The Bucket part 2

Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones.

And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the LORD gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.

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.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning Southpointe! We are in this new series on the Bucket!

Last week we talked about King Uzziah.

And about how 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 reason why is because they were missing the Sunday morning message.

And we deal with how when we surrender our life to God, that God takes and pour His Spirit into our life.

(Pour the water into the bucket)

And as we look at King Uzziah’s life, what we see is a man that being blessed by God but now growing in God instead growing in self.

The biblical account of King Uzziah is a classic example of what happens to a man who gets too big for his spiritual britches.

The biblical account of King Uzziah is a classic example of what happens to a man who gets too big for his spiritual britches.

Uzziah’s rise to the throne had no doubt filled the hearts of the people of Judah with renewed hope.

The last two kings of Judah had started well enough, but after a while, they had led the kingdom back into idolatry, bringing judgment upon the nation.

As a result, both of the former kings, Joash and Amaziah, met their death due to conspiracy.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Uzziah began his reign well. He showed much promise as a godly ruler that would lead Judah back to God and the restoration of God’s blessings.

But over the years, as God blessed Uzziah, a secret enemy began to invade his heart. So subtle was this enemy that Uzziah likely wasn’t aware of what was happening to him until he had been dealt the fatal blow.

This enemy that defeated Uzziah was basically, that he let his V.I.P. status go to his head.

In other words, Uzziah became proud and haughty. Somewhere amidst all the blessings, he lost sight of the fact that God was the source of his power, popularity, and prosperity.

Pride is a killer. It will kill your spiritual growth. It will kill your intimacy with the Savior.

Why is pride so spiritually fatal? It is because pride moves one to focus on self instead of Christ.

Pride enthrones self rather than the Savior. That condition can produce but one result:

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

Pride is kinda like the pen-hole that we put in this bucket, you see the water in this bucket will evenly and slowly drain this bucket dry.

As we look into the life of King Uzziah today, we must be warned that God’s blessings can have the unintended result of pride if we are not careful.

As we look into the life of King Uzziah today, we must be warned that God’s blessings can have the unintended result of pride if we are not careful. We must stay alert; ever staying focused on the true source of every blessing—God Himself.

As we look into the life of King Uzziah today, we must be warned that God’s blessings can have the unintended result of pride if we are not careful. We must stay alert; ever staying focused on the true source of every blessing—God Himself.

We must stay alert; always focusing on the true source of every blessing—God Himself.

You can only imagine how insecure a sixteen-year-old boy must have felt knowing that a whole nation was looking to him for leadership.

I. UZZIAH’S SUCCESSION TO THE THRONE

A. He Became King As A Youth.

No doubt this led him to seek God’s face and to depend upon God for leadership and guidance and that’s what made him a good king.

“Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.”

NOTE: One can only imagine how insecure a sixteen-year-old boy must have felt knowing that a whole nation was looking to him for leadership. No doubt this prompted him to seek God’s face often, and depend upon God for leadership and guidance. But that’s precisely what made him a good king.

It’s very sad to think about the fact that Uzziah started his reign in humbleness and humility and ended his reign in humiliation.

NOTE: It’s very sad to think about the fact that Uzziah started his reign in humbleness and humility and ended his reign in humiliation. As long as he remained humble before God, he prospered. But the moment pride took over, it brought fifty-two years of blessing to a halt. Pride can destroy what humility and dependence upon God has built up.

As long as he remained humble before God, he prospered.

“Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem…”

But the moment pride took over, it brought fifty-two years of blessing to a halt.

Pride can destroy what humility and dependence upon God has built up.

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

NOTE: It’s very sad to think about the fact that Uzziah started his reign in humbleness and humility and ended his reign in humiliation. As long as he remained humble before God, he prospered. But the moment pride took over, it brought fifty-two years of blessing to a halt. Pride can destroy what humility and dependence upon God has built up.

As long as Uzziah walked with God, God fought his battles.

“And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.”

NOTE: Notice that the basis of Uzziah’s success was the fact that he was humble and obedient before God. As long as King Uzziah stayed focused and dependent on God, he prospered in all that he did.

A. He Prospered In Battle.

Folks, we need to remember that we need to maintain a close relationship with the Lord Jesus if we are to be victorious.

“And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.

7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehunims.

James speaks of this when he says,

8a And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah…”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

NOTE: As long as Uzziah walked with God, God fought his battles. Folks, we need to remember that we need to maintain a close relationship with the Lord Jesus if we are to be victorious in the spiritual warfare. James speaks of this when he says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” ().

Louis the Eleventh: said “When pride and presumption walk before, shame and loss follow very closely.”

It is evident that pride can become something problematic in the lives of human beings.

Though pride may benefit us, it may also be the cause of pain, suffering, and destruction.

Hubris pride is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a person, which ultimately brings about his downfall.

Hubris is a typical flaw in the personality of a person who enjoys a powerful position; as a result of which, he overestimates his capabilities to such an extent that he loses contact with reality.

