BECOMING MIGHTY IN THE LORD
2 Chron. 27:1-6
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Clever, or what?
1. Victor, Reilly, Sean and Rowan had been best of friends for over 10 years when unfortunately, Rowan is killed in a car crash. The next day, the three remaining friends are looking at Rowan’s body in his coffin.
2. Reilly says, "You know, Rowan was such a great guy and friend to me that I don’t want him to go empty handed. I’m going to give him $500." He puts $500 into the coffin.
3. Then Sean says, "I agree with you. I’ll match your gift." So Sean threw $500 into the coffin.
4. Victor says, "I liked him more than you two, so I’m going to give him $1,000." With that, Victor writes out a check for $2,000, throws it into the coffin and takes out $1,000 change.
B. TEXT
27 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the Lord). But still the people acted corruptly. 3 He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively on the wall of Ophel. 4 Moreover he built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built fortresses and towers. 5 He also fought with the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. And the people of Ammon gave him in that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. The people of Ammon paid this to him in the second and third years also. 6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” NKJV
C. ASPIRING TO BE ‘MIGHTY’
1. The Scriptures says that “Jotham became mighty!” How many believe we ought to desire that?
2. All of us should be believers God would characterize as "Mighty in the Lord." We’re not talking about Mighty Mouse or Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!
3. What do you think this “mighty” means? "Mighty" means ‘strong,’ ‘potent,’ ‘forceful,’ and ‘vigorous.’
a. We are commanded to be "STRONG in the Lord and in His mighty power" Eph. 6:10. This means mighty in the Holy Spirit.
b. We're to be POTENT -- like salt in the world, like yeast penetrating the whole lump of dough. Concentrated, Pure.
c. We are to be ‘FORCEFUL’-- Matthew 11:12, "The violent take it by force" or "They that know their God will be strong and do exploits" Daniel 11:32. Powerful & Influential.
d. We're supposed to be ‘VIGOROUS’-- throwing off the world's influence and vigorous to pull down strongholds, and turn the world upside down! We need to have the Life of God percolating in our lives!
D. MIGHTY CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOTHAM
That Jotham was Mighty is seen by the fact that:
1. He rebuilt and extended Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord.
2. He fought against Rezin of the Aramaeans and Pekah of Israel. He defeated the Ammonites and received a massive tribute.
3. He was the progenitor of Jesus Christ, listed in Matthew's Gospel.
E. THESIS
1. Jotham became mighty in the Lord because of 3 things:
a. He had a good foundation;
b. He developed his character;
c. He prepared his ways before the Lord.
2. The title of this message is “Becoming Mighty in the Lord.”
I. HE HAD A GOOD FOUNDATION
A. HE HAD A PROPHETIC MOTHER
1. His mother, Jerushah (her name means, “one that possesses the inheritance”), was the great grand-daughter of Zadok (2 Chr. 27:1).
2. Who was Zadok? Zadok’s line, unlike Eli’s line, was faithful to protect the true worship of God at the Temple in the times when the Israelites, as a nation, backslid into idolatry. Zadok was David’s close friend and supporter (Ezek. 40:46; 44:15).
3. Jotham’s mother was not only physically descended from Zadok, but even more, she carried the prophetic, spiritual heritage of Zadok.
B. HE HAD AN AWESOME FATHER
THE BIBLE SAYS:
1. "He (Uzziah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" 2 Chron. 26:4.
2. "He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God" 2 Chron. 26:5.
3. Uzziah defeated the Philistines and 20 other nations! He built war machines. He re-fortified Judah and Jerusalem.
C. YOUR FOUNDATION?
1. Now some of you may NOT have had Christian parents; you may’ve been an orphan or even had bad parents. Don’t let that hinder you; you still can become mighty in the Lord, if you build your life on God’s foundation.
2. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” 1 Cor. 3:11.
3. If you get full of the Holy Spirit, full of God’s Word and full of Jesus, you too can have a good foundation.
D. ILLUSTRATION
1. Watchman Nee told about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation."
2. Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me…”
3. “Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he’s a total mess…”
4. “But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my SON is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died." We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.
II. HE DEVELOPED HIS CHARACTER
A. HUMOR
1. Many of us have lives out of control. One lady was filling out a police report about her car accident.
2. She said, “I was backing down from my garage, lost sight of my driveway and got on the lawn. I went across the lawn, through the hedge, knocked over a garbage can, and then knocked over the mailbox.”
3. “And then” she said, “I went down over the curb and hit the neighbor’s car.” “THEN,” she said, “I LOST CONTROL!”
4. Many of us have lives out of control and don’t even know it. Jotham had his life under control in God.
B. HE LEARNED FROM OTHER’S MISTAKES
1. Jotham learned from the mistake of his father, Uzziah. When Uzziah had become a successful king, he became prideful!
2. Uzziah conceived the idea that he could take on himself the role of priest as well as a king. He put on priestly garments, took up a sacred censor and entered the Temple itself to offer incense in the Holy Place.
3. A group of bold priests gathered to rebuke him and as they did, leprosy broke out on his forehead, and since that would defile the Temple, the priests rushed him out.
4. He had to vacate the throne and live the rest of his life secluded from all others! What a punishment!
5. Jotham developed the fear of God because he’d seen the miracle judgment of God that fell on his father. When he took the throne at the early age of 25 [about 750 B.C.] he showed unusual humility.
C. WASN’T TAINTED BY HIS CULTURE
1. Jotham lived in very evil times. All the nations surrounding his were in gross idolatry. The 2nd verse tells us that his own people “did yet corruptly.”
