King Asa - Ps. Garry, June 1

Welcome to His Story, Our Story, a fresh podcast series

of interviews, testimonies, messages and anecdotes where a range of

people from all walks of life share their journey as

they've traveled with Jesus. Here at Southland Church and Pasaden Adelaide,

our heart and mission is to pursue the presence of

God through a Christ centered, Bible based, spirit filled church.

We disciple and equip people to make a positive difference

for the Kingdom of God and impact every area where

God places them. So sit back, grab a cup of

tea or coffee, unless, of course, you're driving where both

hands are needed on the wheel, and enjoy this episode.

We pray that you are blessed and encouraged as you

listen to His Story Our Story.

King Assa, many of you will know it in the scripture,

some of you won't, is an interesting character. And I

want to have a look at this because as I

was praying about this, and the Lord showed me things.

But he also showed me how King Assa's example is

actually so important for us today. Even though you're talking

back well between two and a half about two and

a half thousand years ago, A bit more fascinating character.

I want to start by saying, life's challenging. If you

think your life's challenging and the situation you inherit is challenging,

well you're not the first, you won't be the last.

Poor Assah became king and his father before him, Abijar,

had been king. I'm just reading here. This is from

One Kings fifteen three. So this is what he inherited.

This is Abijar was a wicked king. He committed all

the sins his father had done before him. His heart

was not fully devoted to the Lord his God as

the heart of David his forefather had been. So he's

inherited this situation where he didn't ask for this. He's

the kid, but this is what he's in And so

as we read here two Chronicles fourteen one and Abajar

arrested with his ancestors and was buried in the city

of David. Assa. His son succeeded him as king, and

in his days the country was at peace for ten years.

This is an interesting character because he's very different than

his father. We read a little bit on further into

Chronicles fifteen says King Assa also deposed his grandmother Marka

from her position as queen mother because she had made

a repulsive image for the worship of Ashra. Assa cut

it down, broke it up, and burned it in the

Kidron Valley. It's worth noting here that Ashra was the

Canaanite goddess. She was connected basically to sex, fertility, war,

and nature. She was a few other things too, but

that's a general thing. So he's come in. He's actually

got rid of Grandma, booted her out as well, So

he's really come against much of what his family tradition was.

And it just didn't happen with those two generations. See

it started back we read in One King's eleven five.

It actually started with Solomon. He Solomon, there followed Ashtarith,

which is another name just for Ashra, the goddess of

the Sidonians, and Moloch, the detestable god of the Amorites.

There had been this generational thing before Assah. This is

where he was going. Now. It's worth noting here too

that the Assyrians called this asher ishtar. It is important

where we're going with this. This is a little bit

further on again with Solomon One King's eleven, verse seven,

on a hill east of Jerusalem. Solomon built a high

place for Chemoth Testibal, god of Moab, and for Molach,

the detestable god of the Amorites. That's how far Solomon

had gone, because he started so well, remember that he

prays for wisdom. He starts, well, this is where it's gone.

The generations follow Moloch. And that's a picture there, artwork

depicted on Moloch. Many of you would probably know. Jesus

talks about this, and he talks about the valley of

Hinnon Gahenna. This is where Moloch was situated. It was

where they did child sacrifice. King A has I've got

listed down here. King A has burnt his own children

there as sacrifices to Moloch. This is the tradition. This

is the family that Assah is inheriting. This is how

badly Israel and Judah had fallen at this point. So

now let's have a look at the scripture and see

what happens to Assa, because I think there's so much

in this passage that can actually teach us about how

we do life today. So reading now from two Chronicles fourteen,

verses two to five, Asa did what was good and

right in the eyes of the Lord is God. He

removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the

sacred stones, and cut down the asher poles. He commanded

Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors,

and to obey his laws and commands. He removed the

high places and incense altars in every town in Judah,

and the kingdom was at peace under him. Note what

he does here, Assah is not king of a united

kingdom with Israel. It's just Judah. But what he does

in his sphere of influence, he starts to make an impact.

