There's nothing better for me than I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines as their enemies. And Saul will despair of me to seek me. Anymore in any part of Israel, so I shall escape out of the hand of Saul. I just get away from this guy. Like he never existed.
That's all David wanted at that point in his life. This is long, of course, before he becomes king.
So to trust God when overcoming is one thing. To trust God when being overcome is another thing, and that's illustrated just right there in David's life. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through a topical series.
Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio. specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Today, Pastor Rick will continue teaching through his message called How to Overcome Through Christ. 2 Chronicles chapter 15 verse 8. And when Asa heard these words, And the prophecy of Obed, the prophet, he took courage.
and remove the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin, From the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim, And he restored the altar of Yahweh that was before the vestibule of the Lord. As a result of that, he attracted Believers from the northern kingdom. The enemy. The nor enemy the northern kingdom became an enemy to the southern kingdom. after their Civil War.
Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, Pledge their loyalty to him. Verse 9. Second Chronicles. Then he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those who dwelt with them from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon for they came over to him in great numbers from Israel, when they saw that the LORD, that Yahweh his God, was with him. That's going to stir the Northern Kingdom to pick a fight.
And that's where ACE is going to stumble. But we're not there yet.
So God's blessings win. God's people. Unfortunately, many times God's people have no discernment. They're not even mindful of it, it seems. And if they see crowds, they think, oh, God must be blessing that crowd.
Well, by that logic, every rock concert is a blessing by God. And we know better. It's not The numbers It's the quality. Are they adhering to the scripture or not?
Well, this is the nation Israel. They were now adhering to the scripture. They were not in the north where these tribal members were coming from, but Asa now has stirred a little revival. He was overcoming. Much of the losses as reforms.
created this revival. He upheld Mosaic law, maybe to a fault in verse 13. We'll not take that, but we'll. Talk about this, he removed the Sodomites from the land. 1 Kings chapter 15, also, not 1 Kings, not Chronicles, also talks about him.
1 Kings gives us more of the Northern Kings. Whereas Chronicles zeroes in on the southern kings. That's one of the big differences. But anyway, about. King Asa.
in these early years of overcoming, overcoming the idolatry that infested the land through his parents. He banished the perverted persons from the land and removed all the idols. that his fathers had made. This is what he was born into. And he chose this route.
Now, I have to, before I don't want to forget this. Even though he stumbles, He never stumbles into idolatry. He remains faithful to Yahweh, and Overall. He just Don't seek him. Like he got stubborn or something.
Like, what is this? There's a bitterness there. Uh well we'll come to that. He demoted his grandmother from queen mother Because she was an idolater. And he destroyed her her.
The Hebrew word is her terrible. Her terror image. He cut down her obscene image. That's the translators using obscene, but the Hebrew is a terror. Anyway, he then released back into The coffers of the sanctuary, the wealth That David had dedicated to it, he put the money back to the house of Lord.
Later, he's gonna take some of that money, he's gonna pay off an Assyrian king to bail him out. Of a battle with Basha, the northern king, And God's going to be pretty angry at that. Anyway. We're reading from 1 Kings about putting out.
Well, let me let me continue with this. He removed the high places. But he allowed them to creep back in in his latter years. 1 Kings 15, but the high places were not removed. Nevertheless, Asa's heart was loyal to Yahweh all his days.
And that's how. 1 Kings closes up his life.
So in the early stages, he's on this iconoclastic attack of all of these evil idols. He's getting them out, he's purging the land, he's shutting down the high places. But in the in the end, the historian says, but they came back in. But his heart stayed loyal to God. Just because he didn't keep up the Crusade against these things doesn't mean he himself turned on God.
That's what the historian is saying. And that's what God's going to say when he brings up Asa later on, long after Asa's death. He's not going to bring up that Asa. Goofed. He's just going to bring up that Esau's heart was loyal to him, and that is the stroke of mercy.
the kindness of God.
So War again came when he was in his fifties. We get that from Chapter 15 and verse 19. And there's where he caves, hiring help from the enemies without God. And we pick this up in 2 Chronicles 16, verse 7 now. Because this is another prophet coming to him, Hanani.
