1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,680 Meet me in First Kings Chapter 11, please. 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,120 In your Bibles, First things Chapter 11. 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,600 We all knew that this time would come, the time when we would 4 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,560 have to take a good, hard look at the downfall of one of 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:22,880 Israel's most influential and greatest among the rosters of 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,920 their leaders. And as we approach this text, I 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,240 just want to pray briefly and ask the Lord's help for this 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,160 time. Father, our prayer is simple as 9 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:38,240 we now come to your word. Give us understanding that we 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,560 may keep your Word and enlarge our hearts, that we may run in 11 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,960 the way of your commandments. We pray for the help of the 12 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,160 precious Holy Spirit to guide us through these verses to 13 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:54,040 eliminate any distraction or any obstruction to these truths 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,360 settling in our hearts. Lord, help us hide these truths 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,560 down deep inside that they may be with us for the rest of our 16 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,080 pilgrimage here on earth. And we pray that the power of 17 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,880 the Spirit would be known along with the knowledge and the 18 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,040 insights. Yes, but the power to make it 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,880 personal and applicable to our own lives. 20 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,560 We know that you will guide us and we trust as we pray. 21 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:20,160 In the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 22 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:24,040 Amen. As I said, we have now come to 23 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,320 this text that we knew was going to come eventually, where we 24 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,640 have to face one of the greatest failures in Israel's 25 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,360 leadership's history. And as one writer said, 26 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:39,520 Solomon's fall is told in the same frank way as his wisdom and 27 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:44,560 his wealth. It's sometimes unpleasant to to 28 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,680 come to the realization of the shortcomings of someone who 29 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:54,320 especially has been esteemed by many as a champion in the cause 30 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,880 of God. But we have to also appreciate 31 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,400 and realize that God has preserved such things in 32 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:08,440 explicit detail, doesn't hide these failures for the sake of a 33 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,880 preventative measure in our own walk with Him. 34 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:15,640 This is His grace. This is His love, His love in 35 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:20,480 the form of warning and caution. You know, when we look at the 36 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,280 authenticity of the Scriptures, the honesty and the transparency 37 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:27,560 of the Bible, it does say something about the divine 38 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,520 authorship of this book. But God's primary reason for 39 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:36,040 this is again to supply the necessary truths in order for us 40 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,160 to be further sanctified as we take these truths to heart and 41 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,200 believe that they are for us. In fact, I want to make the case 42 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,040 to you as before we even dissect these verses, the 1st 8 verses 43 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,440 of this chapter, that even within the Scriptures we have 44 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,400 testimony of how this particular story was used in the life of a 45 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,520 man of God, and not only in his life, but in the lives of those 46 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,320 who served underneath his leadership, those who were under 47 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,120 his guidance. Can anybody think of the man 48 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,480 that I'm Speaking of who made specific reference to this very 49 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,880 chapter when he tried to exhort the people of Israel at a 50 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,800 particular time in its history? Very good, Nehemiah. 51 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,640 If you turn quickly to Nehemiah chapter 13, verse 26, you'll see 52 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,600 what I'm Speaking of and it will solidify this point that I'm 53 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:31,720 trying to make, that this is intended to provide the 54 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,480 necessary truths in order to prevent us from making the same 55 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,120 mistakes. So Nehemiah chapter 13 and verse 56 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:46,080 26 to verse 27, Nehemiah comes back to Jerusalem from his 57 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,520 frequent visits back and forth, and he learned that the Exiles 58 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,680 who have returned are now marrying foreign women from 59 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,360 different nations who serve different gods. 60 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,360 And this is his warning to them in verse 26. 61 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:04,000 Did not Solomon King of Israel sin on account of such woman 62 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,000 among the many nations? There was no king like him, and 63 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,640 he was beloved by his God. And God made him king over all 64 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,040 Israel. Nevertheless foreign woman made 65 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:19,320 even him to sin. Shall we then listen to you and 66 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,760 do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by 67 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:26,640 marrying foreign woman? In other words, here's what 68 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,600 Nehemiah is saying to this generation. 69 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,920 Didn't you learn from Friday night Bible study? 70 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,360 That when the story of Solomon has been preserved for us, it 71 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,840 was meant for you to understand that you should learn from the 72 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:48,080 mistakes of others, and that you should understand that you are 73 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,160 setting yourself up for the same disastrous disasters that 74 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,560 Solomon brought upon himself and others by entertaining the same 75 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:57,280 sins that he entertained. Did you not learn? 76 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,760 Secondly, notice his wording is very carefully. 77 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,800 He says here in the second part of verse 26, among the many 78 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,360 nations where there was no king like him, and he was beloved by 79 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,600 his God. Do you not understand, O 80 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:14,400 generation of rebellion, rebellious Israelites, that 81 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,520 Solomon was unique in that he enjoyed a particular wisdom from 82 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,080 God? He had this special favor from 83 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,560 God. But even him with such stature 84 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,720 and such influence was not impervious to this temptation. 85 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:30,160 And if it's true for Solomon, how much more you? 86 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,960 If it's true for Solomon, how much more you, how much more 87 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,280 vulnerable are you? How much more on guard should 88 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:41,400 you be? Evidently, as devastating as 89 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:47,480 this chapter will be to read and to look at in great detail, it 90 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,400 was a value in Nehemiah's day, and there should be no doubt in 91 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,800 our minds that it carries value for the Church in this hour. 92 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,920 So let's come back to First Kings Chapter 11, and let's read 93 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,040 the 1st 8 verses together and we'll take our time to look at 94 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,720 what each verse has to teach us. Now King Solomon loved many 95 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,920 foreign woman, along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, 96 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,840 Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite woman from the nations 97 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:17,400 concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, 98 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,480 You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither 99 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,560 shall. They with you, for surely they 100 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,720 will turn away your heart after their gods. 101 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:31,320 Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives who were 102 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,120 princesses and 300 concubines, And his wives turned away his 103 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,360 heart. For when Solomon was old, his 104 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,840 wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart 105 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:46,680 was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of 106 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,400 David his father. For Solomon went after 107 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,800 Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Cydonians, and after milk them 108 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,440 the abomination of the Ammonites. 