You love your families dearly. Families come in all shapes and sizes. We are homesick while we are away from our family, and we rejoice when we walk back through the doors of our homes and see our loved ones. Our families are good gifts from our great God. We work to provide for our families and we even seek to care for our parents as they age. And one day, when I breathe my last breath, my hope is to be surrounded by my family. Yes, we love our families! We want each member of our families to flourish in every way. Even Reba McEntire, the famous country and western singer, has said, “My goals have changed throughout my life. At one time it was winning awards, selling out concert dates, selling more albums than anyone else. Now, my goals are to see my grandchildren grown, living a long and healthy life with my family…”
This back to school series of sermons is designed to see each of us flourish and to see our families flourish. To do this, I want to champion your spiritual growth. Probably near the top of everyone’s lists for those they love the most is to see them happy. And few things will offer you lasting happiness as a sterling character – godly character.
Years ago, the apostle John encapsulated what every parent, uncle and aunt, and grandparent wants for the next generation: “I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father” (2 John 4).
Seven Deadly Sins
A handy way to see the next generation make progress is to refer to an old list called the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Now, you will never find the seven deadly sins listed in your Bibles. Believers years ago have organized and popularized these seven deadly vices as a means to warn fellow believers about toxic behavior. And, while the seven are not listed in 1-2-3 order in our Bible, we do find warnings against these evils throughout the pages of Scripture. Let’s look at 2 Chronicles 26 in your Bibles and meet a 16-year-old boy who becomes king.
The Sin of Pride
The chief sin of the seven deadly sins is pride. All the other vices work under this chief vice, the vice of pride. You can think of pride as the mob boss that all the other vices work for. Each of these “hit men” report to the mob boss called pride. Pride is a spirit, an attitude, of independence from God that says, “I don’t need you, God. Stay out of my life. I can handle it myself.”
My high school basketball coach gave our whole team a copy of the poem, Invictis, my senior year. A portion of it reads, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” Whenever I hear someone quote those words, I feel like saying, “Captain, your ship is about to sink.” Again, pride is a spirit of independence from God.
Good Pride vs. Bad (Sinful) Pride
Now, let me get something out of the way. There is good pride and sinful pride. It’s pride that makes many of us strive for excellence in our jobs and in life. If you’re going to clean cars for a living, then clean the cars and take pride in your work. Good pride, or self-worth, is to know who you are – to possess a healthy self-image.
Yet, psychologists tell us that most of us perceive ourselves as slightly smarter, funnier, more talented, and better-looking than the “average Joe.” These same psychologists tell us we all have these rose-colored glasses that act as an immune system against despair and depression. “Those who see themselves as they truly are — not so funny, a bad driver, overweight,” says Julian Paul Keenan, Professor of Psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey, “have a greater chance of being diagnosed with clinical depression.” You see, the moment our over-inflated ego suffers even a bruise, we fall into despair and perhaps depression.
Don’t you dare take your self-worth from your appearance, your resume, or your wealth. Having a right way to look at ourselves is so critical and Jesus is our model here: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God…” (John 13:3)
The very next thing Jesus did was take a towel, tie it around His waist, and wash the disciples’ feet. Jesus’ humility showed itself because Jesus knew Who He was. He had come from God, He was going back to God, and all things belong to Him. He viewed His worth in relation to His God, the Father. We also need to find our worth in our connection to Christ.
A young pastor was around the corner when he overheard his son speaking to three of his best friends. The boys were bragging about their respective fathers.
The 1st boy said, “My dad knows the mayor.”
The 2nd boy said, “My dad knows the governor.”
The 3rd boy said, “My dad knows the Vice President”
The pastor/father felt terrible because he didn’t know anyone important. At this moment, he heard his son say, “That’s nothing, my dad knows God.”
Your self-worth, my Christian friend, comes from your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Today’s Scripture
For the next few moments, I want you to see the secret pride of King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26.
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 5 He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. 6 He went out and made war against the Philistines and broke through the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod, and he built cities in the territory of Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gurbaal and against the Meunites. 8 The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. 9 Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them. 10 And he built towers in the wilderness and cut out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah and in the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. 11 Moreover, Uzziah had an army of soldiers, fit for war, in divisions according to the numbers in the muster made by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer, under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. 12 The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses of mighty men of valor was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500, who could make war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14 And Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging” (2 Chronicles 26:3–14).
Again, I want you to see the parade of pride that was King Uzziah, but it didn’t start that way.
1. Significant Accomplishments Often Lead to Self-Important Feelings
Think of it: King Uzziah, the King of Judah at the tender age of 16 years old! Can you imagine looking over at the pimple-faced Uzziah and saying, “Your royal majesty…”? Most of us would think a boy of 16 years of age who becomes king is spring-loaded to fall on his face. Yet, Uzziah was remarkably successfully during his 52 year reign.