2. It’s not easy for a person—even a king—to live above their surroundings.
3. But Jotham was spiritually healthy although he lived in a land that was fever-stricken with evil.
4. Many Christian young people don’t know much about cultural resistance because they live in a greenhouse with Christian parents.
5. Others of you know only too well what it’s like to leave church and go into a spiritual cesspool. It’s difficult not to be dragged down to the level of ungodly people.
6. But let me assure you, the strongest Christians are those raised in adverse environments. They get iron in their souls.
D. ILLUSTRATION: Ministry of the Storm
1. On a tour through a great furniture factory, the guide told the visitors, “Notice the incredible waving grain in this wood. It is the finest oak in the world. Do you know what caused its intricately woven fibers to be so beautiful?”
2. “It’s cut from trees growing on mountainsides most exposed to constant conflict with storms! The storm-tossed tree develops the closest and finest wood grains and is most prized by cabinet makers.”
3. So it is with the human life. The person who withstands the greatest adversity (in God) gains the deepest and most beautiful character. Character isn’t developed in isolation -- but testing and conflict -- when overcome, give a life its greatest beauty.
III. HE PREPARED HIS WAYS BEFORE GOD
A. CULTIVATED CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIPS
1. While there were many unfavorable circumstances for Jotham, there was one thing very helpful to him. There were some notable Prophets living in Judah in his day: Isaiah, Hosea and Micah must all have been well known to Jotham.
2. Isaiah wrote a biography of his father Uzziah which is mentioned in 26:22. So Jotham must’ve known Isaiah.
3. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jotham often got away from the pressures of kingship & court and talked alone with this holy man of God.
4. Point: Cultivate Christian friendships! Find the most on-fire Christians you can and stoke the fires of revival amongst yourselves.
B. “PREPARED HIS WAYS BEFORE THE LORD”
1. “So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” (vs. 6)
2. The Prophet Hosea compared our hearts to ground that’s never been plowed or sown by a farmer. It’s hard and unproductive.
3. He said, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” Hosea 10:12.
4. New Living Translation says, “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.' Hosea 10:12.
5. So preparing our hearts before God means we let the Word of God and the Holy Spirit bust up our hearts like plows rip up the soil. Those with tender hearts repent of their sins and turn to obey God. It means that we begin to do what pleases God.
C. 2ND MEANING OF PREPARE: “FIXED”
1. It’s said of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord” 2 Chr. 12:14.
2. Relatively few people are determined to do evil. Rather, they fall into sin because they have not prepared
their hearts to seek the Lord.
3. In the beginning of his reign, Rehoboam’s heart was sensitive to the Lord. He turned back from battle simply because of a prophet who spoke to him in the name of the Lord (2 Chr. 11:1-4).
4. However, his seeking the Lord only lasted for 3 of the 17 years of his reign (2 Chr. 11:17). Sound familiar?
5. Many people start off loving God and excited about God, but later grow cold and sometimes walk away from God. How can this be? Why does this happen? It's because they didn't prepare their hearts to seek the Lord.
6. The Hebrew word (kuwn) "prepare" means "to stand perpendicular, to establish, fix, prepare." It conveys the idea of deliberate effort over a prolonged period of time.
7. The same Hebrew word that was translated "prepare" here was also translated "fixed" four times in the Old Testament, all spoken by David.
8. "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise" (Ps. 57:7). If David had not already fixed his heart on the direction of his life, he would have succumbed to the pressure to go back at different points.
9. The word "fixed" means: "in position, stationary; not subject to change or variation, constant; firmly held in the mind, a fixed notion" (American Heritage Dictionary).
10. Three keys to “preparing our hearts” are to 1). Sell out completely to Christ, no reservations; 2). Develop our daily prayer & Bible reading & Church connection; and 3). Throw ourselves into the work of God.
11. As one lady said, “If I don’t work for the Lord, I’ll end up working for the devil!”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Several years ago engineers building a new bridge over the East River in New York discovered a wrecked hull of a ship, sunken many years before, lying right where the center piers were supposed to be built. Powerful machinery was brought in to remove the ship, but it wouldn’t budge.
2. Then, one of the engineers had an unusual idea –
why not have the tide raise the ship. Some strong cables were attached to the hull when the tide was low. The other ends were fastened to the barge above.
3. As the tide came in, the barge gradually lifted the sunken ship up. It was then towed out into the ocean and sunk at a spot that would not cause future problems.
4. Our problem is the same: we are stuck in the muck of this world. We cannot lift ourselves out of it. What we must do is to connect ourselves to the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.
5. Then, like cutting the ballast loose from a hot-air balloon, we’ll be enabled to soar into the heights in power and freedom.
B. THE CALL
1. Are you willing to prepare your heart to hold fast to God?
2. "Mighty" means ‘strong,’ ‘potent,’ ‘forceful,’ and ‘vigorous.’
a. Will you allow God to make you "STRONG in the Lord and in His mighty power" Eph. 6:10. Full of H.S.!
b. POTENT – You are the salt of the earth, the light set on a hill.
c. Will you be ‘FORCEFUL’ for God? Only as you let the power of God flow through you and "The violent take it by force."
d. Will you be ‘VIGOROUS’-- throwing off the world's influence and vigorous to pull down strongholds, and turn the world upside down!
3. Come join me at the front if you want this! Prayer.
[Input for this message was gleaned from Ken Matto, Charles Spurgeon and in section III., from the monograph, “How To Prepare Your Heart” by Andrew Wommack]
