Throughout his ministry. Jesus said, many great things
about himself, in contrast to the world's Darkness.
He said on one occasion. I am the light of the world when
he thought of our waywardness. He said, I am the way on one
occasion when he thought of our helplessness.
He said, I am the Good Shepherd when he thought of our deadness
in sin. He declared.
I am the resurrection and the life, and on this occasion, when
he thought of the greatness of Jonah.
Who's preaching? We remember transformed
nineveh's, rioting into tears of repentance.
He said, behold a greater than Jonah is here.
And in the same vein thinking of Solomon's, wisdom glory and
greatness, he said a greater than Solomon is here.
Now, whenever we look at the contrast and the comparisons
that are made by our Lord, it is to be remembered that he is
greater than anything. He is like into human language,
will always fall short. Of expressing all that he is
every comparison metaphor and simile simply skirts, the edges
of Christ's glory. And that's really the way it is
with anything that we might use to try to express our feelings
about him. The world's most imaginative
Architects, have sought to build Cathedrals worthy of him but
they have entirely missed the point and they have failed the
greatest musicians of all time have sought to create music.
Sweet enough for his hymns of Praise.
Their songs are dissonant next to the songs.
They They sing in heaven. However, the pulpits greatest
orators, who sentences are like golden arrows, aimed at the
hearts of their hearers, cannot find enough words in all of the
English language or any other language to set Christ forth in
his true beauty. But what a concise declaration,
that is very rich with meaning and symbolism and truth that the
Son of God makes here when he says, Behold a greater than
Solomon is here. I want us to pitch our middle
tents on that vast. All the thought for a little
while tonight, when Jesus said, I am greater than Solomon, I can
tell you that it was a very appropriate reply for the
occasion on, which it was spoken the scribes, and the Pharisees,
who's Creed's, Jesus repeatedly condemned, and whose hypocrisy
Jesus over and over unmasked once again.
Daringly came to Jesus, saying in Matthew 12 and 39 Master, we
would see a sign from thee. And Jesus said orgies, Jesus
refused to grant them their request.
He begins in verse 39 by Sagan evil and adulterous generation
seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given given to it except
the sign of the prophet Jonah. Now, it was not for the Lord was
averse to performing a miracle to prove that he was who he
claimed to be. Because after all, that was the
purpose of Christ's Miracles. That was the really, the purpose
of any Miracle ever performed within the Bible, was to prove
the veracity of the scriptures or the claims of the Who was
working the miracle, we recall that in John, the 20th, chapter
verses 30 and 31, that John declared that there were many
things that Jesus did that were not even recorded in that
particular gospel. But he said, these are written
that, we might believe that he is the Christ that he is, who he
claims to be. And so it would seem to us as
though Jesus would be eager to perform a miracle before anyone.
If it would go to prove that he was the son of God, but on this
occasion, Jesus said, assign will not be given Except he said
the sign that already has been given.
He said no sign will be given to this generation, because it's an
evil and adulterous generation. That is the Lord, could look
beyond the facade. And he could see their hearts
and the Lord can see that these indeed were at hypocritical, and
an insincere people, and he said that and he bases that impart
upon the fact that they had already received signs from God,
as it were that they rejected. They had already received the
truth of their own scriptures that they had turned a deaf ear.
To. And that was shown in the sign
of the prophet Jonah. Now there was a type in what
happened to Jonah, that familiar story that these people,
obviously overlooked. He said as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of the great fish.
So will the son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth and he says the men of Nineveh will rise up
in the Judgment with this generation and condemn it
because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a
greater than Jonah is here. Now we have course, recalled the
story of Jonah and how that after he refused to go where God
told him to go to preach, what he was supposed to preach that
he ran from God and he boarded a ship and that he was cast
overboard from that ship and swallowed up by a great fish
that God had prepared and he spent those three days, they're
in the belly of that fish and that fish finally spit him up on
dry ground upon which Jonah went repented before God and went to
Nineveh and he preached to that City.