You see him. He starts to tear down the idolatry.

He redirects the people to seek the Lord. Note that

he commands Judah here. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord.

He removed the high places and the insult incense alters.

He did what he could in his sphere of influence.

He's calling God. He's calling on God to purify the people.

And note the kingdom was at peace. God was with him.

We read on. Now he rebuilds, so he's got rid

of the rubbish, He's got rid of what wasn't right.

He built up the fortified cities of Judah. Since the

land was at peace. No one was at war with

him during those years, for the Lord gave him rest.

Let us build up these towns, he said to Judah,

and put walls around them with towers, gates and bars.

The land is still ours because we have sought the

Lord our God. Note that he acknowledges it. They're only

there because of the Lord's graciousness. Well it didn't go. Well,

there we go. The land is still ours because we

have sought the Lord our God. We sought him, and

he has given us rest on every side. So they

built and prospered. So now they're actually building in his

fear of influence, he's building. Assa had an army of

three hundred thousand men from Judah equipped with large shields

and with spears, and two hundred and eighty thousand from

Benjamin armed with small shields and with bows. All those

were brave fighting men. Assa is building from the foundations

up again. It's been realigned to God. You can see this,

and note God provides him with faithful people. It says

there that he's bringing in these soldiers who are faithful.

These are guys who have turned back to the Lord,

are faithful. God does that as you rebuild. He always

provides his people. He brings them in in due course.

And now look what happens. Look what happens Verses nine

and ten. Zarah the Kushite marched out against them with

an army of thousands upon thousands and three hundred chariots,

and he came as far as Marishah. Assa went out

to meet him, and they took up battle positions in

the valley of Zephythath near Marashah. Assa's response provoked a response.

When he set his heart to get rid of the

salt damp, out of the foundations, to get it right

to rebuild, he faced spiritual resistance. That's what he need,

and he is greatly outnumbered here. It was a huge response.

But what I love about this is this bit Assa

went out to meet him. He did not worry, nor

did his men worry that they were hugely outnumbered, because

Assa knew that the battle was not his alone. The

battle was the Lord's, and the Lord was at work.

We continue the story. Then Assah called to the Lord

is God and said, Lord, there is no one like

you to help the palace against the Mighty. Help us, Lord,

our God, for we rely on you, and in your name,

we have come against this vast army. Note that they're

not going in their own strength, although they'll still give

everything for the Lord. But he knows where the strength is. Lord,

you are our God. Do not let me immortals prevail

against you. And then Asah experienced this amazing victory because

the Lord went ahead of him. Note this, the Lord

struck down the Kushites before Assah and Judah. The Kushites fled,

and Assa and his army pursued them as far as Ghera.

Such a great number of Kushiites felt that they could

not recover. They were crushed before the Lord and his forces.

The men of Judah carried off a large amount of plunder.

They destroyed all the villages around Gherah. For the terror

of the Lord had fallen on them. There's a spiritual

battle going on here. It's not just a physical fight.

There's a spiritual battle here. The Lord struck them down,

it says, to begin with before Asa and Judah. It

finishes with the terror of the Lord had fallen on them.

Why because when your face with spiritual enemies, it's God

who gives a victory. It's the holy Spirit who brings

a victory. It's in the spiritual realm. Note for the

terror of the Lord had fallen on them. The Lord

went out before them. The spiritual atmosphere changes because the

Lord is at work. It totally changes. So what does

it mean for us today? Because I think we often

read stuff, but we read it through twenty first century.

Whatever we're in now, western eyes, this was actually written

back then and it speaks to us today. The message

is absolutely real, but you have to realize the context.

