'What Happens When Our Faith Fails



"WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR FAITH FAILS?"

2 CHRONICLES 16:1-10

INTRO: As we study the Word Of God, we see that the Holy Spirit presents for us men and women just as they are. The Bible does not attempt to touch up the negative and accentuate the positive. But portrays men and women just as they really are! As a man is in his heart so is he before the LORD. The reason that God does this is that He desires for us to know that the characters portrayed in His Word had like passions and desires as we have. And that they could choose to obey or else reject God just as we can!

In 2 Chronicles 14-16, we read of a man named Asa. He was the King of Judah, the Southern kingdom from 964-923 B.C. He was the first of five kings of Judah who were outstanding in godliness. He began his reign by deposing his wicked grandmother and by destroying a fearful, impure image that she had set up. He then drove out the Sodomites, and destroyed idols that his fathers had worshipped, commanding Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers (2 Chrons. 14:4) (Merrill C. Tenney. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary. p. 75). He removed all places of idol worship from the land of Judah and Benjamin, renewed the altar of the LORD and reinstated the reading of the Law. He and the people entered into a covenant to seek the LORD with all their heart and with their soul (2 Chronicles 15:8, 12-15). Thus it was said of Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:17, "...Nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days." He was a man of great faith!

But we see that later in his reign, the 36th year, according to our text that something happened to the faith of this great King. His faith which had been so strong in the LORD at the beginning of his reign began to fail! As we think of what began to take place in the faith of king Asa, we can' t but help bringing to mind the words of Paul to the Galatians, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (Galatians 5:7-9). What caused the faith of this good King to begin to waiver? Perhaps He believed that the matter before him was one he could take care of himself. We know that on previous occasions he had rested on the LORD for His victory (2 Chronicles 14:9-15).

But let us all remember that there is no matter, no concern, no trial, or no perplexing situation that comes to us that we do not need the LORD'S guidance and strength! Solomon said it well in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." If we do not do this, our faith will fail just as Asa's and then we must face the consequences of our actions! I want us to see today "What Happens When Our Faith Fails".

WHEN OUR FAITH FAILS:

(1) WHEN CONFRONTED, WE LOOK FOR A WAY OUT INSTEAD OF A WAY

THROUGH

2 CHRONICLES 16:1-6—“In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of

Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah,

to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of

Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of

the house of the LORD and of the king's house, and sent to Ben-

hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a

league between me and thee, as there was between my father and

thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy

league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.

And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of

his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan,

and Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. And it came to

pass, when Baasha heard it, that he left off building of Ramah, and

let his work cease. Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they

carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof,

wherewith Baasha was building; and he built therewith Geba and

Mizpah.”

A. THE FEAR. Baasha, King of Israel, scared King Asa by setting up a military embargo outside the city of Judah. Baasha had built and fortified Ramah, a city just four or five miles north of Jerusalem to keep pious northern Jews from joining Asa. Because of the reform and revival that was taking place in the southern kingdom, many from the tribes of Benjamin, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon were being touched by the revival and were leaving Israel to join Asa in Judah (vl). Thus this military embargo was Baasha response to the revival in Judah. He felt that the great exodus of the Jews to the south was a threat to his kingdom. How did Asa respond to Baasha's actions? Fear or Faith? We see that it was FEAR. Anytime we suffer a lack of faith, we then succumb to our fear!

B. THE FAILURE. Asa responded by trying to buy the help of Ben-hadad King of Syria "with silver and gold.” (v2). I ask you, "When confronted, how do you respond? Fear or Faith? Do you look for a way out or for a way through?" If God stripped you of everything you had, like he did Job, would you still love and trust Him? Asa looked for an earthly solution to a heavenly problem! He looked to the world, a pagan king, to help him with his problems. Ben-hadad went north and attacked Israel while its army was on a mission. True, it stopped Baasha in his campaign against Judah, but it was not at all what God had planned for Asa. By Asa's clever ploy, his way out, Judah was introduced to a pattern of pagan intervention into the affairs of God's people! Many times, God's people today, make the same mistake! Instead of taking their concerns unto the LORD they consult marriage counselors, psychiatrists, and debt counselors. The Scripture tells us, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee...” (Psalm 55:22), and "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7). God cares about His people! He desires to be a part of their lives if only they'll just let Him!