And God turned that City around to the preaching.
Of Jonah. Well, that was a for gleam of
the fact that Jesus Christ would die upon the cross and then
would be buried in the heart of the earth, he would rest in the
Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, but for three days and then he would
break the Surly Bonds of death and he would come forth
Victorious over sin and the grave.
And there was never a greater Miracle ever performed.
And that there was never a greater evidence of the Holy
Spirit given than what the Holy Spirit affected with in Jesus
when he was resurrected from the dead.
And Jesus, knowing the hearts of these people knew that based
upon the condition of their heart that they would reject
even the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And if there's anything that the scriptures teach the far as man,
but finding himself in a hopeless, state it is when a man
could see the clear evidence of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, and still deny that Jesus is not who he claims to
be. And so he says Nineveh repented
at the preaching of Jonah but knowing the hearts of this
people you're not going to repent even though you see the
Rise from the dead. And so what good would it do for
me to put on a show or work a miracle for you here?
And so he refused. And then Jesus cites another
example, he says the queen of the South will rise up in the
Judgment with this generation and condemn it for.
She came from the ends of the Earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Now if they answered Jesus, when he said that, the Bible doesn't
tell us how, but I rather think that they silently answered him
with their scows and with their sneers.
Ears and by clenching their fists and could, you have put
their Angry Words in our thoughts into words?
They would have said something like this Solomon.
A King's son, born in a palace, and who are you?
But a carpenter's, son, born in a barn.
Solomon was from the great city of Jerusalem and you're from
that. Tiny backward.
Town of Nazareth. Solomon, went around wearing a
robe and you go around. Got adorned in a peasant's guard
Solomon commanded tri-annual armies and navies.
Is you go around raking gutters to get people to follow.
After you Solomon drink from vessels of gold and you ask
Samaritan harlots for a drink of water.
It took Solomon 13 years to build his house and you don't
even have a home and Solomon dined with the elite of the
earth such as the Queen of Sheba.
But you go around eating with publicans and with Sinners and
were the lowlifes of this Earth. How in the world can you make
such a such a vicious claim that you are?
Are greater than Solomon, but he is and in every respect.
And in fact, I don't know of any comparison that the Lord could
have drawn that would have been any greater and gotten this
point across any more than the comparison that he made.
Because besides Christ, there was none greater than ever lived
upon the Earth. In many respects, Jesus himself,
spoke of Solomon in all of his glory and Matthew chapter 6, and
verse 29. And the name Solomon is
synonymous with several things. Probably, when I just mentioned
his Ninja night. There are at least two things
that come into your mind. One is that Solomon was an
exceedingly wealthy, man, and indeed, he was in first Kings
chapter 10 and verse 23, King Solomon exceeded, all the kings
of the Earth for riches. And for wisdom, he lived in such
luxury. He would make the president.
Today, look like a pauper living in a government housing project,
he sat upon a great Throne of ivory, overlaid with the very
best goal. First Kings 10 and 18, every
drinking vessel in, the palace was made.
Eight out of solid gold. We're told in verse Kings, 10
and 21. The king made silver is common
in Jerusalem, as Pebbles and Stones scattered around on the
ground verse 27. He built a temple.
That was one of the architectural wonders of the
world through him with gold and silver and every imaginable,
precious Jewel that had been gathered from the four corners
of the earth, his economic policy, for Israel was built on
the notion of trade with other nations, which expanded and
enriched Israel until it became the end.
The of the known world and then you probably think of Solomon as
being very wise because God indeed granted him wisdom more
than any of them and the scripture tells us in First
Kings 4 and verse 29, he was wiser than all men.
The Bible says, God gave him largeness of heart.
Like, the sand of the seashore and that was evidenced in his
life. He was such a prolific, man.
He wrote 3000 Proverbs, he wrote 1005 songs, he spoke with
scientific expertise, Well predating the age in which he
lived about animals and birds and creeping things, and fish.