109 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,720 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did 110 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,280 not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done. 111 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,960 Then Solomon built a high place for Kimash, the abomination of 112 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,440 Moab, and for Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites on 113 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,720 the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did, for all the his 114 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:18,120 foreign wives who made offerings and sacrifice to their gods. 115 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,720 Verse one, this verse should strike us because we learned in 116 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:28,360 the previous chapter that Solomon had now entered into a 117 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,640 phase of multiplication. We learned that he multiplied 118 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,800 his wealth. And yes, part of that was 119 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,240 promised by God that he would be rich and that he would enjoy 120 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,240 honor. But Solomon took it to another 121 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,600 level, to an unhealthy measure. From there we learned that 122 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,200 Solomon multiplied not just his wealth, but his horses, and that 123 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,880 multiplication, though it may seem to be an act of wisdom, was 124 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:53,480 actually an act of unbelief. God told the kings not to have 125 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,000 multiple horses so that they could demonstrate and trust in 126 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,240 the arm of the Lord, not the arm of the flesh. 127 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,320 And now we read in verse one of Chapter 11, that he multiplies 128 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,160 not just his wealth, not just his horses, but his women. 129 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,720 Solomon multiplies his wives. All of these things go against 130 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,200 the specific decrees that God had instituted for the kings of 131 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,400 Israel. But I find it interesting how 132 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:23,640 the Holy Spirit in verse one explains and defines Solomon's 133 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,160 foreign wives. Again, look at this carefully 134 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,080 now. King Solomon loved many foreign 135 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,320 woman. Along with the daughter of 136 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:34,039 Pharaoh. That stood out to me. 137 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,280 He could have just said he multiplied his wives. 138 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,840 But he says in the middle, along with the daughter of Pharaoh. 139 00:08:40,039 --> 00:08:42,080 Remember we studied about Pharaoh's daughter? 140 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,920 That was the crack in the beginning of his walk right as a 141 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:50,320 king and we're reminded, we're reminded of the daughter of 142 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,480 Pharaoh. In other words, what this is 143 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:57,440 trying to say is that before Solomon had multiple before he 144 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,560 made this collection of foreign wives, it began with him 145 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:07,760 marrying one foreign wife. And the principle there is a 146 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:13,560 reminder of the nature of sin. It is in the makeup of sin to 147 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:16,560 grow in strength. The more it is tolerated and 148 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:22,880 justified in one's life. Sin will grow in strength unless 149 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:27,800 it is cut off by repentance. The longer we remain 150 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:32,920 unrepentant, the more sin in our lives will spread like cancer. 151 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,680 And when it does spread, it can spread in one of two ways. 152 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:41,120 The first ways that it could cause you to engage in that one 153 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,120 sin with greater intensity and the other way is that it can 154 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,040 encourage you to sin in other ways. 155 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,960 Solomon started out with one foreign wife. 156 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,640 Now he has 1000. Sin multiplies. 157 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:02,200 Sin wants to take you and I further and deeper Into Darkness 158 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:03,400 it. Rarely. 159 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,160 Keeps you and I in one place. Rarely. 160 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,600 It's not designed that way. In fact, if sin would have its 161 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,120 way with each of us, it would take us all the way to death. 162 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,000 We thank God for a conscience. We thank God for the word of 163 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:18,400 God. We thank God for the Holy 164 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,520 Spirit's conviction. But unrestrained sin can destroy 165 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,960 you, can ruin you because that's the design of it. 166 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,800 And we even see the sequence of sin even in the very, very 167 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:31,320 verses that we read. Look again at verse one. 168 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,040 Now, King Solomon loved many foreign wives. 169 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,240 It started with love. He loved these foreign wives. 170 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:38,560 Now you come down to verse 5 and. 171 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,840 Look what you read here. For Solomon went after 172 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Ashtoreth, and he names the different gods in the 173 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,840 imaminations of these foreign people. 174 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,760 So he loved the former women. Then he went after their gods 175 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,200 and. Then what do you see here down 176 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,720 in verse seven? Then Solomon built a high place 177 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,840 for Kamash. Then he listed different false 178 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,160 gods. Again it started with affection. 179 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,600 Then he began to make steps forward into action. 180 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,560 Then. Now he is building temples. 181 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:14,040 This man who built a temple for the Lord is now building temples 182 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,120 for false gods. Who would have thought, oh how 183 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,200 the mighty have fallen? Is this? 184 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,600 Is this for real? Is this the same guy who made 185 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:30,400 that elaborate and glorious prayer, the dedication of the 186 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:31,960 temple unto the true and living God? 187 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,200 And now you're making temples unto false deities. 188 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,640 It's amazing how sin can mar and mold us into something that is 189 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,320 hideous and almost unrecognizable. 190 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:45,200 And so this is what we see in verse one. 191 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:50,760 We learn here again the principle of how sin multiplies 192 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:52,320 in our lives if we're not careful. 193 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,880 But then we read in verse two what from the nations concerning 194 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,680 which the Lord had said to the people Israel, you shall not 195 00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:01,320 enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for 196 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,080 surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. 197 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,120 Solomon clung to these in love. Here's the Holy Spirit reminding 198 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,200 us that this is Solomon disobeying a particular command 199 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,200 that has been inscribed hundreds of years before his time. 200 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:18,560 And this wasn't just for the kings of Israel. 201 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,200 This is for all the people of Israel. 202 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:25,840 And so we have a quote here from Exodus 34, verse 16. 203 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,800 And what I find interesting about Exodus 3416 is that where 204 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:33,880 this command is found is the same context where we have a 205 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,480 name. Of God that is rarely mentioned 206 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:41,800 and christened them. I I doubt that most of us in 207 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:46,360 here have heard this name that God ascribes unto himself, 208 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,120 perhaps because it may cause confusion or there may be 209 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,360 misunderstanding, but it's not really difficult to understand 210 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,160 when you just meditate on it a little bit further. 211 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,720 There is a name that God gives himself, and I wonder, have you 212 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,600 ever called God this name? Have you ever heard God 213 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:06,080 identified in this way? It's found in Exodus 34, not 16 214 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:07,800 by verse 14. I'd encourage you to turn to 215 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:10,960 that passage, because by comprehending this name, not 216 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,120 only do we have greater insight into this command, but of all of 217 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,080 God's decrees. Here's what the Lord says in the 218 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:23,360 middle of these different exhortations in Exodus 34, verse 219 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,560 14. For you shall worship no other 220 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:31,280 God for the Lord. Whose name is Jealous? 