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Well, good morning. 
It's good to see you all. 

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If you have your Bible, you can 
turn to Second Chronicles 26. 

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Second Chronicles 26. 
We are breaking for one week in 

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our Matthew series. 
Just want to offer an end of 

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year reflection and an 
encouragement, hopefully a help 

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to us in the coming year. 
And so we'll be in Second 

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Chronicles 26 today. 
Now, before we read God's word 

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here in a moment, I want us to 
step into the setting really and

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the purpose of this passage. 
In Second Chronicles 26, we are 

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given the story of a king. 
The King's name is Uzziah, King 

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Uzziah of Judah to be 
particular. 

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He's a king whose reign spans 
many years. 

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That includes both remarkable 
success and tragic failure. 

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If you're familiar with the 
story of King Uzziah, you may 

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already know that. 
But he comes to the throne at a 

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young age. 
He comes during the season when 

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the nation needed stability. 
The nation needed leadership. 

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It needed renewal. 
And under his rule, Judah 

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experiences military victory. 
Lots of them. 

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It experiences economic growth. 
It experiences national 

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strength. 
There's a lot of prosperity in 

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Judah under Uzziah's reign. 
But this chapter is not simply a

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record of his achievements. 
It's really a spiritual 

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biography. 
The chronicler, the one riding, 

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is not interested in how 
powerful Uzziah became, although

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that is significant. 
The rider is interested in why 

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he prospered and later why he 
fell. 

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Now, the text repeatedly draws 
our attention to Uzziah's 

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relationship with the Lord. 
And one of the things you'll see

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very clearly is that when you 
when Uzziah sought the Lord, God

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helped him, and when he trusted 
in himself, he was brought low. 

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And that is what makes this 
passage especially fitting for 

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us as we pause for a moment 
today to reflect on the year 

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behind us and prepare to enter 
into a new one, Lord willing. 

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So times of growth and stability
and success are often moments in

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our lives when God's that we see
that God's people are most 

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tempted all right. 
And they're not tempted to 

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abandon the Lord outright. 
They're tempted to slowly shift 

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from humble dependence to quiet 
self-reliance. 

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This passage invites us to give 
thanks to God for his help, and 

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invites us to give thanks to God
for his help without us taking 

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any credit for it, and invites 
us to heed a warning before 

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pride takes root in our own 
hearts. 

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So as we listen, as as you hear 
the word of the Lord in a 

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moment, I want you to pay close 
attention to the turning point 

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in the passage, the moment when 
strength gives way to pride and 

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blessing gives way to 
discipline. 

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This is not merely the story of 
a king long ago. 

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It is a gracious word from God 
meant to guard his people as we 

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step into a new year and into 
the continued work of the Lord. 

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So let us hear now the word of 
the Lord from Second Chronicles 

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26. 
I'm going to read verses one 

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through 23. 
If you're able to stand, would 

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you please stand now in honor of
the reading of God's Word, verse

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one and all the people of Judah 
took Uzziah, who was 16 years 

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old, and made him king instead 
of his father and Messiah. 

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He built Eloth and restored it 
to Judah after the king slept 

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with his father's. 
Uzziah was 16 years old when he 

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began to reign, and he reigned 
52 years in Jerusalem. 

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His mother's name was Jacoliah 
of Jerusalem. 

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And he did what was right in the
eyes of the Lord, according to 

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all that his father and Messiah 
had done. 

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He said himself to seek God in 
the days of Zechariah, who 

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instructed him in the fear of 
God, and as long as he sought 

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the Lord, God made him prosper. 
He went out and made war against

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the Philistines, and broke 
through the wall of Gath and the

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wall of Jabna and the wall of 
Ashdod, and he built cities in 

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the territory of Ashdod and 
elsewhere among the Philistines.

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God helped him against the 
Philistines and against the 

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Arabians who lived in Gerbil, 
and against the Mennonites. 

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The Ammonites pay tribute to 
Uzziah, and his fame spread even

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to the border of Egypt, for he 
became very strong. 

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Moreover, Uzziah built towers in
Jerusalem at the corner gate and

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at the valley gate and at the 
angle, and fortified them. 

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And he built towers in the 
wilderness and cut many 

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cisterns. 
For he had large herds both in 

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the Sheppala and in the plain. 
And he had farmers and vine 

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dressers in the hills and in the
fertile lands, for he loved the 

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soil. 
Moreover, Uzziah had an army of 

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soldiers fit for war in 
divisions according to the 

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numbers in the muster made by 
jail, the secretary of Messiah, 

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the officer under the direction 
of Hananiah, one of the King's 

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commanders. 
The whole number of the hurt of 

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the heads of fathers houses, of 
mighty men of valor was 2600. 

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Under their command was an army 
of 307,500 who could make war 

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with mighty power to help the 
king against the enemy. 

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And he's I have prepared for all
the army Shields, Spears, 

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helmets, coats of mail, bows and
stones for slinging in 

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Jerusalem. 
He made machines invented by 

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skillful men to be on the towers
and the corners, to shoot arrows

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and great stones. 
And his fame spread far, for he 

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was marvelously helped till he 
was strong. 

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But when he was strong, he grew 
proud to his destruction, for he

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was unfaithful to the Lord, his 
God, and entered the temple of 

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the Lord to burn incense on the 
altar of incense. 

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But Azariah the priest went in 
after him with 80 priests of the

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Lord who were men of valor, and 
they withstood King Uzziah and 

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said to him, It is not for you, 
Uzziah, to burn incense, the 

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Lord, but for the priest, the 
sons of Aaron who are 

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consecrated to burn incense, go 
out of the sanctuary, for you 

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have done wrong and it will 
bring you no honour from the 

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Lord God. 
Then Uzziah was angry, Now he 

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had a censer in his hand to burn
incense. 

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And when he became angry with 
the priest, leprosy broke out on

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his forehead in the presence of 
the priest in the House of the 

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Lord, by the altar of incense. 
And Azariah the chief priest, 

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and the priest, and all the 
priests looked at him, and 

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behold, he was leprous in his 
forehead. 

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And they rushed him out quickly,
and he himself hurried to go 

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out, because the Lord had struck
him. 

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And King Uzziah was a leper to 
the day of his death, and being 

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a leopard, lived in a separate 
house, for he was excluded from 

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the House of the Lord. 
And Jotham his son was over the 

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King's household, governing the 
people of the land. 

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Now the rest of the acts of 
Uzziah, from first to last, 

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Isaiah the prophet, the son of 
Amos, Amos roots. 

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And Uzziah slept with his 
father's, and they buried him 

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with his father's in the burial 
field that belonged to the 

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kings, for they said he is a 
leper. 

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And Jotham his son reigned in 
his place. 

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This is the word of the Lord. 
Thanks be to God. 

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Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you 

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for your word. 
And God, we come before it this 

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morning humbled by the fact that
you have spoken to us, that you 

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have revealed yourself through 
your Word. 

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Father, what a gracious, kind, 
loving thing you have done to 

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give us the written word. 
And so, Lord, we hold it in high

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regard this morning when we ask 
Father, that You would use your 

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word to instruct our hearts and 
our minds and our hands today, 

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that You would help us to be 
faithful men and women, faithful

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boys and girls, to Christ. 
Our Lord, your Son, the one who 

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came to to earth, gave himself 
as a sacrifice for our sins on 

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the cross. 
I was buried but raised on the 

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third day. 
And so, Lord, we gather this 

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Lord's day to read your word, to
hear it, to believe it. 

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And we ask Father that you would
instruct us by it. 

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It's in the name of Christ, I 
pray. 

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Amen. 
Command. 

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You may be seated. 
So this passage lays out for us 

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a mighty man of God in one 
sense, right? 

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I mean, it's pretty incredible 
to think of Uzziah's 

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accomplishments and all that the
Lord brought his hand to do, but

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it's also sobering. 
You can almost feel the air come

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out of the room as we read verse
16. 

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You just see that Uzziah became 
strong in his own eyes. 

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Essentially, he began to trust 
only in himself. 

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And it's meant to be sobering. 
The Lord has put this in Second 

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Chronicles 26. 
For you and I to be sober 

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minded, all right? 
For you and I to be helped in 

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our journey with the Lord. 
So it's sobering because what we

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have just read is not the story 
of a wicked king who failed 

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early all. 
Right. 

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It's a story of a godly king who
succeeded greatly and then 

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slowly loses his way, right? 
And that, that's what should 

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make us listen carefully. 
That's what should perk up our 

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ears and our minds as we hear 
the word of the Lord this 

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morning. 
His eyes downfall did not come 

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during the season of hardship. 
He was prosperous, right? 

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Didn't come during the period of
opposition. 

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He had defeated many of God's 
enemies. 

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It didn't even come in a period 
of decline. 

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The the Kingdom was thriving. 
It came after years of blessing 

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and stability and strength. 
In other words, you might think 

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about this text in this way. 
This text is not written 

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primarily for people who are in 
crisis. 

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Many of us are. 
Many of us have been. 

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Many of us will be in a crisis. 
But this text is not written 

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primarily for people who are 
currently in a crisis. 

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It's written for people who have
been helped by God, people who 

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find themselves in a prosperous 
place, right? 