And Hanani comes to him and said, Oh, you messed up. And King's going to say, you know, you messed up.
So let's read it. And at that time Hananai The seer That's the old school word for prophet. Came to Asa, king of Judah, and said to him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Two heavy hits The second one is. God saying, I wanted to deal with that king, and I wanted you to do it.
But you messed it up.
So that's the second big hit. Imagine God telling you that. You are my guy And you fumble. You made a rookie mistake. that turned out to be A game loser.
That's again the second part. But the first one. You've not relied on Yahweh your God. When a million men came against you, you were running to me and you beat them.
Now these guys come You don't even look up.
So, you're learning how to overcome and what not to do in the processes of overcompenses. If you're going to learn how to overcome in Christ, you're going to learn some of the things that make you not an overcomer. continues in that section and 2 Chronicles 16, verse 9. For the eyes of Yahweh run to and fro throughout the whole earth. to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him.
In this you have done foolishly, therefore from now on you shall have wars. That's his sentence. But how many of us love that section, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro? Throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to him. I used to quote that back to God.
All I got was mm. But you're supposed to be doing more. I'm being loyal. What's happening here? Verse 10, he continues, Then Asa was angry with the seer, And then I and put him in prison For he was enraged at him because of this, and Asa oppressed some of the people of God at that time.
He went ballistic on him.
Well, he didn't go really because he would have killed him. He didn't kill him, but he persecuted him. Like how dare you?
So you understand when Nathan went before David and said, David, you're the sinner. Nathan was risking his life. And the kings had that kind of power.
So he took His resentment out against God God By persecuting God's people. This is a godly king. You say, how can it be? Come on, grow up. You know The Christians Can love the Lord and do really stupid things.
There's some bad things too. And thus Jesus preaching on turning the other cheek. Proverbs 16, 18, Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. And that's ASA. Back to 2 Kings chapter, I mean, 2 Chronicles chapter 16, verse 12.
And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Esau became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe. Yet in his disease he did not seek Yahweh but the physicians.
Well, it would have been all right seeking the physicians if you put Yahweh first, and he doesn't do that. And this is the bitterness that stuck with him. This is why he said, you know, when you talk about overcomers from the Old Testament, there are upper levels. Over ASAP. He is a good king.
All in the end. But he wasn't a great king. But he could have been a great king. He could have been one of the greatest. But he g He he harbors this He hardens his heart against God, The diseased feet speak symbolically of his walk with God.
It's defective. Who has hardened himself against him and prospered? You can't, you can't. become bitter with God and think it's going to turn out okay. God is not going to say, Boy, you know, if I had a miserable day today because of you.
But you're going to say, I had a miserable day today because of God.
So let's remember who God is. He's not trying, you know, oh, please believe I'm God. He just is going to be.
So he dies a bitter believer. Verse 17: But the high places were not removed from Israel, nevertheless. The heart of ASA was loyal. All his days. And we're glad about that.
But it his Great-great-grandfather wrote this, Solomon. Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. That was Hananiah. And the prophet and well that was Not Hananiah, but when the prophet comes out. The king refused to be admonished.
And he becomes the guilty party.
So we went we back up a few sessions and we say, pick yourself out in the story. That's the benefit of the character studies. Who am I in the story? Am I the buffoon? Or am I the hero?
Or am I the guy that would not have taken that turn that ASA took? And that's how we grow. It teaches us how not to lose our gains. John warned about that, Second John verse 8 Look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we work for. but that we may receive a full reward.
Well, that's Sa. Asa did lose the full reward.
However, again, now. Second Chronicles, we'll just take one of them, verse 2 Chronicles 20. Verse 32. This is long after him, and God brings up. Acer again.
to Jehoshaphat who was a very good king. who couldn't pick good friends. And and he just man Why do you run with that crowd? What is wrong with you? He needed somebody to really.
Give him a fresh slap every now and then. Anyway, no, no violence. Just. Metaphorically.
Okay.
So those Where am I?
So they rose early in the morning and said, You know, that's not what I wanted. What do I want here? 2 Chronicles 20, verse 32. Uh not verse twenty. And it says So Jehoshaphat, I'll start in verse 31.