221 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:37,240 Whose name is Jealous? Is a jealous God. 222 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:43,760 Jealous is his name. Now how do we make sense of 223 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:44,640 this? It's very simple. 224 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,920 Jealousy is such an intrinsic part of the nature of God that 225 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:55,040 he unashamedly uses the word as a name for himself. 226 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,640 Jealousy is such an intrinsic part of the nature of God that 227 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:04,120 he willingly, unashamedly ascribes it to his identity. 228 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:07,800 That is fascinating to me. And that might be fascinating to 229 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,160 you, because generally we understand jealousy to be a 230 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,160 negative emotion, and that is true most cases. 231 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,960 But evidently here. For God, who is perfectly good 232 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:20,360 without sin, using that to identify himself means that 233 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,880 there is a righteous expression of jealousy. 234 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,920 There's a way of experiencing jealousy, expressing jealousy 235 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,840 that is perfectly holy and in alignment with God's nature. 236 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,480 Just like anger, there's a righteous anger, there's an 237 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,000 unrighteous anger. And clearly here there is a 238 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,920 jealousy that is holy. There's a jealousy that is holy. 239 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,640 How do we distinguish between unholy jealousy and holy 240 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,120 jealousy? I'll give you a couple of 241 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,400 seconds here to to answer it if you have a brief definition 242 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,560 between the two or difference between the two. 243 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:53,920 Any idea the difference between unholy jealousy and holy 244 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,400 jealousy? It feels very much the same, but 245 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:58,280 it's not. Go ahead. 246 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:02,480 There's jealousy. OK, there's a jealousy that's 247 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,160 filled with love. I think that's a key ingredient. 248 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:06,480 Sure. Yes. 249 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,200 The motive of the heart. Why am I jealous? 250 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:15,360 Sure. A healthy possessiveness. 251 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,720 Every answer is giving us a closer reach to the true meaning 252 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,600 of a true and holy jealousy. I have every right to be jealous 253 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,040 about something that exclusively belongs to me. 254 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:31,400 I have no right to feel jealousy about something or someone that 255 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,760 does not belong to me, whether that be a skill, whether that be 256 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,720 an object, whether that be a person. 257 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,240 If it doesn't belong to me, if it's not exclusively my own, I 258 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,680 have no right to feel that burning sensation in my chest. 259 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:51,480 If that does belong to me and exclusively belongs to me and 260 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,840 righteously belongs to me, I have every right to feel that 261 00:15:55,880 --> 00:16:01,720 complex set of emotions, anger and grief, when it is being 262 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,240 threatened to be violated or seized by someone else. 263 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:09,120 And the most positive example of this righteous jealousy is when 264 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:13,480 a man learns that some other man is pursuing his wife, is 265 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,240 flirting with his wife, is trying to get the attention, the 266 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,880 affection of his wife. That man has every single right 267 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:21,480 to feel that emotion of jealousy. 268 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:23,800 Why? Because she belongs to him by 269 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:29,120 righteous relational covenant, your mind and your mind alone I 270 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,160 cannot share you, and you have no right to share yourself with 271 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:37,120 any other. And that positive example is 272 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,160 precisely the example that God uses in the context of 273 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:41,800 introducing himself as a jealous. 274 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,720 God. Notice the language in the 275 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,200 following verses where he says that he is jealous. 276 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,240 Scroll down to verse 15 and 16 of the same chapter of Exodus 277 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,280 34. Lest you make a covenant with 278 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:58,080 the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods 279 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:03,560 and sacrifice to their gods, and you are invited, you eat of a 280 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,160 sacrifice, and you take of their daughters for your sons and 281 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:12,079 their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons 282 00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:17,079 whore after their gods. Notice that after the Lord 283 00:17:17,079 --> 00:17:21,680 reveals himself as jealous, he employs promiscuous and 284 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:26,079 adulterous language in explaining the nature of the sin 285 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:30,120 of idolatry. He wants to open the eyes of his 286 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:34,680 people to understand that to be with another God, to follow 287 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:41,000 another God, to share this right of worship that exclusively 288 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,160 belongs to God is spiritual adultery. 289 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,560 So again, how does this work? Well, what belongs to God alone? 290 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,920 Worship. Adoration. 291 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:57,080 Obedience. And to give that to another 292 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:02,320 deity is to say in some great sense that a wife giving her 293 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:06,200 submission or her affection or a body to another man is 294 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,000 unthinkable. It's in case inconceivable. 295 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,480 It's wrong. And the Lord wants us to feel it 296 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,320 that way. The Lord wants us to see it that 297 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,760 way. You can give this to other 298 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:16,520 deities. That belongs to me. 299 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:20,440 You can't give this to other idols, any object, any person, 300 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,120 because those things belong to me. 301 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,640 So it's spiritual adultery. And I have every right to feel 302 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,880 jealous when I see you being pursued and being entertaining 303 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,800 to other things that threaten your devotion to me. 304 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,400 And I I think understanding, I believe with all my heart, and I 305 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,680 encourage you to do the same. To see God as a jealous God is 306 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,360 one of the most comforting and encouraging truths about Him. 307 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,280 Why? Because it helps me understand 308 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,280 that behind every command, that this understanding of obedience 309 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,280 is firmly fixed with the realization that this is a 310 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:02,760 relationship with a person. This isn't just a set of rules 311 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:07,760 issued from a cosmic judge that has no interest in me but is 312 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,960 ready to lay down the law if I cross the line. 313 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:12,040 That's not who we're dealing with. 314 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,280 You. He is a judge, but he's also the 315 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:21,280 bridegroom. He he is justice, but he's also 316 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,640 jealous. And so I am to feel obedience. 317 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,600 I'm to realize that this is about a person that I love and 318 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,720 who loves me. I have to see that these are 319 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,440 boundaries to protect the purity and the joy of this relationship 320 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,120 between me and my God, my Creator, my Savior. 321 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,360 You remove the aspect of God's jealousy. 322 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:43,120 You are very much threatening the understanding of the 323 00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:44,760 relationship of this whole thing. 324 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,000 He's a jealous God, meaning he's a person and he's a person who 325 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,480 loves. He's a bridegroom who wants the 326 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,880 purity and the chase thee and the faithfulness of his bride, 327 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,520 which I am a part of. And so I'm to see every command 328 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:04,440 in that way that fuels the joy of holiness, and that also gives 329 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,240 me the taste of the severity of sinfulness. 