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And that's why this passage is 
especially important for us 

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right now as we come to the 
close of another year. 

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Many of us can rightly say that 
the Lord has been kind to us. 

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All right? 
I can look back across the last 

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year, and I cannot at all say 
that the Lord has not been kind 

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to me. 
He's not been kind to my family 

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or kind to you and your families
are kind of this church, right? 

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He's sustained us in 
difficulties and suffering and 

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turmoil trials. 
He's provided for us, right? 

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We're all here clothed today. 
I assume you were able to eat. 

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I assume you slept under a roof 
last night, right? 

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He's provided for us and he's 
protected us, right? 

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He's he's guarded us from the 
schemes of the enemy and he 

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strengthened us not only a 
number, but in maturity. 

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He's he's grown us up right. 
He's matured our faith and our 

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love. 
The scripture warns us that 

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seasons of blessing carry their 
own spiritual dangers, but they 

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carry their own issues. 
Success can quietly breed 

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self-reliance. 
Strength can slowly turn into 

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pride if we're not careful. 
Yuzai's life teaches us the 

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truth that we must not forget as
we step into a new year. 

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So if you're taking notes, this 
will be in your worship guide 

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there. 
Strength comes from humble 

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dependence, Ruin comes from 
proud independence. 

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Strength comes from humble 
dependence, while ruin comes 

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from proud independence. 
We'll give you a second to write

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that. 
This chapter reveals this truth 

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to us across 3 movements. 
First, we're going to see how 

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God graciously built and 
strengthened Uzziah as He sought

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the Lord. 
Second, we will see how pride 

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corrupted and strength brought 
swift and severe discipline. 

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And then finally, we're going to
consider how God calls His 

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people to remain faithful not 
through self-confidence, but 

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through humble dependence upon 
Him expressed in the ordinary 

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means of grace. 
This is not a sermon that's 

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meant to rob you of gratitude 
today. 

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I don't want to deflate your 
joyous bubbles this morning as 

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you come on the heels of 
Christmas and booking for the 

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door of the next year. 
That's not meant to rob us of 

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gratitude at all. 
It's meant to guard gratitude. 

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It's been to strengthen us in 
it. 

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It's not meant to make us 
fearful. 

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I don't want you to leave today 
being afraid. 

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I want you to leave today with a
desire to be faithful, to 

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continue to walk faithful with 
God. 

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This text is not simply meant to
help us finish a year well. 

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It's meant to help us step into 
the next year with wisdom, with 

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strength, all. 
Right. 

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We need to understand, or to be 
able to understand, both the 

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strength Uzzi enjoyed and the 
ruin he later experienced. 

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We need to begin where the text 
begins. 

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It doesn't begin with his 
failure. 

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It begins with God's grace all. 
Right. 

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Before we see how pride corrupts
Uzziah's strength, we must first

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see how the Lord graciously 
built Uzziah's strength. 

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So let's look first at how God 
graciously builds those who seek

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Him. 
Right. 

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Point #1 God graciously builds 
those who seek Him. 

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We see this in verses one 
through 15. 

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Just due to the nature of the 
length of the text. 

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I'll reference the text as we go
rather than rereading it. 

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OK, but before we ever read of 
Uzziah's pride, the the writer 

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here is careful to show us 
something else. 

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Uzziah's strength begin with 
humble dependence upon the Lord.

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It was humbly dependent upon 
God. 

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His story does not begin with 
ambition. 

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Lots of 16 year olds have a lot 
of ambition, Right, but doesn't 

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begin with his ambition. 
It doesn't even begin with his 

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innovation. 
We don't read about that till 

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later in the passage. 
It doesn't begin with personal 

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brilliance. 
We're not told that the 16 year 

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old is some sort of sage. 
What it begins with is Uzziah 

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seeking God, seeking the Lord. 
We're told the king, Uzziah 

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became king at just 16 years 
old. 

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00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,800
Now, that detail matters not 
just because it seems young to 

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us, but it matters because 
Addison at such a young age, 

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Uzziah would have been acutely 
aware of his need for counsel 

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and guidance and help all. 
Right. 

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00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,800
But the text makes clear that he
did not rule alone or 

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autonomously. 
He was not seeking his own 

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00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:13,840
strength in his rule. 
Right. 

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00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:18,960
Verse 5 tells us that he set 
himself to seek God in the days 

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of Zechariah, who instructed him
in the fear of God. 

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He set himself to seek God, and 
Zechariah instructed him in the 

255
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fear of God. 
Uzziah's early reign was marked 

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by teachability. 
He's humble, seeking the Lord. 

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00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,040
Uzziah's early reign is marked 
by submission. 

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00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:51,000
Submission to God, submission to
Zechariah, likely submission to 

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00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:55,480
other counsellors, and it's 
marked by spiritual dependence. 

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00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:03,720
He set himself to seek the Lord.
He's spiritually dependent upon 

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God. 
The writer then gives us one of 

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the most important summary 
statements in the chapter. 

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00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:13,920
I would say that it's one of the
most important theological 

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00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,480
statements in the Old Testament,
at least in the historical 

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00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,680
books. 
And that's this. 

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00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:24,119
In verse 5, it says as long as 
he sought the Lord, God made him

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00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:27,400
prosper. 
As long as he sought the Lord, 

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00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,560
God made him prosper. 
You may underline that in your 

269
00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:32,640
Bibles or write it in your 
notes. 

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00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:37,720
As long as he sought the Lord, 
God made him prosper. 

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00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,400
Brothers and sisters, I want you
to understand that's not a 

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sentence of automatic ease. 
Seeking the Lord is not a life 

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00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,680
of ease. 
Amen. 2 of you agree. 

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00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:57,640
Surely your lives have been more
difficult than that as you 

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00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:02,040
follow the Lord. 
It's not a life of automatic 

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00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,840
ease. 
Seeking the Lord is not a 

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00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:12,920
formula for personal success. 
Even there are many Saints, old,

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00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:17,200
current, future. 
We would look at their lives and

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00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,480
we would not say that's a life 
of success. 

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00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:26,360
They die brutal deaths. 
They're impoverished. 

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00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:35,760
Sick. 
All right, I mean there's. 

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00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:43,160
There's a lot about them, many 
sites that we would say it's not

283
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,600
necessarily a guarantee of 
personal success. 

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00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,240
The statement as long as he 
sought the Lord, God made him 

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00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:55,280
prosper. 
That's a statement of covenant 

286
00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:59,080
reality. 
It's a statement of God's 

287
00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:03,520
covenant with his people. 
It's a statement of God's 

288
00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:08,840
faithfulness to his covenants 
when his people are faithful to 

289
00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:14,160
him. 
God delights to strengthen those

290
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,280
who walk in humble reliance upon
him. 

291
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:21,320
He delights to do this. 
Matthew Henry observes, He says 

292
00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:25,840
those that have God for them 
need not fear who can be against

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00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:32,760
them, but God will be sought by 
those that expect help from him.

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00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:37,560
Amen. 
God will be sought by those that

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00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:42,400
expect help from Him. 
We should notice carefully how 

296
00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,360
the text attributes Uzziah's 
achievements. 

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00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:49,240
I don't want you to miss this, 
but the chronicler repeatedly 

298
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,600
emphasizes God's agency or God's
sovereignty in this. 

299
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,360
In verse 7, we see that God 
helped him against the 

300
00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:01,560
Philistines, and verse 7 and 8 
we see that God gave him fame 

301
00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:05,080
and victory. 
In verses 9 through 10, we see 

302
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:09,720
that God enabled him to build 
cities, towers, infrastructure. 

303
00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:15,360
In verses 11 through 15, we see 
that God gave him an organized, 

304
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,760
disciplined army. 
You see God's sovereignty at 

305
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,680
work. 
You see God's work in Usiah's 

306
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,920
life. 
It's not Uzziah's work, right? 

307
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:30,880
Uzziah's strength was real, yes.
His success was visible, yes. 

308
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:35,040
His Kingdom was stable, yes. 
But the text never allows us to 

309
00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:40,520
say that it was self produced. 
We can't look at Uzziah and say 

310
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:45,640
Uzziah did that. 
We say God did that. 

311
00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:51,120
God worked in Uzziah's life. 
Everything that we see flows 

312
00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:56,520
from God's gracious help to him.
Now, this is a crucial 

313
00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:01,920
theological point. 
Prosperity is not entitlement, 

314
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:08,120
it is stewardship. 
Prosperity is stewardship. 

315
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,920
God's blessing is not given so 
that his people might admire 

316
00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,560
themselves to look into the 
mirror and to examine their 

317
00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,000
muscles and all that they've 
done all right and to say, look 

318
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,600
how great I am. 
God's blessing is not given so 

319
00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,080
that people admire themselves. 
No, God's blessing is given so 

320
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:31,240
that they might continue to rely
upon him. 

321
00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:37,360
So prosperity is stewardship, 
not entitlement. 

322
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:43,760
John Calvin captures as well 
when he warns nothing is more 

323
00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:48,960
difficult than to preserve 
moderation when prosperity 

324
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,560
smiles upon us. 
Nothing is more difficult than 

325
00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,680
to preserve moderation when 
prosperity smiles upon us. 

326
00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,000
The danger is not strength 
itself. 

327
00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,480
I don't want you to hear this as
a sermon against strength. 

328
00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:09,560
The danger is forgetting where 
the strength comes from, right? 

329
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,160
I want you to be strong. 
God wants you to be strong. 

330
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:17,000
God means for the weak to be 
strong in His marvelous grace. 

331
00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,040
He means for us to understand 
that His grace is sufficient for

332
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:24,880
every need, for every moment, 
right? 

333
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:29,160
He wants you to be strong in 
Him, strong in Christ. 

334
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:35,240
And that text that brings this 
text very close to home for us 

335
00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,400
as we look back over the past 
year, as you examine your life, 

336
00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:46,240
you examine your family, as you 
examine the life of this church 

337
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:52,440
over the last year, many of us 
can testify honestly and 

338
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,040
thankfully that the Lord has 
helped us. 

339
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,560
He's been good, He's been kind, 
He's shown us his favor. 

340
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,000
He has sustained us through 
difficulties. 

341
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,520
He's preserved unity in the 
body. 

342
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,120
He's granted growth, He's 
provided materially, and He's 

343
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:20,760
borne spiritual fruits among us.
We don't want to minimize that. 

344
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:24,840
In fact, this passage invites us
to consider those things, to 

345
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,920
name the blessings, to be 
mindful of all that God has 

346
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:33,120
done, and to give God the full 
credit for those things. 

347
00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:37,960
But it also reminds us why those
blessings came. 

348
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,720
It's not because we were clever.
Right. 

349
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:49,160
You don't have clever elders. 
You don't have clever deacons or

350
00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,760
other leaders in the church. 
It's not because we were strong.

351
00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,400
It's not because we've been 
sufficient in ourselves. 

352
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:04,920
It's because by God's grace, we 
have sought the Lord. 

353
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,680
We have set ourselves to seek 
after God. 

354
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:16,360
The apostle Paul later says, by 
the grace of God, I am what I 

355
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:20,800
am. 
And all of us can look in our 

356
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:26,200
lives and we can say that by 
God's grace I am what I am. 

357
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,560
By God's grace, we are what we 
are. 

358
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,800
So this first section of Yuzai's
life teaches us how to reflect 

359
00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:42,000
on the past year rightly and how
to approach the next one wisely.

360
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,600
Gratitude without humility leads
to pride. 

361
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:51,920
Gratitude without humility leads
to pride. 

362
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,160
Gratitude with humility leads to
continued dependence. 

363
00:24:55,160 --> 00:25:04,600
We want to give thanks to God. 
We want to be grateful to God. 

364
00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:10,400
You understand the two God 
addition to those sentences is 

365
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:13,160
an addition of dependence, 
right? 

366
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:18,160
The question before us is not 
merely has God helped us? 

367
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:20,720
The answer to that is really 
clear. 

368
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:26,480
The deeper question is, will we 
continue to seek God in the 

369
00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,680
prosperity that He's provided in
the life that He's given us? 

370
00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,400
The practices that Mark use, 
eyes, early reign, submission to

371
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:40,200
God's Word, godly instruction, 
reverence for the Lord, those 

372
00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:43,640
things are the very practices 
that God uses to preserve his 

373
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,920
people today. 
And that's where we'll end up in

374
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:49,280
the sermon, Bible, prayer, 
fellowship of the Saints. 

375
00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:51,360
These things are not signs of 
weakness. 

376
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:54,760
They're confessions of 
dependence. 

377
00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:59,120
They're how we say week after 
week, year after year. 

378
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,400
Lord, unless you help us, we 
cannot stand. 

379
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:09,800
You might compare this to a 
young Craftsman. 

380
00:26:11,120 --> 00:26:15,080
He's apprenticed under a master 
early on. 

381
00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,800
He listens closely, He follows 
instructions carefully, and so 

382
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:24,280
he grows steadily. 
His skill increases, but only so

383
00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,880
long as he remains under 
guidance. 

384
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:32,920
The moment he assumes mastery 
without submission, the mistakes

385
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,000
begin to multiply. 
Growth. 

386
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,200
Hear me now. 
Growth without dependence 

387
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:47,240
becomes dangerous. 
So it was with Uzziah, and so it

388
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,760
can be with us. 
Uzziah strength was not the 

389
00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:55,120
problem, Forgetting the source 
of his strength was the problem.

390
00:26:56,280 --> 00:27:00,280
For strength comes from humble 
dependence, while ruin comes 

391
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:05,360
from proud independence. 
But the very strength that God 

392
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,920
graciously gave to Uzziah became
the context for his greatest 

393
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,160
danger, right? 
The same success that flowed 

394
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:16,720
from humble defend dependence 
slowly created the conditions 

395
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:21,760
for proud independence. 
And so the story takes a tragic 

396
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,960
turn now to understand the 
warning this passage gives us. 

397
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,760
We must now see how pride 
corrupted God-given strength and

398
00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:35,720
provoked the Lord's discipline. 
And so point #2 pride corrupts 

399
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,200
strength and provokes God's 
discipline. 

400
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:44,760
Pride corrupts strength and 
provokes God's discipline. 

401
00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,760
Just read verse 16 again. 
But when he was strong, he grew 

402
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:58,200
proud to his destruction. 
For he was unfaithful to the 

403
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,800
Lord his God, and entered the 
temple of the Lord to burn 

404
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:09,680
incense on the altar of incense.
But the tragedy of Uzziah's life

405
00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:13,800
is introduced to one of the most
chilling sentences in all of 

406
00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:17,360
Scripture. 
But he was strong. 

407
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:22,960
But when he was strong, he grew 
proud to his destruction. 

408
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:29,400
When you just let that sit for a
moment. 

409
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:37,040
But when he was strong, he grew 
proud to his destruction. 

410
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:43,920
I want you to notice very 
carefully what the text does and

411
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:48,320
does not say. 
It does not say that Uzziah fell

412
00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:53,400
because he was weak. 
It does not say he fell because 

413
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,400
of external pressure or 
political failure or moral 

414
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,720
collapse in private life. 
Now. 

415
00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,160
It says he fell because he was 
strong. 

416
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:11,120
Now strength itself is not the 
sin, but strength became the 

417
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,480
occasion for pride, which is 
sin. 

418
00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,640
It says he fell because he was 
strong, right? 

419
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:22,720
The word translated grew proud 
there that he grew proud. 

420
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:28,800
It carries the sense of being 
lifted up, swollen, inflated, 

421
00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:34,320
right. 
Uzziah's heart rose higher than 

422
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,000
his calling. 
He began to assume that success 

423
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,480
in one area entitled him to 
authority in every area. 

424
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,400
Nothing was off limits for 
Uzziah. 

425
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:52,080
And so he commits this 
deliberate act of presumption. 

426
00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:54,680
He enters the temple to burn 
incense. 

427
00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,280
Now this is a result, a role 
that God had reserved 

428
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:06,400
exclusively for the priest. 
This is not a small mistake. 

429
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,000
This is not a lapse of 
judgements. 

430
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,240
This is not just a moment of 
confusion. 

431
00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:19,200
The law of God was clear that 
the boundaries are well 

432
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,760
established. 
And remarkably, Uzziah is 

433
00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:27,040
confronted by faithful priests 
who courageously tell him the 

434
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,880
truth in verse 18. 
It is not for you, you desire to

435
00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,320
burn incense to the Lord, but 
for the priest. 

436
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,960
And then later they say, go out 
of the sanctuary, for you have 

437
00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:44,160
done wrong. 
And then we get the moment where

438
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:48,360
pride fully reveals itself. 
It's not merely in his action, 

439
00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,120
but in the response to 
correction. 

440
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,080
Verse 19 tells us that Uriah 
Uzziah became angry. 

441
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:06,320
Why was he angry? 
Correction, Correction. 

442
00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:13,040
You see, pride always resents 
restraint. 

443
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:25,480
You think about the first sin. 
Serpent appears, comes to the 

444
00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:30,280
woman, tempts her to eat of the 
fruit of the tree of knowledge 

445
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,440
of good and evil, which I've 
been told commanded by God not 

446
00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:37,920
to eat from. 
Did God really say you can't do 

447
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:39,800
this? 
Did God really say you would 

448
00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,720
die? 
You're not going to die. 

449
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,640
You're going to be like God. 
God doesn't want you to be like 

450
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,160
him. 
He's the fun police. 

451
00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,120
He's keeping you from something 
that's going to be amazing. 

452
00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,600
And so Eve looks at the tree and
sees the fruit that is 

453
00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:03,280
desirable, good to eat, and she 
takes from it pride. 

454
00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:07,800
It's the very first sin. 
It's the sin at the bottom of 

455
00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:13,800
all of our sins. 
Pride hates restraint. 

456
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:20,040
Pride does not want to be told. 
You can't do that. 

457
00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,600
You think about the struggles of
your own heart with sin, with 

458
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:30,600
temptation, right? 
Something appears to you good, 

459
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:35,440
it looks lovely. 
God really say you can't. 

460
00:32:39,560 --> 00:32:46,160
One of my favorite ways that I 
find myself being tempted is to 

461
00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:52,160
presume upon the grace of God. 
Seems that Satan is really keen 

462
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,640
to remind me, if you sin, God 
will forgive you. 

463
00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,640
Which answers Paul's question in
Romans 6. 

464
00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,640
Did we go on sinning so that 
grace may may abound? 

465
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:13,370
By no means. 
Pride resents restraints. 

466
00:33:14,410 --> 00:33:19,690
It always bristles at rebuke. 
It always assumes it deserves 

467
00:33:19,850 --> 00:33:23,010
exceptions. 
That's a rule for thee and not 

468
00:33:23,010 --> 00:33:28,840
for me, right? 
John Calvin observes this. 

469
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:33,240
He says ambition and pride are 
so closely allied that when 1 

470
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:36,480
takes roots, the other soon 
follows. 

471
00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:44,760
Uzziah just simply could not 
accept the limits, not even 

472
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,920
God's limits, not even the ones 
he had laid down in his law. 

473
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,280
And so comes one of the most 
sobering scenes in the Old 

474
00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,560
Testament. 
As you know, as Uzziah stands 

475
00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:02,000
enraged in the temple, angry at 
these priests for standing up to

476
00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:05,440
him, leprosy breaks out on his 
forehead. 

477
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,679
That's interesting because the 
forehead is the very place where

478
00:34:14,679 --> 00:34:16,920
the high priest would wear the 
symbol of holiness. 

479
00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,520
God's judgement is immediate. 
It's visible, and it's 

480
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:27,159
unmistakable, right? 
The punishment fits the sin. 

481
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:31,360
Uzziah sought unauthorized 
access to God's presence, and so

482
00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,199
he was banished from it. 
He exalted himself, and so God 

483
00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:39,880
publicly humbled him. 
He grasped at priestly privilege

484
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,159
and is rendered ceremonially 
unclean. 

485
00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:49,360
And from that day forward, 
Uzziah lives in isolation. 

486
00:34:51,199 --> 00:34:54,760
He's cut off from the temple, 
he's removed from public life, 

487
00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:04,120
and he dies alone. 
The king who once built cities 

488
00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:09,480
is now separated from them. 
The The man who once enjoyed 

489
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:14,120
God's help now bears the mark of
God's discipline. 

490
00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:19,000
Matthew Henry writes with 
sobering clarity when he says 

491
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,640
pride was at the bottom of his 
sin, and God would thus let him 

492
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,640
know how hateful pride is to 
him. 

493
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:33,720
Brothers and sisters, this is 
where the warning has to press 

494
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:39,440
upon us. 
That's not a harsh warning 

495
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:42,880
necessarily. 
It's a loving warning. 

496
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:50,160
It's as a father to his child. 
Don't touch that hot stove. 

497
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:54,720
Don't put your finger in the 
socket. 

498
00:35:56,240 --> 00:36:00,280
Don't run out into the street. 
All right. 

499
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:07,800
This passage teaches us that 
pride rarely announces itself 

500
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,760
loudly. 
Now you can recognize a prideful

501
00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:15,120
person. 
You can see a prideful person. 

502
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,760
Usually they're loud. 
You just look at any wide 

503
00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,400
receiver in the NFL, you have to
be prideful to play the 

504
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,760
position. 
I think all right, you have to 

505
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,680
have some amount of arrogance 
and cockiness to succeed. 

506
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,800
So we can recognize it often in 
others. 

507
00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:43,400
But if you examine your heart 
with wisdom, I think you'll see 

508
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:46,000
that pride rarely announces 
itself loudly. 

509
00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:56,220
It rarely begins with you 
thinking you're the goat, right?

510
00:36:56,220 --> 00:36:59,780
It often grows quietly in 
seasons of blessing. 

511
00:37:01,460 --> 00:37:07,500
It'll whisper things like we're 
doing well, we've got this 

512
00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:11,860
figured out, we don't need help 
like we used to. 

513
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,680
You can't miss this. 
Pride doesn't always look like 

514
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:22,080
rebellion. 
Sometimes it looks like 

515
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:27,320
confidence without prayer. 
Sometimes it looks like good 

516
00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:31,080
works without dependence. 
Sometimes it looks like a 

517
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:36,320
leadership without listening. 
And here's the dangers. 

518
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:39,960
We head into a new year. 
We're often most vulnerable. 

519
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:44,280
Not when we are struggling, but 
when we are stable. 

520
00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:52,080
Not not when we're desperate, 
but when we're strong. 

521
00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:56,800
That's when we're vulnerable. 
So God's discipline in this 

522
00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,280
passage is not petty at all. 
It's purposeful. 

523
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,680
Scripture reminds us elsewhere 
that the Lord disciplines the 

524
00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:09,680
one he loves. 
It is disciplined is to is meant

525
00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:13,400
to arrest pride before it 
destroys us completely. 

526
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:19,120
But discipline is still painful.
It's no less a grace of the 

527
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:24,560
Lord, it's just painful. 
And the text here is urging us 

528
00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:27,920
to learn the lesson without 
having to walk the same path. 

529
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,560
Learn the lesson without having 
to walk the path. 

530
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:38,400
You see, pride is ultimately a 
form of unbelief. 

531
00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:45,200
Pride assumes that we can manage
God's gifts without God Himself,

532
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:48,480
right? 
It attempts to enjoy the 

533
00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:53,200
benefits of grace while quietly 
sidelining the giver of grace. 

534
00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,560
RC Sparrow once noted this. 
He said the essence of sin is 

535
00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:07,440
playing God, and that's exactly 
what Uzziah does. 

536
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,000
He steps into a role that God 
never gave him. 

537
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,400
God is not threatened by your 
weakness. 

538
00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,360
Brothers and sisters, I want you
to hear that very clearly 

539
00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,960
because I think it's important 
for you to understand that God 

540
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:25,000
loves to take the weak things of
the world and confound the 

541
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:28,200
strong. 
God is not threatened by your 

542
00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,480
weakness. 
He's not threatened by a man who

543
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,720
says, Lord, I have no idea how 
to lead my wife, can you help 

544
00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:38,520
me? 
I have no idea how to raise my 

545
00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:41,320
children in the discipline and 
instruction of the Lord, can you

546
00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:45,200
help me? 
He's not threatened by a wife 

547
00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,480
who says, I have no idea how to 
submit to my husband, can you 

548
00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,040
help me? 
I have no idea how to raise my 

549
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,280
children hand in hand with my 
husband in a way that would 

550
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:56,160
honor you. 
Can you help me? 

551
00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,320
I can go on and on. 
I have no idea how to read your 

552
00:40:00,320 --> 00:40:01,920
word. 
Can you help me understand your 

553
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:03,480
word? 
I have no idea how to pray. 

554
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,240
Can you help me know how to 
pray? 

555
00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:08,520
Right again, You can go on and 
on and on and on. 

556
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:11,240
God is not threatened by your 
weakness. 

557
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:18,160
He comes swiftly to your aid 
when you confess your weakness. 

558
00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:23,920
So we can't say he's threatened 
by weakness. 

559
00:40:23,920 --> 00:40:28,400
No. 
But he will oppose our pride. 

560
00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:34,440
He will oppose our pride. 
And so we're reminded again that

561
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,840
strength comes from humble 
dependence, while ruin comes 

562
00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:45,040
from proud independence. 
Uzziah's story ends in tragedy, 

563
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:49,320
just plain and simple. 
But. 

564
00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:53,120
But it's recorded for our 
instruction, not for our 

565
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,880
imitation. 
He's not the last half. 

566
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:01,800
God does not give us this 
warning to leave us fearful. 

567
00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:05,040
He gives us this warning to keep
us faithful. 

568
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:10,560
Having seen how pride corrupts 
strength, we now need to 

569
00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,640
consider how God calls His 
people to live wisely and 

570
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:18,400
dependently so that His grace 
might continue to sustain us. 

571
00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:24,400
That's point #3 faithfulness is 
preserved through humble 

572
00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:29,600
dependence on God's means. 
Faithfulness is preserved 

573
00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:32,440
through humble dependence on 
God's means. 

574
00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:44,480
Messiah's story ends quietly and
tragically. 

575
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,760
After this dramatic moment of 
judgement, the text tells us 

576
00:41:49,960 --> 00:41:53,040
that he lived the rest of his 
days separated. 

577
00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:56,120
It's cut off from the House of 
the Lord. 

578
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:57,880
He's removed from public 
worship. 

579
00:41:58,600 --> 00:42:00,920
He's isolated from the life of 
God's people. 

580
00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:09,160
And then he dies. 
Scripture gives us one final, 

581
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:12,960
sobering footnote to Isaiah's 
life. 

582
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:14,840
All right, to Uzziah's life. 
Sorry. 

583
00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,840
It's in Isaiah 6. 
One, in Isaiah 61, the prophet 

584
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:25,320
tells us that it was in the year
that King Uzziah died that he 

585
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:31,320
saw the glory of the Lord high 
and lifted up, holy and 

586
00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:37,960
glorious. 
And what this shows us is that 

587
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:43,320
even when human strength 
collapses, God remains 

588
00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:48,080
enthroned. 
His glory does not diminish 

589
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:56,400
because His people fail. 
His purposes do not fail. 

590
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,000
And we see that his people are 
preserved not by kings, not by 

591
00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:07,960
their successes, not by 
momentum, not by some other 

592
00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:09,640
thing you think is preserving 
you. 

593
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:14,120
No, you're preserved by the 
grace of God, by the one who 

594
00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:18,880
sits enthroned high and holy and
glorious above all. 

595
00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:23,800
God preserves his people through
humble dependence expressed in 

596
00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:29,000
the ordinary means. 
It's not in dramatic moments. 

597
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,040
I'm not saying there won't be 
dramatic moments, but that's not

598
00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:36,000
where preservation takes place. 
It's not a heroic self effort as

599
00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:39,520
if you pull yourself up by your 
bootstraps and you say, I've got

600
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,840
this right, you just kind of 
will yourself to accomplish 

601
00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:47,960
something great. 
No, you're preserved through 

602
00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:52,480
steady spirit, empowered 
practices that continually 

603
00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:57,560
reorient your heart towards God.
That's how you're preserved. 

604
00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:00,480
That's how the Lord keeps his 
people. 

605
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:04,840
One of the ways I want to show 
you that God does this. 

606
00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:07,320
Number one, God keeps us humble 
through his word. 

607
00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:12,280
God keeps us humble through His 
word. 

608
00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,160
I failed you. 
I don't have these on the 

609
00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:17,320
screen. 
If you want to write them down, 

610
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:20,360
feel free to do so. 
God keeps us humble through His 

611
00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:26,760
Word. 
Uzziah's early years were marked

612
00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:30,080
by instruction in the fear of 
the Lord. 

613
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:34,520
He prospered as long as he 
sought the Lord. 

614
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:40,000
We read and seeking the Lord has
always begun with listening to 

615
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:46,360
His Word. 
Always there are scriptures, 

616
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:55,600
these beautiful Bibles we hold. 
They remind us who God is and 

617
00:44:55,600 --> 00:45:00,480
who we are. 
They remind us that he is high 

618
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:06,080
and holy, that he is infinite, 
and that we are none of those 

619
00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:11,560
things. 
We are desperately dependent 

620
00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:16,160
upon God for everything. 
Everything. 

621
00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:19,840
The scriptures confront our 
pride. 

622
00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:24,360
They expose self deception in 
US. 

623
00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:30,280
They anchor us in truth. 
You may write in your notes 

624
00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:36,520
Second Timothy 316 through 17, 
all scriptures breathed out by 

625
00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:42,480
God that is profitable for 
correction and teaching, for 

626
00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:46,440
reproof, for training and 
godliness, so that the man of 

627
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,960
God may be equipped for every 
good work. 

628
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:56,560
If we're left to ourselves, we 
tend to remember our successes 

629
00:45:57,360 --> 00:46:03,240
and forget our dependence. 
It's easy, so easy to get caught

630
00:46:03,240 --> 00:46:09,840
up in the whirlwind of daily 
life, just living life, and to 

631
00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:14,320
get caught up in your successes 
and to look and to be grateful 

632
00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:18,280
for how good things are. 
You know, they're not the best, 

633
00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:22,080
but they're good, all right? 
Or you have some moment of 

634
00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:24,120
blessing that you're able to 
rejoice in. 

635
00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:30,960
It's easy to get caught up in 
those though, and forget your 

636
00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:39,760
dependents, to forget those 
simple words that Christ prayed,

637
00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:44,160
teaching us to pray. 
Give us this day, Our Daily 

638
00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:49,000
Bread. 
We're dependent upon you, Your 

639
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:52,720
Kingdom come, Your will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. 

640
00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:57,520
That's a declaration of not my 
Kingdom, not my will, yours, O 

641
00:46:57,520 --> 00:47:05,570
Lord. 
But the Word of God interrupts 

642
00:47:05,570 --> 00:47:10,360
that drift that we find 
ourselves in, drifting away from

643
00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:15,720
faithfulness into pride. 
And if you make reading God's 

644
00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:20,040
Word at Daily Habits, you'll 
find that it interrupts that 

645
00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:25,200
drift. 
It keeps you, sustains you, it 

646
00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:32,360
preserves your life. 
Psalm 16 You have made known to 

647
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:37,040
me the path of life, and at your
right hand are pleasures 

648
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:42,400
forevermore. 
Psalm 119 I've hidden your word 

649
00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:44,440
in my heart, that I might not 
sin against You. 

650
00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:48,320
Your word is a lamp unto my 
feet, and a light unto my path. 

651
00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:53,960
Your word is like sweet honey to
my lips. 

652
00:48:00,190 --> 00:48:02,950
John Calvin famously said that 
the Word is like a mirror in 

653
00:48:02,950 --> 00:48:06,030
which we see both God's glory 
and our own need. 

654
00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:11,800
Regular Bible intake is not 
merely about information, 

655
00:48:11,920 --> 00:48:16,160
brothers and sisters. 
There's a lot to know. 

656
00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:19,080
There's a lot to learn. 
It's not merely about 

657
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:21,400
information. 
It's about orientation. 

658
00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:26,720
It's about orienting your life 
around the center of the 

659
00:48:26,720 --> 00:48:31,520
universe. 
It's about submitting yourself 

660
00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:35,920
to the Lord on high, day after 
day after day. 

661
00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:40,920
It keeps you grounded in 
reality. 

662
00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,000
It keeps you from thinking more 
of yourself than you ought to. 

663
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:48,280
It helps you give an honest 
evaluation of your life. 

664
00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:54,760
And so as we head into a new 
year, the question is not 

665
00:48:54,760 --> 00:49:00,920
whether we will be busy. 
A lot of conversations in our 

666
00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:04,200
family about how busy we have 
been this year. 

667
00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:10,920
I suspect that won't change a 
whole lot in the year to go. 

668
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:17,240
Busy's not the enemy as long as 
busy is busy doing good right 

669
00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:22,080
things. 
So the question isn't how busy 

670
00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:24,360
will we be, but whether we will 
be anchored. 

671
00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:31,760
Will I be tethered to the Lord? 
Will He be an anchor for my 

672
00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:36,040
soul? 
Bible reading? 

673
00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:39,520
Hearing the word preached, 
meditating on scripture, these 

674
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:42,360
are not optional add-ons to the 
Christian life. 

675
00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:47,400
I hope you hear that clearly. 
They are how God keeps our 

676
00:49:47,400 --> 00:49:52,680
hearts low and our eyes lifted 
to the right things. 

677
00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:59,200
The second thing I want you to 
know is God keeps us dependent 

678
00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:02,680
through prayer. 
God keeps us dependent through 

679
00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:04,080
prayer. 
God keeps us anchored through 

680
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,120
His word. 
God keeps us dependent through 

681
00:50:06,120 --> 00:50:12,560
prayer. 
If the Word reminds us of what 

682
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:18,120
is true, then prayer trains us 
to live as if it is true. 

683
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:23,680
Prayer is the daily confession 
that we are not sufficient in 

684
00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:26,800
ourselves. 
It's how we say again and again,

685
00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:30,360
Lord, unless you help me, I 
cannot stand. 

686
00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:42,720
I want you to know pride Withers
where prayer flourishes, and it 

687
00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:46,080
does so because prayer keeps us 
aware of our need. 

688
00:50:50,240 --> 00:50:52,360
See this a lot just in 
counseling people. 

689
00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:57,920
All right, It's, it's not really
amazing. 

690
00:50:57,920 --> 00:51:01,440
It's it makes a lot of sense. 
How many people will come for 

691
00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:06,320
counseling, Real problems, real 
issues going on, real things to 

692
00:51:06,320 --> 00:51:10,520
talk through, Right. 
And when you talk about prayer, 

693
00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:13,480
you know, if it's a marital 
thing, do you guys pray 

694
00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:15,400
together? 
You pray for one another. 

695
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:17,600
When was the last time you 
prayed for one another? 

696
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:20,360
Do you pray for your problems? 
Do you seek the Lord? 

697
00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:24,920
It's amazing how frequently 
people aren't praying. 

698
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,080
We, we don't pray as if our life
depends on it, and our lives 

699
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:35,000
really do depend on it, because 
our lives depend on being 

700
00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:39,720
dependent, right? 
We cannot be independent 

701
00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:42,080
Christians. 
We must be dependent upon the 

702
00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:46,160
Lord. 
So it's amazing how many 

703
00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:51,840
problems can be solved just 
through prayer, seeking the 

704
00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:57,800
Lord's face, recalling His word 
back to him, asking the Lord for

705
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:00,520
help, praising God for the 
blessings He's given you, 

706
00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:05,040
recounting the gospel in your 
prayers. 

707
00:52:05,640 --> 00:52:07,800
Lord, how could you save a 
Wretch like me? 

708
00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:14,440
Oh, how gracious you are. 
It's amazing how the problems of

709
00:52:14,440 --> 00:52:18,920
the day to begin to wither or 
begin to get solved just simply 

710
00:52:18,920 --> 00:52:22,000
through prayer and the orienting
of our hearts toward God. 

711
00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:30,760
Uzziah stopped asking. 
He started assuming things, and 

712
00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:35,240
that shift from dependence to 
presumption was deadly for him. 

713
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:39,800
RC Sparles said this. 
I thought it was great. 

714
00:52:39,800 --> 00:52:42,440
He said that prayer is the 
ultimate expression. 

715
00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:45,920
Prayer is the ultimate 
expression of creatureliness. 

716
00:52:47,640 --> 00:52:50,200
It's the ultimate expression 
that you are the Creator and I 

717
00:52:50,200 --> 00:52:56,880
am a creature God. 
It keeps us in our place, which 

718
00:52:56,880 --> 00:52:59,960
is not to mean beneath God in 
terror. 

719
00:52:59,960 --> 00:53:03,120
No, it's to be before him in 
trust. 

720
00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,440
Keeps us in our place before the
Lord in trust. 

721
00:53:07,080 --> 00:53:09,440
A prayerless life is not a 
neutral life. 

722
00:53:09,440 --> 00:53:12,600
It's a quiet Declaration of 
Independence. 

723
00:53:13,720 --> 00:53:17,440
God, I have this figured out. 
God, I can do this. 

724
00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:20,760
I can handle this. 
Those are the kind of things 

725
00:53:20,760 --> 00:53:23,720
we're saying when we're not 
dependent upon God in prayer. 

726
00:53:24,680 --> 00:53:27,960
And so as we move into a new 
year, prayer does not need to be

727
00:53:28,080 --> 00:53:30,800
impressive to be faithful. 
I do want you to understand 

728
00:53:30,800 --> 00:53:32,480
that. 
You may say, well, I just don't.

729
00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:35,560
I don't pray like those people 
pray at church. 

730
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:41,480
So what? 
Most people didn't pray like 

731
00:53:41,480 --> 00:53:43,480
that when they first started 
praying either. 

732
00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:54,280
But prayer needs to be regular. 
Regular morning prayers that 

733
00:53:54,280 --> 00:54:02,560
say, Lord, help me today. 
Evening prayers that say, Lord, 

734
00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:04,840
thank you for sustaining me 
today. 

735
00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:11,120
Corporate prayers that remind us
we stand together in need of 

736
00:54:11,120 --> 00:54:16,360
God's grace. 
Faithful prayers, regular 

737
00:54:16,360 --> 00:54:26,240
prayers, not impressive prayers 
#3 God keeps us faithful through

738
00:54:26,240 --> 00:54:30,680
the fellowship of the Saints. 
God keeps us faithful through 

739
00:54:30,680 --> 00:54:36,560
the fellowship of the Saints. 
God keeps us anchored by His 

740
00:54:36,560 --> 00:54:38,400
word. 
God keeps us dependent through 

741
00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:42,000
prayer #3 God keeps us faithful 
through the fellowship of the 

742
00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,920
Saints. 
You see, one of the most tragic 

743
00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:48,480
aspects of Uzziah's judgment is 
his isolation. 

744
00:54:49,840 --> 00:54:53,040
He ends his life cut off not 
only from the temple, but from 

745
00:54:53,040 --> 00:54:56,040
the people. 
All right, fellowship is one of 

746
00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:59,320
God's chief safeguards against 
pride. 

747
00:55:01,600 --> 00:55:04,560
When we're in community with 
other believers, they can see 

748
00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:07,920
what we cannot see in ourselves,
right? 

749
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:09,960
They they encourage us when we 
are weary. 

750
00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:12,160
They correct us when we begin to
drift. 

751
00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:18,240
But pride, it thrives in 
isolation, while humility will 

752
00:55:18,240 --> 00:55:25,000
grow in community. 
Hebrews, The book of Hebrews 

753
00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:28,440
tells us that God uses 
exhortation, daily mutual 

754
00:55:28,440 --> 00:55:32,360
exhortation, to keep our hearts 
from being hardened by sin. 

755
00:55:34,520 --> 00:55:37,240
What that means is that regular 
worship, meaningful 

756
00:55:37,240 --> 00:55:40,800
relationships, shared life in 
the body of Christ, these things

757
00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:44,320
are not luxuries. 
They are a means by which God 

758
00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:49,800
uses to preserve us. 
You see, faithful is not 

759
00:55:49,800 --> 00:55:53,480
sustained alone. 
You need the community of the 

760
00:55:53,480 --> 00:55:58,240
Saints around you. 
And so I exhort you that as we 

761
00:55:58,240 --> 00:56:02,320
step into a new year, God is not
calling us to fear success or to

762
00:56:02,320 --> 00:56:04,440
shrink back from 
responsibilities. 

763
00:56:05,080 --> 00:56:11,520
He's calling us to remain 
dependent, dependent, faithful. 

764
00:56:12,320 --> 00:56:15,520
He's calling us to keep seeking 
Him in the same ways that He's 

765
00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:22,160
promised to bless us. 
You see, the path forward is not

766
00:56:23,200 --> 00:56:28,240
complicated, but it does demand 
consistency. 

767
00:56:28,240 --> 00:56:34,520
It demands faithfulness. 
You sit under the Word, private 

768
00:56:34,520 --> 00:56:38,840
readings, corporate worship. 
You speak to the Lord in prayer 

769
00:56:38,880 --> 00:56:42,800
privately with your family, with
the body of Christ. 

770
00:56:43,320 --> 00:56:45,120
You walk closely with God's 
people. 

771
00:56:47,200 --> 00:56:49,040
These are not impressive 
disciplines. 

772
00:56:49,040 --> 00:56:51,640
Nobody looks at that and says, 
man, this is mind blowing. 

773
00:56:52,480 --> 00:56:54,840
Well, this is the way God has 
sustained his people from the 

774
00:56:54,840 --> 00:57:01,280
beginning of time. 
That they they are powerful 

775
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:07,400
disciplines because God has 
promised to work through them. 

776
00:57:08,680 --> 00:57:10,600
That's why we call them a means 
of grace. 

777
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:15,400
You may think of Bible reading, 
prayer, fellowship of the Saints

778
00:57:16,000 --> 00:57:21,840
as the conduit that God uses to 
turn the faucets of his grace 

779
00:57:21,840 --> 00:57:25,440
and blessing on and to pour it 
into your lives. 

780
00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:32,320
It's conduits. 
They're tools that helps you. 

781
00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:42,080
But you know, what's beautiful 
about this is I don't stand here

782
00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:44,760
this morning and say this as a 
theory. 

783
00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:51,040
We don't have to theorize about 
this. 

784
00:57:53,080 --> 00:57:55,240
We, we say it as a testimony 
together. 

785
00:57:56,920 --> 00:58:00,480
We, we could testify to the 
Lord's goodness through the 

786
00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:03,040
means of grace for employing 
those. 

787
00:58:04,240 --> 00:58:09,000
But because we've seen it to be 
true among us, I've seen it in 

788
00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:12,080
your life, I've seen it in my 
own life, I've seen it in my 

789
00:58:12,080 --> 00:58:17,280
family's lives. 
As we look back over this last 

790
00:58:17,280 --> 00:58:21,280
year, what if you consider not 
even the last year? 

791
00:58:21,280 --> 00:58:23,320
What if you consider the last 11
years? 

792
00:58:26,440 --> 00:58:30,400
You can trace the unmistakable 
hand of God at work through 

793
00:58:30,400 --> 00:58:36,840
these very means. 
I was like in a conversation 

794
00:58:36,840 --> 00:58:40,000
with a dear brother the other 
day who was talking about a 

795
00:58:40,000 --> 00:58:43,160
brother of his who is a pastor 
and he's young. 

796
00:58:44,680 --> 00:58:48,640
And I was telling him I was 
praising this young pastor 

797
00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:50,800
because I think he's committed 
to one of the most important 

798
00:58:50,800 --> 00:58:55,040
things, which is just the 
exposition of God's Word. 

799
00:58:56,840 --> 00:59:02,760
And I remember being young and 
stupid, very stupid and, and 

800
00:59:02,760 --> 00:59:05,960
ignorance and all sorts of other
ugly words that my wife doesn't 

801
00:59:05,960 --> 00:59:12,080
like me to use about myself. 
But they're, they're accurate. 

802
00:59:13,080 --> 00:59:17,440
Lots of mistakes. 
But eleven years ago we 

803
00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:20,040
committed to just preach 
expositionally through the 

804
00:59:20,040 --> 00:59:26,080
Scriptures just to say what 
God's Word says, to read it, to 

805
00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:31,000
explain it to the people and to 
exhort them to believe it and 

806
00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:34,440
live it. 
You know what's beautiful about 

807
00:59:34,440 --> 00:59:36,080
that? 
I can't look at that and say, 

808
00:59:36,080 --> 00:59:38,720
look how great Kyle's been. 
Oh no, no, no. 

809
00:59:39,720 --> 00:59:42,400
Look how faithful God is to his 
word. 

810
00:59:43,480 --> 00:59:48,640
Look how amazing God is. 
I already told you I was stupid.

811
00:59:48,640 --> 00:59:50,280
I was too dumb to have that 
idea. 

812
00:59:52,440 --> 00:59:55,840
That's just the grace of the 
Lord through the Spirit leading.