And in fact, his wisdom was so impressive that men of every
nation under Heaven, including the most noble of kings came
from all over the Earth to come and merely sit at his feet.
And to hear Solomon talk Solomon is well was great in rule.
The Bible tells us in first Chronicles, 29 and 23 that he
sat on the throne of the Lord is King and he prospered and all
Israel obeyed him now. Sometimes in our democratic form
of government, people of this country, go to the polls, and
they elect a man to the presidency and they sometimes
elect him by such a wide margin. We call that a landslide Victory
and the result of that is we say that he goes to Washington with
and a and that simply means that he's going to go to the nation's
capital, carrying a big stick, and then he's going to be able
to most likely push through the agenda that he campaigned upon,
because he was so wildly popular and overwhelmingly voted.
And in, by the American people, and his approval ratings are
probably going to ride very high for quite some time.
Well, Solomon was not elected to office.
He was, of course, anointed and and appointed by God, for that
particular place, Throne upon which he sat.
But nonetheless Solomon was a wildly popular King.
The Bible teaches that all of Israel, humble themselves before
him, they obeyed him. And why not?
Because he led Israel to a glorious hour they prospered as
a And the Bible says that, God, exalted Solomon exceedingly and
the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him.
Such Royal Majesty as had not been on any King before him.
In Israel, you talk about the Camelot of ancient Israel.
Here was an era of Pomp and Circumstance and glory and power
and Splendor, and riches and sovereignty in the world.
Why wouldn't he be popular? And yet, to this day, Solomon is
remembered as one of the greatest rulers in the history
of the world and in In fact, Israel never saw a more glorious
hour than that 40-year reign of Solomon but after all of that is
said and much more. Here's Jesus the fisherman the
son of a carpenter the Vagabond who traveled?
No father than the small region of Palestine.
Who had the audacity to say? I am greater than Solomon, but
indeed, he is and in many regards and I want to talk to
you about some of them tonight. I want to begin by saying that
Jesus had a greater birth than Solomon.
Now on the surface, it may not seem that the births of these
two. Great men would even begin to
compare. Because after all, you would be
impressed with the birth of Solomon and not so by the birth
of Jesus. Solomon was born in a chandelier
illuminated. Alice attended by nurse maids.
And Servants, of every kind Jesus, on the other hand was
born among cattle and a lantern lit.
Barn in Bethlehem Solomon was born into a nation that was
right for Prosperity, the throne handed to him on a silver
platter Christ. On the other hand was born into
the siightest, our of the world's history and his life was
difficult, his throne ultimately earned by dying upon a cross.
That's not the real difference after the fashion of any other
man saw Solomon was conceived of David and Bathsheba, but only in
a fashion fit for one who was divine, becoming a man.
Jesus was conceived of Mary in the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was told by the holy spirit in Matthew chapter 1.
Verse 20, by the Angel, David do not be afraid to take you Mary
or wife for that, which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. And she will bring forth a son
and you shall call his name Jesus for.
He will save his people, from their sins.
Is no greater declaration could be made about the birth of
anyone. Of course, when Solomon was
born, his parents smiled and they were very happy to welcome
this new edition into their family.
But when Jesus was born, God, Drew back the curtains of heaven
and a choir of angels broke forth into praise and the Bible
says, they sang out. Glory to God in the highest and
on Earth, peace and goodwill toward men, Luke Chapter 2 and
verse 13. When Solomon was born.
He was simply another in the succession of Israel's Kings,
but when Jesus was born, he was declared the son of the most
high God. And when he was born, Jesus Took
Bethlehem and he made it greater than Athens, he made it greater
than Rome, he made it greater than Jerusalem and contemporary
historians, may not have taken a lot of note of him at the time,
but Christ, when he was born took and bit every Dateline of
every nation around his lowly cradle, until this very day the
day, All the newspaper that you picked up and read this morning
the date on every check, you wrote this week, the date on
every deed that's recorded in your local courthouse.
