King Uzziah: Finding Strength in God

Turn your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah chapter 6. We're going to continue our series called King Me and looking to the kings of the Old Testament. And if you've ever read through your Bible in a chronological order, if you've not done that, I encourage you to do it at some point is read through it chronologically, you can find charts for that on internet. And you can also order a Bible that's written chron that's put together chronologically as well. And one of the things that you'll find when you read through Kings and you read through Chronicles and read about the different kings in there that they will then take you at that point to somewhere in the uh prophets uh to one of the prophets because that prophet lived during the time of that king as well.

And so be able to put those two together is really interesting and helpful. Also in Isaiah 6 in verse number one, it says, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraraphims. Each one had six wings. With twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet. With twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory." And the post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried and the vo 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." Then flew one of the seraraphims onto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with his with his th tongs from off the altar. And he said, he laid it upon my mouth and said, "Lo, this hath touched thy lips and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged." Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Who shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I. Send me." And that's a passage that many of us are familiar with and and we've read many times.

And that goes along with the king that we're going to talk about today. And that's King Uzziah. If you'll look at 2 Chronicles chapter 26, 2 Chronicles chapter 26 and:es 4 and 5. 2 Chronicles chapter 26. And beginning with verse number four, it says, "He did that was right." Talking about Uzziah. In verse three, it says, "He was 16 years old when Uzziah began to reign, and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jakola of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord accord all that his father Amziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who had understanding in the visions of God.

And as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. And so you have King Uzziah. And King Uzziah was a good king, but he also had a good name. The name Uzziah means my strength is Jehovah. He also had another name, Azeriah, which means Jehovah has helped. And this was a king that understood, at least in part of his life, that this strength came from God. And and so was a great name. Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather than silver and gold." What what does your name mean? Not just uh what does it mean in actuality, but what does it mean to people around you as well?

You know, some people have very unusual names. We had a family in the church that his name was E. It was the letter I. He was Hawaiian and that was his name, E. And uh and so it's very unusual name. We had another family at church years ago. Their last name was Kohley. And he wanted to name his daughter Pepsi. Uh he thought that would be good. Pepsi Kohley. And uh when when we had our girls, I wanted to name when they think of you, when they think of your name, what do people think about? But not only what do people think, but what does God think? In Exodus 33 and verse number 17, it say, "The Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name."

You see, Moses in God's eyes also had a good name and he had a good reputation. And so I wonder what does your name mean? What do people think when they hear your name? What what does God think when he hears your name as well? But you know what? First of all, God needs to know your name. Turn over your Bibles to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew 7 and look at verses 21- 23. Matthew chapter 7, beginning with verse number 21. It says, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and thy name have cast out devils.

Thy name have done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me that work iniquity." Here were people that claimed the name of Jesus, but Jesus said, "I don't know your name. I don't know who you are. Uh, you know, because they were not his. You see, you need to make sure that your name is written in the book of life. In Revelation 20 and verse number 15, the Bible says, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire." You see, you need to make sure that your name is in the book of life, eternal life. That you have life for eternity in heaven with God.

and and your name needs to be written in that book. But your name's not written in that book if you do not trust Christ as your savior. In Acts 4 and verse number 12, it says, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved." It is the name of Jesus Christ that is going to save you. It is calling upon his name. In Romans chapter 10 and verse number 13, it says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Have you called upon his name? In Romans 10:es 9 and 10, it said that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth under righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And again, verse 13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You see, the name of your church is not going to get you to heaven. You can have the name Baptist or Catholic or Lutheran or any other denomination and that is not going to get you to heaven. The name of your parents, if they're saved and they're Christians, that doesn't mean you're saved and you're going to heaven because you need to trust Christ as your personal savior. You need to call upon his name and ask him to come into your heart and your life and take away your sins and give you eternal life.