What's it saying. I want to look at that now

because it matters, want us to look at actually what

was assa facing? What was assa facing? And because I

often think of Ashra poles and things, I just think

of sort of a pole and I don't know, just

some sort of pole and think, oh, okay, it's wood

or ceramic or whatever. Lovely, And that's true. They have

no power whatsoever, no power whatsoever, but they symbolize something

that is powerful, and that's called a demonic spirit. That's

what they symbolize. And then people just want to put

something to worship physically, so they build these things. But

they reflected. So what I've done here is I've tried

to look at this and using a bit of my

history background historical method to use sources that are reputable.

They're not sort of outlies. These are so this is

just from the Encyclopedia Britannica. So we're talking about Ashrah

or Ishtar, which she was called with the Syrians, was

the goddess of rain and thunderstorms, war and sexual love,

delighting in bodily love. Ishta was the protectress of prostitutes

and the patron of the alehouse. So it's an interesting combination.

Do note here that sexual love is actually a gift

from God that in itself was not wrong. It's just

to be used in the way God intends. When it's

outside of that, that's where the problem lies. So that's

what we're getting at here. You actually notice it because

most of the times in the Old Testament, because the

writers are writing that era, they assume that everyone knows

what an astra pole is and what the ish to

means because it's it's current. But for us it's a

bit different. But you get a hint of it here.

One King's fourteen me or not Juda did evil in

the eyes of the Lord by the sins they committed.

They stirred up his jealous anger more than those who

were before them had done. They also set up for

themselves high places, sacred stones and ashra poles on every

hill and under every spreading tree. There were even male

shrine prostitutes in the land. The Lord engaged the people

engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the

Lord had driven out before the Israelites. So you see

there again the prostitution, which fits with what Encyclopedia Britannica

was saying. This is the environment that Assah was going into.

This is what happens. This is a model here where

Israel and Judah is obviously king of Judah had followed

the Lord and then moved away, moved away, and no

longer was God their lord. And this is what was

happening in their society. This one hears from the British Museum.

You've just gone to their website. Ishta had the power

to change a man into woman and woman into man.

Ishta was believed to have the power to change or

assigned gender. Ishtar is a fascinating deity who collapses boundaries

and celebrates the ambiguous territory between genders. As I said,

that's from the British Museum. It's not it's not a

radical statement or it's just what was. This is what

was happening in that society. This is sort of what

it looked like for Assa as he came in as king.

This guy is now the head editor of the World

History Encyclopedia. Was a professor of history at Maras Theological College,

I think in New York. In ancient Mesomotamia, the priests

and processes of the popular goddess in Anna, which is Ishtar,

included bisexual and transgender her father god Enki because they

all have this heritage line sort of in those gods.

It's said to have created a third gender, neither male

nor female, who became Ishtar's servant, a clergy what we

would call today as non binary gender. And this is

two and a half thousand years ago or more. This

was the world that Asa was inheriting. So we read

it and go as an ash for a pole, Well, yeah,

there was, but it means it actually means something. It's

not just a pole, it's what it's associated with, what

spirit is behind it. And he inherited the world because

that remember when they worshiped the Lord, their God. You

didn't have the high places with the ashrapoles and the bales,

and we could go on with a whole lot of

that stuff. I won't do that today, but does it

sound familiar? Does it sound familiar? As we have moved

you think of Australian society even you can see there's

been a movement. We've moved away from God. A lot

of the Church might not want to hear it, but

society has generally moved away from God, and unfortunately with

that there's a cost. There is a cost. Even going

back to how they describe these guys describe the spirits,

and I said, their historians not religious, but I'm not

even sure if any of them are people of faith.

It's just the British Museum. I'm quoting professor. You know,

they're all from secular sources here, God of the Alehouse.

Don't get me wrong. I like a red wine. I'm

quite partial. Little beer, I like one. But there's a

difference between that and alcohol abuse. That's the difference. And

we know from the scripture that Astra was was involved.

When they worshiped there. It was orgy stuff, it was drunkenness.

