King Jotham: Doing Right with a Prepared Heart

Want to start out by saying thank you to everybody for your prayers for me. So, if you did not hear, I passed out yesterday uh at the men's prayer breakfast. Had to be taken to the uh hospital and ambulance. Uh but uh I'm doing much better now. It was a combination of exhaustion. I've had trouble sleeping. I have insomnia and uh dehydration. And so, I've got my electrolytes right here to help keep me hydrated and keep me going there. But I do appreciate your prayers. I'm doing much better now. And uh thanks to your prayers, I believe especially. And uh I want you to turn your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 27.

Uh the microphone is not working right now and sort of trying to get that fixed out. So I'm using this mic. But uh and uh because of my mistake, we aren't going to have any slides today. So you just have to listen carefully as you follow along. But we've been going through the series called King Me. And uh we're coming down to the end of this series. I've got one more message next week to do on it. And uh as we've done this series, I really hope it's challenged you. We're looking at the kings of the Old Testament and specifically the kings, what they did right, what they did wrong, and what they could have done differently.

Because you know what? You are a son and a daughter of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And you are going to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You're going to rule with him during the millennium. And so we also need to learn how to live as kings. And uh and that's important. And I hope you'll apply these things personally in your life, the things that they did right, the things that they did wrong, and what you can learn from them as well. In 2 Chronicles chapter 27, beginning with verse number one, it says, "Joththam was 20 and 5 years old when he began to reign. And he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem.

His mother's name also was Jerasha and 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, and the people did yet corruptly. He built the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Oil he built much. Moreover, he built cities in the mountains of Judah and the four hill for uh the the forest he built castles and towers. He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed against them. And the children of the Ammon of Ammon gave him the same year 100 talons of silver and 10,000s of wheat measures of wheat and uh 10,000s of barley.

So much did the children of Ammon pay unto him both the second year and the third. So Jotham was mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. And so as we look at Joseph's life, we actually have less know less about his life than almost all the other kings except for the the very last kings who only reigned for a few months before the kingdom was overthrown. And uh so there's very little we know about him, but we know can teach us some great lessons. And and the first thing we know about him in verse number two is that he did that which was right. And in verse number two, it says, "He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord accord.

How be it, he entered not in the temple of the Lord, and the people did yet corruptly. Um, before I go further into that, I want to point out he did as his father Uzziah. Uh, right now we're teaching a class in child training. Got it working now? All right. Give me just a quick moment here to put this on. And, uh, that way it's a lot easier not to have that my hand. All right. Is it sounding okay? All right. Good. All right. So, but anyways, he did that was right according to his father Uzziah. And our child trade class, one of the things we're emphasizing is that you as our the Bible says are like the bowman uh and your children are like the arrows.

And you know, arrows uh the fur the the the stronger the bowman, the further the arrows will go. And it's important that you as the bowman be strong and aim your children in the right direction. And that's what Uzziah did. and his son Jotham turned out to be good and did like his father as well. And if you're not coming to that child training class, we'd love to have you come. You can download the previous lessons at ohana.urch/child training. But anyways, he did that which was right in First Kings 15:34. It says about him and that he that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. He did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.

And so this was a king that did what was right. And as we've talked about before, we need to do good and we need to do right. There's a there's a difference doing good and doing it for the right reasons. In Deuteronomy 12 and verse number 28, it says, "Observe and hear all these words which I commanded thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee forever, when thou doest that which was good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God." You see, you can do that which is good and not do it for the right reasons. But you can you if you do what's right, then you're going to do what's good.

Uh I've quoted this many times because I think it's just a tremendous quote. If you can grab it in your life, it'll help you in many ways. And that's this. You can do all of the right things and not be the right person. But you cannot be the right person and not do the right things. And so it was very important uh not just to try to do what is right, but it's also try to be right. If you are being what God wants, who God wants you to be, then you are going to do what God wants you to do. A and so Jotham was a man that did which was right before the Lord. Now, as we go as we go on through the study, we have 12 of the kings which were evil.