The date that is etched on every Tombstone and every cemetery and
upon every monument. So testifies to the significance
of the birth of Jesus Christ, he was cradled in his lowly stable
but the Timeless Christ christianize the calendars of
the world. But no one today, dates a letter
from the birth of Solomon because truly a greater than
Solomon. Solomon is here.
And let me tell you that, that really is one of the great
foundational truths of the gospel and of Christianity.
And if I don't have the faith, if I don't have the capacity to
accept that Jesus Christ was divine.
And man, if I don't have the faith to believe that Jesus
Christ was the Confluence of God and a man, if I don't have the
faith to believe that the birth of the conception of Jesus
Christ was unlike anything that had ever happened before, or has
ever happened. Since, or Never happen again.
That he was indeed conceived in a virgin that he was born under
miraculous circumstances that, I don't believe the Bible period
because it all rests upon that great truth.
He is tonight, not just a prophet, he is not just a
teacher, he is not just a bright spot on the timeline of history
but rather Jesus Is God, come down living among man and Paul
declared him in first, Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 to be
God, manifest In the Flesh. And Justified by the spirit.
He was greater in birth than Solomon.
Number two, Jesus is greater in wisdom than Solomon.
Must've been an impressive thing to follow Solomon around, and to
hear Solomon's speak from day to day.
About simple, things that he would encounter in nature in the
world around him. The Bible says, in First Kings
433 that he in his wisdom, that he spoke of trees from the cedar
tree of Lebanon, even to the hyssop that Springs out of the
wall. He Talk of animals birds of
creeping things and to fish. And you can imagine perhaps, as
they strolled along the streets of the city in his Royal
Entourage, as he saw a Vine, is it sprang out from the wall that
he would stop and point to it? And could talk about it and he
could discuss that particular life for more, as he saw a bird
fly overhead, he could talk about that bird and its species
and he could talk about its habitat at how it lives and how
it survives and so forth. And he can Amaze anyone who was
with him by his Wisdom of such things.
And of course we know that the wisdom of Solomon provided us
with guideposts for daily living even yet today because we yet
turn to the Book of Proverbs we yet turned to the sermon to the
young man in the Book of Ecclesiastes and we learn what
really is important in life. We learn what is the wise way to
live our lives? We learn about the house that
was built by wisdom and the pillars that undergirded and
supported and upholding. We learn all of that from
Salomon. But yeah, Christ and His wisdom
could go farther than simply telling of the trees and the
birds and the vine of the fish. But rather Jesus could tell how
those things came to be because he made the tree, he made the
animal, he made the bird, he made the fish, he predates
Solomon, because before Solomon was ever thought of Jesus was,
Jesus always has been. And the Bible says, in
Colossians 1 and 17. All things were created by Him
and for him, and he is before all things.
And by him, all things consist, Insist Solomon might could have
spoken about the fowl of the air that he couldn't as could Jesus
Mark the fall of every tiny Sparrow.
Solomon might have known a lot about fishing but he couldn't do
what Jesus did. And that is fill up a net that
was empty all night with enough, fish to sink a ship Solomon.
Had a vast knowledge of trees, but he couldn't do what Jesus
did on one occasion and that is kill a barren.
Fig tree with a few quietly spoken words, Solomon may have
known a lot about the stars, but he couldn't as could Jesus and
as does Jesus. Number the Stars at measure the
heavens with a span where Solomon's knowledge was partial.
Christ knowledge was perfect and it was full men yet.
Go to Solomon for advice, but they go to Jesus for the keys to
life itself. Only Jesus not.
Solomon, could know the character of Nathaniel from afar
only, he could know the in Pure Life Of The Samaritan woman upon
first meeting her only, he could know the hidden and unexpressed
thoughts of his disciples only. He could know that Judas really
was a treasonous traitor. And that Peter was deep down a
coward. He never went to school.
