I'm going to read the passage
out of Chronicles. It gives a little bit more detail
about the life of Jotham. 2 Chronicles chapter 27. 2 Chronicles 27. was 25 years old when he began
to reign. And he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerusha,
the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah
did. How be it he entered not into
the temple of the Lord. Now, do you remember when his
father Uzziah entered into the temple of the Lord without a
priest and the Lord killed him? He struck him with leprosy. He
saw, I'm not going to do that. That's what it's talking about.
When he entered onto the temple of the Lord, it doesn't mean he wasn't
concerned about worship, but he was not going to, he saw what
his father did and he wasn't going to follow that example.
And the people did yet corruptly, even though he did that which
was right in the sight of the Lord, it didn't change the people
any. He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on
the wall of Ophel he built much. Moreover, he built cities in
the mountains of Judah, and in the forest he built castles and
towers for the protection of Jerusalem. He fought also with
the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the
children of Ammon gave him the same year and a hundred talents
of silver and 10,000 measures of wheat and 10,000 of barley. So much did the children of Ammon
pay unto him both the second and the third year. He became
very mighty and people had to pay him and pay taxes and tribute
under his rule. Verse six, so Jotham became mighty
because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. My marginal
reading says he established or fixed his ways before the Lord
his God. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham
and all of his wars and his ways, lo, they're written in the book
of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was five and 20 years old
when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem.
And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city
of David, and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. Let's pray. Lord, how grateful we are. For
that son. And the salvation that's in him. How grateful we are for the freeness
of your grace and the sovereignty of your grace. how grateful we are for all your
glorious attributes and the manifestation of your gospel. Now, Lord, we
pray that you'd meet with us, that you would speak in power
to our hearts from your word. We pray that we might be found
in thy son and that his name might be exalted. And we pray
for the forgiveness and cleansing of all of our sins for his sake.
Be with all your people wherever they meet together and give us
grace to love you more and love one another more. In Christ's
name we pray, amen. Jotham is a breath of fresh air. When we read this passage of
scripture, if you read his history in the King's account, 2 Kings
chapter 15, we're given six different kings of Israel, all of which
were very bad, four of which were murdered, There was conspiracies
against them, and no one was troubled by their deaths. And
Israel never had a good king. And Jotham's son is going to
end up being one of the worst kings of all. What's his name? Asa. Asa. I'm in the wrong, Ahaz, that's
his name, Ahaz. He's the one who changed the
altar and he was just a bad, bad king. But Jotham proves to
be a fresh breath of air. Now he started being a judge
in Israel before he became king. After Uzziah died, he acted as
a judge, and when Uzziah died, all of a sudden he became king,
25 years old. Think of that. That's very young
to be the king of a nation. And he reigned until he was 41.
He died when he was 41. We don't know how he died. Somebody
says that's an early death. No, it's right on time. Everybody's
death is already appointed by the Lord, and he died just at
the right time. You can be sure that Jotham was
greatly affected by the death of his father. He saw his father
go into the temple and bypass the priest and come in with his
own incense and God, just like that, turned him into a leper.
And he died in leprosy because he presumed to come into God's
presence without a high priest, which is coming into God's presence
without Christ is what that means. That's all that means. And God
killed him. And you can bet Jotham was greatly affected by that.