I wonder, are you like these in Matthew chapter 7? Lord, Lord, you know his name, but he doesn't know you. Have you called upon his name? Have you trusted him as your savior and not in yourself? In Ephesians 2:8:9, it says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, then not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of works." It's not naming works like, "Well, I was baptized or I was catechized or I went to church or I did this or I did that." That's not what's going to get you to heaven. What's going to get you to heaven is the name of Jesus. The one who died in the cross for you to save you from your sins.

The one that you need to trust and call upon his name for your salvation. Does God know your name? You see, Uzziah had a good name. It It meant something special. And he was a good king. In 2 Chronicles, go back there if you would with me. 2 Chronicles 26 and look at verses 6-9. 2 Chronicles 26 6-9. And he, Uzziah, went forth and warned and wared against the Philistines and break down the walls of Gath and the wall of Jabnb and the wall of Ashdod and built cities about Ashdod and about among among the Philistines. And God helped them against the Philistines, against the Arabians that dwelt in Gerbal and the Mahnims.

And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah, and his name spread abroad, even to the entry of Egypt. For he strengthened himself exceedingly. Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate and at the valley gate and at the turn of the wall, and fortified them. You see, Uzziah understood a a principle that you have probably heard today and that is peace through strength. Ronald Reagan was the first one that kind of coined that phrase and made it famous. And peace through strength. The best way to have peace is by being strong. And we need to find our strength in Jehovah. Remember what Uzziah's name mean?

My strength is in Jehovah. and he understood that he need to be strong in the Lord if he was going to be able to have the victory in his life. In verse number eight again it says in the uh it says that at the end of the verse for he strengthened himself exceedingly. He understood that he needed to be strong in the Lord but he also understood that he needed to strengthen himself as well. You see, he understood that we are in a war uh at this time. He was in a war against the Philistines and against other countries as well. And he understood that that we are in a war. Turn over your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6.

Ephesians chapter 6. You and I need to understand that we are in a war. Not just a war against terrorism and a war against Iran, but you and I are in a war against the wickedness of this world. In Ephesians chapter 6 and:es 9 and 10, uh Ephesians 6:9, it it tells us, "And you masters do the same thing unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your master is also in heaven. Um neither is the respective persons with him." Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. You and I need to be strong in God. Verse number 10 11. Put on the whole armor of God that you may able to stand against the ws of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The reason that Uzziah was successful as a king is because he understood we're in a battle. And if I'm going to win that battle, I need to be strong in the Lord. And he understood that there's a battle going on. And folks, I think that a lot of us, we have forgotten that we are in a battle today. Every day you wake up and you face the battle of life and you face a battle against the wickedness of this world. You face a battle against your own flesh and and the desires of the flesh.

And and we have to be strong in the Lord. You see, Uzziah, he prepared for the battle. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 18, it says, "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according the prophecies went before Andy, that thou mightest war a good warfare." He said, "Timothy, you need to be ready to fight the battle. You need to war this war to win." And we've got to go into life to win in the battle of life. We've got to put on the armor of God. In 2 Chronicles 26 and:14 it says, "In Uziah prepared for them throughout all the hosts shields and spears and helmets and harbingers and bows and slings to cast stones."

You see, he understood that he needed the weapons to win this battle. He understood that those weapons were were important. That you can't fight the battle in the flesh. You've got to have the weapons to win that battle. We have a great military. I'm so uh thankful for our military and the men and women who serve our country. But if we sent them to battle without weapons, they would lose. No matter how strong you are, how good you are, you need weapons to win that battle. And you and I need the weapons of God to win the battle of life. Look again Ephesians chapter 6 and look at verse number 11.

Put on the whole armor of God if you'll stand against the ws of the devil. Look at verses 13- 18. Wherefore take on you the whole armor of God, that you may withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins g about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shaw with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, the sword of spirit, which is the word of God. You see, every day when you wake up, you face a battle.