In first kings chapter 16 and verse number 30, it says, "And Ahab, the son of Omry, did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that went that were before him." Now, Ahab was part of Israel, which was the uh the the kingdom that none of the kings were good. But yet, Ahab was the one who kind of set the standard of evil. Remember Ahab and in the Bible there and and uh and yet it tells us in 2 Chronicles 22:4, "Wherefore he and Aziah did evil in the sight of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father to his destruction." And and so here was a king that was as bad as Ahab.

Uh that was a bad standard to have. And uh and yet I want you to notice something. Go over to First Kings chap 21 if you would real quick. Put a marker in in 1 Chronicles, but First Kings 21 and look at verses 27- 29. First Kings 21 27- 29. Now remember Ahab was the standard of bad. But look what it says about him in verse 27. And it came to pass when Ahab heard those words that he rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seeest thou how how Ahab has humbled himself before me, because he humbled himself before me.

I will not bring thee evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. Ahab was wicked his whole life, except the very end. He he he humbled himself and got right with God. And because of that, God said, "I'm not going to I'm not going to bring the judgment upon you. Uh it did come down in his children." Remember that your life has consequences in the generations to come as well. But the point is is that here was a man that humbled himself. And and that's so important for us to remember is that we need to be willing to humble ourselves. We need to be willing to get right with God.

In 1 Timothy chapter 1, Paul talked about how that he was the chiefest of sinners. Paul was a man before he got saved that was putting people to death for believing in Christ. He was a man that brought great persecution upon the church. But yet God saved him and changed his life. And no matter who you are and no matter how bad you are, you can still humble yourself and get right with God. You can still turn your life around. It's not too late for any of us. And and we need to realize that. But uh five of the 12 of the kings were evil and five of the kings did right. Uh knowing what's right. Theodore Roosevelt said this, "Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right."

And these were kings that did right. In James 4:1 17, it says, "Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." You and I need to do what is right. And when you know what is right, then do what is right. And and these were three king, five kings that did right. And then there were three kings that did good and right. And that was Asa and Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 31 and:es 20- 21. 2 Chronicles 31 and beginning with verse number 20. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people. And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of the unleavened bread seven days with great gladness.

And the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the Lord. And Hezekiah spake comfortly unto the Levites. All the Levites had taught the good knowledge of the Lord. And they did eat throughout the feast, seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord uh the Lord their God. And uh and and so he he here he is. He's doing what is right. And and that's so important that we do right before God. In Micah chapter 6 and verse number eight, his Bible says, "He has showed thee, oh man, what is good and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God."

And see, we need to not just do that which is good, but we need to do that which is right. We need to be right with God. And that's so important that we have that foundation. And only three of the kings did that. But you and I, we need to take that as an example to follow. And and so the thing we know about Jotham is that he did that which was right. But we also know this in Proverbs chapter 27 verse number 6. I'm sorry, 2 Chronicles 27 verse number 6. It says, "So Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God." You see, he prepared his ways. Benjamin Franklin said this, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

And as Christians, we need to prepare our ways to do what's right before God in our lives. Now listen, Jesus said this. Go over to John chapter 14 and look at verses 1-6. John chapter 14 and verses 1-6. In John 14 and verse number one, Jesus said, if I can get there, he said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." And whether I go, you know, and the way you know.

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest. How can we know the way? And Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh of the father but by me. And you see that Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for those of you that have trusted in him as your savior. Now, if you're today and you never trusted in Jesus Christ as your savior, then you need to realize that you need to be prepared to die. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse number 27 is appointed on men once to die but after the judgment. You see a lot of us we don't like to think about death.

We we don't want want to we don't we don't prepare for death but it's going to happen to every one of us in this room. At some point every one of us is going to die. And you need to be prepared for that day that you die whether you go to heaven or whether you go to hell. You see you need to realize that uh Benjamin Franklin said again this. He said, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes." And you know what? Death is going to come. And when you die, you need to be prepared. Jesus is preparing a place for those that trust him. But you need to be prepared and be ready to go to heaven when you die.