It was that extreme stuff, the God of lust? We

see that? Do we see gender confusion these days? It

seems simple when you read this and you read what

they say in that museum, stuff from the British Museum,

you go, you can see it Moloch. What about the

killing of infants because it's seen as the betterment of society?

It's the best really for the parents and the child

if we kill them. Sounds a familiar story. Celebration of prostitutes, prostitution.

What are we seeing today? What are we seeing? We

have a society is walked away from God largely. What

spirits are we starting to see at work? Because we think, oh,

oh no, it just happened secularly. No, no, no, Nothing

happens in a vacuum. Nothing happens in a spiritual vacuum.

Either God is Lord or is not, and if he's not,

something else fills about him. I'm just saying it. There

seems to be quite a similarity when you look at

this back to King Assa. What are we seeing even

in churches today? This is a survey Christian I think

this was done about three or four years ago. Sixty

four percent of Christian men, fifteen percent of Christian women

say they watch pawn at least once a month. These

were surveys done in churches. We're not talking about the

general population. For young people. Fifty one percent of male

students thirty two percent of female students said they they

first viewed pawn before their teenage years. That means twelve

or under. See the scripture is really it tells it

simply of staining from sexual immorality. I saw this one.

This was from about two years ago and an American church.

I was donely just an individual church, done by a

woman and asking in their church, and eighty seven percent

of all women present said they struggled with lust in

that church. In South Australia in twenty twenty three. This

is the South Australian government statistics. So it's not I'm

trying to keep all the things to legitimate sources. Four

ninety five autions that's just in South Australia. I could

be wrong in the year, but I could be wrong,

but I reckon that population is probably only about what

would we be about I don't know how many percent

of Australia, but we're not that big. It might be

a couple of midion probably for Australia's twenty odd. You

do the sums what it would be if you multiply

that in ratio across the land. Can you start to

see a similarity in what we're talking about with King Assa.

And it should be no surprise as Christians. It's just

that the church has been largely asleep at the wheel

for a while and sadly, and some of it still

is sadly. But Paul wrote about it the Church in

effort six years ago. For our struggle is not against

flesh and blood, So don't go blaming people. It's not

the people, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against

the powers of this dark and world, and against the

spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So how

do we go forward? I actually think as is the model.

As is the model. God is the same yesterday, today

and tomorrow. He hasn't changed. There's no different for us.

Romans twelve to two, and do not be conformed to

this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that you may prove what is that good and acceptable

and perfect will of God. It's the mind, ask the

Holy Spirit to transform You don't just rely on the

message as the world gives you. You're not goo to

you via the zoo. You're made in the image of God.

You're actually created by your heavenly Father. You are precious

and you were bought at a price. That's why he

went to the cross. You're bought at a price. As

John Kennedy used to say, you'll probably think of American

politics something in a fourth on football club used to

be their coach in the trench. It used to be

a coach lays in a trench coat. You used to say,

do something, do something. Flee When you get to certain positions.

You will get tempted by some things. That's life. Jesus

was tempted in the desert. Temptation will happen. It's what

you do with it that's the problem, or not the problem.

Flee for your bought at a price one Corinthian, six p. Eighteen. Therefore,

glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which

are God's Note that you belong to God. You were

bored a Christ, You were dead until He bought you.

So don't start trying to pretend that you run the show.

You don't. He is, and that's the great thing because

when you actually accept that, you realize how much you loved,

and you wouldn't be anywhere else. Pursue the Lord with

single minded intent, actively pursue him. Read your bibles, journey

with other Christians. One John tells us, if we confess

our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive

us our sins and purify some more. Unrocheouness, you will

make mistakes, you will fall into temptation. Sometimes God knows

that the cross was big enough for that. It always

has been, it always will be. The blood of Christ

is enough. But note that we do something, we actually

say sorry to the Lord. You have to confess sin,

you hand it to God. Then the forgiveness comes. But

that is there for us because he knows we're not perfect.

Just read the gospels. Just have a look, just to

just read the relationship between him and the twelve disciples.