813
00:59:59,400 --> 01:00:06,120
That's all it was. 
And so we can trace his hand at 

814
01:00:06,120 --> 01:00:11,480
work among us. 
We've not relied on novelty or 

815
01:00:12,520 --> 01:00:16,080
being spectacular. 
We've not tried to make the 

816
01:00:16,080 --> 01:00:20,320
church a spectacle in any way. 
We haven't traced trends or 

817
01:00:20,320 --> 01:00:23,760
shortcuts. 
By God's grace, we've committed 

818
01:00:23,760 --> 01:00:26,400
ourselves to the ordinary, 
steady practices of the 

819
01:00:26,400 --> 01:00:29,880
Christian life, the faithful 
preaching and hearing of God's 

820
01:00:29,880 --> 01:00:35,600
Word, prayer together and in our
homes, life shared in the 

821
01:00:35,600 --> 01:00:37,560
fellowship of the Saints. 
That's it. 

822
01:00:39,320 --> 01:00:42,280
Those things drive what we do 
here. 

823
01:00:44,240 --> 01:00:48,240
And God has been kind. 
Ioffer this as a reflection of 

824
01:00:48,240 --> 01:00:50,760
Thanksgiving. 
He's been so kind. 

825
01:00:51,960 --> 01:00:55,560
He has preserved us through 
trials that should have undone 

826
01:00:55,560 --> 01:01:09,200
us. 
He's grown us, not just in 

827
01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:14,800
maturity and not just a number. 
He's grown us up. 

828
01:01:17,440 --> 01:01:20,360
He's sustained the unity of our 
church. 

829
01:01:22,280 --> 01:01:27,280
He's borne fruit among us. 
This place is full of children. 

830
01:01:27,280 --> 01:01:32,320
Praise God. 
He's raised up leaders. 

831
01:01:33,320 --> 01:01:37,000
He's strengthened families. 
I believe that. 

832
01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:41,080
God has anchored generations. 
I believe that. 

833
01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:47,000
And none of this has happened 
overnight. 

834
01:01:48,840 --> 01:01:52,120
And let me be very, very clear, 
in case I haven't yet been, none

835
01:01:52,120 --> 01:01:57,600
of it can be credited to us. 
Amen. 

836
01:01:59,800 --> 01:02:05,160
It's the quiet, cumulative work 
of God, honoring humble 

837
01:02:05,160 --> 01:02:07,440
dependence over time. 
That's all it is. 

838
01:02:07,440 --> 01:02:15,040
This guy named Eugene Peterson, 
he famously called the the life 

839
01:02:15,040 --> 01:02:18,480
of discipleship, a long 
obedience in the same direction,

840
01:02:19,760 --> 01:02:22,320
just a long obedience in the 
same direction, faithfulness 

841
01:02:22,320 --> 01:02:25,080
that does not look dramatic in 
the moments, but it proves 

842
01:02:25,080 --> 01:02:30,840
glorious in the long run. 
And that raises a question, a 

843
01:02:30,840 --> 01:02:35,760
question that's worth lingering,
worth lingering over as we step 

844
01:02:35,760 --> 01:02:41,560
into the future. 
What might God do in the coming 

845
01:02:41,560 --> 01:02:48,400
decades if we simply continue 
patiently, prayerfully, humbly 

846
01:02:48,520 --> 01:02:49,960
along the same? 
Path. 

847
01:02:52,160 --> 01:02:57,880
What might God do? 
What might this church look like

848
01:02:58,560 --> 01:03:04,960
20 years, 30 years, 50 years, 
100 years from now, after many 

849
01:03:04,960 --> 01:03:11,480
of us are long, long, long gone?
What might it look like if we 

850
01:03:11,480 --> 01:03:16,440
remain anchored in the Word, 
dependent in prayer, and 

851
01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:18,240
committed to one another in 
love? 

852
01:03:21,920 --> 01:03:24,880
What might the lives of our 
children look like if they grew 

853
01:03:24,880 --> 01:03:29,320
up seeing Christianity not as a 
phase or as a performance, but 

854
01:03:29,320 --> 01:03:33,320
as a steady, joyful life of 
trust in the Lord? 

855
01:03:34,440 --> 01:03:35,920
What might their lives look 
like? 

856
01:03:40,120 --> 01:03:43,800
What kind of legacy might be 
handed down to our children, our

857
01:03:43,800 --> 01:03:45,960
children and grandchildren and 
great grandchildren? 

858
01:03:46,640 --> 01:03:51,960
Not merely memories of a church,
but memories of a living example

859
01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:59,840
of faithfulness before God. 
You see, Scripture reminds us 

860
01:03:59,840 --> 01:04:03,560
that God is glorified not only 
in dramatic conversions and 

861
01:04:03,560 --> 01:04:08,040
decisive moments, but he's 
glorified and enduring 

862
01:04:08,040 --> 01:04:14,160
faithfulness and people who 
finish well, who remain 

863
01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:18,320
dependent, who refuse to drift 
into pride or self-reliance. 

864
01:04:21,920 --> 01:04:24,520
And so as we move into the new 
year, the call before us is not 

865
01:04:24,520 --> 01:04:29,640
to reinvent ourselves. 
Do your diet, commit to working 

866
01:04:29,640 --> 01:04:33,160
out all those things you do 
every year. 

867
01:04:36,520 --> 01:04:39,920
But listen to me. 
The call from God is not to 

868
01:04:39,920 --> 01:04:44,040
reinvent yourself. 
The call from God is to remain 

869
01:04:44,360 --> 01:04:48,080
dependent. 
It's to remain faithful. 

870
01:04:55,080 --> 01:04:59,080
It's to keep seeking the Lord. 
It's to keep walking humbly. 

871
01:04:59,080 --> 01:05:02,320
It's to keep trusting that the 
God who has helped us thus far 

872
01:05:02,400 --> 01:05:09,080
will continue to help us steal. 
Why? 

873
01:05:11,400 --> 01:05:15,160
Why do all that? 
Well, because a legacy of 

874
01:05:15,160 --> 01:05:19,960
faithfulness under God is one of
the most God glorifying gifts we

875
01:05:19,960 --> 01:05:26,480
can ever leave behind. 
We do not remain faithful by 

876
01:05:26,480 --> 01:05:30,480
guarding our own strength. 
We remain faithful by guarding 

877
01:05:30,480 --> 01:05:35,960
our dependence on God. 
For strength comes from humble 

878
01:05:35,960 --> 01:05:37,680
dependence. 
Ruin comes from proud 

879
01:05:37,880 --> 01:05:41,440
independence. 
And if that's the kind of legacy

880
01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:45,280
we're going to leave, if we 
desire not merely to look back 

881
01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:48,080
with gratitude but to look 
forward with hope, then the path

882
01:05:48,080 --> 01:05:53,240
before us is clear. 
You don't need a new foundation 

883
01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:57,080
unless you're an unbeliever, 
You're a believer. 

884
01:05:57,080 --> 01:06:00,720
You don't need a new foundation.
You don't need a different 

885
01:06:00,720 --> 01:06:04,120
gospel. 
We don't need to become 

886
01:06:04,120 --> 01:06:06,880
something other than what God 
has already called us to be. 

887
01:06:08,960 --> 01:06:13,880
The call before us is simpler 
and far more demanding in its 

888
01:06:13,880 --> 01:06:18,120
perseverance. 
It's to continue seeking the 

889
01:06:18,120 --> 01:06:23,440
Lord with humble dependence. 
That's the call in Uzziah's life

890
01:06:23,440 --> 01:06:27,920
reminds us that strength is not 
the enemy, but forgetting the 

891
01:06:27,920 --> 01:06:30,080
source of our strength is the 
enemy. 

892
01:06:31,800 --> 01:06:36,160
His story warns us of the danger
of beginning well and drifting 

893
01:06:36,160 --> 01:06:42,400
later, but it also presses upon 
us the opportunity that is 

894
01:06:42,400 --> 01:06:46,880
before us, which is to walk 
faithfully, steadily, and humbly

895
01:06:46,880 --> 01:06:50,560
before the Lord, not for a 
season, but for a lifetime. 

896
01:06:53,600 --> 01:06:57,160
So the question that remains is 
not merely what God has done 

897
01:06:57,160 --> 01:07:01,320
among us, but how will we 
respond to His kindness? 

898
01:07:04,160 --> 01:07:09,240
Will we guard our hearts against
pride when we recommit ourselves

899
01:07:09,240 --> 01:07:14,840
to the ordinary means by which 
God preserves His people, when 

900
01:07:14,840 --> 01:07:21,320
we resolve by His grace to 
continue in a long obedience in 

901
01:07:21,320 --> 01:07:26,480
the same direction? 
You see, this passage leaves us 

902
01:07:26,480 --> 01:07:29,400
with a sober warning and a 
gracious invitation. 

903
01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:35,080
Uzziah's life reminds us that it
is possible to begin well, to be

904
01:07:35,080 --> 01:07:38,840
helped by God, to experience his
real blessings, and yet to drift

905
01:07:39,000 --> 01:07:41,960
into ruin. 
If humble dependence gives way 

906
01:07:41,960 --> 01:07:48,280
to proud independence, Uzziah's 
story stands as a caution not 

907
01:07:48,280 --> 01:07:54,480
only against open rebellion but 
against quiet self-reliance, and

908
01:07:54,480 --> 01:07:58,160
it presses upon us a truth that 
we must carry into the days 

909
01:07:58,160 --> 01:08:00,640
ahead. 
Strength comes from humble 

910
01:08:00,640 --> 01:08:04,600
dependence, and ruin comes from 
proud independence. 