You see, God has prepared a place in heaven for you where you can trust in him. Jesus is the way to heaven. He's the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh under the father but by him. You see, you don't get to heaven by going to church. Now, I'm glad you're in church today, but going to church is not going to get you to heaven no more than going to a parking garage makes you a car. Uh, it's just not going to get you to heaven. You're not going to get to heaven because of your religion. You're not going to get to heaven because of some ritual that you've gone through like baptism or catechism or church membership.

You're not going to get to heaven because of of your own righteousness because it's not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he has saved us. In Ephesians 2:89 it says for by grace are you saved through faith then not of yourselves. It's a gift of God not of works less than a man should boast. And today you need to realize that there's only one way to heaven and that's Jesus Christ and you need to trust in him. Do you know him as your savior? Back in John 14:7, it says, "If you if you had known me, you should know my father also, and from henceforth you know him and have seen him."

Do you know Jesus Christ? Do you know that you're going to heaven? The Bible tells us in 1 John 5 and:es 12 and 13. It says, "He that hath the son hath life. He that hath not the son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God. You can know that you're going to heaven. You can know that your sins forgiven. You can be prepared that when you die you're going to go to heaven and not to hell. But if you don't prepare for that by trusting Christ as your savior, then there's not a place prepared for you in heaven either.

You see over in Matthew chapter 7, Matthew chapter 7 and:es 21-23. Matthew chapter 7 and verses 21- 23. The Bible says, "Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is heaven." Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied thy name? In thy name have cast out devils. Thy name done many wonderful works. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. You see, and you need to make sure that that he knows you. If you're going to know you're going to heaven, you've got to know Jesus Christ as your savior.

And here were people that said, "We've done all these great things, but Jesus said, "I don't know you because you've never trusted in me." And you have to call upon him. You have to trust him as your savior. The Bible says in Romans chap 10 and:es 9 and 10 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 a heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. In Romans 10:13 it says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." And you need to call upon him.

You need to know that he is preparing a place for you in heaven. And the way to know that is if you prepared yourself by trusting Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, and yes, you're ready to go to heaven. You see, Jotham prepared his heart. And need to start by preparing your heart by being right with God through Jesus Christ as your savior. And and and we also need to prepare our heart to receive what God has given to us. Go back to 2 Chronicles and look at chapter 12. 2 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse number one. 2 Chronicles chapter 12 and verse number one. And it came to pass when Raoboam would establish the kingdom and strengthen himself, he forsook the Lord, the law of the Lord and all Israel with him.

Look at verse number 14. And it did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the work the the the Lord. You see, you either going to prepare your heart to seek the Lord or you're preparing your heart not to seek the Lord. And and you need to be prepared to seek the Lord to what he has for you. Go to 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and look at verse number three. 2 Chronicles chapter 19 and verse number three. Nevertheless, there are good things bound in thee, and that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and has prepared thine heart to seek God. Have you prepared your heart to seek God?

In Deuteronomy 4:29, the Bible says, "But is from thence that thou shalt seek the Lord thy God. Thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy heart, with all thy soul." And you need to seek God with all of your heart. You need to seek God with all of your soul. You see, you need to come seeking after the Lord. Did you come here this morning just to come to church, or did you come here to seek the Lord? And did you come preparing your heart to receive what God has for you? I spend hours preparing this message. Well, how much time do you spend preparing your heart to receive what God has for you?

Look at 2 Chronicles chapter 35. 2 Chronicles chapter 35 and look at verse number four. And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers after your courses according to the writing of David, king of Israel, and according to the visiting writing of Solom and his son. Skip down to verse number 10. And so the service was prepared and the priests stood in their place and the Levites in their courses according to the king's commandment. Then look at verses 14-18. Afterwards they made ready for themselves and for the priests because the priests the sons of Aaron had busied in the offerings of burnt offerings and the fat until the night.