He never attended a university, he Never earned a degree but he
confounded, he confused the most elite Scholars of his time by
his answers to their questions and by his questions that they
could not answer. Jesus was indeed greater and
wisdom and Solomon. He was homeless and penniless,
but he knew the perplexities and The Temptations of the Rich.
And he knew even as he knows. Now, our thoughts from afar off
number three, and I want to spend a few moments on this
point. Jesus is greater in building
than Solomon, I suppose that Solomon's greatest achievement
in all of his life and particularly in his reign as
king over Israel was the construction of the Great temple
of God. It was an architectural.
Masterpiece. God, the architect of the ages,
drafted, the plans to that magnificent structure, and he
handed them down to David, but would not permit him to build it
because he was a man of war. And so David, thus handed them
on down the Solomon. Who employed the vast
inexhaustible wealth that he had gathered from the earth and he
concentrated all of that wealth into the building of this
Temple. And I'm going to tell you it was
something to behold. According to the Scriptures, it
begins. You any idea?
It took 180 3,600 men working over the course of seven and a
half years to build it. The cost of the tallest and most
impressive building on Earth today is mirrored dollars
compared to the expense and the intricacy and the opulence of
Solomon's Temple. Here just a couple of months ago
or a few several weeks ago. I was able to stop through New
York City on a trip. First time I'd ever been there.
Maybe you've been there may be several times, but it was a real
thrill of mine to finally, get to see that City and downtown
Manhattan. And I went up after dark and got
on top of Rockefeller Center and you could look out all over
Manhattan and see the skyline at night and my mind just reeled to
think about. I've never seen so many
buildings and one place in all of my life and I've been to a
lot of cities across the country It's just absolutely a sea of
concrete and glass and steel and it boggles your mind to think,
of the expense, and the Manpower and the knowledge that it took
to construct all of that, and many of those buildings have
stood for decades and decades and decades and withstood, the
forces of nature and so on, and so forth.
But that's nothing compared to what Solomon's Temple was here.
You have almost 200,000 men for seven and a half years working
to completed. Modern Architects estimate.
That Solomon's Temple would cost about a hundred billion dollars
in present-day money to build and it was beautiful.
Its entire front from top to bottom was overlaid with plates
of pure gold and facing the east in the morning sun it had such a
dazzling brightness that the unshaded I couldn't even look
upon it. And when it was finally finished
what a ceremony Israel had all of that Nation came together and
4,000 Usher served that event. A great choir of Levites saying
a cork Astra of 4,000 instruments.
You imagine it an orchestra of 4,000 instruments played.
And when Solomon finished his prayer of dedication, the glory
of God came down and filled that Temple, so that the priest
couldn't even enter it for some time.
According to second Chronicles chapter 7, That's hard to be.
But Jesus, our lord, having only worked in an humble carpenter
shop ended up taking two, if you, please, roughly hewn pieces
of wood and 3, Rusty Nails and he built a building that spans,
from Pentecost to Eternity. He built something that
outshines Solomon's Temple. He built something that has
outlasted Solomon's Temple because Solomon's Temple resides
in the dust and the ash heaps of history but Christ Temple stands
and Christ. Temple has stood in the face of
every assault and every destructive power that he'll at
Earth. Combined could throw at it and
yet it stands it. Stands impregnable, it stands,
untarnished. It stands on bendable and
Unbreakable what is that Temple tonight?
Some people are looking in the wrong places and they're looking
at the wrong things. Then set out today to build
places of worship for God, for God, and they attempt to build
them to the glory of God, you know, and they spend millions of
dollars constructing these great, massive Cathedrals and
for their beautiful back. Speaking of New York City, just
walk up and down the streets of Manhattan and you'll pass some
cathedrals that their spires absolutely go stories up into
the air and Stained glass windows.
That would Boggle your mind and you can imagine what it would
just be to step inside and look around.