It’s likely he co-reigned with his father in the beginning. You need to know this about Uzziah’s father – the Samaritans captured him and held him for 10 years (2 Chronicles 25:23-24). Eventually his dad was released but he was later murdered (2 Chronicles 25:25-28). Yet, this early tragedy didn’t doom our young king for he had several notable successes throughout his life.
1.1 Military Success
He commanded an imposing military (2 Chronicles 26:6). In verse 2, we read of an important early city that King Uzziah captured, the modern city of Eliat, the ancient city of Eloth. I was just there in Eliat this past month with a team of our folks. This important port city on the modern day Gulf of Arabia allowed greater trade and paved the way for economic success. The next thing you know, Uzziah is successfully pushing back against the Philistines, a long-time enemy of God’s people (2 Chronicles 26:6-7).
And even the Ammonites, another enemy of Ancient Israel and Judah, were paying tariffs to Uzziah for fear of his military (2 Chronicles 26:8).
The Bible notes that the young king commanded a large army with 2,600 officers and over 300,000 soldiers (2 Chronicles 26:12-13). Here was a man of vision and men were lining up to follow this young stud. Everyone in the area was talking about him all the way to the border of Egypt (2 Chronicles 26:9).
1.2 Economic Success
Back home in Jerusalem, the economy was strong thanks to the great and capable leadership of Uzziah. Towers were built as well as cisterns. This may not mean that much to you and me, but to this agricultural society, the stock market was booming.
Three times we are told that Uzziah is strong or very strong (2 Chronicles 26:8, 15, 16). The young king was successful in nearly every area: he was a strong military leader, a great economic leader, where he invented machines for his people’s defense (2 Chronicles 26:15), and even was a strong spiritual leader in his beginning years.
1.3 The Significance Isaiah’s Vision
You may ask, “Just how successful was this young king?” Uzziah was so successful that God showed up in a vision to the prophet Isaiah – do you remember this? God shows up in a vision where the train of His robe fills the temple. This powerful picture tells us God is on His throne and when did this vision take place? “In the year King Uzziah died…” (Isaiah 6:1). Imagine if our nation’s leader was so successful and served so long that God felt He needed to share a special vision with the people to stabilize them in the king’s absence.
1.4 Success at Sixteen Years Old
Can you imagine being king at just 16 years old?
Louise Braille was just 15 years old when he invented what is known as braille, a system of raised dots for the blind to read.
Fourteen-year-old Laura Dekker, sailed around the world by herself in a 38 foot boat.
A young Pakistani girl was just 17 years old when she shared the Nobel Peace Prize. This young girl was attacked for standing up for women’s right to an education against the Taliban in Pakistan.
And Alexander the Great founded his first colony at the age of 16. (Wow – I was just wanting my dad to lend me the car when I was 16 and here’s Alexander weeping because there’s no more worlds to conquer!)
But beware the snare of success…
1.5 The Snare of Success
All this success proved to be a powerful snare for our friend, Uzziah: “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction” (2 Chronicles 26:16a).
Let’s stop right there for the moment. The Bible says Uzziah’s successes made him proud and pride would soon lead to his destruction.
Pride has historically been known as the mother of all vices: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Pride is the 1970s Beatles comparing their popularity to Jesus’ fame. Pride is the Nixon White House thinking the laws do not apply to them. And pride is the professor leaving the faculty meeting more enamored by what he said that what he heard. Pride says my race is better than your race. Again, pride is a spirit of independence from God.
1.6 Prayer, The Antidote to Pride
You may say, “Pastor, I may have a little pride, but I don’t feel like I’m independent from God. That’s crazy talk.”
Let me ask you a serious question - do you pray regularly? You say, “Well, I don’t pray as much as I ought to.” Do you know why you don’t pray? You forgetting to pray is not your great problem; your great problem is you don’t feel a need to pray. You don’t feel the need to pray. When you move through your day and your life without prayer, you’re saying, “I can handle it. Everything going fine.” Our prayerlessness is really a spirit of independence from God. And, if you’re wrestling with prayerlessness, may I tell you that what you’re really wrestling with is pride.
This is why we need to teach our families to pray. Pray before meals and before long car trips and as you’re pulling out of the driveway together. Prayer is a declaration of dependence on God while pride is a spirit of independence from God. Pride is a dangerous attitude because it is behind every other sin. Pride the essential sin that the ancient Greeks called hubris.
1.7 America’s Pride
But you don’t have to be sixteen years old to be prideful because the snare of pride can tangle you at any age. If you stop and think about it, not much has changed since Uzziah’s day to our own. I count at least two items that function as America’s security blanket. First, we take pride in our military prowess. We are the world’s only super power and no nation has enjoyed the military might that our nation enjoys today. Second, we take pride in our economy.
During the Clinton years we learned that, “It’s the economy, stupid.” We take pride in our economic progress and our military prowess. Beware of the snare of success because it leads to pride.