Therefore the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priest the son of Aaron. And the singers and the sons of Joseph were in their place according to their commandment of David and and Asaf and Hmon and J Judith um and the sons and the king seir and the and the porters um waited at every gate that they and not might not depart from the service for the brother and the Levites prepared for them. So all the service lords prepared the same day to keep the Passover and the offer to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the Lord according to the commandment of King Josiah. And the children of Israel that that were present kept the Passover in that time.

And the feast, the feast of the unleavened bread, seven days, and there wasn't no Passover like it to be kept that kept in Israel from that the days of Samuel the prophet. Neither of all the kings of Israel came such a Passover. Josiah kept and the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel that were present in the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The the point is this folks, there's a lot of preparation that went into having this service today. There was preparation from our worship team. They practice every Tuesday night. They work on these songs so that they're ready to lead you in worship. There was preparation from the one that was leading the worship prompt to challenge you from the word of God.

There was preparation of all the Sunday school teachers to prepare to teach your children. There was preparation in the message that's being preached right now. All of this work was put into it. But how much work did you put into it? How much preparation did you put into being here today? You say, "Well, how can I prepare faster? I I'm not preaching. I'm not teaching. You can get ready physically. You can get right with God before you come to church. Why wait till you get to church to get right with God? You can pray for the pastor. You can pray for the teachers. You can ask God to speak to you.

You can pray and ask God to speak to your family. You can review what was worded last week so you're more prepared to hear what's preached this week. You see, there's a lot you can do to prepare your heart to receive what God has to give to you. And I want to challenge you. Prepare your heart. Prepare your heart to receive the word of God. Prepare your heart for God to speak to you. In Acts 17:11, our church theme verses that these were more noble than those in Thessalonica. and that they received the word with all readiness of mind and search the scriptures daily whether those things were so. These were people that were prepared to receive what God had given to the church and to the pastor and they wanted to receive it and take it and apply it in their lives.

And this was a king who prepared his art. Then the other thing I want you to notice about Jotham is is that is about the temple of God. Look at verse number two. And he did that 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 and the people did yet corruptly. You see the temple of God the that's the centerpiece of our worship. And and the church today is God's pillar and ground of the truth is place that we come to worship the Lord. Now this is one of the negative things about Jotham is he didn't go into the temple of the Lord.

Now why didn't he go into the temple of the Lord? I think there's a couple possibilities here. If you'll remember back to his father Uzziah, Uzziah was a good king and did that which was good and right. Except at the end of his life, he messed up. He got kind of proud and thought it was him that was most important rather than God. And he went into the temple and and was going to offer sacrifices, bypass the prophet and and offer sacrifices. And God struck him with leprosy. And after he was struck with leprosy, he couldn't go into the temple anymore because the leper couldn't go into the temple.

And and and I wonder if maybe this had affected Jotham as well. Now, it may be possible that he was he wanted to be careful not to make the same mistake that his father did and and mess up and maybe that's why he was reluctant to go to the temple. It may be because his father was a leper, maybe he had been exposed to leprosy and he was right to be careful not to expose other people to it. Or it may be that he was kind of bitter even though he did that was right before God. Maybe he was a little bit bitter about how his dad's life ended up. You know, some of you in the past, maybe when you were growing up or maybe as an adult, you've had a bad experience in church and that bad experience has kept you from going to church like you should.

And don't let that happen. Don't let a bad experience keep you from having what God wants to give you. And and and and so Jotham didn't uh attend church. And and I want to encourage you don't say make that same mistake because that affected him and that affected the people as well. In Leviticus 26 and verse number 40, it says that they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquities of their fathers with their trespasses which they trespass against me and that also they have walked contrary unto me. You see, your children are going to suffer for your sins and and and I there are consequences not only in our lives because of our sin, but there are consequences for the generations to come as well.