330 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,480 So he is a jealous God. And this verse is quoted with 331 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:15,800 that context in mind. That's the beauty of Bible 332 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,440 study. When you see a quote like this, 333 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,520 go to that verse. Look at the context of that 334 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,160 verse. And this is where revelation 335 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:24,840 comes. This is where revelation comes. 336 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,320 And then we read this last sentence of this verse, a verse 337 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,840 to Solomon clung to these in love. 338 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,200 And when I read the word clung, something triggered in me, 339 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,800 because I told myself reading this the other day, I've seen 340 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,680 this word before. I've seen this word clung 341 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:41,480 before. And when you look for where this 342 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,920 word has been mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures, it's been 343 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,960 mentioned in many places, but in one particular place, it will 344 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,360 make Solomon's sin that much more heartbreaking. 345 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:54,440 We're told here that Solomon clung to these in love, right? 346 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,200 These false gods by way of these foreign wives. 347 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:02,960 Joshua warned the generation that was entering into the 348 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:07,840 Promised Land in Joshua 23, verse six and eight. 349 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,760 Notice what he tells them. Joshua 23, six and eight. 350 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,200 Therefore be very strong to keep and do all that is written in 351 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:20,200 the book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to 352 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:23,280 the right hand or to the left. That you may not mix with these 353 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,160 nations remaining among you, or make mention of the names of 354 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,600 their gods, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. 355 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,000 Here it is in verse 8. But you shall. 356 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,800 Cling. You shall cling to the Lord your 357 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,760 God, just as you have done to this day. 358 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:46,320 That was the standard of faithfulness and obedience that 359 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,600 all of the Israelites were to have to Lord, clinging to the 360 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,400 Lord. When you cling to something, you 361 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:59,480 know what that implies? Desperation, dependency and 362 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,520 Joshua says. Cling to the Lord. 363 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:06,840 Grip on the Lord. Hold this book tightly to your 364 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,400 heart, and don't you ever let go. 365 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:11,960 And then you come to 1st Kings 11. 366 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:16,040 What do you read? Solomon clung to these in love. 367 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:19,760 For you. To cling to these means that you 368 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:24,360 let go of something else. You let go of the Lord at some 369 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:26,920 point for you to cling to these things. 370 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:31,680 That's exactly what He did. He clung to these in love. 371 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:34,680 And then we read this. Something that most people know. 372 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:39,160 It's something that's pretty common in Bible trivia is that 373 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,720 most people get right. He had 700 wives who are 374 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:49,680 princesses and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his 375 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:55,520 heart. Yeah, to the carnal man, they 376 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,200 might praise this kind of an achievement. 377 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,400 Wow. You're able to secure 1000 women 378 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,240 and your harem. And as much as these marriages 379 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:08,320 here in part are motivated by politics, you and I should 380 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,680 understand that Solomon, by doing this, is also trying to 381 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:15,960 reach a gratification by way of companionship. 382 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,480 He actually makes that known. So these, these are not just 383 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:21,960 political alliances. There's lust involved here. 384 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,360 There is a pursuit to satisfy something of the soul. 385 00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:32,120 So these additions of woman says something about a vacuum in his 386 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:35,040 own life. And it's not until again, you 387 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,240 faithfully read your Bible through and through and you come 388 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:43,720 to 1st Kings 11 and you learn, wow, Solomon had 1000 women in 389 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:45,080 his home. How did that work out? 390 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:46,320 Maybe you meditate on that a little bit. 391 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,400 How do you, how do you take him out on dates? 392 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:49,600 How does that work? How? 393 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,040 And then you remove that thought, but you still remember 394 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:53,640 1000 women. And then you come to the book of 395 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,120 Ecclesiastes. And then you read this in 396 00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:00,040 Ecclesiastes 7, where Solomon, he gives commentary about this 397 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,920 season of his life, this very verse 3700 princesses and 300 398 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,560 concubines. He speaks about his experience 399 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,440 and it is insightful. Here's what he says in 400 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,400 Ecclesiastes Chapter 7, beginning in verse 27. 401 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:22,160 Behold, this is what I found, says the preacher, while adding 402 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,000 one thing to another to find the scheme of things. 403 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:31,720 Which my soul, Verse 28, which my soul has sought repeatedly. 404 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,080 My soul was searching for something. 405 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,480 I'm investigating something. I'm longing for something. 406 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:39,440 I'm trying to find answers to something. 407 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,880 And here now at this point he is trying to discover something in 408 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:47,600 the area of relationships. This is what he says. 409 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:53,280 But I have not found one man among a thousand 1000. 410 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,640 Does that sound familiar? One man among a. 411 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,880 Thousand I found But a woman among all these I have not 412 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:04,680 found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 413 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:08,720 So he's not just speaking by inspiration here, he's speaking 414 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:16,120 by experience. Listen to this man. 1000 women 415 00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:23,960 at your disposal who can grant you anything that you desire, 416 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:28,200 clearly will not bring gratification to you. 417 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:35,680 I'm looking for something. And among 1000 women, a 418 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,120 companion who is righteous, a companion who shows excellence 419 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:43,160 in character, companion who can bring something to what my soul 420 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,840 is looking for. Among 1000, I have not found. 421 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,280 And you know why? Having 1000 women in your life, 422 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,040 whether they are there consecutively or they are there 423 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,640 sequentially. However you experience them, 424 00:25:57,640 --> 00:25:59,680 whether you jump from relationship to relationship or 425 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,360 from marriage to marriage, God didn't design you to know 426 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:05,560 fulfilment in that area. In this way. 427 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:08,360 You know how God designed it for you. 428 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,200 One woman who fears the Lord, one wife for life. 429 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:17,720 That's what it is. And Solomon builds on that 430 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:19,440 thought in the next verse. Look at verse 29. 431 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,880 This is an excellent verse to speak on the depravity of man. 432 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:27,120 See this alone? I found that God made man 433 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:29,480 upright. But they have sought out many 434 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:34,080 schemes. God made man upright and 435 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:35,640 evidently through the fall of Adam. 436 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:40,320 Now man lives to scheme their way through life and try to 437 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,920 figure out, try to create these recipes and ideas that go 438 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,520 contrary to God's design and end up falling into sin. 439 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:52,240 These are sinful schemes. What Solomon is essentially 440 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,920 saying in part is it's difficult to find those who are righteous. 441 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,560 It's difficult to find those who are God fearing because man's 442 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,520 nature stimulates and coaxes us to search out sinful schemes. 