2 Chronicles 15:2 “The Lord is With You…”

Pastor Andy examines 2 Chronicles 15:2 where the prophet Azariah tells King Asa, "The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." Using Asa's life as a case study (a man who started strong but ended weak, relying on Syria and physicians instead of God), Pastor Andy shows that every world religion and every human system ultimately depends on your performance, and nobody can sustain it. God is the sole source of love, wisdom, justice, beauty, and truth, and cutting ourselves off from Him produces the natural consequences of strife and emptiness. The turning point is Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God promises a new covenant written on human hearts so that people will truly know Him, not just know about Him. Pastor Andy illustrates Hebrews 12's promise that God disciplines those He loves and never forsakes His own.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

2 Chronicles 15:1-7

2 Chronicles 16:7-12

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (the new covenant, God writes his law on hearts)

Hebrews 12:5-8

Matthew 28:20

Psalm 7:11

Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11

TOPICS AND KEYWORDS:

King Asa — starting strong, ending weak

The old covenant arrangement, conditional on behavior

Every religion depends on human performance

God as the sole source of love, wisdom, justice, truth, beauty

The natural consequences of abandoning God

Roses cut off from their source, an illustration of Israel's condition

Jeremiah 31 — the new covenant promise

Knowing God versus knowing about God

The new covenant written on the heart

Christianity is not based on performance, it's based on surrender

He will never forsake you — Hebrews 12

Two stories from rehab, God pursuing His own

Forgiveness can only come from God

Pledging your life to Jesus Christ

Born again by the Spirit of God