What Does Uzziah Show You?

Q: What does the Bible say about God's holiness?

The Bible teaches that God is infinitely holy, unchangingly righteous, and unapproachable by sinful man, as illustrated in Isaiah 6. God's holiness is a central theme throughout Scripture, most emphatically declared in Isaiah 6, where the seraphim proclaim, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts' (Isaiah 6:3). This repetition underscores the infinite and unchanging nature of God's holiness. God exists outside of time, and His holiness separates Him from sinful humanity, revealing the gap that our sin creates. In 1 Timothy 6:16, we see that God 'dwells in the light which no man can approach unto,' emphasizing that aside from Christ, we cannot approach Him at all. Therefore, understanding and acknowledging God's holiness is fundamental for a proper relationship with Him, as it brings awareness of our sinful condition and the need for a mediator, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Q: How do we know Christ is our mediator?

The Bible affirms that Christ is our mediator through His perfect sacrifice and intercession, as referenced in Hebrews 10. Christ's role as our mediator is established in Scripture, particularly in Hebrews 10, which teaches that He has become our high priest and the only way to God. Hebrews 10:19-22 emphasizes that we can enter the holiest place by the blood of Jesus, which signifies His sacrificial death. No one can approach God without a mediator, and Christ fulfills this role perfectly because He is both fully God and fully man. His intercession at the right hand of God ensures that our prayers and needs are brought before the Father. Only through recognizing Christ's work and the covenant He established can we have hope and reconciliation with God.

Q: Why is understanding sin important for Christians?

Understanding sin helps Christians recognize their need for salvation and the grace of God in Christ. Recognizing the depth of our sin is vital for Christians, as Isaiah exemplifies in his confession of unclean lips after witnessing God's holiness (Isaiah 6:5). Understanding sin clarifies that we stand condemned before a holy God, which prompts us to seek mercy and grace. Romans 3:23 declares that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Until we acknowledge our sinful state, we cannot fully appreciate the grace extended to us through Christ. The acknowledgment of sin not only fosters humility but also reinforces the necessity of Christ's redemptive work, allowing us to truly grasp the grace, hope, and forgiveness offered to us.

Well, good morning. Hope everyone's doing well today. Glad to see everyone here. I'm going to bring a lesson this morning that I've titled, What Does Uzziah Show You? I'm going to look at King Uzziah back in 2 Chronicles 26. But before that, I want to look at a passage where where Isaiah was given a vision by God, by the Lord, after Uzziah died. But before we do, and that's gonna be out of Isaiah 6. So we're gonna start in Isaiah 6 and then go back to Chronicles.

And before we start the lesson, let's seek the Lord in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we're thankful that you've brought us here this morning. Lord, we pray that you would have mercy on us and leave us not alone. Lord, we pray that you would send your spirit to be among us this morning, that you would give those who endeavor to stand up this morning and proclaim the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you would give them liberty of speech. And we pray, Lord, that you would use these clay vessels, these pots, to proclaim the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. and that you would give your people hearing ears and receiving hearts, Lord. We pray that we meet not in vain, but where you promised us, Lord, where two or three are gathered in your name, that you would be among them. And we pray that you would send your presence and that your Holy Ghost would anoint the word to the hearts of your people.

Lord, we continue to pray for our young people, Lord, that you would continue to hedge them about as they go through this world. Protect them, guide them, but most of all, Lord, have mercy on their souls. Reveal yourself to them. Cause them to run to Christ, to cling to him, to find salvation in the Lord. We ask all these things and the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for our good and for his sake, amen.

Okay, like I said, we're gonna start in Isaiah 6, the first five verses, and look at the vision that God gave the prophet Isaiah after King Uzziah died. So we'll pick up in verse one here, and it says, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Notice that this took place in the year that King Uzziah died. And Isaiah thought it was very important to tell us that. And God's preserved that in his word. And he's letting us know that he had this vision of the Lord after King Uzziah died and he saw the Lord Jesus Christ sitting on a throne as a judge executing God's justice.

And you know Hebrews 10 verse 12, 13 says, but this man talking about Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever. sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth, expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. That's what Isaiah saw. And you might be thinking, well, Christ hadn't become incarnate yet. He hadn't been made flesh yet. He hadn't died yet. He wasn't sitting at that throne of judgment. But remember, there is no time with God. God exists outside of time.

As soon as he purposed that, Christ was the lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. As soon as God purposed it, it was done. And Christ has always been executing just judgment for God. And it says, as train filled the temple. That represents the mercy of God covering all sinners who come to him through Christ Jesus our Lord. The temple points to Christ. He filled the temple. And those skirts filling the temple, that shows mercy on sinners. A couple of scriptures talking about those skirts.

