[0:00] 2 Chronicles chapter 26 and verse 1. This chapter is about abusing the blessings of God. And I hope you'll really listen and pay attention. I really believe there's some fantastic truths to be applied to our lives. We have a king here. His name is Uzziah. And he starts reigning when he's 16 years old. Look at verse 1, 2 Chronicles 26, 1. He's 16 years old when he becomes a king.
[0:26] And he does some stuff in verse 2. He actually makes accomplishments. In verse 3, we know that he's going to reign for 52 years. And that's who we're going to be talking about. This guy's going to start out great. God's going to bless him. He's going to get money and power and position as high as you can get. And by the end of it, he is going to be living in a leper's house, separated from his family, separated from all of his loved ones, because his pride caused him to think he was somebody and he could take a position that wasn't his to take. All through this are great lessons, I think, for us. All these Old Testament stories are written as illustrations for us to learn. And that's stated for us in the New Testament in the book of Corinthians. So look at me, if you would, at 2 Chronicles 26, 4. The first thing, and I hope you write it down, that's very clear in the chapter, is that parents exert great influence. Everybody in this room knows that.
[1:24] But we are reminded on a regular basis as we go through the Old Testament how important it is that you are mom and dad. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 26, 4, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah did. You ought to put a circle around the word according there in that verse, because he's going to follow the exact pattern of his dad.
[1:47] If you recall, his dad did right, but not with his whole heart. And by the end of the story, his dad's messed up. He's going to start out right. His whole heart's not in. He's going to be messed up by the time it's over. His story starts when he's 16. And he does what God commands. He does what God wants.
[2:04] But he's following his dad's example. He's following his dad's example. He's not doing what his dad says. He's doing what he sees his dad do. I hope you understand that your kids are not listening to you. If you've been a parent very long, you should have figured that out by now. The older they get, the less they listen, but they watch. They see every move we make. This kid starts out right, but he had seen his dad. He had learned that his dad did things to gain acceptance and the respect of people. His daddy got raised up. And when his daddy got raised up into power, his daddy began to forget God. And that's exactly what he's going to do. He's, I am sure, probably even on his death, but his dad could have very likely said, now son, I kind of messed up. Don't do what I did. Do what I'm telling you to do right now. That's a typical way we like to teach. He had learned from his dad how to play the game. He had learned from his dad how to act it out, act like it was real, act like he was doing the things that God wanted, but the dad never did it from his heart. He knew that he never fully meant to serve God. By the end of this story, this man is going to push the preachers out of the pulpit and take over and walk in. And God's going to strike him with leprosy. His pride is going to raise him up so high that he just thinks, I don't need anybody. I can do everything by myself. He was doing what he wasn't fully committed to doing. You know, you can come to church, you can serve God, you can read your Bible, you can have family devotions, but if it's not in your heart, eventually they're going to figure it out. If you're just doing it because you're supposed to do it, they're going to see that.
[3:47] If you're just loving your wife, taking care of your children and doing what you do, because that's what you're supposed to do. See, he never really fully meant to serve God. And he'll eventually show that in his lack of surrender. I have a question before I leave this idea here. What example are you giving? I really want us to stop and think. What example are you giving? It's not what you say or portray in public, but it's really who you are. That's what they imitate. They know you at home.
[4:16] They know how you treat their mother. They know how you treat their dad. They know how you treat other people. They know what you say when you're on the telephone. They know about you sneaking in the back room and looking at porn and doing other things. They're watching every move you make, and they're going to turn out more like you than you'd ever want. Go back to verse four with me and read it before I leave it. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. That's the very first thing I ought to do. I ought to do what's right. And it's not what's right according to my church, and it's not what's right according to neighbors, and it's not what's right according to other people.
[4:49] It's what's right in the sight of God. And that part's great in the verse. And when you read the verse, at first look, you might think, boy, he's a good guy. He had a good daddy, but then you remember what the Bible said in the chapter before. And you say, well, he didn't really have a good daddy.
[5:04] And then it says, well, he did what was right in the sight of God like his daddy did it. And then you go like, well, that ain't too good. That's not too good. What kind of influence are you exerting in your family? What kind of influence are you giving? By the way, that's going to continue on.
[5:20] You know how my kids ought to learn to die? By watching me die. You know how my kids ought to learn to give? By watching me give. I don't have to go in the house and say, watch this, I'm giving.
[5:32] Do you know how they ought to learn about faithfulness to church? Not by me saying they ought to be faithful, but by me being faithful. Do you know how they ought to learn how to treat their wife or their husband? By watching mama and daddy. This kid did right according to what his dad did.
[5:49] You have massive influence. And our church is primarily a church of young people where you still have small children. You ought to constantly realize you're not just raising those kids and feeding those kids and buying them clothes. They're learning everything from you. Are they going to yell at their wife? Well, I can tell you that. I can tell you how we can know. What do you do?
[6:12] Are they going to hit their wife? Are they going to be faithful to their wife? Are they going to deal well with stress? Are they going to handle the word of the Lord right? They're watching you. Now, if you would go with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 26 and verse 5. 2 Chronicles chapter 26 and verse 5.
[6:30] And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding and the visions of God. Now, that's where we're stopping for a second. We'll get the rest of it in just a minute. I love this verse.
[6:41] I love this verse because I like old Zechariah. You should put a circle around the old boy's name. That's not the Zechariah that's in the Bible that writes a part of the Bible. It's another Zechariah. But this guy's going to do right as long as there's a man of God with influence in his life. Look at it.
[6:56] He sought God in the days of Zechariah. There's a ton of things I'd like to ask you to consider because I hope, you know, this is the preacher had great influence. The parent had great influence.
[7:08] The preacher had great influence. By the way, the preacher is not the pastor of the church necessarily. Well, it's you. It could be a deacon. It could be a Sunday school teacher. It could be anybody in our church. You have influence in people's lives. And here's what I like. I just like to analyze verses.
[7:23] I like this. Zechariah who had understanding of the visions of God. You know what that means? That means the old boy read his Bible. He didn't have Bible read. He had God speak into him. But he understood the things of God. He took the time to learn who God was, what God said, what God did, what God wanted.
[7:41] He was a man who said, I'm a man of God. And I'm supposed to know the things of God. And he used that influence and that knowledge or that knowledge and that training as to influence this guy to serve God.
[7:54] And Uzziah is going to serve God as long as Zechariah is there. I don't know how you see that. I just picture this guy who's kind of not sure what he wants to be, kind of not sure who he is, kind of not sure how his life is going to turn out.
[8:08] But anytime the preacher shows up, he stables up. Anytime that spiritual mentor comes in the room, he kind of stables up. That spiritual mentor leaves, he's going to fly off and go crazy, going to do wrong before it's over.
[8:20] You ought to be that spiritual mentor. At our church, our young people ought to be learning from you. As long as the king was in training, he did right. As long as he was under the sound of the truth, he did right.
[8:34] If I were a parent and I heard that, I'd be committed to be in every church service. I'd be committed to have my kids in every church service. I would never punish my children by taking them out of church because they need that because they're already a little like this.
[8:47] That's just how human beings are. But whenever they get around to people that are loving God, it kind of helps level them out. We'll get around to what's going to happen after that. Church ought to be there. Sunday school ought to be there. Bible studies ought to be there. Discipleship ought to be there.
[9:00] When he heard right, he did right. Think about what this verse is saying. When he heard right, he did right. He needed that external training and teaching. He needed somebody standing over and saying, Hey, Uzziah, Uzziah, no, no, no, no, no.
[9:13] Don't do that. Don't do that. Yeah, yeah, do that. That's what he needed. That's who Zechariah is. The only problem is he never internalized it. The only problem is he never internalized it.
[9:27] That's really not Zechariah's fault. Zechariah can't make you take it to heart and can't make you take that teaching inside. And so I'd just like to stop and say to everybody in this room, over the years, I've watched people drop out of church.
[9:47] And you look at it later and you're like, what happened? They got away from truth. They got away from Zechariah. They got away from somebody helping them and they walked and messed up.
[9:58] Those of you who go to the jail here at our church and you're in the jail ministry, I know this. You meet good church people every week. You start talking to them and they'll be like, I grew up in church.
[10:10] Some of them, at least when I used to go preaching in jail, I preached and the guy said, I used to be a preacher. I was a deacon. You need to internalize truth. You need to learn the truth from others, but you need to make it yours.
[10:25] You need to learn it for yourself. This is a very dangerous thing about Bible preaching. You sit there and listen and you're like, okay, yeah, okay, okay. All right, let's go home. And you walk home, but you never take your Bible.
[10:37] You never dig in the Word. You never write notes. You don't have family devotions. You don't have personal devotions. You don't have personal Bible study. You never say, I'm not really sure I agree with a preacher. I'm going to go study that out.
[10:48] In fact, this morning I said some things that you might be like, I'm not too sure I agree with that. Well, good. Then go study it out. Come talk to me, but make it yours. I could say all that this morning with all the boldness in the world because I have made it mine.
[11:03] Make it your conviction. Do not live based on what others say on outside influence, but fill your heart with truth. Fill your heart with truth. It used to kill me when I was a young preacher.
[11:15] I'd have all these people come to my church, and whenever I got around, they all went into holy mode. Holy mode. You wouldn't believe it. And so, like, I had some guys that went to my church that smoked, and, buddy, they did not want me to know they smoked.
[11:30] But it's the funniest thing in the world when you see smoke coming out of the back of a guy's head. I mean, I walk up there, and he's holding that cigarette behind his head, and that smoke's just filling. I never said a word. I saw one guy stick it in his pocket one time.
[11:43] And before it was over, he was dancing a jig and burning a hole slap in his pocket. I have gone into houses, and when they see me knocking on the door, you can hear the beer cans getting kicked under the couch.
[11:54] It's like, oh, no, the preacher's here. That's external influence. You know how it is if you're that guy. When you walk in the room, when you walk in the room, they say the preacher's here don't tell that joke.
[12:06] Preachers here don't do that. Make it your conviction. You can start out doing right because you're told, but somewhere along the way, you have to begin doing so because it's in your heart, and the Holy Spirit's directing you.
[12:20] As a man or woman of God, you should use all the influence you can. Everybody in this room, you know, you're the best people in our church. You're always here. Unless there's some reason, I mean, you can vacation, but, I mean, you're here.
[12:31] But we have major possibilities of influencing young people. And these young people are going to grow up to serve God or not serve God someday. You should be Zechariah. Make sure that guy stays right while you're there.
[12:44] But try to help them instill it in their hearts. Be willing to hear and answer questions. Help them make the truth their own. Don't just make them do it because it's what we do. This is the last thing I want to say before you go.
[12:55] I think one of the problems with instilling it in hearts is that older, older, older. I'm the oldest in the room, I think, except for my wife.
[13:07] I'm looking around. I am. I'm the second oldest person. So just let me say this. You got a little bit of age and somebody asks you a question. You won't answer the question. You get mad. They say, why do we baptize like we do?
[13:18] You just say, that's what we do. I don't help a young person. That'll never get it in their heart. You need to say, let me show you why we do what we do. Y'all teach at the church that people are eternally secure in Jesus.
[13:29] And I just don't think that's right. You should say, well, let me show you. So you can make this yours. Let them ask any question. And you answer that question. Now go to 2 Chronicles 26, verse 5.
[13:42] Look at the last part. The Bible says he prospered when he sought God. And as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. Would you underline as long as?
[13:55] This is a funny thing. If you hadn't read the chapter yet, you don't know this guy is going to be living in a leper colony. Away from his wife, away from his children, away from his parents, away from anybody close to him, away from any family members.
[14:07] And he's going to have to have food brought out to him. And he's going to have to holler, unclean, unclean, if he ever gets around regular people. He's going to go from all of that to this. And here's what the Bible says about him. As long as, you shouldn't have learned that.
[14:19] As long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. As long as he tried to find and do the will of God, he was blessed and prospered. It was God blessing him.
[14:29] It was God making him prosper. And so I'd like to take a minute and read a psalm with you that I think will help you know how to seek God. Do you know how to seek God? Look at Psalm 63 with me.
[14:41] Open your Bibles to Psalm chapter 63 and verse 1 if you would. Psalm chapter 63 and verse 1. Because as long as he sought the Lord, as long as he sought the Lord, he was blessed and he prospered.
[14:54] I want to seek the Lord. I want to be blessed. Just to be blunt and honest, I want to be blessed and I want to prosper. Now, seeking the Lord obviously would indicate obedience. But it's not about doing.
[15:06] It's about being and it's about who you are. We got some young people here and I love you with all my heart, but you are dealing with some sin junk and it's because you're not seeking the Lord. The reason you can't control your temptations is because you don't seek the Lord.
[15:22] How do you seek him? Psalm 63, 1. Are you ready? Open your Bible, your paper Bible. Underline some things here. Oh God, thou art my God.
[15:32] Underline this. Early will I seek thee. God, you're like a priority in my life. God, you're like first thing in my life. I'm going to look for you early. Early.
[15:43] The truth is you can read your Bible at night. You can read your Bible anytime of the day. There ought not be any legalism about that. But you know what? If you don't have it in your mind, man, I got to find the Lord. I got to seek God. I got to spend some time with God.
[15:54] You're not going to be strong as you could be. He said early will I seek thee. Then underline the word. Here it says my soul thirsteth for thee. Underline the word thirst. You may not know what that means to be thirsty.
[16:08] You know, because we don't really ever get thirsty. I used to live in a desert. One day I was visiting David and Katie and I decided I had Bo Carpenter with me and I borrowed David's car and I decided to do a little exploring.
[16:24] And I drove up outside the city and I drove out into the desert. And I said, I think we can get in the desert. I think we can cross that river and get to the other side. But and we won't even have to go back down the hill.
[16:37] And I drove David's car down a hill. And when I got down the hill, it was a drop off. And the river was like 200 feet below that. And there was no way across. When I turned around and tried to drive out, I couldn't drive out.
[16:48] I put rocks in the tire. I made Bo push. I pushed. We did everything we could. And finally, I mean, I got the cell phone out. Like, here's the old man going, son, would you come get your daddy? He's a dingback.
[17:00] Got the car lost. Can't get out of here. No signal. No water. No signal. No car. Desert. Man, we walked.
[17:11] It was hot. It was sunny. It was dry. We climbed up. I got to the first place where I thought maybe we could get a signal. I got up to this little shanty up there that they use to control stuff.
[17:23] Nobody's there. No phone calls. Phone's not working. Finally, I called. When I finally got a signal, they said, where are you? I said, I don't know. I'm lost in the debt. When they finally found me, I mean, I was like a cowboy in an old cowboy movie.
[17:37] I was looking for mirages and everything. That's thirst. That's thirst. You ought to thirst for God. You ought to be like, I need him.
[17:47] I need him. I need his answers. I need his help. I need him to move in my heart. I thirst for him. And you ought to work at that. Thirst. Look at the next part.
[17:58] Underline. My flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. My body desires you.
[18:09] I need you. What I wouldn't have given. I don't know if you know this, but I'm a connoisseur of watermelon. I can eat a half of any size, but I can eat a whole one if it's the right size.
[18:20] I love watermelon. My flesh was longing for a watermelon. I didn't care. I'd have drank something I didn't want to drink that day. Do you realize you live in a dry and a thirsty land? Ain't no help for you here.
[18:34] Your marriage is in trouble. Your family's in trouble. Your health's in trouble. You're in trouble. You need God. You know what God wants out of you? Hunger and thirst after righteousness.
[18:45] What do you want? Verse 2. To see thy power and thy glory. God, I want to see you do stuff. God, I want to see you show your power. God, I want to see you high and lifted up.
[18:58] We sing the songs, but this song right here is saying, hey, I want to see that. And like I've seen it at the sanctuary. When I've been down at the temple, when I've been down at the temple, when I've been at the tabernacle, I've seen you, God.
[19:09] In worship services, I've seen you. I want to see that again. Verse 3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life. You are better to me. I love you so much.
[19:20] The way you love me, the kindness you show to me is better than even being alive. You want to seek him. You hunger for him. You want to seek him. You make it a priority. You want to seek him.
[19:31] You desire him. You want to seek him. You think of how good he is. And right now, maybe you're going through some junk in your life thinking he's good. But the Bible says he's good. And you praise him.
[19:45] You praise him. Verse 4. I bless thee while I live. I will lift up my hands in thy name. O God, I love you. You know, now when Chris Fee sings up here, you'll see him doing this hand raise right here.
[19:59] He's like an imitating Ed. Ed used to be all over the place. And I told Ed to calm it down. He was just kind of an up in the air type deal. But that's not unbiblical at all. It's like I love God.
[20:11] Who loves Jesus? Hold your hand up. Who loves Jesus? That's what he's saying. I hold my hand up. I love him. I love him. I praise him and I love him. Verse 5. My soul shall be satisfied.
[20:22] I don't know how I'm satisfied. But as with morrow and fatness. You're not eating. You're not really eating. You're just talking to God. But when you talk to God, all of a sudden you walk out and you go, man, I was hurting and I was in a mess.
[20:34] But I longed for him and I hungered for him. And I sought him. And I feel some relief. I feel like God's here to help me. I remember a time in Liberty Baptist Church where I'd messed things up as a pastor and the church was in financial problems.
[20:49] I wasn't getting a salary. And I had to have some money to take care of some bills that the church had. And we didn't have this kind of church like you. And I got down beside a green couch in my office that Betty's mom and dad had given us.
[21:04] And I got down on my knees. And I told them, I said, God, I ain't got nowhere else to go. I have nowhere else I can go. There is no solution to my problems. I am in trouble, bigger trouble than I've ever dreamed of.
[21:15] There is no hope for me. I don't know how to explain it to you and you can take it any way you want. But I promise you it felt like he moved in the room. I thought he is here and he's got his arm around me.
[21:28] I got through praying. I got up off my knees and I walked downstairs. And Camilla Caldwell was my secretary. She's in heaven now. And I walked by her and I said, it's okay. Don't you worry about it.
[21:38] God's going to take care. That's what he said. I'm full. I'm satisfied. And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. I'm going to brag on him and praise him.
[21:50] I know you're hurting. And I know you're in a dry and a thirsty land. And I know there's no hope. But you can talk to him and he'll satisfy you. And you go ahead and brag on him right where you are.
[22:01] Verse 6. When I'm asleep, I remember you on my bed. At night, I talk to him and tell him I love him. At night, I meditate on him and the things he does. I think about him.
[22:13] I think about him when I get up early. I think about him when I'm laying in the bed. It's a dry and a thirsty land. I have nowhere to go. I need God. I need God to meet with me. Why would I do that?
[22:26] Because he has been my help. Therefore, in the shadow of his wings will I rejoice. My soul follows hard after God.
[22:38] I'm going to chase him. I'm going to love him. So let me just give you some real quick things here. Realize your need of God. We all need him. There's people that assume you ain't got a problem in the world.
[22:48] Everything in your life is going hunky-dory. You still need God. Get into the word. Examine your heart. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Let him speak to you.
[23:00] Obey him as he directs you. Cast your burdens on him. And just say to him, I can't deal with this. I don't know what to do with this. I'm giving it to you the best way I know how. I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.
[23:10] I don't know how to do this, God. And walk in faith. Believe in him. Act on what his word says. Before I move on, are you seeking God? Are you living in his blessings because you intentionally seek him?
[23:23] I would challenge you that we have become routine Christians. I would challenge you that we come on Sunday morning and Sunday night and Thursday night and you're the best people in this church. But it's like we're just on robot mode.
[23:33] Come in. Sit down. Listen. Hear the stuff. Get up and leave. But we're not seeking him. Make decisions and even your schedule based on what he would want you to do.
[23:44] Well, the title of the message was Abusing the Blessings of God. We haven't got to that. So go with me to verse 8. 2 Chronicles 26.8. Next thing that happened was he got his act together and he got his life under control and he kind of stabilized the ship and everything got good.
[24:01] The Bible says, And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah and his name spread abroad. All of a sudden people started hearing he's a good guy. He's powerful. He's got things under control. And he strengthened himself exceedingly.
[24:13] Underline that. He strengthened himself. He strengthened himself. Oh, now I got it. I got all my guards in place. I got my money in the bank.
[24:24] I checked my CDs before I came here. I got everything under control. I am taking care of number one. But what he forgot was it had been God that was helping him. Look at verse 7. And God helped him.
[24:37] Underline that. That's what you're forgetting. It was God that helped you. Go down if you would to verse 15. The last few words for the sake of time. He was marvelously helped.
[24:49] He was marvelously helped. Look at that. God helped him. I wish you'd underline that. And then I wish you'd circle this. Teal. God helped him.
[25:00] God did a work. God saved him. God gave you that wife. God did all this stuff in your life. God's been good to you. Then you wanted to move into your own strength all of a sudden, didn't you?
[25:11] Now you think you're strong enough. And now instead of humbly begging God and always seeking him, you think you're strong enough? Till he was strong. God helped him till he was strong. The problem with getting stronger and stronger is we slowly lose focus on the Lord.
[25:26] We begin to think we accomplish those things. We begin enjoying the benefits and blessings instead of the blesser. We become consumed with this world.
[25:37] I want all the toys this world's got. And I become more interested in this here than that there. I become more interested in what's around me and what I can see.
[25:48] The lust of the eye, the pride of life. I become more consumed with that. Pride sets us up for a fall. Have you moved from seeking God to building up yourself?
[25:59] That's a serious, genuine question. Could you remember back for a minute when you were so scared and you humbly begged God because you was in such trouble only God could help you?
[26:11] You remember those days? But now you don't really need to pray like that. I can tell you I deal with this. I can remember when I was starting Liberty Baptist Church. I'd visit.
[26:22] I'd come home and I'd tell Betty 120 people promised me they'd be here tomorrow. I'm so excited. We had the best service ever. And none of them would show up. None of them.
[26:32] There'd be 10 people at church. And that night I'd get out and I'd walk the street and I'd just say, God, do you not know where I am? I am working. I am praying.
[26:43] I am begging. And you're not doing anything. And now I don't have to worry about it. You're such good people. You'll show up. Have we moved from seeking him to building ourselves?
[26:57] Have you begun to take credit for what God has done in your life? Go to me in 2 Chronicles 16, 16. Now when he was strong, bad things started to happen. You see, when you get strong, you're probably in trouble.
[27:14] Best thing we could do would be stay weak. When he was strong, underline this, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. Underline that.
[27:25] His heart was lifted up to his destruction. His heart was lifted up to his destruction. And he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
[27:40] I wish you to underline his heart was lifted up. See, he got strong. And you can see him. Can't you see him? Count my horses. Count my soldiers. Let him march out in front here.
[27:51] We'll have a military parade. I've made all kind of new instruments of war. That's in the chapter. I've made some new ways of shooting spears and some new ways of shooting arrows. And I've got new cities.
[28:02] And I've built new walls. And I mean, honestly, we don't even need God to take care of our country anymore. I've got it under control. He never said that. Like you would never say it. But his heart was lifted up to his destruction.
[28:16] He decides that not only is he the man, since he's a king, but now he can do the priestly duties. In 2 Chronicles 16, verse 17, he goes in to make the offerings.
[28:31] I'm just a preacher here. I'm not a priest. But these priests were like very special people God chose to work in the Holy of Holies, to work in the offerings. And it was a special job. Nobody else was supposed to do it.
[28:42] Nobody. But Uzziah's like, hey, good night. If anybody's close to God around here, if anybody knows what they're doing, it's me. Step out of the way. And 80 priests get in there and say, you need to get out of here, buddy.
[28:52] You don't belong here. You're not supposed to be doing this. And it's not going to bring honor to your name if you do it. See, God had given the job to priests. They had been consecrated, but the king was presumptuous and thought he could do it.
[29:08] By the way, if you stand in the way of Uzziah and tell him no, some people you just can't tell no to. You tell them no, they will lose a cork. Look at 2 Chronicles 26, verse 19.
[29:19] Then Uzziah was wroth. He was angry, mad. And he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. See, he's angry and he's ready. All he's got to do is call the soldiers and kill all the priests.
[29:32] Saul did that kind of thing. But when that happened, leprosy showed up on his forehead. Wasn't he the king? Hadn't he done great things for the kingdom? Didn't the people know who he was?
[29:44] You think I don't have money? You think I don't have position? You think I'm not a politician? You think I can't be somebody? You better show me some respect. I made myself.
[29:55] Sometimes I get like that. Come on, be honest. So God struck him with leprosy.
[30:06] Look at verse 20 if you would. But God struck him with leprosy. The Bible says, And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests looked upon him. And behold, he was leprous in the forehead. And they threw him out from thence.
[30:18] And they hasted also to go out because, underline it, it was the Lord that did it. The priest didn't do that to him. The Lord said, I made you, and I can unmake you. I made you, and I can unmake you.
[30:36] And he went from 52 years, I'm not sure how long he's going to be a leper, but I mean from 16 to 78, 68? 16 and 52, add that up for me.
[30:47] Anyway, he was that long, and all of a sudden he's out, and all of a sudden it's over? Look, if you would, at 2 Chronicles 26 to 21. And Uzziah the king was a leper until the day of his death.
[31:03] He only did it once. He only made that one mistake. His pride lifted him up to destruction. He rushed in where he wasn't supposed to be. Boom. Leprosy.
[31:14] Oh, I shouldn't have thought so much of myself. Forgive me. God said, Well, I'll forgive you, but you still got leprosy. And you'll have it the rest of your life. Then it says something else that's really ugly.
[31:25] Look at it. And he dwelt in a several house. That means not in a regular house, but over there in the houses where we put the lepers. You see, leprosy was highly contagious. And if I got leprosy and I get around you, you'll get leprosy.
[31:37] So they quarantined them. I don't think many of you know anything about quarantine. Used to be in the city of Rome, Georgia, where I went to college. You could go by the tuberculosis center, and you could only see certain people.
[31:50] Probably had to be in a certain wing. And those people, when you got tuberculosis, they locked you in there. Well, at least with tuberculosis, you could get help. With leprosy, it's over, buddy.
[32:02] If you're looking at the same verse, verse 21, he was cut off from the house of the Lord. He was cut off. And his son took over and reigned. What a great start.
[32:18] He did right to begin with. He had a preacher helping him stay right. God blessed him and strengthened him greatly. But he got too big for his britches. And when he got strong, he started thinking he was somebody.
[32:35] Sometimes Christians don't come to church humbly. They come to church like, do you know who I am? In the old days, in Christianity in Europe, they used to have a pew rent.
[32:48] And pew rent, and they did it in the U.S. when they got over here too. And pew, well, there were colonies then, but the pew rent was, you got to rent your pew. And so if you had no money, you had to stand in the back.
[33:00] And if you had money, you could have a pew that had cushions, and a heater, and curtains. You could just really be comfy. And by the way, you knew who they were, but who's pew, what pew they were in.
[33:11] I mean, and that's why even in James, James said, don't you dare put the poor people in the back. This guy walked into church and said, I might've used to have been one of them that stands in the back, but I am now King Uzziah.
[33:23] And only my King Uzziah, God's blessing me. And by the way, God helps him and helps himself. And I've been helping myself a lot here lately. And he got too big. And now he'll be buried in verse 23 in the field of burial, which belonged to the kings.
[33:40] But there's no fancy burial mentioned here for him. He's a leper. He blew it. He didn't finish right. He didn't die right. Let me give you a few things to look for in our own lives.
[33:54] Don't forget who you are. Don't forget who you are. Just because you got a little money because you live in a nice area of town, a nice area of the country.
[34:04] Just because God's blessed you. Just because things are going right. Don't forget you're a sinner, deserve to go to hell and God's been good to you. Don't think you deserve more. Don't think you deserve more.
[34:15] Don't get where you honestly believe I ought to have more because that's where the King goes. Don't presume to be superior, better than others. The fact that you got a little money doesn't make you better than anybody.
[34:28] Don't forget that it was the God that we once sought and walked with that built us. We forget his word. Amazing. Some of you have read your Bibles in the beginning, but you know you don't anymore.
[34:42] And I give the invitation, you wouldn't move out of that seat because bless God, I ain't seeking nothing. You're not embarrassing me. You know who I am? We forget that God still might really do something.
[34:57] I give you leprosy. That's the story here. Don't you realize he was like, God helped me when I needed help, but he wouldn't mess with me now. But he did. The God who made us can unmake us.
[35:12] God isn't some genie in a bottle that we use to get what we want for our own benefit. That's not who he is. So you can abuse the blessings of God.
[35:23] I don't want that for you. I don't want that for any of us. I want us to seek God and honor God and humbly walk with our God. I know it's Sunday afternoon and I know you're a little sleepy because you ate lunch.
[35:36] You're supposed to be taking a nap right now. And it was hot outside. It's cool in here. And so you're just like enjoying life. But I really think you'll think about it. I did not prepare the message.
[35:46] It's just like, oh, we'll just do something and let them go home. Why don't we let God deal with our hearts? Why don't we let God deal with our hearts? Why don't we let God deal with our hearts?