443 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,040 But if you connect it with what we've just been saying, here's 444 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,640 what we can see connecting with the previous verses. 445 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,880 Such schemes never quenched even Solomon's own schemes. 446 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,320 Never mind the schemes of people in terms of general idea of 447 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,680 humanity in their pursuits. But I myself, even in my own 448 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,400 schemes, I cannot find fulfilment. 449 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:29,840 My soul is still searching, repeatedly, experimenting and 450 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,080 dipping my toe here and dipping my toe there. 451 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,360 Any scheme that you have in life, any plan, any idea, any 452 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,680 pursuit that's not in alignment or is supported by the word of 453 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,480 God, is bound to fail you. It will fail you. 454 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,160 And that's why you're here tonight. 455 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:45,760 I'm sure that's why you can sing. 456 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,640 That's why you can rejoice. That's why you enjoy Bible 457 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,600 study, Because at some point in your life you realize my schemes 458 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,680 have failed me. And so forget my schemes. 459 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,240 I repent for my schemes, and I surrender to the Savior and not 460 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:00,720 just His saving work, but His Lordship over my life. 461 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,480 He is the great Shepherd who would lead me home, and he will 462 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,560 lead me and make me lie down by green pastures, and He will let 463 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,920 me sip on living water and keep me satisfied until the end, to 464 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,000 the point where you never have to consider another man made 465 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:21,600 scheme again. So 700 wives who are princesses 466 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:23,840 and 300. Concubines. 467 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,840 And then later on, Ecclesia, as he goes, that was a headache. 468 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,040 I didn't find what I thought I would find. 469 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:38,800 Praise God for his will, so pure, so clean, so direct, and 470 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:43,360 hold so much promise. Now we come back to our text and 471 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,080 we read in verse four. For when Solomon was old, his 472 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:51,840 wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart 473 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,440 was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of 474 00:28:55,440 --> 00:29:00,000 David, his father. What stands out to you about 475 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,120 that verse? I mean, there are many things. 476 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,520 We'll mention a few things, but there's something in the 477 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:04,720 beginning of this verse that really struck me. 478 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,040 I wonder if it caught your attention. 479 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,560 We're told about his backslide. We're told about his apostasy. 480 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:11,840 We're told about his unfaithfulness. 481 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:15,080 But there's something about Solomon's description that's 482 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:21,200 really sobering old. Did you catch it? 483 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:28,400 When Solomon was old, I thought age was supposed to make was on 484 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,600 one wiser. Not necessarily. 485 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:37,920 Not automatically. It can, but not in this case. 486 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:39,960 Clearly. You see, it wasn't when Solomon 487 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:41,600 was young that he fell into idolatry. 488 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:45,560 It was when he. Was old life lesson. 489 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:47,200 Write it down if you don't need to. 490 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,240 Write it down and you're able to retain these things in your 491 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,960 mind. God bless your mind life lesson. 492 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:56,720 Temptation awaits us in every season of life. 493 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:03,400 Temptation awaits us in every season of life until you give 494 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,760 your final breath. Sin is crouching at that door, 495 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:12,360 the door of your heart, And this is especially necessary for 496 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,720 people like Solomon. Solomon is just isn't just a 497 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,600 nobody. Solomon had done great things 498 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:20,520 for the Lord. Solomon had a history. 499 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:24,840 He had a resume, remarkable testimonies that he had 500 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:29,280 performed for the glory of God, and it's often the case that 501 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:32,040 even in our own lifetime we have seen great. 502 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:38,480 Falls from men and people in Christendom even after they have 503 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,880 made great feats in the name of Christ. 504 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,040 Is that not true? There's some kind of 505 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:46,880 intoxication that takes place. I don't know what it is, but I 506 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,440 know that I've seen it enough where it is a common pattern and 507 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,720 something to be weary of that when people do great things for 508 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:55,720 God and and they build something for the Lord and they do some 509 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,240 great things and many people are influenced by their gift, they 510 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:03,600 let their guard down. They let their guard down. 511 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,280 They they're not as vigilant. They're not as careful. 512 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:09,160 And then they get sucked into something. 513 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,200 And this is what we see with this man here. 514 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,480 He did great things for the Lord, but after these great 515 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,320 things, there was a great fall. Listen to this, please. 516 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:20,640 Listen to this, Please. I love you. 517 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:25,040 This is why I'm saying this. Past victories and past 518 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:28,200 testimonies will not prepare you for tomorrow's temptations. 519 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,920 They won't. No matter what you say to 520 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:37,000 yourself about the days of old, or what you've done, or who 521 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,320 knows you and how many people are blessed by you, those things 522 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,960 will not keep you protected from the attacks that await you. 523 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:48,120 Do you know what will keep you from the temptations that await 524 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:49,920 you? From the things that are there 525 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:52,800 lurking, ready to try to snatch you away from the bull of God? 526 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:54,360 It's not what you've done in the past. 527 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:56,920 It's not who knows your name. It's not what kind of position 528 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,000 you have daily devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. 529 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,880 That's what it's going to do. That's what's going to cut it. 530 00:32:04,080 --> 00:32:07,120 You need daily dependence upon the Lord. 531 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,920 I've talked to some people, many people said, brother, Sometimes 532 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:11,480 I think about, you know, I'm young in the Lord. 533 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,360 I still have many years of God keeps me on these on this earth. 534 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:16,760 How will I know if I will remain fervent? 535 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:20,600 How will I know if I will remain obedient down the years after I 536 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,680 became a father, Become a father grandfather. 537 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:24,840 How will I know? And I just tell him this. 538 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:26,440 Take it one day at a time, will you? 539 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:32,160 One day at a time. Just make it your ambition the 540 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:35,560 moment you wake up. I must spend time with the 541 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:39,000 master. I must sit at his feet. 542 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,440 I must let the hammer of the Word, the fire of the word, the 543 00:32:42,440 --> 00:32:46,040 sword of the word, the water of the word do what's work in me, 544 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,000 because all it takes is a little bit of negligence here, a little 545 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,560 bit negligence there, And then what? 546 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,120 Seemed to disturb you. Now doesn't bother you as much. 547 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,840 And then all it takes is a few months and then years, and then 548 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:00,760 things get really scary. You think this happened 549 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:04,720 overnight with Solomon? It never happens overnight. 550 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:10,600 It always takes time. That is the case with this man. 551 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:14,440 Notice that the word heart is mentioned three times in verse 552 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:15,760 4. Did you catch that? 553 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:19,160 For when Psalm was old, his wives turned away, his heart one 554 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,960 after other gods, and his heart too was not wholly true. 555 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,960 To Lord is God, as was the heart of David, his father. 