And every day when you wake up, you need to put on the armor. Those of you who've been in a battle zone, you know that that you get up in the morning, you have to put on your helmet. You have to put on that Kevlar uh breastplate. You have to put on the armor because you are facing an enemy. And and you got to be ready to defeat that enemy. And you and I need to do the same thing. We need to be ready to go into battle every day. When my grandson Joshua is here, one of my goals was to memorize verses together and we memorized uh Ephesians chapter 6. Put on the whole armor of God and be strong in the Lord.

And that's what you and I need. And I want to challenge you that you uh every day when you get up and when you get dressed, not only put on your clothes, but put on the armor of God. Back in the welcome center, we have uh I have put together a little handout looks like this. has got there a prayer that you can pray as you get dressed a as you put on the different pieces of clothing you can pray God I'm putting on my belt right now and the belt what does the belt do the belt holds everything together the the belt is where you carry your weapons and it's the belt of truth and and we need to pray and say God help me today to be honest to be honest with myself to be honest with others be honest with you help me Lord that I might keep it all together today and Help me to carry the word of God in truth and honesty.

And then it talks about the breastplate of righteousness. As you put on your shirt, ask God, Lord, help me to keep my heart with all diligence. For out of it are the issues of life. Lord, help me to protect my heart and not allow the wickedness of the world in my heart. And just to put on each piece of that armor as you dress every day to remind you today, I want to have victory in the Lord. And as you leave today, I would encourage you maybe to pick up a copy of this prayer. And I would challenge you for the next week, every day when you get up and get dressed, go through that prayer, personalize that prayer for your day.

Lord, help me to be honest in dealing with this situation at work or whatever else it might be. And and ask God to help you do that. Also, back there in the back, we've got some challenge coins that are the armor of God. And if you'd like to take one of these to remind you to put on the armor of God every day as you leave today, I I'm going to ask the ushers to have those by both doors there if you would when they when they step out today. But to pick up this and remind you that every day when you wake up, you're facing a battle. Every day when you wake up, there's an enemy out there that wants to blow your life apart, that wants to destroy your life, that wants to defeat you.

and and you need to be ready to win that victory. And you see Uzziah understand I've got to be strong in the Lord. And he understood that. And the only way to do that is by putting on the weapons of God, the armor of God. In 2 Chronicles 26 and verse number 15, it says, "And he made in Jerusalem engines invented by cunning men to be up beyond the towers and upon the bull works to shoot arrows and great storms stones with all." And his name spread far abroad. for his marvelous to help till he could till he was strong. He understood, I've got to keep innovating. I've got to keep finding new ways because the enemy is going to find new ways to attack you.

You've got to find new ways to defeat him. And he was never settled. He never thought, I've got this all figured out. And you and I need to realize that every day the devil is trying to find new ways to destroy your life, to destroy your marriage, destroy your family, and you need to be prepared for battle against the enemy. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and look at verses 3-5. 2 Corinthians chapter 10 beginning with verse number three. For we though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing to captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

You see, we got understand that we need the weapons of God to defeat the enemy. We cannot do this in the flesh. We cannot do this in our own power, our own strength. We need the power of God. We need the weapons of God to defeat the enemy. And that's why we need to put on the armor of God. And we need to uh realize that every day the enemy is attacking. And we need to do all we can be ready to defeat the enemy and to find the victory that only comes in the Lord. Go back to 2 Chronicles chapter 26 again. 2 Chronicles chapter 26. I want you to look at verses 9 and 10. 2 Chronicles 26 and:es 9 and 10.

Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate and at the valley gate and at the turning of the wall and fortified them. Also, he built towers in the desert and dig many wells. For he had much cattle, both in the low country and the plains, husbandmen also and the vine dressers in the mountains and in Carbo, for he loved, excuse me, husbandry. He he built towers. Go over to 2 Samuel chapter 22. 2 Samuel chapter 22 and look at verses 1-3. And David spoke unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of the enemies and out of the hand of Saul.

