I want to bring to you today the concluding part of this message which I have been on for some weeks now. If you read previous editions, may I ask you what decisions you have made to ensure that the stones do not cry out in your stead? What are you doing about what God has been speaking to you all this while?
Before I rounded off last week, I made some statements. I said: Whoever will not allow God to have His way, He removes. Whoever will not allow Him to rule, He overrules. Will you allow Him to rule in your life or to overrule you? Think about that.
Now let me round off with today’s message by looking at two more people in the Bible that the stone cried out in their place. I pray that your name will not be added to this list in Jesus’ name.
Uzziah
The Bible says concerning Uzziah, the king of Judah “His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.” (2 Chronicles 26:15 NLT) Unfortunately, Uzziah couldn’t handle the fame that God brought him into; it entered into his head. He assumed wrongly that he was responsible for the exploits that brought him fame. From then, he began to get things wrong. He became so proud that eighty-one priests could not prevent him from intruding into the office of the priest to burn incense. Right there in the temple, God caused leprosy to break loose on him.
This was somebody that the Bible had recorded earlier in his reign that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 26:4) But he died a leper and was denied the honour of being buried in the burial ground for kings. “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.
Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the Lord, all brave men. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is the work of the priests alone, the descendants of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The Lord God will not honor you for this!’ Uzziah, who was holding an incense burner, became furious.
But as he was standing there raging at the priests before the incense altar in the Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the high priest and all the other priests saw the leprosy, they rushed him out. And the king himself was eager to get out because the Lord had struck him.? So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house, for he was excluded from the Temple of the Lord. His son
Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.” (2 Chronicles 26:16-21 NLT) Uzziah’s life teaches us to be consistent in our walk with God, not to allow our success go into our heads and to remain within the scope of our assignment.
Uzziah died a leper. But before he died, his son replaced him as king. The stone cried out in his place and the stone was his son. That means leprosy disqualified him from continuing as king. Jotham therefore came to the throne earlier than he would have if Uzziah’s reign had not been terminated while he was still alive. ?
Jotham was wise. When it was his turn, he didn’t make the mistake of his father. “Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly.” (2 Chron 27:1-2 NKJV)
Did you see that? He followed the good deeds of his father but avoided intruding into the priests’ work of burning incense in the Temple. Not all children are as wise as that. Some children today still repeat the mistakes of their fathers; the failures of their fathers are replicated in their lives. This pattern is seen a lot among the kings of Israel and Judah. They didn’t learn from the mistakes of their fathers so they were consumed. May the problems of your fathers not become your problems in Jesus’ name. May you not fall into their errors of your anscestors. May the victories of your parents be compounded and multiplied in your life in Jesus’ name.
Judas Iscariot
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After betraying Jesus Christ, his master, Judas, one of the 12 disciples who had been with him, saw all the miracles and also could lay hands on the sick and were healed according to the Master’s mandate, committed suicide.
?? ?In Acts 1, we see lots being cast to get a replacement for him since he had lost his place. In verse 26, the lot fell on Mathias. He was the stone in place of Judas. Thus Psalm 109:8 was fulfilled:? “Let his days be few, and let another take his office.” (NKJV)? It is high time all believers realized that any opportunity to serve in the house of God is an opportunity to be blessed. God loves you but He has also made provision for the stones in case you disappoint Him. Don’t let Him replace you.
Conclusion
Before the stones cry out, serve him today with gladness. (Psalm 100:2). Serve him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deut. 10:12). Serve him in newness of the Spirit. (Romans 7:6) If you will not praise Him, God will raise others who will praise Him. If the adults won’t praise Him, God will put His praises in the mouth of babies and sucklings. Ps 8:2 says, “You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge.” (NLT) God will get babies and sucklings – children and infants to praise Him if adults are unwilling.
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?Disobedience led to the fall of Adam and the subsequent eviction from the beautiful garden. Disobedience also caused Saul his throne. The disobedience of Solomon by following after strange gods made God tear the kingdom from him. Will you obey or disobey Him before the stones cry out?
General Overseer, pastor, teacher, prophet, apostle, bishop etc? –? whatever the anointing God has given you and the grace of God upon your life; whatever the exploits that God is doing through you and the level He has promoted you to, don’t be proud like Nebuchadnezzar or Uzziah. It is not about you; it is about God. Judas fell away from the position of an apostle and went to his own (proper) place where he belonged. Like the fallen angels, he became a fallen apostle! Take heed lest the stones should cry out in your stead! I pray that you and I will not fail God in Jesus’ name.
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?If you have read this piece thus far and you have never given your life to Jesus, don’t be like the rich young ruler who said “No” to Jesus refusing to make the sacrifice necessary for becoming his disciple. He went into oblivion straight from that time. His name is not even recorded in the Bible.