556 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:26,800 The word heart three times in one verse. 557 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:32,080 That's where it all starts. The heart, it's internal, it's 558 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:35,080 hidden. It's only between you and God. 559 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,240 It doesn't manifest right away. It's not observable by by 560 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:40,640 others. It doesn't start with you not 561 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:41,760 coming to church. That happened. 562 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,200 You not coming to the House of God regularly for unjustifiable 563 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:47,200 reasons. You not serving the Lord. 564 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,040 You not reading your word. Where did it all start that 565 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:55,920 started in your heart. So this man's heart was not in 566 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:57,800 check. It was not regularly brought 567 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,320 before. The refiner who looks at the 568 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,320 spots and looks at the mud that splashed on your heart as you 569 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,040 went through that weekend work, and as you fell maybe into this 570 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,239 temptation and that temptation was ready to clean you as he's 571 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:12,400 so eagerly to wash your feet, that was not brought before him. 572 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:15,440 And it eventually becomes calloused and hard and it 573 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,760 becomes crystallized. And then you begin to start 574 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,960 doing things like this, building temples to idols when you once 575 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:21,840 built one temple into the true God. 576 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:30,280 What a different picture of someone in their old age than 577 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,199 what the Bible aspires and commands meant to be in their 578 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:36,360 old age. The Bible has a whole different 579 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,560 picture than what we see here with Solomon for men, men, and 580 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,000 women, but it spells it out for men specifically. 581 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,800 And when you read this verse, you're going to learn that this 582 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:48,199 is something that is not just for men. 583 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:50,800 Again, what this verse is going to show is that there's a 584 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:54,719 standard that God has in mind that as we grow in years, we 585 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:57,080 also grow in these characteristics. 586 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:01,720 We should grow in these things as as we spend more time with 587 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:04,120 the Lord, as we. Continue to serve the Lord, and 588 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:08,120 they are 6 qualities that I believe summarize beautifully 589 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,480 what a true biblical man looks like. 590 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,880 It's found in the Book of Titus, chapter 2, verse 2, and I'm not 591 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:16,880 going to expound on these things, just to give you an idea 592 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:20,400 and you can take this home, men especially, and reflect on these 593 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,760 things. In Titus 22, you're told what 594 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:27,240 older men should demonstrate and display in the local church. 595 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:30,800 And this is not just for older men, as though younger men 596 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:34,240 should not pursue these things. I argue this is what older men 597 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:37,040 should exemplify. And this is what younger men 598 00:35:37,240 --> 00:35:41,600 should pursue passionately as they see these things modeled by 599 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:43,480 those who are older in the church. 600 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,320 Here's what we're told in Titus 22, When Solomon was old, his 601 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,560 heart turned from the Lord. That's not you in Christ. 602 00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:52,240 That's not your destination in Christ. 603 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:54,800 That's not what the Holy Spirit is ready to empower you to. 604 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:57,400 Here's what we read. Titus 2 Two older men. 605 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:04,480 Are to be sober minded 1 dignified to self-control 3. 606 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:08,920 Sound in faith, four in love, sound in love 5 and sound in 607 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:13,240 steadfastness. Sound simply means healthy and 608 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:15,200 these are not characteristics of elders. 609 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:17,840 This is not for. Pastors in the church. 610 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:22,920 This is for those in the pews, those in the congregation, 611 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,400 seasoned men, men who have known the Lord for years. 612 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:29,520 You should operate in these things and younger men should 613 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,360 see it and and pursue it with their passion. 614 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,240 And the thing that stands out to me out of all these six is the 615 00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:40,480 first one sober minded. Let me just give you a sample of 616 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:42,160 what biblical masculinity looks like. 617 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:43,760 I'm not going to touch on all these things and there's so much 618 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:45,920 to touch on, but. Let me give you just a sample. 619 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,000 Yeah, just something to taste on and chew on. 620 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:50,160 Sober minded. You know what that means in the 621 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:55,920 original Not drunken. Now, don't limit the application 622 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,240 of that to. Intoxication with actual 623 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:00,240 substance. Paul's application here is much 624 00:37:00,240 --> 00:37:04,000 broader than that. What Paul means by saying older 625 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,360 men should be sober minded is that they should be clear 626 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,000 headed. They should be vigilant. 627 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:12,800 They should be aware. Aware of what? 628 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,920 They should be aware of the principle of moderation in 629 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:20,080 every. Area of their lives and they 630 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:22,080 should not be given over to excess. 631 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,760 As those are who are not ruled by divine principles, So what 632 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:30,000 Paul is saying here is men should live in moderation and 633 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:34,520 there should be no pursuit in their lives that. 634 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:38,080 Puts the greatest emphasis of your life as a man of God, the 635 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:39,520 Kingdom of God, the gospel of God. 636 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:42,480 There should be no excess in your life that pushes that into 637 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,160 the shadows. There should be no other 638 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:49,960 emphasis in your life that eliminates or the dilutes that 639 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:54,560 which you should be preoccupied by as a man of God, sober 640 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:56,640 minded, you're not giving over to excess as a man of God. 641 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,400 Excess of what? Excess of sleep? 642 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:00,520 Excess of Entertainment. Excess of. 643 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:02,560 Anything. Anything, even that might be 644 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:05,400 neutral morally. Anything that would overtake you 645 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,320 or discourage you or derail you from your calling. 646 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:13,040 As a man of God, your responsibilities, your ministry, 647 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:16,600 you should be clear headed, aware. 648 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,480 You know, Paul said it this way. In First Corinthians 612 all 649 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:22,800 things are permissible, but not all things are helpful. 650 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,640 All things are legal in a sense, but not all things are 651 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:29,640 beneficial. And then he goes on to say this. 652 00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:34,200 I will not be mastered by anything. 653 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:37,280 How do I know if I'm mastered by anything? 654 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:39,560 How do I know if I'm being dominated by anything? 655 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:41,200 Very easy. Very easy. 656 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:45,640 Can you say no to it? That's all you have to ask. 657 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:50,120 Can I say no to this when it's when it's asking of me more than 658 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,320 it deserves? Can I look at it as a man of God 659 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,480 filled with the Holy Spirit ruled by the truth, 660 00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:59,800 understanding my responsibilities as a man of God 661 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:03,520 to my wife, my wife to be to the local church, to my friendships, 662 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:06,600 to my work? Can I look at that and say no, 663 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:07,800 not today. I had enough of you. 664 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:13,080 That's a sober minded man of God, Solomon. 