And and you have to remember also your children are at least half of you. And and so they've got your makeup and they're susceptible doing the same things that you did. And that's why as a parent, one of the things I challenge parents is is to warn your children. Hey, I struggled with this and you're going to struggle with as well. And to realize that your sin is going to affect them and you want to help them to get beyond that as well. But what happened is is Uzziah overstepped the authority of the Lord and he tried to do things that he wasn't supposed to do. And that's the same sin as Saul back in second 1st Samuel chapter 13 and 1st Samuel chapter 15 is he overstepped his authority and because of that God judged him and God said listen I I want your obedience to obey is better than sacrifice.

In Hebrews chapter 13:7 it says remember them which have the rule over you who has spoken unto you the word of God whose faith follow consider the end of their conversation. In Hebrews 13:17 it says, "Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do with joy and not with grief for that is on profit for you." In my child training class again, I was teaching on on uh learning to what you got to do is from 0 to six, you got to teach your kids to obey you. And that's the time to make sure you're going to obey me because I'm bigger than you.

And my kids would ask me, why should I do what you tell me to? Because I'm bigger than you. and uh I pay for your food, I pay for your room, and you can if you don't want that stuff, that's fine. Uh you know, they've got to learn to obey. But then they got to learn to honor. Honor thy father and mother and to honor your position. They should obey not just because you're bigger, but because God said to obey your parents. And then later on, they're going to do it because they respect you. You see, obedience can be demanded. Even honor can be demanded because the Bible says to honor your parents, but respect has to be earned.

And and and so we need to realize that. But we need to realize that when we overstep God's authority, when we step out of our bounds, that's when we're in trouble. Not only for ourselves, but for our family as well. In Acts chapter 7 and verse 51, he says, "You stiff necked and uncircumcising hearts and ears. You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your father. So do ye. Listen, folks. The iniquities of fathers are passed down from generation to generation, but they can be changed. You can decide, you know what? I'm going to do what's right. I'm going to do different. I don't have to do what my dad did.

I don't have to do what my mom did. I don't have to follow that same pattern. I can change this pattern. I can make it right. And I want to challenge you to make sure that you do that. You see, there's no good reason for staying out of church. Well, I've been hurt. I had a bad experience. I didn't like something that they did or didn't do. And all those things are going to happen at some point in your church experiences. That's just part of being with people because people are sinners by nature. But that's still God's place. That's God's plan. It's a place of God's blessings. And don't let it keep you out of church.

In Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 25 it says not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see day approaching. You see the temple is not the church. Our temple today is our bodies. But 1 Corinthians 6 1920. What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which you have of God and you're not your own? For you're bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit which are gods. And our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And and we need to keep right with God. In 1 Timothy 3:15, it says, "But if I tear it along, that thou mayest know how to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground, the truth."

You as a Christian are the temple of God. But this is the church of God. It's where we come together for fellowship and encouragement and to challenge and and to strengthen one another in the Lord. Psalms 122 verse1 it says, "I was glad when they said unto me, let's go in the house of the Lord." I hope you are glad that this is Sunday. I hope you're glad that you can get up and come to church. I hope you're glad that you're here. But it's not just about being glad that you're here. Verse 9 says, "Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good." You see, Jotham didn't go to church, didn't go to the temple, and who did it affect?

All the rest of the people. Because they were following his example. Let me encourage you as parents, make church a fun place to be. Make church something that's good. Not only good for them, but it's good to them. Make Sunday morning not a day where we got to fight and argue with each other while we're getting ready for church, but make it something special. Make it a day when you get up and you have a special breakfast together. When you've already gotten the clothes already, so you're not panicking trying to find out what we're going to wear and how we're going to wear it. Uh don't make it a thing where you're all fighting with each other.

By the time you get in the car, you're all mad at each other. You're driving to church and you're yelling at one another and then you see the pastor and you go, "Hi, pastor." How do you make going to church something that's enjoyable? Make it good. You see, I want to be with God's people because that's where God's blessings are. And and then he said there, it says at the end of verse two, and the people did yet corruptly. In 2 Kings 15:35, it says, "How be it, the high places were not removed. The people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gates of the house of the Lord."