In Ruth 3.9, we read about Ruth coming to the Kingsman Redeemer at Boaz. And he said, who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thine handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid. for thou and your kinsmen.

Have mercy on me. I'm at your feet. Have mercy on me. And then another scripture from Ezekiel. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of love, and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and now became it's mine. It's God's mercy to make a covenant with sinners that they're going to be his.

Verse two, above it stood the seraphims. Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. So these seraphims, these represent the ministers of God, and the ministers and messengers of the Lord. They have a zeal for God's service and glory. But notice they covered their faces with two of those wings.

That's showing profound reverence that they know that they can't look upon a holy God. And then they covered their feet. That represents the shame of their walk through the world, right? The shame for their sin. That's why they covered their feet to hide their imperfect walk. But notice, with two wings they flew, and they executed God's commands.

And everyone that stands up here in a pulpit, we want to see God, but we know that he's so holy. Just a glimpse of his holiness kills us. And we're ashamed of ourselves. And the prayer is to take us away and to leave Christ for everybody to see. And I pray that that's what we're doing here. And then in verse three, and one cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

The whole earth is full of his glory. And this is the essence of that vision that Isaiah had. And it's the one thing that we need to learn about everything else is that God is holy. He's eternally, infinitely, unchangingly holy in all his ways. And it's repeated for emphasis, holy, holy, holy. And notice, though, that that's three times. God the Father is holy, God the Son Holy, God the Spirit. They're together as one and they're all completely holy. In the word holy, I've heard a definition, and Todd Nybert's given this multiple times, it means other.

God is completely other from natural man. Whatever we are, he's other from that. He is so holy that we don't have anything in common with him by nature. He's other. And that's the attribute most used to describe God is holy. God's holy and he's unapproachable by sinful creatures. He dwells in a light that no man can approach. That's what we read in Timothy. So that's the vision that Isaiah saw. It's God's holiness. And what was his response to that vision?

Well, we read it in verses four and five. And the post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." What's his response? Woe is me.

He realizes that he's cut off from God. God is so holy. And when he sees that, it reveals how great a sinner he is. I'm a great sinner. And especially my lips, which reveal my heart, right? What I feel in my heart, that comes out my mouth all the time. And there's no hope for Isaiah before God's holy throne, before God's presence. And he says, woe is me.

And that's what anyone who's made to understand the holiness of God, they're going to see themselves as the sinner. I'm not just a sinner. Not just, we're all sinners. No, I'm the sinner. I've rebelled against God. I've fought God tooth and nail. I've not reverenced his word. I've not reverenced him. My thoughts are nothing but sin. And that's what we feel.

Before we're shown that, more like Isaiah was in chapter five, he was woe unto you. He was woe unto everybody, right? He was woe unto all sorts of people. Verse eight, woe unto them that join house to house. Verse 11, woe unto them that rise up early in the morning. Verse 18, woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity. Verses 20, 21, and 22, he's woe, woe, woe.

And he was woeing everyone. until he saw God's holiness. And once he saw God's holiness, and he understood that their sins no different than my sin, my sin's worse, because it's mine. It's the one that affects me. Then he knew his own sin. And once he saw God's holiness.

So what does this vision have to do with King Uzziah? If you'll turn back to 2 Chronicles 26, I want to look at the life of King Uzziah and see what this vision had to do with that. As Isaiah said, it was in this year that this happened is when he died. That's when he had this vision. First thing we know is Isaiah was God's prophet. during the reign of Uzziah.

In Isaiah 1.1, it says, this is the vision of Isaiah, which he saw concerning Judah in Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah. In the days of Uzziah, this is what he saw, and that's what he recorded in Isaiah.

And then in Chronicles 26.22, it talks about how he recorded everything that Uzziah did, right? So he was the prophet during that time.

And verses one through five, I'm gonna look, I'm gonna read through this and hopefully I'm not gonna spend too much time reading it, although I don't think we can go wrong reading God's word. But I wanna read and give some comments on this, and hopefully it's not too ambitious. Verses one through five.

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in the room of his father, Amaziah. and he built Eloth and strengthened it to Judah, and restored it to Judah. After that, the king slept with his fathers. 16 years old was Uzziah when he began to reign. He reigned 50 and two years in Jerusalem.

