cochran
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