And he didn't want that to take place with him. Now let's begin
reading in chapter 27. Jotham was 20 and five years
old when he began to reign. He reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jerusha,
the daughter of Zadok. And look at this phrase, he did
that which was right in the sight of the Lord. According to all
that his father Uzziah did. Now Uzziah was a good king, but
his heart was lifted up with pride. But before that, he'd
been greatly used of God and he was a good king and he did
all that was right in the sight of the Lord. And I love this
phrase, the sight of the Lord. How the Lord sees things is how
they really are. Me and you don't really see things
as they are. We don't know what people are
going through. We can't really read our own hearts. He that
trusteth in his own heart is a fool, the scripture says. We
cannot see things as they really are, and that's one of the main
reasons we should never judge anybody. We don't have the right
information. We cannot do that. But the Lord
sees things as they really are. When the scripture says we're
holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight, you know what that
means? That means we really are holy
and unblameable and unreprovable. That's true of every believer. When it said of him, he has not
beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither perverseness in Israel. Now you
think of all the iniquity and perverseness you behold in your
own heart. You can't deny that. You see
it. But when it says the Lord has
not beheld it, you know why? Because there is nothing there. There is no iniquity or perverseness
in Israel or in Judah. How God sees things, if God sees
me as without sin, without guilt, that's the way I am. We read,
the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward
appearance. That's all man can see, the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Now turn with me
for a moment to Psalm 139. This is how the Lord sees. Psalm 139. And before I read that, remember
a thousand years are in the Lord's sight as but yesterday. A watch
in the night. Oh, the sight of the Lord. But
look at, look what David says, and this is primarily speaking
of Christ, but it's speaking of me and you too. My substance
was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see
my substance yet being unperfect. And in thy book, all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there
was none of them. When I was not, God saw me completely. I think of what Hagar said, and
I find such comfort in this. Thou, Lord, seest me. I don't trust what I see about
myself, but I find such comfort in this. He who knows all things
sees me, and he sees me all together. The Lord seeth not as man seeth.
Never forget that. The Lord seeth not as man seeth.
You and I can't make a judgment about anything. except for what
the Bible says because we just don't know what the situation
is. But the Lord looks on the heart and he sees and I find
such comfort in the fact that the Lord sees me. Now back to
our text in 2 Chronicles 27. It says, he did that which was
right in the sight of the Lord. We've talked about the sight
of the Lord, and that's the only side that counts, what he sees, what
he judges. But he did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord. Now, the only way you can do
what's right is if you are right. And what that's talking about,
first of all, is justification. Every believer is right before
God because they have the very righteousness of Jesus Christ
as their personal righteousness. If I'm not right before God,
I can't do right. But first, I must be right in
God's sight, perfect, without sin, without guilt. That's what
justification is. And he did that which was right
in the sight of the Lord. And we're going to see what all
it was he did. And he had seen what happened
to his father, first of all, when Uzziah came in without a
priest and he came into God's presence and he saw God kill
him and he knew, I can't come into God's presence without a
priest. He saw the necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
he did that, which was right in the sight of the Lord, but
it didn't affect anybody else. Verse two, and the people did
yet corruptly. And then it talks about what
he did. Verse three, He built the high gate of the house of
the Lord. That's talking about the temple. And the temple was
so important to this man because he knew what the temple represented.
The temple represents the Lord Jesus Christ and how I come into
God's presence only through him, through his sacrifice, through
the high priest representing me. He understood that. Now,
a lot of people saw it just as religion. It's just a temple,
but not Jotham. And he repaired the breaches
of the temple because he saw what the temple represented.
He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. He built the wall of Ophel. He
built much. This is talking about the wall
around Jerusalem. He built this for the protection
of Jerusalem. He did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord. Moreover, verse four, he built cities in the mountains
of Judah. In the forest, he built castles and towers for the protection
of Jerusalem and Judah. And he fought also with the king
of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the children
of Ammon gave him the same year and a hundred towns of silver
and 10,000 measures of wheat and 10,000 of barley. They had
to pay tribute to him to keep him from destroying them. So
much did the children of Ammon pay unto him, both the second
and the third year. So Jotham, and this is the verse
I wanted to think most upon. So Jotham became mighty. because he prepared his ways
before the Lord his God. Jotham became mighty. He became
what the scripture calls a mighty man of God. I want to be that
person, don't you? Man or woman, I want to be that
person. I want to be somebody like Jotham, who prepared his
ways before the Lord his God. He was a mighty man that God
distinguished as one who was mighty, who walked with God,
was dependent upon God, and because of the greatness of God's grace
on him, he became a mighty man. That's what the scripture says
of him. He was a sinner just like me
and you, but the grace of God distinguished him as a mighty
man of God, somebody who prepared his ways before God. Now, what
in the world does that mean? What does it mean to prepare
your ways before God? Well, first of all, let's go
back to this thing, it's before the Lord. When it comes right down to it,
do you care what men think in light of what God thinks? Do you even care? You know, I've
heard people say, well, our works justify our faith before men.