A person suffering from hubris tries to cross normal human limits, and violates moral codes. Basically, this pride lead to thinking that I am like God.

Uzziah was operating in all this: He was enjoying a powerful position, He had lose touch with reality and with God.

He was trying to do too much, because he was superman.

(Play the original superman theme song)

Look, He was building cities, He was building forts, He was building towers, He had dug wells, He had cattle, fields and vineyards and He had builded himself a name.

And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

B. He Prospered In Building.

1. He built cities in the land once occupied by the enemy.

“…and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.”

Uzziah had got caught up in the pride game.

2. He built many fortifications.

Uzziah had stop seeking God, because he had become his own god.

“Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

You see, if Uzziah had been seeking God then he would have not been breaking the command of God, but he in his own eyes thought that he as like God.

10a Also he built towers in the desert…

…………………………………………………….

15a And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal…”

C. He Prospered In Bounty.

1. He had many sources of water supply.

Success and busyness will cloud your mind and leak out the Spirit of God in your bucket.

“…and digged many wells…”

2. He had many cattle.

Nothing wrong with be successful and nothing wrong with being busy, but you can not leave God out of the picture.

“…for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains…”

But when pride comes rolling in, it will cloud your mind. And many times it is because of the lack of resting in His presence.

We don’t have time to study, we don’t have time to attent church, prayer meeting, and outreaches and we become tired.

The idol of exhaustion

Have you seen people and you wondered how do they do it.

Now what I means is that instead of just being who God created them to be they are trying to be something that is not who God created them to be.

Some of you today, you are trying so hard to be this superman, and you are so tired. Oh you have worked hard at becoming, but you failed at belonging.

You have become, but you don’t feel like you belong there, so you just work and work to belong.

You are so tired. You are want to be what God want you to be but this ministry, or the dream God has gave me it is just too much.

And you say it just too much, I am exhausted. You are worshipping the state of being exhausted.

Because God will not required more out of you than what you are put in you.

In other words: Private disciplines should grow with the same level of your public success.

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD.

Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts.

They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths.

You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully.

Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!

Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with Your commands.

People of integrity follow the Word of God, they do not compromise and they are consisted with their actions.

3. He had many fields and vineyards.

Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.

King Uzziah,I believe got to busy and got exhausted and gave up on God, and started just do it himself.

This is the pride deal, when we think I can do this, I don’t need anybody help, I got this. It’s just not move fast as I want it to so I will help God.

“…husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.”

God does not need your help, God need your willingness to trust Him and His timing, and plan.

2. Pride will create an atmosphere of forgetfulness.

God helped him defeat the Philistines, the Arabs living in Gur-Baal, and the Meunites.

Even the Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah. He became very powerful, and people who lived as far away as Egypt heard about him.

He became very powerful. The atmosphere was being set.

He had become proud of his greatness and strength.

4. He was bountiful in reputation.

…………………………………………………….

15b …And his name spread far abroad…”

A. His Pride Was The Beginning Of His Downfall.

1. He had become proud of his greatness and strength.

But Uzziah had forgotten that God was the source of his greatness, strength, and success.

2. He had forgotten that God was the source of his greatness, strength, and success.

You would think that after receiving so many blessings from God that Uzziah would never have fallen prey to sinful pride.

But listen to this statement about pride maybe it will help us understand.

15b …for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.”

NOTE: [1] One might think that after receiving so many blessings from God that Uzziah would never have fallen prey to sinful pride. But perhaps this descriptive statement about pride will help.

Pride is the dandelion of the soul. Its root goes deep; only a little left behind sprouts again. Its seeds lodge in the tiniest encouraging cracks. And it flourishes in good soil: The danger of pride is that it feeds on goodness. David Rhodes.

David Rhodes.

The danger of receiving blessings from God is that if we’re not careful, somewhere in the midst of all the goodness we begin to believe that we are receiving God’s blessings because we’ve got it all together—we’re better then the rest—pride.

A man once noticed how easy it is to forget from whom our blessings have come, when he said:

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

A. Lincoln, Proclamation of a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, 1863.

This man was President Lincoln, on the Proclamation of a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer, 1863.

Uzziah’s pride was the basis of his demise.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

“…for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:

18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God.

19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.”

As I mentioned at the outset, “Pride is a killer.” One man in history learned that lesson the hard way.

During the Battle of the Wilderness in the Civil War, Union general John Sedgwick was inspecting his troops. At one point he came to a parapet, over which he gazed out in the direction of the enemy. His officers suggested that this was unwise and perhaps he ought to duck while passing the parapet. “Nonsense,” snapped the general. “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist--.” A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground, fatally wounded.

“Then Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.

21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.”

Theme: Uzziah’s prideful defeat is made sadder by:

I. UZZIAH’S SUCCESSION TO THE THRONE

II. UZZIAH’S SUCCESS IN SPITE OF TROUBLE

III. UZZIAH’S SUFFERING BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSION