What is your relationship with God worth?
Sermon Title: IS IT WORTH IT?
Scripture Text: 2 CHRONICLES 26:16-21
Sermon Notes:
2 CHRONICLES 26:16-21 NIV
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in.
18 They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.”
19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house --leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
1 JOHN 4:10 NIV
10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
What is your relationship with God worth?
ECCLESIASTES 2:24-25 NLT
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
I. UZZIAH’S ASCENT
2 CHRONICLES 26:1-5 NIV
1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.
2 He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
seek | Hebrew: darash
“to trample under foot”
“We are to seek after true success that comes from seeking God.”
2 CHRONICLES 26:5 NIV
5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
PROVERBS 19:21 NIV
21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
PROVERBS 16:9 NIV
9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
“God is pleased when we seek him.”
“What we do matters to God.”
II. UZZIAH’S DESCENT
2 CHRONICLES 26:15 NIV
15 In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.
2 CHRONICLES 26:16 NIV
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
“The seemingly sudden fall is really not a sudden fall.”
PROVERBS 16:18 NIV
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:12 NIV
12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
2 CHRONICLES 26:17-21 NIV
17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in.
18 They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD 19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.
21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house --leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
“Sometimes the success we seek can destroy us.”
“Uzziah’s success was not due to his effort of his genius. It was from God.”
2 CHRONICLES 26:23 NIV
23 Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said…
2 CHRONICLES 26:23 NIV
23 Uzziah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for people said, “He had leprosy.” And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.
“Pride is the great enemy of those that God wants to use greatly.”
TWO POINTS:
1. Uzziah’s Ascent – he sought the Lord.
2.Uzziah’s Descent – he became proud.
THREE LESSONS:
I. LEARN TO BE SEEKERS OF GOD
“Both the Old and New Testaments say it [seeking] is a ‘setting of the mind and heart’ on God. It is the conscious fixing or focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.” — John Piper
HEBREWS 11:6 NIV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
II. REMEMBER THAT EVERYTHING WE HAVE IS A GIFT FROM GOD.
“Our success, no matter how big or small, is a gift from God.”
JAMES 1:17 NIV
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
1 CORINTHIANS 4:7 NIV
7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
III. GUARD AGAINST PRIDE.
ROMANS 12:3 NIV
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
“Pride is the great enemy of those that God wants to use greatly.”
- Let’s learn to be seekers of God.
- Let’s remind ourselves that everything we have is a gift from God.
- Let’s guard against pride.