This week builds on our previous studies into these two rich parables, by asking: how do we look after and guard our access to the Kingdom? How do we keep it up? How do we maintain our love and ‘zeal’ for the treasure so we keep it for eternity? We’ll use examples from the life of King Asa to show how.

Our passage:  Matthew 13:44-46 and Revelation 2:1-7  (OT Readings: 2 Chronicles 14:1-8).

Recap

Lookers, liquidators and lovers of the Kingdom

We have been spending some time looking at the twin parables in Matthew 13 about the great treasure that is the Kingdom of God.

We’ve looked at how the parables show a need for us to be lookers, liquidators, and lovers; we’ve looked at what this means in practice and how we can do this. Our treasure is the awesome Kingdom of Heaven – which includes a relationship with God and eternal life with Him.

Christians are by definition, seekers of the treasure. But as we’ve seen, we can’t look for it on our own terms for material gain, friendships or respect. We have to love God and give the authority over all of our life to Him. When we call Christ “Lord” we are acknowledging his authority over us.

If He is our Saviour, He is our Lord. The two cannot be separated. Those who love the Kingdom and the pearl of great price accept the treasure of salvation, and Jesus as Lord of their life.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

John 14:21 ESV

We do so not because we are inclined to do so ourselves, but because we are affected by God’s Word (John 1:1). We know something is innately wrong with the world as-is (sin and death), and we anticipate better things that the Kingdom offers.

Responding to the Kingdom

Our response to this amazing salvation is to share the treasure, care for it (by making sure our understanding is good and that we are worthy of it (cf. Ephesians 4:13-14), and adhere to it (by following God’s commands).

We have something wonderful. We want to share and care for it.

Until we reach the end times, we are still growing into what we will be. We still sin, we still face difficulties in life (see 1 Peter 1:6-7). We need to care for the Kingdom throughout our lifetime, and be obedient to His word regardless of what happens. This is tough.

Today we’ll look at maintaining the treasure as we run the race of life.

Further implications: Zeal for the Kingdom

Having been motivated to look for the treasure, having given all we have and now loving it, would we let it slip from our grasp, or be taken away? How do we keep hold of the treasure? How do we maintain our zeal for it?

Zeal: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

Definition: Zeal (noun)

This is harder than we think, even for people we would look to as having “great faith”.

Last time we looked at 2 Chronicles 16, about Asa, a king of Judah in Old Testament times; leader of a nation of God’s people.

2 Chronicles 16 describes Asa’s later years when had strayed from God, and the narrative is all too familiar for Old Testament kings; most of whom “did evil in the sight of the Lord”. But in our passage today from the beginning of his reign, we read that Asa is commended for doing good:

And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.

2 Chronicles 14:2 ESV

What has happened? What has gone wrong?

How Asa guarded his kingdom

We’ll look at 6 things he did right and 4 things he did wrong through his life (it is worth reading 2 Chronicles 14-16 if you have time). By looking at such an individual, Lord willing, we might be better able to avoid his mistakes.

1. Asa cleaned the temple

He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim

2 Chronicles 14:3 ESV

We should remove the things that would want us to worship them instead of God.

2) Asa commands the people to seek after God and follow his commands

As king, he used his position to point to God, which was the correct response of an Old Testament king; remembering that God was the reason he was king, having rescued, established and protected his kingdom.

and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment.

2 Chronicles 14:4 ESV

We also have opportunities to use our position to point people to God. How can we do this?

3) Asa uses the peace during his kingship to prepare for war

And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars…

2 Chronicles 14:7a

There’s a saying: “You’re either coming from trouble, are in trouble, or are heading into trouble.”

It is important to prepare for trouble and “mend the roof while the sun shines”.

When things are going well is when we need to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of the fallen world around us, by fortifying ourselves.

One method for this is to learn passages from scripture and creeds (human summaries of key truths) by heart. Whilst creeds and recitals can be overused, their value is that we can recall them quickly in times of trouble, and they can give us something to anchor ourselves to when all seems to be going wrong and we can’t think clearly. Hence it’s important to have a memory-bank of these.

Psalm 18: My God is a rock is a great devotional to help us with this.

4) Asa admitted his own capability

“…The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered.

2 Chronicles 14:7b ESV

As we discussed in point 2, everything Asa has is from God. Everything we have, including the great treasure of the Kingdom is from God. Admitting this is the first step to overcoming pride in ourselves.

5) Asa worshipped God

Throughout 2 Chronicles 14-15, Asa and the people worship God in a number of ways:

[11a] They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought…[12a] they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord…[14a] They swore an oath to the Lord…[15]And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all round.

2 Chronicles 11a, 12a, 14a & 15

There’s no particular place or way to worship God. Worshipping God is simply the only reasonable response to who He is and what He has done for us.

nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Luke 17:21

6) Asa disciplined his own mother because of her worship of pagan gods

Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

2 Chronicles 15:16 ESV

The Kingdom is more important than a title given to Asa’s mother.

The bond between Christians is greater than family. Not saying we shouldn’t love our families (see Ephesians 6:2), but we should love the Lord more.

When Jesus started his ministry, his family came to him. The context of the below passage was that they were coming to speak with him, and possibly to take him home. It is likely they thought he was mad.

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. [48] But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” [49] And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! [50] For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:46,48-50 ESV

Our family can be well-meaning, but when family want you to do something that is not right in the eyes of God, perhaps doing something else on a Sunday morning instead of worshipping Him – our Christian family is more important.

How we can guard the Kingdom better than Asa did

1) watch out for the noon day snooze.

Success in life is often followed by sleep.

• King David was victorious, then committed adultery with Bathsheba.
• Solomon was the wisest man in the world. He married for political alliances, and his wives led him astray.
• Asa started trusting in human alliances with pagans, despite all the victories God had brought him

A life in Christ is filled with zeal, but the world wants to grind us down. Don’t ignore the scriptures: allow them to convict us and work through us in our lives. The process can be painful, but the scriptures are there to protect us.

2) start with the little things and build up

Like with building a fire we need to start small. This links in with our discussion of Matthew 31-33 on the parable of the mustard seed: don’t despise small beginnings.

Evie Tornquist, a gospel singer from the 1970’s, sings “it only takes a spark to get a fire going, then soon all around us will be burning” (not a recommendation, but the example springs to mind).

3) don’t dwell on the past

Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 ESV

We need to remember as believers we have been redeemed. As God has rescued us in the past He will rescue us again “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 3:4).

The same also applies to dwelling on pain and suffering. God is doing His work through us and sanctifying us.

4) take opportunities our failure presents, and praise God for his mercy

Even our sins are an opportunity to praise God:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 ESV

He has atoned for our sinfulness. This gives us cause to rejoice in Him. Take the opportunities to do this.

There are perhaps more opportunities to learn from God during our trials. As James wastes no time in saying in James 1:3:

Count it all [pure] joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2-3

Wisdom for how to overcome trials is always on offer to those who ask in faith (James 1:4-5). The book of Proverbs is another useful resource.

A warning from Jesus: zeal for the Kingdom is essential

We must guard the treasure with zeal and not let go of it. Jesus says to the church in Ephesus:

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Revelation 2:4 ESV

You can go to the city of Ephesus and see the theatre where they shouted for the god of the city for two hours. The church today is a ruin. They were commended for not being tolerant of evil and testing their leaders, but in the end, they were ground down.

We should heed Jesus’s advice to them:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Revelation 2:5 ESV

Remember his mercy, grace and love. Live the life we are called to.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 

2 Timothy 1:6 ESV

We have a great treasure. Let us guard it and finish the race.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 ESV

Resources

Questions? Please contact us. Inspired? Come and worship with us on Sundays.

P.S. The song referred to above is below.