He said, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, the God of my rock, and him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation. My high tower and my refuge. My savior. Thou sest me from v b v b v b v b v b v b v b v b v b v b v b v b val b v b val b v b val b v b val b v b val from from violence. Is God your high tower? You see Uzziah understood, I need to build towers. Now what was the purpose of the tower? First of all, it was a place of defense and strength. It was like trens on a castle. You know what I'm talking about? You know those corner turrets that they would have?

There were places of defense. There were places of strength. Uh when the Bible talks about a strong tower, uh it was a tower that was built uh to defeat the enemy, it was a tower, a place of safety and a place of strength. In Proverbs chapter 18 and verse number 10, it says the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it into it and is safe. We need to realize that there are sometimes in battle where we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. And we need to go to God and find that strength in the Lord to go into the the high tower of the the strong tower of the Lord. Look at Psalms chapter 62.

Psalms chapter 62 and look at verse number two. Psalms chapter 62 and verse number two. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. Then go down to verse number six. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved. You notice how he the wording changed just a little bit there. In verse two, he says, I shall not be greatly moved. But in verse six, he says, I shall not be moved. Why? Because he realized that the way I can stand is I can stand in the strong tower of the Lord. I can stand in the name of the Lord and I need to find my strength in him.

If you're trying to defeat and win the battle against sin in your own flesh, you will fail every time. You need to go to the strong tower, you need to go and find your strength in God. Look at verse number one of Psalm 62. Surely my soul waiteth upon God. From him cometh my salvation. Look at verse number five. My soul with thou only will wait thou only upon God for my expectation from him. You see, in verse one, he said, he said, "My soul waits on the Lord." But in verse 5, he says, "I'm going to wait only on the Lord." You got to realize that you cannot do this. You got to have God. You got to have That's why you got to wake up every day and put on the armor of God.

That's why you've got to call upon him in that battle to help give you the victory in that battle. And you need to find that in the tower of God and the strength of God. The tower was not only a place of defense and strength. It was also a place to see. They would build the towers so the watchmen could be in the tower and could see the enemy coming from off the distance. In J and in Genesis chapter 28, you remember the story of Jacob how he had to dream about a ladder to heaven and God is at the top of the ladder and tells Jacob what his future is. You see, I can't see very far into the future, but God can see it all.

In Proverbs chapter 29 and verse number 18, it says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Turn over to Jeremiah chapter 29. Jeremiah chapter 29. You see, folks, I can't see what's going to happen in the future. I can't see the enemy coming all the time, but God can. In Jeremiah 29 and verses number 11 through13, it says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, sayeth the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you to expected end. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you, and you shall seek me and find me when you shall search me with all your heart."

You see, God says, "Listen, I already know what's going to happen tomorrow. I already know what's going to happen today. I can see beyond what you can see. And we need to go to him as a strong tower and say, Lord, I don't know what's happening. I I don't know what to to expect. I don't know what's coming, but God, I know I can trust in you. And and God can help us to see and to give us a vision for a future that we cannot always see, to find that strength in him. You see, God wants us to find our strength in the Lord by the power of God and and to find that in him as well. And then we need to man that tower.

In Ezekiel chapter 33, the the Bible talks about the watchmen. And he said, "Watchmen, if the enemy attacks and you warn the people, then the blood is on their hands. But if the enemy attacks and you don't warn the people, then the blood is on your hand." The job of the watchman attire was to warn others about the enemy and warn them about what was to come. And you know, we I'm afraid we as Christians, we sit up in our ivory tower and watch people go to hell and we're not warning them. You see, we need to be a spiritual lighthouse for God. In Matthew chapter 5 and verses 14 and 15, you are the light of the world.

A city is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and they give a light onto all their house. And God has called you and I to be the watchmen. He's called you and I to be the light of the world and to warn them of coming doom of hell and and to warn them that you don't want to go to hell. That's our job. That's our calling of God. We need to sound the alarm. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verses 7 and 8, it says, "So that you are examples to all that believe in Macedonia, for from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Acacia, but also in every place your faith to God word is spread abroad."

so that we may not speak anything. You see, God has called you and God has called me to be the watchman. And he's called us to warn people about what we know is to come. That there's going to come a day of judgment. And there's going to come a day where you're going to be cast into hell if you don't know Christ as your savior. And and that is our job to warn them of what is to come. If they choose not to heed the warning, that's the blood is on their hands. But if we don't warn them, then the blood is on our hands. And our calling is to be a watchman in the tower. 2 Chronicles chapter 26. Again, turn over there.

