A Loud Covenant – Ambassadors of Christ

Main Text: 2 Chronicles 15:12-15

[12] Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; [13] and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. [14] Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. [15] And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. — 2 Chronicles 15:12-15

[12] Y entraron en pacto de buscar a Jehová el Dios de sus padres, de todo su corazón y de toda su alma; [13] y que cualquiera que no buscase a Jehová el Dios de Israel, muriese, grande o pequeño, hombre o mujer. [14] Y juraron a Jehová con gran voz y júbilo, al son de trompetas y de bocinas. [15] Y todos los de Judá se alegraron de este juramento; porque de todo su corazón lo juraban, y de toda su voluntad lo buscaban, y fue hallado de ellos; y Jehová les dio paz por todas partes. — 2 Crónicas 15:12-15

Big Idea: When we seek God with all our heart, He allows Himself to be found — and that seeking is not done in secret, it is done out loud.

Introduction

Do you know what it means to seek God? I am not talking about visiting Him for a while on Sunday. I am talking about seeking Him the way you seek something you lost and cannot live without.

Look with me at what Scripture says. In 2 Chronicles chapter 15, the people of Judah enter into a covenant. And not just any covenant. Verse 12: “Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul.”

“Y entraron en pacto de buscar a Jehová el Dios de sus padres, de todo su corazón y de toda su alma.” — 2 Crónicas 15:12

But they did not do it in silence. Verse 14: “Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns.”

“Y juraron a Jehová con gran voz y júbilo, al son de trompetas y de bocinas.” — 2 Crónicas 15:14

Church, there is something here we need to see: God allows Himself to be found by those who seek Him with all their heart, and that seeking is done out loud.

1. There Are Two Ways to Find God

Do you know what that means? There are two roads to reach God.

First: seek Him with all your heart. When you decide to seek God, He allows Himself to be found. Jeremiah 29:13 promises it: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

“Y me buscaréis y me hallaréis, porque me buscaréis de todo vuestro corazón.” — Jeremías 29:13

Isaiah repeats it. Isaiah 55:6: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”

“Buscad a Jehová mientras puede ser hallado, llamadle en tanto que está cercano.” — Isaías 55:6

And David sings it in Psalm 27:8: “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”

“Mi corazón ha dicho de ti: Buscad mi rostro. Tu rostro buscaré, oh Jehová.” — Salmo 27:8

You can go as far as you want with God — as far as you want in prayer, as far as you want in His Word, as far as you want in holiness. No law can stop you. When you seek, you find.

But there is a second way. For the one who does not know where to start, for the one who lost the road, God comes out to seek him. Jesus said it: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

“Porque el Hijo del Hombre vino a buscar y a salvar lo que se había perdido.” — Lucas 19:10

Two roads. The one who seeks and finds. And the one who is lost and is found. In both, the one who wins is the one who lets himself be found.

2. The People Who Had Lost the Road

Look with me at the story. For a long time, the people of Israel had no God, no priest, and no law. And when you have no God, what happens? God troubled them with wars on every side. Without God, everything falls apart.

But then came King Asa. And God gave him a great victory over the Ethiopian army. A great army, impossible. But God gave him the victory.

And here is what I want you to see: when Asa returned from that victory, he became discouraged. He lost heart. Because he saw how much idolatry the people had embraced. And under the covenant of Moses, idolatry was a capital crime. It was the death penalty.

Have you known a private Christian? One who won the battle but came home discouraged. You have been there too. You won the battle and then discouragement came.

But God did not leave him in his discouragement. He sent a prophetic word through Azariah. 2 Chronicles 15:7-8:

“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin… and he renewed the altar of the Lord.”

“Pero esforzaos vosotros, y no desfallezcan vuestras manos, pues hay recompensa para vuestra obra. Cuando oyó Asa las palabras y la profecía del profeta Azarías hijo de Obed, cobró ánimo, y quitó los ídolos abominables de toda la tierra de Judá y de Benjamín… y reparó el altar de Jehová.” — 2 Crónicas 15:7-8

There it is. He heard the word, he took courage, and he acted. Just like David. 1 Samuel 30:6: “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him… but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”

“Y David se angustió mucho, porque el pueblo hablaba de apedrearlo… mas David se fortaleció en Jehová su Dios.” — 1 Samuel 30:6

David strengthened himself in the Lord. Asa took courage from the word. This is how you come out of discouragement: not by waiting to feel better, but by strengthening yourself in the Lord.

3. A Covenant Out Loud

When the people saw that God was with Asa, and that His word was with him, they joined him — they and the strangers who were with them. And they made a covenant with God.

And what is a covenant? A covenant is a binding agreement. They bound themselves to God’s terms. The covenant was to seek God.

But not in private. Look at verse 14: “And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.”

“Y juraron a Jehová con gran voz y júbilo, al son de trompetas y de bocinas.” — 2 Crónicas 15:14

Out loud. With shouting. With trumpets. With cornets. Before everyone.

And the result, verse 15: “And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.”

“Y todos los de Judá se alegraron de este juramento; porque de todo su corazón lo juraban, y de toda su voluntad lo buscaban, y fue hallado de ellos; y Jehová les dio paz por todas partes.” — 2 Crónicas 15:15

He was found of them. They sought Him, and they found Him. And God gave them rest on every side.

This is how you know. This is how you know. When you seek God with all your heart, and you do it without reservations, out loud before everyone — He allows Himself to be found, and He gives you rest on every side.

Application

And what do we do with this this morning?

It is not enough to want to seek God in silence, hidden. The covenant of Judah was public. It was out loud. Your seeking of God has to come out of the private.

Make a covenant, not an intention. Do not say “someday I will seek God more.” Bind yourself. Set a time. Set a place. Decide before Him.
Seek Him out loud. Pray out loud. Confess out loud. Praise out loud. Praise has power, and the covenant is sworn with a loud voice.
Strengthen your soul in the Lord. When discouragement comes — and it will come — do not stay in discouragement. Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord your God. Like Asa, hear the word and take courage.
Repair your altar. Asa repaired the altar. What altar is fallen in your life? What have you left neglected?

Gospel Connection

And here is the good news: you are not seeking a God who hides. You are seeking a God who wants to be found.

That is why Christ came. Because there was a lost people, and God came out to seek them. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. You did not seek first — He sought you first. And now, because He found you, you can seek Him with all your heart and find Him.

It is not by your works. It is by His mercy. It is because He allowed Himself to be found.

Conclusion and Call

Church, are you seeking God with all your heart? Or are you seeking Him halfway? In private? Without a voice?

Look at what happened when Judah sought Him with all their heart: He was found of them, and the Lord gave them rest on every side.

That is the covenant. And that covenant is made out loud.

Today, in this communion, make your covenant. Not tomorrow. Today. Seek Him with all your heart, with all your soul. And you will see — like Judah — that the one who seeks, finds.

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”