“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”
(Isaiah 6:1-4)
Three things we can see in Isaiah's vision:
1. The Time
2. The Place
3. The Highlight
I– THE TIME OF THE VISION - “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1 ). “In the year that King Uzziah died” (740 B.C.)
Let’s investigate the reason why King Uzziah died.
“And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and Habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 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. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. 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.”(2 Chronicles 26:14-16).
“And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being aleper; 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. Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.” (2 Chronicles 26:21-23).
1. King Uzziah was greatly helped by God until he became powerful.
2. King Uzziah was a model of excellence.
3. His achievement has been considerable.
4. He was invested with all the graces of an ideal ruler.
5. But after King Uzziah became powerful his PRIDE led his downfall. He was unfaithful to His God. At the height of His fame, he was struck down with leprosy.
6. King Uzziah forgot God’s Word in Deuteronomy 8:18-19 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
Note the words: “Thou shalt remember.” “Always remember.” “It is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
LESSONS:
1. In times of plenty, it is easy to take credit for your prosperity and begin to feel that your own hard work and cleverness have made you rich.
Illustration: “Turkish Auto”
Turkish President Cemal Gursel beamed with pride as he roared away from Ankara’s parliament building in the first auto ever made in Turkey. A scant 100 yards later, Gursel’s smile froze as the engine coughed and died. They FORGOT TO PUT GASOLINE IN IT.
2. It is easier to get so busy collecting and managing your wealth that you soon find God has been pushed right out of your life.
3. Don’t forget God in your abundance, or you will eventually lose all you have.
4. Sometimes the very blessings God had showered on us make us forget Him. We are often tempted to rely on wealth for security rather than on God.
5. As you see what happed to King Uzziah, look at your own life. Do your blessings make you thankful to God, or do they make you feel independent of God?
6. We have seen God’s great miracles, but sometimes find ourselves enticed by the world’s goods – power, convenience, fame, sex, and pleasure. As king Uzziah forgot God, so we are susceptible to forgetting Him and being defiled by an evil
Remember all that God has done for you so you won’t be drawn away from Him by the world’s “pleasures”.
7. Forgetting can be dangerous; whether it is intentional or oversight. The more we focus on the pleasure of the world, the easier it becomes to forget God’s care, His love, His dependability, His guidance, and most of all, GOD HIMSELF.
8. “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee”. (Deuteronomy 8:10).
This verse is traditionally cited as the reason we say grace before or after meals. The purpose here was not just to provided a time for prayer, but to warn the Israelites NOT TO FORGET GOD when their needs and wants were satisfied. Table prayers serves as a constant reminder of the Lord’s goodness to us.
9. Prosperity more than poverty can dull our spiritual vision, because it tends to focus our thought on “more and better” rather than on “here and now.”- Rather than being content with what we have or what God has done, we wish for what might have been or desire what we could have. We then become driven by our need to have more of everything except God.
10. When we remove God from our lives, everything else becomes USELESS, no matter how valuable it seems.
11. We deceive ourselves when we measure our happiness or contentment on life by the amount of wealth we possess. When we put riches at the top of our value system, the comforts of today overshadow the eternal value of our relationship with God.
We think we will be happy or content when we get riches, only to discover that they bring nothing but transient pleasure. The true measurement of happiness or contentment is an eternal one. You will find true happiness if you put eternal riches above earthly riches.
12. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).
“Forget not all His benefits.” “The man who had forgotten to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”
13. Conclusion:
a. King Uzziah was greatly helped by God.
b. At the height of his fame, he forgot God and he was smitten by leprosy.
c. The song says: “Count you blessings, name them one by one.”
Reviewing past blessings can encourage us to continue to serve God faithfully. Great blessings come to those who obey God’s commands, but severe judgment come to those who disobey Him. Along with God’s blessings come the responsibility to live up His demands for honesty and faithfulness.
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”( Job 1:21). Don’t forget! Every heartbeat we owe to Him, every hour is lent to us by God!
Let’s investigate the reason why King Uzziah died.
“And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and Habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 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. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. 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.”(2 Chronicles 26:14-16).
“And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being aleper; 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. Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.” (2 Chronicles 26:21-23).
1. King Uzziah was greatly helped by God until he became powerful.
2. King Uzziah was a model of excellence.
3. His achievement has been considerable.
4. He was invested with all the graces of an ideal ruler.
5. But after King Uzziah became powerful his PRIDE led his downfall. He was unfaithful to His God. At the height of His fame, he was struck down with leprosy.
6. King Uzziah forgot God’s Word in Deuteronomy 8:18-19 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
Note the words: “Thou shalt remember.” “Always remember.” “It is He that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
LESSONS:
1. In times of plenty, it is easy to take credit for your prosperity and begin to feel that your own hard work and cleverness have made you rich.
Illustration: “Turkish Auto”
Turkish President Cemal Gursel beamed with pride as he roared away from Ankara’s parliament building in the first auto ever made in Turkey. A scant 100 yards later, Gursel’s smile froze as the engine coughed and died. They FORGOT TO PUT GASOLINE IN IT.
2. It is easier to get so busy collecting and managing your wealth that you soon find God has been pushed right out of your life.
3. Don’t forget God in your abundance, or you will eventually lose all you have.
4. Sometimes the very blessings God had showered on us make us forget Him. We are often tempted to rely on wealth for security rather than on God.
5. As you see what happed to King Uzziah, look at your own life. Do your blessings make you thankful to God, or do they make you feel independent of God?
6. We have seen God’s great miracles, but sometimes find ourselves enticed by the world’s goods – power, convenience, fame, sex, and pleasure. As king Uzziah forgot God, so we are susceptible to forgetting Him and being defiled by an evil
Remember all that God has done for you so you won’t be drawn away from Him by the world’s “pleasures”.
7. Forgetting can be dangerous; whether it is intentional or oversight. The more we focus on the pleasure of the world, the easier it becomes to forget God’s care, His love, His dependability, His guidance, and most of all, GOD HIMSELF.
8. “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee”. (Deuteronomy 8:10).
This verse is traditionally cited as the reason we say grace before or after meals. The purpose here was not just to provided a time for prayer, but to warn the Israelites NOT TO FORGET GOD when their needs and wants were satisfied. Table prayers serves as a constant reminder of the Lord’s goodness to us.
9. Prosperity more than poverty can dull our spiritual vision, because it tends to focus our thought on “more and better” rather than on “here and now.”- Rather than being content with what we have or what God has done, we wish for what might have been or desire what we could have. We then become driven by our need to have more of everything except God.
10. When we remove God from our lives, everything else becomes USELESS, no matter how valuable it seems.
11. We deceive ourselves when we measure our happiness or contentment on life by the amount of wealth we possess. When we put riches at the top of our value system, the comforts of today overshadow the eternal value of our relationship with God.
We think we will be happy or content when we get riches, only to discover that they bring nothing but transient pleasure. The true measurement of happiness or contentment is an eternal one. You will find true happiness if you put eternal riches above earthly riches.
12. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2).
“Forget not all His benefits.” “The man who had forgotten to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”
13. Conclusion:
a. King Uzziah was greatly helped by God.
b. At the height of his fame, he forgot God and he was smitten by leprosy.
c. The song says: “Count you blessings, name them one by one.”
Reviewing past blessings can encourage us to continue to serve God faithfully. Great blessings come to those who obey God’s commands, but severe judgment come to those who disobey Him. Along with God’s blessings come the responsibility to live up His demands for honesty and faithfulness.
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”( Job 1:21). Don’t forget! Every heartbeat we owe to Him, every hour is lent to us by God!
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