2 Chronicles 26. And look at verses 15- 16. 2 Chronicles 26 15- 16. And he made in Jerusalem engines invented by cunning men to be on the towers and upon the bull works to shoot arrows and greystones with all. And his name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously helped till he was strong. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. For he transgressed transgressed against the Lord his God and went to the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar. You see, we need to understand that our strength is not in ourselves, it's in God. In Zechariah 4 verse number 6, it says, "Then he answered spake unto me, saying, this is the word of the Lord undeservable, saying, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, sayeth the Lord of hosts."

In Ephesians 6:10, the Bible says, "Finally, my brother, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might." You see, he understood at the beginning of his reign that he need to be strong in the Lord. That he needed to strengthen himself in the Lord. But the problem is later on his downfall, he forgot all about that. And starting in verse 16 down through verse 21, he turned away from the Lord. You know, it's so discouraging sometimes to see people that have lived for God and have a good name and a good testimony and are living the righteous life. And they're good people, but then they make bad decisions.

And in their pride, they think, "I don't need God. I can do this on my own." And that's what happened to King Uzziah. He was a good king with a good name. But in his pride, he forgot that's from God. My strength comes from God. And he started relying on himself. Part of the problem, look at 2 Chronicles 26 and verse number five. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah who understood in the visions of God. And as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. In the days of the prophet, he was doing well. But look at chapter 24 and verse number two. And Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoadiah the priest.

Both of these kings did well when they had the prophet in their life. When they had that godly counsel, but when that godly counsel was gone, they were relying on men rather than on God. It's good to have spiritual mentors in your life. And every one of you should have some godly man or godly woman or a godly couple that you can look to that will mentor you and encourage you in the Lord and strengthen you in the Lord and will help you in your walk with Christ. But you can't depend on men. You got to depend on God because men won't always be there, but God will. And we need to find our strength in the Lord.

You see, you need church. In Hebrews 10:es 23-2, it says, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. For as faithful that promise, let us consider one another provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another so much the more seed day approaching." When you stop going to church, that's when you're heading for problems. There's some of you used to be at church Sunday morning, Sunday school, Sunday night, Wednesday night. You used to be at church all the time and now you barely show up and you're heading the wrong direction.

Church is essential to the walk with the Lord. We need that fellowship. We need that encouragement. We need around godly people that are going to challenge us to do what's right. We need the preaching of God's word. We need accountability. In 2 Samuel 12 and verse number 7, it says, "And Nathan said to David, thou art the man. Thus sayeth the Lord of God of Israel, I anoint thee the king over Israel, and I deliver thee out of the hand of Saul." You need people in your life that are not afraid to get in your face and say, "What you're doing is wrong." You need to be You need people in your life that are not afraid to ask you about tough things in your life.

How are you doing in this area? You need people are willing to hold you accountable. And if you don't have somebody like that in your life, you're going to head to the same place Uzziah did. Uzziah did well when he had mentors, when he had somebody holding him accountable. When but when that when that person was gone, they didn't do so well. And and and you need people like that in your life to strengthen you in the Lord. Let me ask you a question. Who's praying for you? In 1st Samuel 12 and verse 23, it says, "Moreover, it's for me. God forbid that I should sin against the Lord and ceasing to pray for you that I but I will teach you the good and the right way.

In James 5:16 says, "Confess your false one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed." The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man of health much you need people that are praying for you in your walk with the Lord. And Uzziah, he started out good. He had a good name. He was a good king. He did great things for God. But then it is pride. And boy, that's what will destroy you every time. Proverbs 16:18, pride goeth before destruction and a hotty spirit before a fall. And that pride will destroy you over time. That pride when you think I'm different, it won't happen to me. I can handle it.