And to think of all of the marble in the granite, the
expense that goes into that and people have the idea that they
build something like that because the glory in the
presence of God comes down and feels it and people have this
false concept that when they come to a place like that,
they're coming to meet God because that's where God is.
well, if they're thinking is a little bit out of date, Because
there was a time when God dwelt in Tabernacles and temples that
were made with hands. There was a time when God made a
tabernacle that children of Israel carried with them and God
came down and he dwelt there with them in that holy of holies
and they made their point of contact through the high priest
with God, there that once a year in that inner sanctum.
And when Solomon's Temple was built, God's glory came down and
filled that Temple and it was the place where man met God.
So to speak. But today, God, dwells in a
temple far different. The Bible says in First Peter 2
and verse 4, that Christ was a living Stone rejected indeed by
men but chosen by God and precious and you also as living
stones are built up a spiritual house.
A holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ. We are that Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ, is that Temple?
It was founded by the Lord upon the Great.
They're indestructible and undeniable fact that Jesus is
who he claims to be the Christ. The son of the Living, God it
was purchased by the Supreme price of his blood, which is
more one drop is worth more than the billions upon billions of
dollars that went into constructing Solomon's Temple
and the Lord dwells in his Temple today in that he dwells
in the hearts of his Saints. He dwells within his church.
And this building has nothing to do with it tonight.
This building is a place of convenience where we come
together to do what the scriptures have appointed us to
do. But God isn't here in this
building. Any more than he's anywhere
else. God dwells in our hearts, and
when God's people come together, in appointed by Divine
Authority, they come together in an assembly like this.
It doesn't have anything to do this building.
It's the fact that God's people are together and God is with us
tonight. God is with you every day and
he's with me as his child. Every day, and I am the temple
in which he takes up his Abode in which he lives in which he
dwells, and hold Sway, and Reigns as king of kings, and
Lord of lords. And that leads me to my next
point. And that is that Jesus sits upon
a greater Throne than Solomon ever, thought about.
And in fact, Let the Bible itself, describe the throne upon
which Solomon sat in second chronicles, 9 and verse 17.
The Bible says more of the king made a great Throne of Ivory and
Overlaid it with pure gold, the throne had six steps with a
footstool of goal which were fastened to the throne, they
were armrests on either side of the place of the seat and 22
Lions, stood by the armrest 12 lion stood there.
One on each side of the six steps.
Nothing like this had been made for any other Kingdom when you
walked in if you were so privileged into the palace and
into the throne room upon which Solomon sat, you knew you were
somewhere. But Jesus sits upon a greater
throne. And it is a different throne.
now, when Solomon became the king, When Solomon finished his
Temple and it was dedicated. I describe what that ceremony
must have been like to you. But let me tell you about
something greater Jesus came down here to this world and he
lived 33 years being rejected by man.
He left the ivory palaces above and came down to this old world
of woes. The song talks about.
He left the Hales of Heaven to come down here and receive the
nails of Earth. He was rejected of men and even
by his own. He did not have a place to lay
his head. He did not have all of the
luxuries, all of the conveniences and all the glories
that you would attribute. Normally to a king of any
Kingdom greater small here upon this Earth.
His life was humble and by man standards, his life was pitiful.
And at the end of that 33 years with all of the cruelty that man
could find in his heart, they took this one who came among
them and only did good. And claimed to be their savior.
And they stretched out his arms, after slapping him and spitting
on him and cursing him, and beating him and scourging him,
and they spread out his arms upon a cross.
And they nailed his hands there and they nailed his feet there,
and they suspended that cross in Between Heaven and Earth and
dropped it into its socket. And there he hung for six,
bloody shameful Dreadful hours. And finally, he died.
And they took his mangled body. And his disciples placed it in
the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and it was sealed in a
watch said over it, but just as Jesus had said that no one
seemed to understand. On the morning of the first day
of the week. The spirit of God resurrected
the body of Jesus Christ. And he came forth from that,
grave a Victor. He came forth from that grave,
having conquered sin and everything that had defeated man
up into that point. He took death sting away and he
completed Heavens Plan of Redemption and after just a few
more days speaking his final and parting words to his disciples.