His mother's name also was Jokaliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zachariah, who had understanding in the visions of God. And as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. So we see here that Uzziah was a good king. He reigned for 52 years. I can't imagine somebody 16 years old becoming king, but God blessed him. He was a good king. He reigned 52 years, and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. And he sought after the Lord, and God made him to prosper. And then verses six and eight, we see how he warred against the enemies of Israel and God helped him in battle.

And he went forth and warred against the Philistines and break down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneth and the wall of Ashdod and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gubar and Mahumaness. And the Amorites gave gifts to Uzziah, and his name spread abroad, even to the entering of Egypt, for he strengthened himself exceedingly.

So see, we see that he fought the enemies of God. He fought the enemies of Israel, and God actually helped him in that battle. But here we're gonna see the first warning sign. And it was that his name was spread abroad, and he strengthened himself. God helped him in battle. God gave him the victories. But we're starting to see that pride come in.

And aren't we so good at doing that? If God ever We can't even give to charity without thinking, oh, look what I did. And God's enabled us, everything we can give to anyone, God's given that to us. He's not only enabled us to it, he's given us the thought to do it, and then we think it recommends us to God, and it doesn't, it doesn't. Verses nine through 10, let's see some other ways that he served the people.

Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner of the gate, in the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall and fortified them. He also built towers in the desert and digged many wells, for he had much cattle both in the low country and in the plains, husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains and in Carmel, and he loved husbandry. He served the people. He built these towers in the desert to protect their herds. He dug many wells to provide water. He planted vineyards. So, you know, he's a king that served the people. He wasn't just about himself.

Verses 12 through 15. And you'll excuse me for skipping over verse 11, because I'm going to get, He had a host of fighting men, and there's a lot of names that I don't want to stumble over, because my flesh will get in the way. The whole number of the chief of the fathers of mighty men in valor were 2,600, and under their hand was an army, 300,000, and 7,500 that made war with mighty power to help the king against the enemy.

And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the hosts shields and spears and helmets, and bows and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped till he was strong." So we see that he raised up these massive armies and he ensured that they were well equipped, that they were equipped for battle and to protect Israel. And he was a brilliant leader and an inventor. You know, he created these things that shoot multiple arrows at the same time. And his name was spread abroad for he was very powerful.

He was helped until he was strong. See what's going on here? In verse 16, But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. For he transgressed against the Lord his God and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. We see the cause of his death here. When he was strong, He made the fatal error of lifting up his heart in pride. And he went into the temple to burn incense.

Well, isn't that worshiping God? We can't worship God except through Christ. And this is worshiping self. This is saying, I can do something in the service of God. I can make God happy. This is approaching God in a way that God did not ordain. He was so overcome with his importance that he went into the temple to offer incense upon the altar. He went into the holy place that only priests were to enter. That's how God ordained it. The priests go into that holy place to offer incense and to offer sacrifices.

He went before God without a priestly mediator. That's a denial of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a denial of God's holiness to think that I can approach God outside of Christ. That's not having a fear of God. Fear of God is, I can't even lift up my eyes to the Lord outside of Christ.

And that's what Uzziah did. And in verses 17 through 18, we see that he was well-warned. And Azariah, the priest, went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord that were valiant men, And they withstood Uzziah, the king, and said unto him, it appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests, the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for thou has trespassed.

Neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God. He knew this before the priest told him that. And we know in our minds that we can't approach God outside of Christ. But our natural hearts tend to go that way, tend to think, I can do better. I can do better. I can do something to please God. I can do something to approach God. But we need that mediator, that it's only the priests of God, the sons of Aaron that were consecrated by God. to burn incense before the Lord.

No man, not even a king, was permitted to offer those sacrifices for sin. And that act's not gonna honor God. And we read about that in Hebrews, Hebrews chapter five. I love Hebrews because it explains this priesthood very well to these people that were caught up in the priesthood, right? For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin, who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof, he ought as for the people also for himself to offer sins.

And no man taketh this honor unto himself. but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified himself, glorified not himself to be made a high priest, but he that said unto him, thou art my son, today have I begotten thee. Christ was ordained to be our high priest, the great high priest, to represent his people before God. He didn't listen, and we're gonna see the results. Let's read the rest of this chapter.

Then Uzziah was wroth and had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and while he was wroth with the priest, the leprosy even rose up on his forehead before the priests of the house of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And Azariah, the chief priest, and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, He was leprous in his forehead.

And they thrust him out from thence. Yea, himself hastened also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper until the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper. And he was cut off from the house of the Lord.

And Jotham, his son, was over the king's house, judging the people. Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah First and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz write, so Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial, which belonged to the kings, for they said, lo, he is a leper. And Jotham, his son, reigned in his stead.

