The King and the Priest – Preaching
Preaching Outline on II Chronicles 26:18 – “And they withstood king Uzziah, and said unto him, It is not for thee, Uzziah, to burn incense before the LORD, but for the priests, Aaron’s sons, who are consecrated to burn incense: come out of the sanctuary, for thou hast transgressed; and this shall not be to thy honor from the LORD God.”
Introduction to II Chronicles 26:18
It’s important to understand one thing: we have been called to obey the Lord, regardless of our position, how long we’ve been in the church or the work we do.
God will bless us through our faithfulness. We will reap on our journey what we sow.
Development
The chapter tells us the story of King Uzziah. He got off to a good start, because the Word says that at the beginning of his life he did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, and he prospered greatly, overcoming many things. Some facts from Uzziah’s life have parallels with this man’s journey:
Guerreou: Men of war, men who work, who assist, willing men, available men;
Breaking down walls: Breaking down barriers, overcoming personal struggles.
Built towers: Building new things on the road, functions, jobs;
“And Uzziah prepared for the whole army shields, spears, helmets, breastplates and bows, and even slings for throwing stones: personal talents, characteristics of instrumentality.
Uzziah achieved many things in his life, he prospered greatly.
There are men who prosper greatly, who conquer many things, and as we conquer, as we grow, this becomes a reason for us to be more dependent on the Lord.
The figure of King Uzziah
He is a type of human nature, which has a limit. Despite being king, Uzziah had to understand that the king had a limit. His job was to administer the kingdom.
We have a limit, our job is to administer the things of the Kingdom, we are stewards of something that doesn’t belong to us, but belongs to the Lord. We can conquer many things on our journey, we can think of ourselves as brave, victorious, but we can’t think we don’t have a limit, we can’t feel like “kings” of our lives. Uzziah’s big mistake was to confuse his role.
Uzziah had the function of king, but he thought he was king of his life, and king of spiritual things
The figure of the priest reminds us of the Holy Spirit, who is in us and resists the king, because it is He who puts limits on our human nature, it is He who warns us that we have a limit, that we are men, that we cannot make the mistake that Uzziah made:
The king burning incense in place of the priest
Burning incense was the exclusive function of the priest (Saul wanted to offer the sacrifice in place of Samuel and was rebuffed).
The servant wanting to be above God’s guidance, not obeying God’s word. Man wanting to exercise what is God’s authority, not obeying the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not obeying the Doctrine.
Conclusion of II Chronicles 26:18
What role are we playing? Are we trying to grow beyond what God has allowed us to grow?
Uzziah wanted to be more than king. We can’t want to be above where God has placed us. We can’t want to do what God didn’t tell us to do.
Uzziah stopped being king and became a symbol of the old man who can only see the Lord and relate to him after he dies.
“In the year that king Uzziah died, I also saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and his retinue filled the temple.”
Isaiah 6:1
You can grow a lot, achieve a lot, be used a lot, but if the old man doesn’t die, there will be no relationship with God.
God allowed the name of Uzziah to be used in the book of Isaiah to teach us this. Growth and conquests alone will not get us into heaven. Uzziah was a king, but not a priest.
Preaching Outline on II Chronicles 26:18 – “And they withstood king Uzziah, and said unto him, It is not for thee, Uzziah, to burn incense before the LORD, but for the priests, Aaron’s sons, who are consecrated to burn incense: come out of the sanctuary, for thou hast transgressed; and this shall not be to thy honor from the LORD God.”
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