Keep Going | Simple Church | Pastors Barry & Angie Briley

Azariah’s word to Asa sets the tone: “The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found… if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” The text lays out a straight path for a people staring down the next five years. Asa stands like “an island of hope in a sea of tragedy.” He tears down high places, refuses to let mixture linger, and restores what honors God. The charge lands the same way now: live by God’s word, don’t react, pray and fast, and let the Lord direct the steps.

The Spirit, not human polish, carries the work. The passage names a famine of the true God, a teaching priest, and law, and it reads like a mirror for any life that has lost boundary and breath. The call is simple and stubborn: seek him and do not quench him. If God lights someone up mid-service, no one should flip the switch off. The house is built on prayer, before anyone walks in the door.

Trouble comes. The narrative refuses the shortcut to blame everything on the devil. “God troubled them with every adversity,” and that line turns like a key: his adversity is their opportunity. Adversity gets attention, grows courage, and trains a people to rest, not react. The word says, “Be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

When Asa hears the prophecy, courage rises and idols fall. Abominable things are removed. The altar is restored. That looks like real repentance, not Sunday attendance. A garage visit never makes a car, and church seats never make a disciple. The flesh rises; the Spirit says no; the believer says, “flesh, get down,” and opens the Book so truth can stick. Strongholds break as lies are named, old wounds are uncovered, and God’s created purpose speaks louder than shame.

Then the gathering grows. Tribes that drifted get drawn back when they see that God is with his people. Testimony does the pulling. Lights shine in offices, classrooms, and grocery aisles. Commitment matters too. Sporadic presence sets a low bar, but covenant raises it. The people enter a covenant to seek the Lord with all heart and soul, and that covenant touches worship, serving, and giving. Tithe and offering are not pressure plays; they are trust, because everything first passed through his hands. God will do his part. The question hangs where Asa heard it: will the people do theirs, pray, fast, seek, and walk out the call.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Seekers find; forsakers feel it The word binds promise and warning together. God draws near to those who draw near, and distance grows where hearts drift. The future gets shaped by present seeking, not by slogans. The Spirit will be found by those who refuse to quench him. [12:19]
• 2. Adversity can be God’s wake-up call Not every storm is demonic. Sometimes God troubles a life so attention comes back to him. That shaking becomes a doorway, not a dead end, when rest replaces reaction and courage answers the call. His adversity is their opportunity. [22:40]
• 3. Idols fall when courage rises Asa hears, “take courage,” and then he clears the land. Real repentance removes what competes with God and restores what honors God. That same courage calls out sin in love, crucifies the flesh, and opens the word so truth can stick. [25:56]
• 4. Gathering grows where testimony burns The tribes come because they see God with Asa. People still gather where stories of deliverance are told in offices and checkout lines. Consistent presence and bright witness make space for prodigals to find the way home. [31:59]
• 5. Covenant reaches wallets and work A heart-and-soul covenant costs something, including money and time. Tithe and offering declare that everything already belongs to the Lord. God keeps his side; faithful giving and serving train the heart to keep its side too. [40:21]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [08:43] - Turning to 2 Chronicles 15
• [12:19] - “The Lord is with you” charge
• [13:19] - High places torn down
• [13:49] - Pray, fast, and be led
• [14:34] - Do not quench the Spirit
• [15:44] - Without the true God and law
• [17:57] - In trouble, seek the Lord
• [22:40] - “His adversity is your opportunity”
• [25:04] - Be strong; work rewarded
• [25:56] - Idols removed; altar restored
• [27:57] - Repentance beyond church attendance
• [31:59] - Gathering as witness draws many
• [37:44] - Teaching on tithes and offerings
• [40:21] - Covenant to seek the Lord

1. What specific actions did Asa take after hearing Azariah’s prophecy, and what did he remove from the land? ([25:56])
2. According to the passage, what happens when people seek God in times of trouble? ([17:57])
3. What practical examples were given in the sermon about how “idols” can manifest in modern life? ([28:19])
4. How did the tribes of Israel respond when they saw God’s presence with Asa? ([35:25])

1. Why might God allow adversity in believers’ lives as described in 2 Chronicles 15:6, and how does this contrast with blaming the devil for every struggle? ([22:40])
2. The sermon states, “A garage visit never makes a car, and church seats never make a disciple.” What does this analogy reveal about the difference between religious activity and genuine repentance?
3. How does entering a covenant to seek God “with all heart and soul” impact practical areas like worship, serving, and finances? ([40:21])
4. Why might consistent testimony in everyday spaces (like offices or grocery stores) draw people to God more effectively than sporadic church attendance? ([32:50])

1. What is one “high place” or habit in your life that competes with wholehearted devotion to God? How could you begin removing it this week? ([26:36])
2. When facing adversity, do you tend to react impulsively or rest in God’s control? Share a recent situation and how you might approach it differently now.
3. Think of a time you shared a personal story of God’s faithfulness outside church. How could you intentionally create opportunities to do this in your workplace or community?
4. The sermon says, “Tithe and offering are not pressure plays; they are trust.” How does your giving reflect (or challenge) your trust that “everything first passed through [God’s] hands”? ([38:58])
5. What would it look like to “open the Book so truth can stick” in your daily routine? Name one practical step to engage Scripture more consistently.
6. Are there areas where you’ve set a “low bar” of sporadic spiritual commitment? How might covenant faithfulness—in prayer, serving, or relationships—raise that bar? ([33:56])
7. Who in your life needs to see God’s steadiness in you during hardship? How could you intentionally demonstrate rest (not reaction) in your next trial? ([36:31])