God wanted Asa in the struggle-Asa wanted a way out. God allows

trials, troubles, adversities, and problems to invade our lives! Why? So

we will learn to more fully trust Him! (Psalm 32:8). Listen to James

1:2-4; 12—“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers

temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire,

wanting nothing. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when

he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath

promised to them that love him.”

(2) WHEN CORRECTED, WE RELY ON HUMAN WISDOM INSTEAD OF

LISTENING FOR THE VOICE OF GOD

2 CHRONICLES 16:7-8—“And at that time Hanani the seer came to

Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on

the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is

the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the

Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots

and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he

delivered them into thine hand.”

A. THE REBUKE. God spoke through a prophet, Hanani, to Asa. God scolded him because he did not "rely on the LORD," but rather human intervention, pagan as it was (v7). God speaks to His people in a multitude of ways. He speaks through His providence. He speaks to us many times through sorrow. He speaks to us through sickness. He speaks to us through His servants, as He did here! But it matters not how God speaks, the question is how do we respond when He speaks? DO we still try to handle things on our own? or Do we see that our faith has failed us, repent, and turn back toward God? God has the answer to all our problems! He knows just what to do and when to do it (Jeremiah 33:3)! When we have failed him by not walking by faith, we must, when He corrects us, kneel to his correction!

B. THE RESULT. Asa, by faith in God, had earlier defeated one million Ethiopians through God's strength (2 Chronicles 14:9), but here his faith had failed him. God tried to speak to him through His prophet, but Asa's ear was deaf to the voice of God! There is something we need to glean from this experience of Asa; in the midst of our battle, God's will is there! (v9). But instead of kneeling our hearts to the will of God, many times we, like Asa, seek human intervention and fail to heed the voice of God! The result is that we must face the consequences of our sin (Galatians 6:7). Asa, because of his faith and trust in God, saw no war in his reign for 35 years. But now, because of disobedience, the rest of his reign was marked by wars (v9).

(3) WHEN CONVICTED, WE SURRENDER TO OUR PRIDE INSTEAD OF

SWALLOWING OUR PRIDE

2 CHRONICLES 16:9-10—“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro

throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of

them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done

foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Then Asa

was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was

in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of

the people the same time.”

A. PRIDE WILL CAUSE US TO ACT IN THE FLESH. Asa’s pride and reliance on pagan military intervention resulted in the indictment, " from henceforth thou shalt have wars " (v9), and he did. Asa, no doubt, was convicted because of his lack of faith, but instead of swallowing his pride and admitting to God he was wrong, he let pride overtake him. One of the biggest problems we all face, as human beings, is being able admit when we are wrong! We find it oh so very hard to say those three little word, "I was wrong." Why is that? Pride! Pride is sin and until we are willing to swallow our pride and admit we have wronged God and others we are going to miss some of the greatest blessings of God!

B. PRIDE WILL CAUSE US TO ABUSE OUR FAITH. When our faith fails, we are in essence saying to God, "LORD, I don't need your intervention in my life, I don't need your guidance, I don't need your strength, I can handle my destiny by myself. I know what I'm doing." You know what that is: PRIDE! I want you to know something this evening, none of us are capable of directing our own destiny. We need God's guidance! The reason we find ourselves, many times, in the predicaments we are in is that we think we can handle things on our own! That's nonsense! We are NOT able! Pride captured Asa. How do we know? By his response to Hanani's prediction. He threw him into prison and he was in a rage because of the thing (v10). Asa never got beyond his pride. Pride Won!

How should we respond when our faith fails and God convicts us of it?

By humbly confessing our failure to God and seeking His forgiveness (1

John 1:9)!

CLOSING: What a way to end 41 years of reign. A reign that had began with

so much promise ended with failure! This failure of Asa was the

first of his reign, but it proved not to be the last. It tells us in vv.

l2-14 that Asa in the 39th year of his reign was diseased in his feet

with great disease. But did his heart turn back toward God? No,

v12 tells us, "... yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to

the physicians."

Asa, if he had repented of his failure and turned back to God with

all his heart, might have brought Judah even closer to God, but he

missed his chance! Asa caved in and opted for human

intervention. V13 tells us, “and Asa slept with his fathers, and died

in the one and fortieth year of his reign."

God is looking for the faithful! Will you be one of them? Will you

let God guide you in all things and not seek out earthly wisdom,

but the Will of God?

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