He was angry at the priests for telling him that he couldn't approach God on his own. And you know, that's the, that's our natural main reaction to the truth, to God's truth, the truth of God's holiness in our sin. And you know, what's our reaction? What do you mean I can't do something to please God?

I'm not as bad a sinner as somebody else. And you know, that's one of, we're all really good at pointing out somebody else's sin. is being worse than ours. But there's no degrees of sin. Because every sin is against God. It's against God, it's against his holy law, it's against his holy word. And to offend in one point is to offend in all of them. And so God smote him with leprosy. God pointed, God showed him, he's a sinner. This sacrifice that he made without Christ is sin. And he did it because of sin. And leprosy throughout scripture is a picture of sin. And he showed Uzziah and he showed the people very clearly his sinfulness. And he died a leper. He was brought down. He lost his office. He died a leper.

So that's the story of the life and times of King Uzziah. And the Lord taught Isaiah. through this, through the death of this king. By seeing this great king, a man that he greatly admired, the most mighty man he ever knew, killed for trying to come to God without a mediator. Through that, Isaiah saw the Lord. He saw God's infinite holiness, and he saw his own sinful condition.

God will in no wise clear the guilty, nor receive any man apart from the perfect holiness. And the only way we can have that perfect holiness is in the Lord Jesus Christ. God's unapproachable except through a mediator. Because we're all sinners, there's none righteous. We read that in Romans, all are gone out of the way, they are all together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good, no not one. Not you, not me, not one.

Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 59, he said, but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you. It's your sins that have separated you from God that he will not hear. We need a mediator to talk to God in our stead.

That's why we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, because we can't, we know that We've been made priests and sons in Christ though, in Christ, and we confess that. Every time we pray, we confess that. But thank God we're not without hope. There is a way to God, and it's through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, in his great mercy and grace, is determined to redeem, to sanctify and receive a people out of every kindred tribe and nation, but only in a way that's consistent with his holiness, his righteousness, and his truth. God is going to be both just and a justifier, both merciful and righteous. He will be a just God and a savior.

Let's turn over to Isaiah 45. I just want to read the scripture in Isaiah 45. verses 20 through 25. This is our hope. Isaiah 45 verses 20 through 25. Here's Isaiah talking to sinners. He's talking to us, talking to us here. Assemble yourselves and come, draw near together ye that are escaped of the nations, They have no knowledge that set up the wood for their graven image and pray unto the God that cannot save. And so it's a small G, God. Tell ye and bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who have declared this from ancient time? Who have told it from that time?

Have not I, the Lord, and there is no God else beside me, a just God and a savior? There is none beside me. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. I've sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear.

Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness. In the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory.

It's in Christ. It's in Christ our mediator. Christ is the way. He's the only way. He's the only begotten son of God, came to earth, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem his people. He's our surety by divine decree. He's our righteousness by his perfect obedience. And he's our sacrifice, our sin offering, and atonement by his death. And beyond that, he's risen. justifier and great high priest who intercedes at God's right hand for his people even now. And no man comes to God but in him and through Jesus Christ.

What did Christ say? Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man shall come unto the Father but by me. No man shall come but by me. But just as true, if any man come to Christ, he will be accepted. Isn't that glorious? Doesn't that just give you chills? All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. If the Father gave you to the Son, you're gonna come to him. And him that cometh to me, I will no wise cast out.

This Old Testament priesthood, it all pictures the Lord Jesus Christ. They were appointed and consecrated by God. They entered into the holy place just as Christ entered into heaven. The incense they burned is a picture of the prayers of Christ, the intercession, the intercessionary prayers of Christ. The atonement they offered is a picture of the blood of Christ.

And the fact that no priest was suitable for the sacrifice except God appoint them, that shows that only Christ can effectually bring a sinner to God. Would you approach God for mercy, forgiveness, acceptance? Then bow to and confess the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't come any other way.

One more scripture I'd like to read. If you turn to Hebrews 10. You know, Hebrews 10 talks about Christ being the fulfillment of this Old Testament priesthood. It explains it to us about it. And it concludes with God's covenant to his sinful people to give them new life in Christ. Hebrews 10, let's read verses 16 through 22.

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. God doesn't forget. God sees things as they are. He remembers those no more because they're gone. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus Christ. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh. And having in high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. There's new life in Christ. Won't you come to Him? Come to Him.

What Does Uzziah Show You?

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's holiness?

How do we know Christ is our mediator?

Why is understanding sin important for Christians?

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What Does Uzziah Show You?

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's holiness?

How do we know Christ is our mediator?

Why is understanding sin important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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