So Jehoshaphat was king over Judah. He was 35 years old when he became king, and he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azuba. The daughter of Shall I? And he walked in the way of his father Esa and did not turn aside from.
From it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.
So God puts it on the chronicler's heart. To make the final statements about ASA. He does it again in chapter 21, same thing. And he leaves out the part, God leaves out the part. That Asa had this bitter end.
You can't get around it. You had a bitter end, but you also can't get around the fact. He's still never bow to an idol. And so that's the session on Aesa.
Now we return back to this overcoming, which is another word for perseverance for us. The word perseverance evokes Another word. Struggle. Conflict. That continuous forward motion of faith against resistance.
You know, the any dead fish can swim downstream and takes alive one that's against the current. Anyway. Luke chapter 16.
So again, in Jesus' day, before Jesus entered public ministry, people came out in large numbers to hear John the Baptist, and his messages were not. Bubbly. They were not. He was like, You brood of vipers. You know, he just repent.
That was his message. Fix this. The kingdom of God is right here. And Jesus picks up his ministry while John is still ministering, and he repeats the same. Theme is that he maintains the theme.
He doesn't outshine John until John, of course, is beheaded. Then Jesus really. turns in, you know, his ministry loose. A more miraculous way. He was already doing it, but not.
To outshine John.
Well, anyway, he makes this statement to the Jews. He says, the kingdom of God has been preached. Yes, through the old prophets, but recently through John. and everyone is pressing into it. The people were hearing John and they wanted what?
To get baptized. That's what they wanted. They were pressing in to get so there's this. Word picture that Jesus gives us. It's sort of like you're at the shore of Galilee and you see the people kind of bunched up, you know, the crowd.
Like you're in a subway at rush hour and they want to get baptized, they're pressing in. Everybody has to endure life, but not everyone is interested in making it count for Christ. And that's the pressing in part. That part won't land in your lap regularly. We read the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we are amazed that there aren't more miracles.
And so people start making up miracles. And that's how you get these Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland and all these other. False teachers. these ministries. They line their pocket pockets And um the road to hell is paved with gold.
But by the time you get at the end of that road there's no more gold. Acer Again, well, let me back up a little bit. We are expected to try when we get knocked down. That's The Bible. Hebrews 12, 12.
Therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees. He's quoting Isaiah. ASA stopped doing that. He didn't, you know, he didn't go over crossed the line, but he stopped lifting up his arms to God. Not a way to go out.
If he had behaved better, we would have more children named Asa. Back in the Civil War days, a lot of people would pile names out. They were just they were all over the place with Bible names. They were even making up Bible names. No, they weren't.
Anyway. King David He is one of the most excellent examples of long-haul overcoming. How do you overcome?
Well, you look at these lives and you say, okay, that's the path. Go in it, like Jeremiah said. Follow these guys, imitate them, Paul. Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Christ. The jealousy of Saul.
Was allowed to run its course. Against the life of David For years. In his latter twenties, probably into into his thirties. Maybe even in his early twenties into his thirties. God interfered only a little bit at that time in David's life.
To David, he seemed no longer to lift him above the terrifying circumstances as he did with the giant. It was easier to kill the giant than it was to get away from Saul. And David had, again, so many previous victories. 1 Samuel, here's where it begins. Imagine you're David in the story, and your life is going to take this.
Unexpected turn, 1 Samuel 18. Verse six.
Now it happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women came out. of all the cities of Israel singing And dancing. To meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
So the women sang as they danced and said, Saul has killed his thousands. And Davis Probably riding his. Mule or horse and he's like, Yeah, I'm part of this. And David has killed his 10,000. Oh man.
You could, can you imagine the look on David knew right away this was not going to be good. And Saul, of course, if he glanced over at Saul, he would have seen hatred. And it says, and Saul was very angry. And the saying displeased him. And he said they have ascribed to David 10,000.
That's how petty Saul was. Anyway, And to me, They have ascribed only thousands now. What more can he have but the kingdom?
So Saul eyed David from that day forward.
