Hallelujah! Amen! Let's turn to Chronicles this morning. We want to look at a couple more aspects of the life of Asa that, I believe, can be helpful to us. A number of people have already come and said that the Lord has ministered to them in looking at these Kings' lives. I think, as we see this day approaching, we were talking about the common denominator in these great kings of Israel was this: After their great successes, there were great falls; the Scripture makes it very clear. "Take heed when you think you stand…" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Amen? There is a time coming, after everything we have faced and all our great victories, in which we become tempted to pat ourselves on the back and say how faithful we have been and how greatly God's grace has manifested itself. We don't want to have any confidence in our past accomplishments. We want all of our confidence in the grace of God; amen? We want all of our confidence in the grace of God because, in the hour that is upon us (as the Scripture says), "…few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). We want to prepare ourselves for that time, and to make sure that we belong to that remnant. Even the very elect, the Scripture says, are in jeopardy (Matthew 24:24). Let's not take this hour lightly.

Now, many of us seem to think that it has to do with America and the "great cliff" we are facing-the economic or fiscal cliff that is before us-and people are becoming frightened, and storing up food, and all of these different things. It's very real. And, as I have said, there is nothing wrong with that; it's probably wise. But our trust needs to be in the Lord; amen? Something bigger than an economic cliff is facing America: it's the wrath of God. We are a nation under judgment; we need to realize that, and we need to prepare for this hour. But the good news is this: We [the Church] will not enter the hour of God's wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9)...