If you want to look at examples of a rough

mob with rough edges, have a look at that lot.

Have a look at that lot. But they even Peter

denies him when he's about to be crucified, denies him

three times. Squad. What happens. There's that heart of repentance

and what was the Lord's response, do you love me?

Feed my sheep? He's brought into the fault. There's plenty

of forgiveness there. The grace of God is more than

enough when we come back to Him in repentance. And

why we know that we are spotless because two Corinthians

five twenty one one of my favorite verses. For He

made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us,

that we he might become the righteousness of God in him.

He did it for us. He did it for us. Guys,

So seek first the Kingdom. If you seek first the Kingdom,

your mind's going to be in that direction. And His

righteousness and these things will be shall be added unto you.

What that means is that when you focus on the

Kingdom and his righteousness, He knows your needs. He knows you,

He made you, he loves you, he knows where you're at.

There's no it's not like you're a secret from God.

He'll provide. You'll be amazed the miracles he can do.

You might think your life is just I don't know

where to go from here. He can do the most

amazing things. He can do the most amazing things. So

as Christians what do we do put on the armor

of God Ephesians six ten to thirteen. This bit finally,

be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you

can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our

struggle is not against flesh and blood. Note that Paul

says it again. But it's against the rulers, the authorities,

the powers of this dark world, and against spiritual forces

of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the

full armor of God, that when the day of evil comes,

you may be able to stand your ground. And after

you've done everything to stand, what is the armor of God?

It's your identity. No, you are the helmet of salvation.

That means I am saved, I am redeemed. It doesn't

matter what they tell me. I know who I am

in Christ. I am a son or a daughter of

the Most High God, and I am saved breastplate of righteousness. Remember,

he who knew no sin took it on so that

we might be wash clean. He did it for us.

So when you get those messages that keep coming in

and saying you're not good enough, remember where you came

from Remember everything you've done, cause you'll get all those

sorts of lies. You just stand in that arm and

you go. You know what, I have a breastplate of

righteousness because He did it for me. I'm his belt

of truth. It's a scripture. Stand on it, read it,

soak in it. Shoes ready to share the gospel wherever

he takes you. Fish in that pond. Be Sultan light

for people. Sultan Light's not very salt. You think that's

very small, really, but dear can permeate food same way.

You might not think you much, but you have an

amazing influence. God can use that and multiply it in

such a way for good across the people. You come across.

Shield of faith, know that he says who he is.

God says, and when he does, it's true. You can

stand on it, stay in faith and the sword of

the spirit. Use it. It's an offensive weapon and defensive

so when you get the lies, you can come against

em the scripture. Remember Jesus in the wilderness, Satan comes

against him. Every time it is written. It is written,

it is written, it matters. But you also use the

scripture as an offensive weapon. What I mean by that,

that's how you go in and take kingdom, territory, spiritual warfare, scripture,

it matters so much, matters so much. The Spirit works

through it. Any other messages you get, any revelation you

get individually from God, the Spirit will speach you. But

it will always That's always a measuring stick, always measures

against scripture. He will always match, always will. What I

love about this, though, note this is personal, this is

you individually. But then note and pray in the spirit

on all occasions and with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on

praying for what for all the Lord's people. It now

becomes collective. It's the church that stands. We have to stand.

It's a corporate responsibility. The Church needs to actually arise

in this situation because the spiritual battle has always won

in the heavenly realm. Finishing now with Paul chapter three

in Ephesians, Paul writes his intent was that now note this,

through the church, Through the Church, the manifold wisdom of

God should be made known to the rulers and authorities

in the heavenly realms, according to eternal purpose that he

accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through him,

In him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

I ask you therefore not to be discouraged because of

My suffering for you, which are your glory. It's through

the church. The church is plural. It's one body, but

it's made up of many parts. It's all of us.