When we think I don't I don't need to be at church. I'm okay. You know, I don't need accountability. I'm okay. When you think you're different and it's not going to happen to you and you can handle it, that's the time you're going to fall. James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up." The opposite of pride is humility, humbling ourselves. be willing to humble ourselves, to admit our problems, to ask for help, to be willing to ask for forgiveness, to be willing to to bow before God, to seek counsel, and to humble ourselves. In Romans 12:3, it says, "For I saw through the grace given unto me to every man is among you, not to think himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God had dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Again, when you start thinking, I can handle it. I'm different. It won't happen to me. You're heading the same place Uzziah did. He started out good, good name, good king, did great things for God, but then all of a sudden, he was a mess. What about you today? What about you? I would ask you today, what's your name mean? When people hear your name, what do they think? What's the first thought that comes to mind? They think of a godly Christian that loves God and loves others. They think of somebody that does what's right. What does your name mean? What does it stand for? What does your name mean to God?

You and I, we can only find that peace through strength. When Uzziah was doing well, he understood, I've got to find my strength in the Lord. It's not in my flesh. It's in the power of God. His weapons, his armor is the only way I can defeat the enemy. I've got to run to that strong tower because he knows my future. He sees what's coming and he can prepare me for what's coming next to find that strong power in the Lord. When you think I'm okay, you're not. I've seen many Christians who came out of sin and got right with God and then they thought, "Well, I can handle it now and went right back to it."

I've seen many Christians that have have turned away from the Lord because they thought that they were different. I can handle it. It won't happen to me. Don't be that person. Let's bow our prayer. Every head bowed, every eye closed, no one looked around. Have you called upon the name of the Lord? Have you called upon Jesus as your savior? Does he know your name? Is your name written down in the book of life? Do you know that you're going to heaven? Your sins are forgiven. If you know that for sure without a doubt in your heart or your mind, raise your hand right now. Heads bowed, eyes are closed.

Just raise your hand for just a moment. I know that I'm saved and going to heaven. I know my sins are forgiven. All right. Thank you. You put your hands down. There was some that could not raise their hand. I appreciate your honesty. I respect that. I will not embarrass you. I will not call out your name, but may I pray for you. Is there someone here today say, "Pastor, I I'm not sure. I I want to go to heaven, but I'm not sure I am. I I want to know my sins are forgiven, but I don't know if they've been. Pastor, would you pray for me? Because I want to know that I'm going to heaven. I want to know my sins are forgiven.

Would you pray for me? Raise your hand right now. Hobus moment. Pray for me. I'm not sure, but I'd like to be all right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else with these? Pray for me. I'm not sure. that I want there's Christians here today that would say, "Pastor, would you pray for me as a Christian?" The message today has challenged me. I I I want to have a good name. I want my name to mean something for God. I want to have a good testimony for him. Pastor, God's challenged me today. And I I want to be that person that's strong in the Lord because I can't win this battle without him. And I want God to give me the strength to win the battle, to win the victory daily.

So, pastor, I'd like you to pray for me. Raise your hand right now just moment. Pray for me. That's where God's challenged me as a Christian. All right. Thank you. And I wonder how many of you would be willing to say, "For this next week, every day, I'm going to pray on the armor of God. As I get dressed in the morning, I'm gonna also get dressed for the battle. And I'm gonna make a commitment for one week to pray the armor of God every day. How many would be willing to do that? Raise your hand for just moment. All right. Thank you. Father, we pray for each one here today. Lord, for those who do not know Christ as their savior, that they would realize today they can call upon your name.