So my point is, David enjoyed the blessings. He was slaying the Philistines. He was promoted up in ranks. Saul gave him his daughter Michelle. And but all of that went away.
That day in the parade, Because of women. Yeah. Yeah. So, women, you can't beat it. Anyway.
Uh So Again, instead of overcoming Saul. He led David by faith persevere. The perseverance of David was built on just trusting God. David struggled through all of this. We know that because he writes about it and he makes statements about it in the Psalms and just to other people.
He would bear his heart out. Determine to trust God no matter what. And Song played a large role in David getting past these things. We're almost done. First Samuel chapter twenty seven And this is, you know, David could have killed Saul two times, we remember that.
in the caves. He could have knifed him and that would have been it. Everybody would have been fine with it. And the tribe of Benjamin, they could have, they would have, you know, just so what? We don't have Benjamin, we got the other 11.
But David said, No, God put him on the throne. There's no way I'm taking him out. And David was just incredible. He opted to continue to suffer. Saul's reproach.
rather than take vengeance.
Well, anyway, it came a time when David, you know, gets away from Saul again, and David finally bears out his heart, and David said in his heart, He must have also said it out loud because we have it in print.
now I shall perish some day by the hand of Saul. There's nothing better for me than I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines as their enemies. And Saul will despair of me to seek me any more in any part of Israel, so I shall escape out of the hand of Saul. I just get away from this guy. Like he never existed.
That's all David wanted at that point in his life. It was long, of course, before he becomes king.
So to trust God when overcoming is one thing. To trust God when being overcome is another thing, and that's illustrated just right there in David's life. And he went on to make mistakes by fleeing Saul. But he was just so sick and tired of trusting God and doing it that way. He he goes and God lets him go.
And he he gets in trouble and he has to come back and then Saul of course dies. In all this David never renounced the Lord, And this is important, even through tragedy, okay, we understand that. But through his own sin, he doesn't renounce the Lord. And there are, and maybe this is more dominant in young men. than anybody else.
They may get frustrated that they can't beat sin.
So they want to give up. It doesn't work. That's the wrong way. That's Satan lying to you. That's telling you: don't overcome, don't persevere.
Everything you just heard in a sermon like this, don't regard it. Just if you can't get the victory. then you need to quit. That's that's self-serving pride disguised as Nobility. David, who did sin, He recovers.
He writes Psalm 50. I mean, create me a clean heart, O God. I mean, he continues to produce scripture. What a lesson! He dies trusting God, and he voices it.
Among his last words as an old king stricken with age, When They came to him and said, They're not making Solomon the king. And David, they get David and David Soul.
Well, we'll see about that. And in the midst of David's Dialogue or m monologue He says, as Yahweh lives, Who has redeemed my life from every distress? That's all you need from that to understand where this old man is at this point in his life. This Paul said a similar thing when he wrote to Timothy, You have been with me, you've seen God deliver me. Timothy's got to be saying, What do you mean seeing God deliver you?
I saw you caned, I saw you stoned, I saw you imprisoned and shipwrecked. What are you talking about?
Well faith sees beyond. The physical always sees beyond the physical. It's the flesh draws you in. to the temporary. Yes, David, among men, you are my hero in Christ.
A secret recipe for overcoming. We'll close with this. Psalm thirty one verse five Another Psalm of David. And this is not the deepest part of the psalm. If you go on to read the psalm, you find out, man.
This psalmist was hurting. He says, Into your hands I commit my spirit. You have redeemed me, O God. O Yahweh, God of truth. Truth.
Of course. The author of those words is Jesus Christ. And some thousand years later He will. Repeat those words. From the cross.
Into your hand I commit my spirit. That's what ACES stopped doing. And that's what we must not stop doing.
So How do you overcome? In Christ You commit your spirit to God and you leave it there. Thick or thin? He's redeemed you. He's the God of truth.
And the eternity that He's promised is true. Thanks for tuning in today to Cross Reference Radio, where Pastor Rick has some answers for various questions that have been asked. We can't fully express how grateful we are that you've been with us today. But if you're ever looking for more teaching and content from us, you're welcome to subscribe to our podcast. Just go to your favorite podcast app and look for Cross Reference Radio.
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