911
01:08:06,840 --> 01:08:09,480
So what does faithful 
faithfulness look like for us 

912
01:08:09,480 --> 01:08:14,800
now? 
Well, again, it does not mean 

913
01:08:14,800 --> 01:08:16,680
that you should live in fear of 
success. 

914
01:08:17,479 --> 01:08:19,439
It does not mean that you should
shrink back from your 

915
01:08:19,439 --> 01:08:23,000
responsibilities. 
That means living an anchored 

916
01:08:23,000 --> 01:08:25,880
life, a faithful life, anchored 
in the Word of God, dependent in

917
01:08:25,880 --> 01:08:27,880
prayer, committed to the 
fellowship of the Saints. 

918
01:08:28,680 --> 01:08:32,760
These are the means that God has
appointed to keep his people low

919
01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:38,439
before him and strong in him. 
They're how God preserves us 

920
01:08:38,439 --> 01:08:41,240
from pride and sustains us in 
faithfulness. 

921
01:08:43,319 --> 01:08:49,960
And so, as you step into a new 
year, will you resolve, not in 

922
01:08:49,960 --> 01:08:54,200
your own strength, but by God's 
grace, to continue seeking the 

923
01:08:54,200 --> 01:09:02,479
Lord, to sit gladly under His 
Word, to speak to Him daily in 

924
01:09:02,479 --> 01:09:10,399
prayer, to walk closely with one
another, and love and 

925
01:09:10,399 --> 01:09:15,000
accountability? 
Let us not assume that 

926
01:09:15,000 --> 01:09:17,640
tomorrow's faithfulness will 
take care of itself. 

927
01:09:18,200 --> 01:09:21,240
It will not. 
It will not. 

928
01:09:22,399 --> 01:09:27,720
Let us pursue faithfulness 
deliberately, humbly, joyfully. 

929
01:09:31,920 --> 01:09:38,479
Listen. 
If you're not a believer, if you

930
01:09:38,479 --> 01:09:43,000
hear this warning and you feel 
the weight of it, I want you to 

931
01:09:43,000 --> 01:09:47,319
hear this clearly. 
The gospel. 

932
01:09:48,000 --> 01:09:54,760
Regardless of what our culture 
says, the gospel does not begin 

933
01:09:54,760 --> 01:10:01,080
with what you must do for God. 
The gospel begins with what God 

934
01:10:01,080 --> 01:10:03,440
has done for sinners in Jesus 
Christ. 

935
01:10:07,240 --> 01:10:11,880
Where Uzziah felled in pride, 
Christ walked in perfect 

936
01:10:11,880 --> 01:10:17,360
humility. 
Uzziah reached unlawfully into 

937
01:10:17,360 --> 01:10:21,400
God's presence. 
God opened the way for sinners 

938
01:10:21,400 --> 01:10:24,760
to draw near by His own obedient
life. 

939
01:10:29,320 --> 01:10:33,160
He opened the way through his 
life, through his atoning death,

940
01:10:33,760 --> 01:10:35,800
and through His victorious 
resurrection. 

941
01:10:39,120 --> 01:10:42,400
He bore the judgement of sinners
so that sinners might receive 

942
01:10:42,400 --> 01:10:46,800
mercy. 
He was cast out so that we might

943
01:10:46,800 --> 01:10:52,480
be brought near. 
So again, if you're an 

944
01:10:52,480 --> 01:10:55,640
unbeliever, hear me today. 
The call of the gospel is not to

945
01:10:55,640 --> 01:10:58,360
clean yourself up and prove your
worth. 

946
01:11:00,720 --> 01:11:02,640
The call of the gospel is to 
repent. 

947
01:11:04,120 --> 01:11:08,680
It's to turn from self-reliance 
and trust holy in Jesus Christ. 

948
01:11:09,720 --> 01:11:13,280
It's to lay down your own pride 
and to receive His grace. 

949
01:11:17,520 --> 01:11:22,760
Please hear me one more time. 
If you will humble yourself 

950
01:11:22,760 --> 01:11:29,400
today and come to Christ, He 
will not turn you away. 

951
01:11:29,400 --> 01:11:41,050
And for the rest of us who are 
believers, let us remember God 

952
01:11:41,050 --> 01:11:47,000
has been faithful to us. 
He's helped us, and the same God

953
01:11:47,000 --> 01:11:50,680
who has sustained us thus far 
will continue to do so as we 

954
01:11:50,680 --> 01:11:56,320
walk humbly before him. 
So may we not merely finish this

955
01:11:56,320 --> 01:12:00,480
year with gratitude. 
Let's begin the next with 

956
01:12:00,480 --> 01:12:04,200
resolve. 
May we guard our hearts, May we 

957
01:12:04,320 --> 01:12:07,800
pursue faithfulness, May we 
commit ourselves anew to a long 

958
01:12:07,800 --> 01:12:13,360
obedience in the same direction,
all because we understand the 

959
01:12:13,360 --> 01:12:18,080
strength comes from humble 
dependence and ruin comes from 

960
01:12:18,080 --> 01:12:22,760
proud independence. 
We pray with me. 

961
01:12:24,320 --> 01:12:29,400
Heavenly Father, we thank you so
much for your word. 

962
01:12:31,560 --> 01:12:36,640
We thank you, Lord, for the ways
that it presses against us, that

963
01:12:36,640 --> 01:12:42,520
it confronts us, especially 
today as it confronts our pride.

964
01:12:47,480 --> 01:12:53,200
Father, I ask that you would 
reveal to us any of those dark 

965
01:12:53,200 --> 01:13:00,160
ways that we are becoming or 
have become self reliant, where 

966
01:13:00,160 --> 01:13:06,040
we're seeking, maybe even 
unbeknownst to us, to live a 

967
01:13:06,040 --> 01:13:09,800
life of independence apart from 
You. 

968
01:13:11,960 --> 01:13:16,720
Thank God, would you reveal it 
and would you kill it by Your 

969
01:13:16,720 --> 01:13:23,720
Spirit so that we might be 
faithful Christians, men and 

970
01:13:23,720 --> 01:13:27,960
women and boys and girls who 
faithfully love you with all our

971
01:13:27,960 --> 01:13:37,640
heart, soul, mind and strength? 
God, would you help us as a 

972
01:13:37,640 --> 01:13:43,280
church and as individuals be the
kind of people who are committed

973
01:13:43,280 --> 01:13:46,160
to your Word, who are anchored 
to it. 

974
01:13:47,120 --> 01:13:54,600
Help us to be the kind of people
who are dependent in prayer, and

975
01:13:54,600 --> 01:13:59,000
help us to be the kind of people
who love those around us. 

976
01:14:03,080 --> 01:14:05,640
Would you unify us as the body 
of Christ? 

977
01:14:06,240 --> 01:14:08,640
Would you strengthen us in the 
days ahead? 

978
01:14:10,040 --> 01:14:13,880
And God, would you protect us 
from self-reliance and help us 

979
01:14:13,880 --> 01:14:17,480
to remain dependent believers in
all that we do? 

980
01:14:21,520 --> 01:14:25,320
We do believe, Father, that this
is how we will most glorify You 

981
01:14:25,320 --> 01:14:28,960
as a church, and so we ask that 
you would help us to be faithful

982
01:14:28,960 --> 01:14:35,520
to it. 
Father, I pray for anyone here 

983
01:14:35,520 --> 01:14:42,280
who doesn't know you as their 
Lord, as we've made this call 

984
01:14:42,280 --> 01:14:46,200
and this appeal to the gospel, 
as we've called sinners to 

985
01:14:46,200 --> 01:14:48,440
repent this morning. 
Father, would you grant them 

986
01:14:48,840 --> 01:14:53,080
repentance and faith today? 
Would you draw them to yourself 

987
01:14:53,080 --> 01:14:56,560
and let nothing, nothing hinder 
them from coming to you? 

988
01:14:59,920 --> 01:15:02,040
Would you give them a new life 
in Christ? 

989
01:15:09,160 --> 01:15:12,520
Holy Father, we praise you and 
we thank you for your great love

990
01:15:12,520 --> 01:15:18,000
toward us. 
I'm going to give you a moment 

991
01:15:18,000 --> 01:15:24,440
now to reflect on the message, 
to reflect on God's Word, to 

992
01:15:24,440 --> 01:15:28,440
seek the Lord how you see fit, 
how you're being LED. 

993
01:15:31,200 --> 01:15:33,000
Respond to Him in prayer this 
morning. 

994
01:16:30,760 --> 01:16:33,840
Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for your grace and your mercy. 

995
01:16:35,720 --> 01:16:39,760
We thank you that you are 
steadfast in love, that you are 

996
01:16:39,760 --> 01:16:44,640
always faithful, and that you're
good to every generation. 

997
01:16:47,640 --> 01:16:55,840
It's our joy to serve you. 
Amen.