This is Dotham's only negative, folks. If you got nothing else out of this series, can you get this? Every one of those kings they that did right, they just didn't go all the way. There was something that they left undone or there was something they went back to that they shouldn't have. And folks, we sometimes think, well, I'm 90% right with God. And praise God for that. It's better than 50%. is better than 10%. But it's not 100%. And if there's something in your life that's not right with God, don't be satisfied until it's torn down, till it's gone. Because as long as it's there, it gives place to the devil.

As long as it's there, it's a stronghold of the devil. And you will never have the victory that God wants you to have. And you've got to deal with that. And there's some of you in this room, there's things in your life that you've allowed to continue. Things that are wrong, whatever it might be from the old life, and and you've not gotten rid of it. You've not cast it out. You've not torn it down. And it continues to influence you and those around you. Look at Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5. It talks about you the salt of the earth, but a salt hath lost his savor where they shall be salted.

It is forth uh good for nothing but to be cast out and be and be trotten under the foot of men. Later on it talks about you are the light of the world. And if you put that light under bushels not doing any good. You see what kind of influence do you have? You're influencing your family. You're influencing people around you. You're influencing people work. Do people see your good works? They saw a king that wasn't going to church. So they said, 'Well, we don't have to go. In 1 Peter chapter 3:1 16, it says, "Having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed to falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ."

In preparation for our 40th anniversary, I've been getting a hold of some former members. And one of the couples I talked to this week was the Harlos. And the Harlos were they were from a a different religious background, were not saved, didn't go to church at all. And they were in the military and they got stationed next to the Masses. And every Sunday they would look out their window and they'd see the Masses getting in the car and driving off to church. Then they see them come home in the afternoon. Then they see him go back to church on Sunday night. And they see him go to church on Wednesday night.

And they saw the masses how they loved the Lord. They loved each other. And they had just a tremendous testimony. And he said, "We kept watching." He said, "Every Sunday morning we would peek out the window and say, "There they go again." Then one day they said, "Let's go with masses invited to church over and over again. They said no, no, no." But one day they said, "Yes." They came to church and both of them got saved. Alice ended to be our church secretary. Brian to be one of our deacons. They're still continue on for the Lord. Why? because they saw the good works. What about your neighbors?

What about your co-workers? What about your family? Do they see that in your life? Amen. Now, just living is not enough. You need to tell them to. In 1 Peter 3:15, he says, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. Live it and tell it." That's what God's called us to do. Now the other thing you see about Jotham here is that he built a lot of things. And in Nehemiah 4:6, the Bible says, "So built we the wall, and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof, for the people had a mind to work."

To build a church is not a pastor, it's the people. And we've got to build together. In Nehemiah chapter 7, the people gave financially in Nehemiah chapter 8, when they got up and when Nehemiah got up preached the word, the people that they hadn't heard the word for years. It had been lost and they found the word of God as they were rebuilding the temple and they called all the people together and they stood. They didn't sit. They all stood and for hours they read the word of God to the people. And you know what the people did? They started crying. They started weeping. They started calling out, "Where has this been?"

And they were just calling out in repentance to God. And folks, that's what God wants to see in your life and my life. Jotham has something to teach us. You may be good, but are you good for the right reasons? It's more important to be right than just to be good. Because if you're right, you will be good. And we need to learn that lesson. And we need to prepare our hearts. If you're here today and you're not prepared to die, then there's no place being prepared for you in heaven until you trust Christ as your savior. But as Christians, we need to be prepared to receive what God wants to give us.

when we read our Bible, when we pray, when we come to church to be prepared to receive what God has given us, but we also need to realize that church is an important part. And sometimes we get hurt and sometimes there's problems. But this is a place where God has called us to come together to challenge and encourage one another, strengthen one another to be blessed. And I hope every Sunday you'll prepare your heart to receive what God would give you. Yes. Amen. And we need to realize that we have an influence on those around us. Parents, you have an influence on your kids. Make church something that's fun. Make serving God something that is enjoyable. Make sure that you are teaching them not to make the same mistakes you made. and be a testimony to your neighbors.