He went up on top of a hill and there he began to lift up off of
this Earth. And as he disappeared into a
cloud and off into the heavens, something glorious took place on
the other side. There was a crowd, I believe,
waiting in heaven for him. There must have been Legions of
angels lining, the golden, paved streets of glory, and all of a
sudden, the gate swung open and the king of kings, and Lord of
lords was ushered in. And he was led to the right hand
of God the Father, where he had, the crown placed upon his head,
where he received the Royal robe and he received the scepter of
power and he sat down at God's right hand, and he took up his
rule at that moment in time. Over his kingdom upon this
Earth. You talk about an inauguration.
You talk about a coronation, that's what took place in heaven
that day. And that's where Jesus is and,
you know, how to shame to tell you tonight, that there are
millions of people in the so-called Christian Community,
who would take that away from Jesus, our lord, in some manner
of speaking. Because they had this all wrong,
in fact, it amazes me how people can read the Bible, how people
can read the gospels, how people can read about, Jesus constant
interactions with the people of his day.
Day with the Jews of his day and even his disciples and read
about the false Notions that they had concerning who Christ
was and the kind of King that Christ claimed to be or the kind
of King that they thought their Messiah was going to be.
But Jesus wasn't that kind of King.
He never came trying to gather up armies with weapons.
In order to bring about Conquest on behalf of God, he didn't come
riding in upon his White Horse and Flexing his muscle of power
and taking over the kingdoms of this Earth rather he lived a
very poor and again by man standard pitiful life.
And his message was not one of power and of Conquest so far as
man's thinking was concerned, his message was one of meekness.
What kind of King says, if your brother would Smite, you turned
your turn your cheek and give him the other?
What kind of King that wants to take over the world, would teach
a doctrine that says to love your enemies and bless those
that persecute you and so on and so on what king lays down allows
his enemies to treat him like that.
Well, he wasn't that kind of team.
And, you know, people can read the same Bible, you've got
tonight, and they could read all of those passages about why they
Ulta. And that's why they crucified
Jesus, They Crucified him because they wanted their King,
their Messiah, to come back in and break the back of the
Roland's. And once again, bring about the
Glory Days of Solomon for them, that's what they thought.
But that one we got to get him to be. and you know, there are
those in this world today that teach That Jesus came into this
world, to be a king over all in the world, but because he was
rejected by the Jews because they were not prepared to
receive such a kingdom of this is their Doctrine speaking
because they were not prepared to receive such a kingdom.
He failed in that mission and he had to postpone it and they say
the what Jesus did after he was rejected and ultimately
crucified, is he built his church here upon this Earth as a
temporary stopgap measure as an afterthought.
And he built that church to last here until one day he can come
and get it, right? Until one day, he can come back
to this earth and he can finally conquer his enemies.
And he can finally reinstate the Throne of David and sit down
over there in the city of Jerusalem and Reign and rule
over a literal Kingdom on this Earth for a thousand years.
And that is the doctrine of dispensational premillennialism
and nearly every denomination in this town up and down every
street, that claim some form of Christianity teaches.
Um, form of variation of that Doctrine tonight.
Jesus failed in nothing. Jesus didn't have to put off
anything Jesus didn't miscalculate, anything.
But when he came to this earth, the first time, he knew exactly
the world that he was coming into and he knew how mad was
going to treat him. He knew that he was going to be
rejected, but he build his kingdom, anyway.
Build upon those who would believe in him.
And yet to this day when I obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
I'm baptized for the remission of my sins.
According to the first chapter of the book of Colossians, I I
am delivered out of the power of darkness and I am translated
into the kingdom of God's, dear son, and Christ Reigns all of
that Kingdom. Now in heaven, and he takes up
his reign in my heart when I become such as should be saved.