And note that it should be made known to the

rulers and authorities. Where in the heavenly realms. I've said

it many times here, Yes you can, we can. It

should be involved in all of the spheres of life.

The Sultan light wherever God puts you be that, wherever medicine, education, politics,

whatever business like. Of course you're working your suit of

influence a Sultan light, but it will not change anything

long term unless you change the spirit atmosphere. It has

to be changed in the heavenly realms. And that means

as a church, we need to fight in that realm,

just as Paul tells us to do. So. I'm finishing up.

Be encouraged. God works and he is powerful. Do not

underestimate the power of the spirit to break chains and

break bondages. I see it regularly. I see it regularly.

I can talk about examples, Sarah and I have seen

it in ministry just here outside where we've you know,

we've had people come, some of them miners, very young,

with all sorts of spiritual stuff. I'm not saying here,

by the way, I'm just talking generally. We've come across it,

and they have been some of them mean kids, and

they will have issues with all sorts of things. I

don't think there's kids in the rooms good. We're talking

suicidal thoughts, all that sort of stuff. You're talking kids

in primary school. And you go, hang on, where does

that come from? Some things you don't need a lot

of prayer, just a bit because it's pretty straightforward. You

know where that's coming from. And you just come against

it in the name of Jesus. And I know some

ministries and that, and God bless them, I do it works.

Some of them shout and carry on like the Exorcist

and whatever else. It's great entertain I'm sure. But do

you know what the thing that makes a spirit move

is just the name of Jesus. It's actually the name

of Jesus. This just cuts the chase and just tell

it to go. It's really simple. Saves a lot of time.

That's all it is. There's a case I can remember

one probably twelve months ago, had he were going to call.

It was for someone in another state of Australia. And

I got a call and this person was having troubles

and it was just thankfully a connection here that put

them in a link. And this person was not moving

free in the community though in another place. But I

got this phone call and this person was saying that

and they'd been encouraged to ring by someone who was

looking after them. And they've been encouraging because this person

just had this urge to kill someone and that's what

they want. They couldn't understand it, but they just had

this realurg they needed to kill someone. And yeah, person

looking after him and said, if you can help, please

do because I think they felt a bit nervous understandably

into state it didn't matter. Just pray the name of

Jesus and break the thing off the spirit of death.

That's easy. Why is it easy? Because not me on

the vessel, it's Jesus Christ, and just break it off.

And the guy's been free of that now ever since.

It doesn't mean he's got hassles and other things he does.

He's a great guy. He was that simple. It literally

just takes prayer and you break these things off. But

then again it's the renewing of the mind. Remember the

flea in morality. There is also a part there where

we have to retrain and sometimes our minds get you know,

we get we're creatures of habit. I mean, think about it.

We are creatures of habit. When you got up this morning,

how many of you thought, oh, here's two things. I

think their socks. What will I do with these? You

don't you know? Yeah, hello, it's a pair of trousers

putting it over your head. You don't do that. We're

creatures of habit. We get trained, and that can actually

be an issue as well going forward. So that's when

that flea moraley, but also that have your mind transformed,

ask a spirit to help you with that. But there

is actually an action too where you have to say no,

you're part of it. You are part of it. It's

like a hawk. God can lead the horse to water.

You can even shove your head in a trough, but

you have a choice to blow bubbles. Right, you still

need to do something of it. But being courage because

King Assa shows that in the power of God. What

can happen when even a single person, single king, decides

to stand and trust God even when the numbers are

against him, and he triumphed. Why not because he was

anything special other than a child of God. He triumphed

because God went before him. It was God who gave

him the victory.

Thank you for joining us today for his story, our story.

We hope you've enjoyed this episode and have been encouraged

and uplifted. If you would like to learn more about

Walking with God or Southland Church in Pasadena, Adelaide, please

visit our website at www dot Southland Church dot com

dot au to be notified of future episodes. Follow us

on Spotify or the podcast app. To connect three YouTube,

click the subscribe button Until next time.

M