665 00:39:13,080 --> 00:39:14,480 In his old age, he going to do that? 666 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:18,200 Any pretty Princess that walked by that he saw on his Instagram, 667 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:24,240 She's mine. Hey, you have 999 too many 668 00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:27,640 Solomon, you're not sober minded. 669 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:32,280 Oh, we can make the rest of this about Biblical. 670 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:37,160 Masculinity We won't because we have four more verses and 1st 671 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:46,000 Kings 11 verse 5. For Solomon went after 672 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:50,400 Ashtaroth, the goddess of the Cydonians, and after Milkham, 673 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,560 the abomination of the Ammonites. 674 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,000 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did 675 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:02,720 not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done twice 676 00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:05,800 in the set of verses that we are examining tonight. 677 00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:10,680 Solomon's devotion is unfaithfulness is compared to 678 00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:12,600 the wholehearted devotion of his Father. 679 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:16,160 So go back to verse 4 again and notice at the end of verse four, 680 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,520 as was the heart of David, his father. 681 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,960 Then you come to verse six as David his father had done. 682 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:26,240 I find that interesting. I find that interesting for one 683 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:30,000 main reason. Was David really wholehearted to 684 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,200 the Lord himself? If we're being honest, what's 685 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:38,480 the answer? No, and less Wholeheartedness to 686 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:41,960 us means perfection. Here's what's even more 687 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:45,120 fascinating. There's a there's a comparison 688 00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:47,920 here, right? Solomon was not like his father 689 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:49,080 David. And what's the sin that we're 690 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:50,800 dealing with here? Multiple wives. 691 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:56,640 Hello, Who had multiple wives? David had multiple wives. 692 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:03,960 How do we make sense of this? I think the best way to make 693 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,240 sense of this is that though David struggled in the same area 694 00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:09,760 as his son here, he never allowed it to totally sabotage 695 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,000 his faith. He struggled. 696 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,320 There's no doubt he stumbled absolutely. 697 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:18,760 He paid the price for it, yes, but in the area of worship, 698 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:24,200 David never wavered and understanding that this is the 699 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,240 true and living God, This is the one to whom I pledge my 700 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:31,000 allegiance to. There is no other God but this 701 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:34,880 God. David was firm, and when he did 702 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,560 sin, you know what he did? He lived a repentant life. 703 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:42,400 That's what the Lord is after. You've heard this before from 704 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,000 this Bible study. That's what makes David a man 705 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,520 after God's heart. Not necessarily whether or not 706 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:50,000 this, the sin in his life was present, but it was his attitude 707 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:53,200 toward that sin. Yes, we should strive unto 708 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:55,000 perfection. This is not license for us to 709 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,440 justify sin, but what's the the thing that the Lord is after is 710 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:03,400 your attitude towards sin. That's what defines us as being 711 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,920 wholehearted to the Lord. Do we turn back to the Lord when 712 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,920 we do fall? If we do fall, there's no 713 00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:10,920 indication from the narrative of first kings that Solomon ever 714 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:15,120 turned back to the Lord. So he struggled in the same area 715 00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:17,000 as as they. Maybe not to the same extent, 716 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:21,280 but it was to his ruin. It. 717 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:25,360 Ruined him. And I find David writing many 718 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:28,480 Psalms, expressing his woes and his laments of what his sin has 719 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:32,480 done, not just in his life, but primarily to to you Lord. 720 00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:39,880 And before you have I sinned. David repented. 721 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:42,400 Solomon remained. Big difference. 722 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:51,000 Verse 7. Solomon built a high place for 723 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,760 Akimosh, the abomination of Moab, for Molech the abomination 724 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:58,760 of the Ammonites on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 725 00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:03,120 And so he did for all his former wives who made offerings and 726 00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:06,680 sacrifice to their gods. And partly why this is an 727 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:08,920 abomination. I'm going to turn you there to 728 00:43:08,920 --> 00:43:28,650 Psalm One O 6 Psalm One O 6. Verse 37 we read they sacrifice 729 00:43:28,650 --> 00:43:31,370 their sons in Psalm One O 6, verse 37. 730 00:43:31,370 --> 00:43:35,210 They sacrifice their sons and their daughters to who? 731 00:43:36,650 --> 00:43:42,040 Demons and their daughters. To the demons they poured out 732 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,200 innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom 733 00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:47,360 they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. 734 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:49,640 And the land was polluted with blood. 735 00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:52,960 You know this very well, that in great part the practice of false 736 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:55,160 worship. To these false deities were very 737 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:58,760 cruel, cruel things. The giving up of the lives of 738 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:05,200 infants and little children, sexual orgies and drunkenness, 739 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:08,000 and arriving to a state of ecstasy as a form of trying to 740 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:10,440 tap into the divine. It was horrible. 741 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:15,400 But Psalm One O 6 indicates that behind these Isles are demons, 742 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:22,840 spiritual entities that deceive the masses, and believing 743 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:27,160 something to be untrue. And so let me say this bluntly 744 00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:29,920 and boldly. No matter how innocent, no 745 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,360 matter how pure, no matter how civil some of these different 746 00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:36,520 beliefs are, rest assured and believe that behind these things 747 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:43,200 are demons, demonic ideas. We we kind of equate demons to 748 00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:47,040 erratic behavior and self harm, sure, but demons are very 749 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:50,040 sophisticated. They come up with doctrines, 750 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:51,840 they come up with false theologies. 751 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:56,120 So if they don't physically destroy, they'll deceive you and 752 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,880 allow you to destroy yourself for all of eternity. 753 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:02,640 And I think that's very important in our understanding 754 00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:05,560 of spiritual warfare. That demons are at work, whether 755 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:07,720 you realize it or not. And the more you understand this 756 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:10,080 word, the more you realize that what we're seeing before us is 757 00:45:10,240 --> 00:45:16,560 energized by demons. Now, this is what's so 758 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:18,040 interesting. Come back to verse seven and 1st 759 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:19,240 Corinthians. Excuse me. 760 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:22,040 First Kings 11. Solomon built a high place for 761 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,040 these different gods. Notice where they were built. 762 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:28,920 Tell me where they were built. On the mountain east of 763 00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:30,760 Jerusalem. That's very specific. 764 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:34,600 On the mountain east of Jerusalem. 765 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:39,760 The consensus this mountain east of Jerusalem guess which 766 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:43,040 mountain it is. No good guess though. 767 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:48,880 Mount of Olives. This mountain where these high 768 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,840 places were built was actually to this day is the Mount of 769 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,320 Olives. The Mount of Olives is mentioned 770 00:45:55,320 --> 00:45:57,080 a couple of times in the Hebrew Scriptures. 771 00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:59,400 Is mentioned plenty more times in the New Testament. 772 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:03,800 But this is where Solomon decided to erect these false 773 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:06,280 things. And what's so interesting is 774 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:09,720 that over time in the Book of Kings, in the Record of Kings, 775 00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:13,840 this very mountain developed a reputation and actually 776 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:16,880 developed a new name. Do you want to know that name 777 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:17,880 is? Actually, let me ask you, do you 778 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:19,840 know what the name is? It's it's called the Mount of 779 00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:23,760 Something, and it's found in Second Kings. 