And today you can give them eternal life, peace with God, forgiveness of sins. May they call upon you today. Father, I pray for Christians. Lord, we want to have a name that means something for God. We want to have a reputation that we love God and love others, a testimony for you. And Lord, I pray that you'd help us to be strong in the Lord. You know, go not in our own strength and our own power, but in the might of God to put on the armor of God every day as we prepare for battle. Is it? And Lord, I pray that you'd help us with our pride. When we start thinking, I've got this, we don't. When we think we're different, we're not.

when we think we can handle it, we can't. Father, help us to realize that we've got to humble ourselves. And may we do that today for it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's stand with heads bowed and eyes closed. I'm going to ask you to humble yourself. For those of you that are not sure you're saved, you're not sure you're going to heaven, I would ask you that you step out from your seat and step to the back of the auditorium. There's people that will meet you there and open the Bible with you, show you how I can know for sure you're going to heaven. Why not do that right now? Why not just step out right now?

There people are glad to talk with you. If you're a Christian, would you humble yourself by kneeling right down there to your seat, bowing and asking the Lord to save you, to take away your sins, and to give you eternal life? Would you do that right now? Would you trust him? Just bow before him, humble yourself, and God will lift you up. As Noel sings, you do business with the Lord. Take my life and let it be. God subed Lord to thee. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. At the impulse of thy love. I hope the message was a challenge and a blessing to you. I hope you'll maybe go back and read about his life and learn the lessons that he can teach us.

Started out so great and yet when he thought I can handle it. I'm different. It won't happen to me. That was his downfall came. Stay strong in the Lord in the tower of God. The strength of God. Let's be seated please. Okay. We do have some announcements. Now, again, I want to encourage you on your way out. The ushers will have both the uh the prayer and the coins there. If you'd like to take one uh and and to pray that prayer each day and have the coin, maybe put in a place to remind you to put on the armor of God. Uh I think it will transform your life when you do that. So, I encourage you to to pick that up on your way out uh from the ushers on your way out.

All right. But we have some announcements to make. I believe we have a video announcement. Um, see if it goes on here today. Here's what's coming up. N First off, we got our Labor Day picnic and our softball tournament coming up on September 7th from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the AMR Rec Center. Come play or just come hang out with everyone. We're hoping to get four teams together this year, all playing at the same time. So, grab your friends and come on up. Don't worry about picking teams ahead of time. Once everyone gets to the field, we'll mix everybody up so it's fair for all four teams. You can find all the details and sign up to play at ohana.urch/events.

Yes. Ladies 16 and above, our ladies conference is coming up on September 11 and 12, and it's going to be a really refreshing couple of days together with good fellowship and teaching straight from God's word. This year, our special guest speaker is Heidi Fuller, a Bible teacher and vocalist with Forever Be sure. You can also get all the information at ohana.urch/events. And finally, if you've been thinking about joining Moana for membership or you're ready to take the next step and get baptized, you can learn all about what that looks like at ohana.words/join ohana. Our next ohana night where you can get baptized or officially join will be on September 13th.

Thanks so much for being here with us again. Hope to see you tonight. All right. And for the softball tournament, you're welcome to invite others to come, but maybe some people won't come to church, but they'll come and play uh baseball with us and give a chance for us to meet them and find out that church people are nice people. And so uh you invite them to come out as well. There's information about that at ohana.urch/events. And so you can take a look there and find out. You don't need to sign up, but we will have a potluck meal. We're going to provide the hot dogs from the church, but we're asking you to bring all the side dishes, chips, and those kind of things as well uh for that day.

All right. And then uh we will have our evening service tonight at 6:00. We're continue our study in Philippians. Pastor Anel will be preaching tonight. And then we have the for the ladies conference, we're in need of help. Uh my wife needs some ladies to help out with food. And she needs some men to help out with uh serving the food and also child care. And so if you'll volunteer men, we need to step in there. Ladies do all things for us. We need to do something for them. And so I encourage you men to see her today and let her know that you're willing to help. And you ladies as well. We have uh tonight is also the Patch Pirate Club starts up again.