That wonderful. He sits upon a greater Throne
than Solomon. Lastly Jesus has a greater home
than Solomon. Now we talked about the Temple
of Solomon and it took seven and a half years to build, but it
took Solomon 13 years to build his house and in many ways like
a temple, it was costly ornate. And elaborate, I won't belabor
that fact tonight, but I just must say, Solomon must have
absolutely lived in a lap of luxury.
When you can, when you can have the hinges on, You're the gates
of your horse, stable be made out of gold, you have arrived,
you have. Well you are rich.
This was Solomon. This is the lap of luxury that
Solomon lived in. I'm sure he had everything for
that day and time that opened and closed and turned on.
And the turned off. I suppose that if Solomon were
to live today he would have had every electronic Gadget every
kind of every kind of automatic thing that you could possibly
put into a house, he would have had the very best of appliances.
The very best of furniture that you.
You are, I couldn't even begin to even think about buying or
owning in our own homes. He had everything.
Jesus couldn't talk about any house like that.
In fact, I suppose that the most pathetic sentence to ever fall
from human lips as when Jesus said the foxes, have their holes
and the birds of the air have their nests, but the son of man
has nowhere to lay his head. But let me tell you the
difference. As beautiful as Solomon's house
was and is wonderful of a places.
It would have been for Solomon his house to live in.
I'm sure there were times when people in Solomon's house, got
sick, I'm sure there were times in Solomon's house.
Where people argued? I'm sure there were times in
Solomon's house where people grew old and there were times in
Solomon's house when people died, But in Jesus house.
There are no wreaths on the door.
There are no funeral trains that pass by there are no nursing
homes or hospital, beds or doctors.
Because those things aren't needed in Jesus home.
Jesus couldn't talk about anyhow like Solomon's here upon this
Earth, but he could talk about his father's house.
And he said it has many mansions and I go to prepare it. that
where I am, there you may be also It was Jesus not Solomon,
who in Eternal and Heavenly Glory hath prepared.
The home of the Hebrew writer says hath foundations, whose
Builder and maker is God Hebrews 11 and verse 10.
As the old song says, oh think of that home over there.
And you'll see that Behold a greater than Solomon is here.
And, you know, I suppose that there's one final thing.
I might mention in conclusion, because the story of Solomon
isn't quite complete, is it? We talked about how Solomon
began. The Solomon didn't end that way.
Solomon went down in defeat before it was all said and done
because he said, And Solomon, really died in shame in the eyes
of God. His heart turned away from God.
And this Kingdom fell into the incapable son.
The hands of his haughty son, rehoboam and the kingdom
divided. And the kingdom went into
captivity. And things simply went downhill
from there. And finally, hundreds and
hundreds of years later, you know, where it all ended up.
The Roman army came in upon that City and the poem that Temple
and they tore it all down until not one stone was left standing
on another And that nation, that Solomon had ruled over was
scattered to the wind never to be rebuilt.
Jesus lived a poor and forsaken life on this Earth.
But he went home to something better and he has a kingdom.
The, as a temple that will stand forever.
Are you part of it? Are you a citizen of that
Kingdom? If you're placing your hopes and
your dreams and Ambitions on the things of this Earth, you're
making a very foolish mistake. Because as we turn on the news
every night, especially lately, we see that things are in great
peril. And things are very
unpredictable from one day to the next and there are a lot of
anxieties and fears and uncertainties.
And that's the way it will always be in the kingdoms of
men. They come and they go they rise
and they fall. But Jesus Kingdom will stand
forever. And one day Jesus is going to
return, and he's going to take that Kingdom.
He's going to deliver it up to God.
And we're going to live up there under the reign of God, the
Father forever. Are you part of that?
Is that your destiny tonight? If not.
Would you do not obey the gospel?
Step down. This aisle.
Believing in Jesus. As the Son of God repenting of
your sins, make the good confession that you believe he
is the Christ. The son of God, he buried with
him in baptism or his blood can wash away your sins and will
help you do that tonight. I can't think of more thrilling
way to begin this series of meetings and to help someone
become a Christian tonight. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
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