780 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:27,680 This mountain is referred to in a derogatory way. 781 00:46:32,160 --> 00:46:34,600 You'll have the chance to say it if you're the quickest to the 782 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:38,440 reference. In Second Kings 23 verse 13 you 783 00:46:38,440 --> 00:46:43,560 have the answer of what this mountain was referred to as. 784 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:51,000 And it's not a pleasant name. If you're there, you have the 785 00:46:51,000 --> 00:47:01,960 right to blurt it out. Mount of corruption, Did you see 786 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:03,680 it? Well, let's read in Second Kings 787 00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:05,880 2313. This is in the context of 788 00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:10,160 Josiah's reforms where he's bringing revival to the land, to 789 00:47:10,160 --> 00:47:12,000 the people of Judah. And this is what we're told here 790 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:16,560 at this point of his efforts. And the king defiled the high 791 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,080 places that were east of Jerusalem. 792 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:23,600 We just read that in First Kings 11/7 to the South of the Mount 793 00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:28,440 of Corruption, Mount of corruption which Solomon the 794 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:32,160 king of Israel, had built for Asherah, the abomination of the 795 00:47:32,160 --> 00:47:34,800 Cydonians, and for Akemos the abomination of Moab, and for 796 00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:37,400 Milk on the abomination of the Ammonites, the same deities that 797 00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:41,320 we read of in First Kings 11. It became known as the mount of 798 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:47,640 Scandal, the mount of corruption, vile, putrid, evil, 799 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:49,680 and Josiah. I love that. 800 00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:56,280 King, My nephew's name too. He defiles that, He defiles that 801 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:59,520 which Solomon honored, and he brings it down. 802 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:02,000 The mount of corruption. I find that fascinating. 803 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:06,320 If this is in fact the mount of Olives, what a glorious picture. 804 00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:10,800 At the same time, because Jesus comes on the scene and he 805 00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:13,240 declares himself to be greater than he of Solomon. 806 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:15,920 One who is greater than Solomon is here. 807 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:19,920 How is he? Greater in so many ways, and 808 00:48:19,920 --> 00:48:23,720 even in this way that he reverses what Solomon did. 809 00:48:23,720 --> 00:48:29,320 On this mountain, Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives, this place 810 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:30,760 that was known as the mount of corruption. 811 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:34,200 And what does he do on that night, the night that he would 812 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:40,120 be betrayed? He intercedes for you, for me. 813 00:48:40,680 --> 00:48:45,760 He sweats drops of blood. He patiently endures the lack of 814 00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:48,520 faithfulness of the three closest of his disciples. 815 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:55,320 He has one of his disciples come with an army to betray him with 816 00:48:55,320 --> 00:49:01,640 a kiss and one of his own and their zeal. 817 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:05,880 And the flesh strikes one of those men, and his ear is cut 818 00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:08,080 off. And one of the final acts of 819 00:49:08,080 --> 00:49:10,880 Jesus before he is nailed upon a tree, is to heal a man. 820 00:49:12,560 --> 00:49:15,440 He recreates the ear of that man. 821 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:22,240 And here's Jesus on that night, the night that would begin the 822 00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:27,320 Passion and the one greater than Solomon on the mount of 823 00:49:27,320 --> 00:49:30,240 corruption was ready to pay for humanity's corruption. 824 00:49:32,720 --> 00:49:35,440 The time of Solomon, not just time of Solomon, all the way 825 00:49:35,440 --> 00:49:38,440 back to the beginning, and not just in the beginning before the 826 00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:41,760 generations ahead. He who is greater than Solomon 827 00:49:41,760 --> 00:49:44,680 came to the mount of corruption and with his blood can make the 828 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:49,520 most corrupt, evil, dark, vile, perverted of them all, make them 829 00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:54,680 pure, white and holy in the sight of a holy God. 830 00:49:56,040 --> 00:50:00,160 This is why he is greater than Solomon, and This is why we 831 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:04,640 study, Bible study. Because Christ is there, Christ 832 00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:07,360 is there, Christ is here. Let's pray, 833 00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:36,680 oh Lord, we, like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus, 834 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:40,960 testify that our hearts burned within us as we open the 835 00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:44,440 scriptures. What a book this is. 836 00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:52,920 What revelation is this? Forgive us for our unbelief, for 837 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:57,120 every thinking that such texts have no value to us in the New 838 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:01,480 Covenant. Lord, many of these truths were 839 00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:04,840 heavy, sobering, challenging, convicting, and we say yes to 840 00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:08,160 them. And, Lord, we thank you for the 841 00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:13,280 final note of redemption, That on that mount of corruption 842 00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:22,920 there was the Christ who spoke to the Father and accepted the 843 00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:28,200 will of the Father to die for the sins and the corruption of 844 00:51:28,200 --> 00:51:31,800 all humanity. Thank you for dying for our 845 00:51:31,800 --> 00:51:35,240 corruption. Thank you, Lord, that despite 846 00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:40,200 our failures we have been made righteous, and that Lord the 847 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:43,400 Holy Spirit in us as a seal, as a guarantee until the day of 848 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:48,640 redemption. Thank you, Lord, that even in 849 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:51,040 the temptation that we experience, even when we are 850 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:54,880 feeling the urge to flirt with that which we should not flirt 851 00:51:54,880 --> 00:51:58,000 with, your Holy Spirit will not let us go so easily. 852 00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:02,360 You will convict us, You will warn us, You'll send things in 853 00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:04,800 our way. You are a gracious God, a 854 00:52:04,800 --> 00:52:07,680 jealous God. You are jealous, and we praise 855 00:52:07,680 --> 00:52:11,200 you for being jealous. Lord, tonight we sit here 856 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:15,320 basking in the glory of your attributes, in your character 857 00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:18,800 the practical truths that Solomon's downfall provides for 858 00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:20,840 us. And we pray that they would be 859 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:26,520 indeed so embedded in our hearts that as we grow old, we would be 860 00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:30,280 sober minded. Unlike him, we would be vigilant 861 00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:32,880 and clear headed. We would not be given over to 862 00:52:32,880 --> 00:52:35,640 excess in anything. And when we feel ourselves 863 00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:38,720 drifting in one way, we would with holy ambition, say no, this 864 00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:42,200 is not to be true in a man of God. 865 00:52:42,960 --> 00:52:46,040 So we pray for the men of this church that older men and 866 00:52:46,040 --> 00:52:48,200 younger men would pursue these attributes. 867 00:52:49,360 --> 00:52:52,160 Oh Lord, there's so many things that we can pray and ask for. 868 00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:55,560 We just ask that in this time of meditation you would receive the 869 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:59,480 aroma of personalized prayer. You would receive, Lord, our 870 00:52:59,480 --> 00:53:03,000 true, sincere supplication. We need you, Lord. 871 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:06,920 It's so easy to begin, so hard to finish. 872 00:53:06,920 --> 00:53:13,280 Well, number US among those who finish well, we want to finish 873 00:53:13,280 --> 00:53:16,240 well. And thank you that we are 874 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:19,080 considered wholehearted. When we know how to live 875 00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:23,480 repentantly, we repent. We repent, and we gladly repent. 876 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:34,280 We thank you for the gift of repentance in your name. 877 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,600 Amen. Don't lift your head too 878 00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:43,080 quickly. I encourage you to just the next 879 00:53:43,080 --> 00:53:45,920 few moments as the praise team will come quietly to prepare to 880 00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:50,400 sing a final song. This was a weighty Bible study, 881 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:55,120 and I love when God's weighty conviction settles in because 882 00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:58,560 it's so necessary for us to reflect on these truths and 883 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:02,080 conviction is what alarms us. I just want to encourage you 884 00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:06,680 just speak to your God, just you're in the House of the Lord. 885 00:54:06,680 --> 00:54:09,760 Speak to the Lord and just give him your desires, your needs, 886 00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:12,040 your prayers. Offer him praise. 887 00:54:12,240 --> 00:54:14,760 Just before we sing and we wrap up, we're all going to make it 888 00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:16,920 home by God's grace. But now in this moment, as we've 889 00:54:16,920 --> 00:54:20,800 heard from the Lord, speak to the Lord now and don't distract 890 00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:22,680 your neighbor. Just speak to the Lord, your 891 00:54:22,680 --> 00:54:26,160 God, your king, your shepherd, with the truth that you heard 892 00:54:26,160 --> 00:54:30,160 and translate them in your own way to him. 893 00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:32,080 And then we will sing together, OK.