As long as I'm saved, I don't care whether any man thinks I
am or not. That's all that counts before the Lord. That's all that
counts before the Lord. He prepared his ways before the
Lord. Now, what that word prepare means
is he fixed, he founded his ways. And I know a works preacher will
turn this into works. I realize that, you know, he
worked hard. What's the way to the Father?
Who is the way to the Father? Christ said, I am the way. Jotham said, I'm sticking right
there. I'm not looking in any other
direction. That's where I'm at, right there. I am the way. I think of the scripture talks
about the way of peace. said I'm fixed right here. The
only peace I have is Christ my peace. The only peace I get is
from God's satisfaction with the atonement, with the blood
of Christ. That's the only place I find
peace. I don't find peace in my works or in my efforts or
anything I do. I don't find peace in my preaching.
I don't find peace in my praying or my Bible reading or anything
about me. The only place of peace. And I'm not going to be moved
from this by the grace of God. I know I will be moved apart
from him. But the only place I find peace
is in Christ himself. He is my peace. The scripture
speaks of the way of righteousness. The way of righteousness. I'm
fixed right here. The only righteousness I know
of is the righteousness and merits of Jesus Christ. That is my personal
righteousness before God. And I find such joy in that,
the way of righteousness, the way of grace. These are all scriptural
terms of the way. Christ's people are called people
of the way. I'm fixed right here. The only thing I know is the
way of grace, the way of free, unmerited favor, the way that
God accepts me wholly for Christ's sake by his grace and not having
anything to do with my works. acceptance, my completion is
in Him. I'm stuck right there. I've prepared
my ways before the Lord. I don't look any other way. I
think of the way of holiness. That's a scriptural term, Isaiah
35, the way of holiness. He is my holiness before God.
I'm stuck there. I can't get past that. He is
my holiness. I'm fixed. I'm founded right
there. He prepared, He fixed His ways
before the Lord. He's the way of truth. There is no truth but Christ
the truth. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh through the Father
but by me. I know He is the truth. All of God's truth is found in
His person and work. Who God is is seen in Him. He's the way of truth. I don't
want to go any other way but the way of truth. My ways are
fixed in that sense. I think of the Lord saying, I'm
the straight and narrow way. That's the only way I want to
be on. The straight and the narrow way. It's very narrow. You can't get
through this gate. If you have any of your works,
you're carrying with you. And it's a narrow way. It's the way
of grace. It's the way of Christ. And that's
what Jotham did. This is not talking about he
started, you know, improving his Bible reading and has tried
to, no, he's talking about the, he fixed his way in the Lord. Verse six, so Jotham became mighty. Because he prepared, he fixed,
he founded his ways before the Lord his God. Now what is the
only thing that works before the Lord his God? Christ. And
the salvation that's in him. And the peace that's in him.
And the righteousness that's in him. He is the way of holiness. He is the way of grace. And I
prepare my ways. I don't want to be found any
other way but him. Now that's what it means when
it says, Jotham prepared his ways before the Lord. And that's
what made him a mighty man of God. And God calls him that,
and he prepared his ways before the Lord. Verse seven, now the
rest of the Acts of Jotham, in all his wars and his ways, lo,
they're written in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
And he was five and 20 years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned 16 years, 41 years old when he died. A lot of people
die early, and it's not an early death. the time the Lord ordained
them to. I couldn't help but think of
Cody at this time. If there's somebody that I wouldn't
have taken, it'd be Cody. He was only 57 years old when
he died, and it seemed like he had, but you know what? He died
just when the Lord ordained for him to die. And then he went
straight into the presence of Christ. So that's what happened
with Jotham. And your time of death has already been ordained. I'm glad I don't know when I'm
gonna die, don't you? And Jotham slept with his fathers,
and they buried him in the city of David. And Ahaz his son reigned
in his stead." And he's going to prove to be maybe the most
wicked of the kings. If you get a chance, read 2 Kings
chapter 16 this week, and you'll see why. Okay.