And if you don't know about Patch Pirate Club, there's a flyer about it out in the welcome center. you can pick up more information about your kids. Uh it's a great uh program where they earn badges and get to do all kinds of fun things while they're learning the word of God. And what I really love about it is the devotion. They've got a devotion book that they work on during the week. And you can purchase that book out in the welcome center as well. They're available. And if you've never tried Patire Club, try it out tonight. It is well worth it for you and your kids. It'll be a real blessing.

And so we hope that you'll come out tonight for that. There's a homeschool field trip uh on August 27th at 9:00 to the Hawaii Plantation Village. Uh you're going to meet at 8 8:45 in the morning and uh you if any questions about you can see Rebecca Blessley or Amanda Kraker and they'll give you more information on that if you're a homeschooler. And then um some prayer requests we are praying for. Uh this is his second to last Sunday. Next week will be his last Sunday. And so you want to be praying for him. is going to be moving to uh the Virginia which where where in Virginia again false church Virginia and so if you know the area or know a church there talk to him about that and then

there's a a frame that you can sign for him back in the welcome center just to remember his time here at ohana we're going to miss him and you'll be praying for him also want to pray for Antonio Ped Panedo uh one of our Filipino men he is had a stroke he's 46 years old had a stroke and Uh, and when I went up to see him in the hospital, he has a TRA and a whole nine yards and and he's in a kind of rough shape. So, pray for him. And then pray for James. It's good to see him out today. Uh, he had to have hip surgery and, uh, he's up and around. In fact, he's doing races on his crutches, I hear. So, uh, that's good to hear.

And then pray for Willamina Abraham's mom for her health uh that she would uh continue to get better there and give them wisdom and taking care of her and adding on to that their household there. Rose Morton is asking prayer for Haley. She is a second grader at the school where she teaches. She has leukemia and she's currently undergoing chemotherapy. Please pray for her and her family salvation as well. So Ricky, if you can somebody can raise your hand, take this card and pray that would be appreciated. All right. Okay. And then um I think that takes care of all the announcements and everything.

Hope we'll see you back out tonight. That's how you can be strong in the Lord by being in church. And so that's one of the ways you can help strengthen yourself in the Lord by coming back out and even service. We have a missionary here with us today and um and Justin Neil is a missionary planting a church in the uh pagan city of Detroit. Uh yeah, as you know, Detroit's gone through a lot of problems the last few years, and what they need is they need the Lord. And uh so they're here, and I'm ask you to come and just introduce yourself and your wife and your ministry, and then close this door of prayer.

So, if you'll come up, thank you, pastor, and thank you all for coming today. As you mentioned, my name is Justin. My wife is sitting there, uh Joanna, and we're Neil's Planting in Detroit. We also have a new member of the family coming uh November. Uh so pray for us in that way. Uh so we're planting a church in the state of Detroit. Uh right now we're raising support for our church and next year in the fall is going to be our first Sunday. So we're raising support, making preparations. Uh Detroit's a city that is in desperate need of the gospel. Uh but we're excited for Detroit because it's on a recovery since all of the uh oppression and poverty that's seen.

And so we see that as an opportunity to plant a church in the city so that we we can grow with the city, play in multiple churches in the area and just see that city one for Christ. Uh so just pray for us in that way. Uh we'll be here for a little bit if you have any questions about our ministry. And again, thank you all for coming today and we look forward to talking to you later. Uh let's all close in a word of prayer. We thank you Lord for this day and thank you for the challenging message you've given us today. May we have a good name that glorifies you uh that points to you. One that doesn't point to oursel but just gives you the honor and glory.

May we all take our responsibilities well and Lord may we use that so that others may know you. Uh we pray for today Lord. Uh we pray for the prayer requests mentioned. We pray for all of their health uh people in recovery and to surgery and people moving. Uh we ask you Lord that you work in all them and uh just work your hand uh through all those situations. We pray for the for the day today. We pray for everyone's uh safety and health and Lord give us a great evening uh tonight that all may everything uh tonight will be done to your honor and glory. We love you God. We pray these things in your name. Amen.