The Bucket part 1

Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, Southpointe!! This morning we are starting a new series called the Bucket.

This series was birth into my heart at general council last week, after hearing a statics from George Barna:

Which states: A person stop growing spiritually in the first 5 to 7 years in their walk with God and the majority of them are leaders.

And the conclusion of this happening was because they missed the message on Sunday morning.

You know that I just got back from Orlanda, Florida, we were at the General Council. And when we left, our instructions to our girls was please water our flowers around the pool and watch the pool because the humility will pull a lot of water out and make sure that you keep an eye on it so that the water will not turn green.

Well, when we got back the flowers had not being watered and the pool was lower than it has ever been and it was green.

He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you.

We know that God’s sweet Spirit comes and lives in us once we invite Him into our lives.

So let’s have a clear understanding that we are like a bucket and God pours the His Spirit into our bucket.

(Pour the water into the bucket.)

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!

Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'"

(When He said "living water," He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into His glory.)

And on the day of Pentecost God’s Spirit now lives in this temple that we want to call the bucket for this series of messages.

Now I want to go back to our text this morning:

Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success.

This is what I want you to see this morning: Here is a king, King Uzziah who the Word of God declares that this man sought God.

The word sought means to exist, to become, to come.

Basically, Uzziah entire existence was God, He was striving to become or to come just like God.

I like how the message Bible put

He behaved well in the eyes of God, following in the footsteps of his father Amaziah. He was a loyal seeker of God.

He was well trained by his pastor and teacher Zechariah to live in reverent obedience be for God, and for as long as Zechariah lived, Uzziah lived a godly life. and God prospered him.

Three things I want you to see to keep your bucket filled not 3|4 filled 1/2 full or 1/4 but I am talking full to overflowing.

Uzziah behaved well in the eyes of God:

Uzziah was following in the footsteps of His father.

Uzziah father was Amaziah of Judah:

Amaziah which Hebrew meaning "the strength of the Lord," "strengthened by Yahweh," or "Yahweh is mighty"; He was a king of Judah, the son and successor of Joash.

Let’s go back to how we start out strong but in that 5 to 7 years mark we start losing out.

We were mighty, we were strong, but some where the name and a good start is not enough.

We need some spiritual fathers and mothers who have stayed faithful and will joined hand and hand with us thru this journey.

It may not be your biological father or mother, but someone in the house today that will lead beyond those 5 to 7 years mark.

These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children,

to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

Some young ladies needs some spiritual mom.

In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for "God opposes the proud but favors the humble."

In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for "God opposes the proud but favors the humble."

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.

But we need some sons and daughters in the faith to be listener, but to be one that is more than just a listener but a doer.

To be a follower:

Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.

But we need Spiritual fathers and mothers:

The spiritual father or mother is to take responsibility for his/her spiritual children.

They takes the new believers that have came before God, committing himself or herself to make sure that progress is made in the spiritual life.

The spiritual fathers and mothers are to help the seeker carry part of their spiritual burden. This can take several forms.

We can patiently listen to the struggles of our spiritual children, giving counsel, support and correction, even when it becomes burdensome.

The norm of all spiritual fathers/mothers is to always neglect one’s own interest for the profit of others”

The spiritual fathers/mothers is called upon to manifest the sacrificial love of Christ for his/her children, to bear their burdens with them and “lay down one’s life for his friends”

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

2. Uzziah was a loyal seeker of God.

2. Uzziah was a loyal seeker of God.

If you want your bucket to stay full and overflowing then you must be a loyal seeker of God.

Not just a seeker of God, but a loyal seeker of God.

“Loyalty isn’t grey. It’s black and white. You’re either loyal completely, or not loyal at all.”

You will find people who are seekers. And those seekers are one who are seeking to prove that God exist or that God love them.

If God is real and if God loves me than He will bless me. But a loyal seeker of God is loyal completely.

Let’s look at Uzziah: he was being blessed by God, He was built tower, He was building cities, He was winning wars, His army had the fine weapons. He was a very busy king.

His fame spread far and wide, for the LORD gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.

If we are not careful, remember the 5 to 7 years period.

We can conqueror the enemy of the land but surrender to the enemy of our soul.

We quit be a loyal seeker of God and start becoming a seeker of our self.

The Golden calf experience: Moses is gone, He is out of sight, We have been waiting for Moses to come down off that mountain, He may not come back so let start look for the next god.

Achan- We hid a little bit of disobedience under our tent, because God might not supply all our needs.

Abram and Sarah— Let’s not have faith in God’s promise instead let’s create our own and help God out.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

And this is what happen to Uzziah:

He quit be a loyal seeker of God and started be a seeker.

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the LORD his God by entering the sanctuary of the LORD's Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.

3. Uzziah was reverent obedience for God.

If you will notice that as long as Uzziah was listening to his teacher, His spiritual father then He was blessing God.

Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success.

He sought God, He fear God, He asked guidance from God and because of all this God gave him success.

Remind me of Joshua ( tell the story of Moses is death, Joshua is the leader and God promising Him success: )

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Uzziah quit respecting the things of God. He went into the temple and was personally burning incense. That was a holy thing only to be done by the priest.

Our bucket will be empty went we quit abiding my the Book. the Word of God.

Let’s get our bucket full again!!