1.8 Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was the boxer known for such colorful statements as “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” On a 1980 Eastern Airlines flight from Washington DC to New York City, Ali had a vivid exchanged with the flight attendant. Just before takeoff on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded Ali to fasten his seat belt. “Superman don’t need no seat belt,” replied Ali.
“Superman don’t need no airplane either,” said the flight attendant.
2. Successful People Often Bend Toward Spiritual Arrogance
The young king was probably in his late 40’s with a lifetime of unmitigated success in nearly everything he touched. Uzziah had the “Midas touch” if you will. It was then the king overstepped his authority: “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the Lord who were men of valor, 18 and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God” (2 Chronicles 26:19-23).
This king had the audacity to think he could perform the tasks of the priests. Where did this kind of thinking come from?
2.1 Great Beginning/Bad Ending
Our young king fell into a pattern that was set by both his father and his grandfather. Uzziah’s grandfather, Joash (Generation #1), starts out strong by seeking to restore the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 24:4). This was a fantastic start, but at the end of his life, he abandons the Lord and is wounded in battle. His very own servants finish him off (2 Chronicles 24:25) as retribution for the way he treated the priest years before.
Now move ahead to one generation to Uzziah’s father, Amaziah (Generation #2). He became king of Judah at the age of 25 when his father was murdered: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart” (2 Chronicles 25:2).
Then comes Uzziah (Generation #3): “He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper” (2 Chronicles 26:5).
The Bible tells us that the young king’s early success was because of “the fear of God” (2 Chronicles 26:5). The reason he was so successful was he was intentional about seeking God first EARLY ON. But soon, he turned to the model of his grandfather and father and became prideful.
Here were three generations, grandfather, father, and now son, who all began well but finished bad.
Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).
Remember, pride is a spirit of independence from God.
2.2 Hidden Pride
Have you ever noticed that pride is so easy to see in someone else but so hard to see in yourself? I know I have.
A Sunday School teacher was teaching a parable Jesus about two men who go into the temple to pray. The Sunday School teacher told the little children that the first man, the Pharisee, stood by himself and prayed this: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11b-12). And Jesus said that one man went home justified rather than the other.
The Sunday School teacher was teaching this lesson and she’d done a wonderful job, but when she finished she beamed and looked out at her scholars in her class and said, “And children, aren’t we grateful we’re not like that old Pharisee?” Now you see, she was proud of her humility.
Pride is so easy to see in someone else, but pride hides when we look in the mirror.
2.3 The Results of Pride
Look with me at the disastrous results of Uzziah’s pride beginning in verse 19: “Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the Lord, by the altar of incense. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the Lord had struck him. 21 And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 26:19-21a).
Now, why would he want to take the priests’ job here? Doesn’t he have enough to do already? God is about to tell our friend, the king, “Stay in your lane!”
T.S. Eliot said, “Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important.”
Remember the three generations. Uzziah’s grandfather was taken as a slave and murdered. His father was murdered. And now, pride at the end of his life led Uzziah to incur the wrath of God. God gives Uzziah a skin disease on his forehead.
2.4 Pride Leads to Strife
Now, I seriously doubt that God will give you a terrible disease because you’re prideful like leprosy. Wounded pride is worse than leprosy because arrogance because it leads to nothing but strife.
But I bet you’re paying the penalty of pride in a strife-filled marriage, in a war of political words, and other areas dear to your heart. There has never been an argument, there’s never been a war, and there’s never been a divorce, that pride was not the major factor. If you love your family, then warn them against the sin of pride.
Why would anyone take a rifle and go into a crowded area to kill dozens of people? I tell you it is wounded pride.
“Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice” (Proverbs 13:10).
2.5 God Hates Pride
God hates pride worse than you hate seeing cockroaches flee on the floor when you flip on the light. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6b).
The Bible says God hates six things and seven are an abomination to Him. And the first item on the list God hates is haughty eyes (Proverbs 6:16-17). God hates pride. It was G. K. Chesterton who said, “If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride.”
We are a nation who feels it can handle its owns problems, tweet out our own solutions, and campaign ourselves into paradise. We are a nation full of prideful Pharisees who are grateful we are not like the other guy. Oh, if only we had leprosy like King Uzziah! Instead, God is judging us for our pride with strife-filled homes, angry airwaves, and war-torn streets all because of our pride.
Conclusion
If the nearly 8 billion people alive on planet Earth today were lined up and you extracted the all the goodness out of each of those 8 billion people. If you were to put all their collective goodness into just one person, I’m here to tell you that one person would have to kneel at cross of Jesus to be saved.
No one is so bad they cannot be saved but no one is so good they need not be saved. There’s no one in this building so bad that God will not save him, no one. I don’t care what you’ve done. I’ll tell you on the authority of the Word of God, the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses from all sin. You can bank on what I am saying. If you want to be saved, God will save you instantaneously and keep you eternally. No one here so bad they cannot be saved but you must kneel before the cross and admit your need.
