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1 Kings 10 (Part 2) Bible Study (Solomon's Great Wealth) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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First Kings 10 verse 14. Father, with great gratitude in
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our hearts, we are thankful that we can be reunited, reunited
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around your word and we pray that at this time you would
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assist us as you have been assisting us in song and
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attentiveness. Lord, empower us now as we
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engage with. The Word of God.
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We pray that the Spirit of wisdom and revelation would be
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our guide. We pray Lord, that our hearts
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would thirst for the scriptures, that we would not find ourselves
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indifferent or self-sufficient or self reliant.
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Lord, we lean into you with expectation, believing that even
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in this portrait of the Word of God we will have fresh eyes and
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receive fresh insight for our hearts and for our worship's
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sake. We look to you again, trusting
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in your provision. For our manna in Jesus name we
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pray. Amen.
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It is no surprise to any serious student of the Word of God that
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the scriptures is a comprehensive and intricate
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text, and by virtue of its depth, one of the features of
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the detailed portions of the Word of God is that there is an
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absolute record of numbers. Numbers.
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I'm talking about actual numbers and when we read these numbers,
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majority of them just deal with the numbering of people, tribes,
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nations, maybe some items here and there.
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And most of that testifies to the historicity of the
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scriptures, their eyewitness accounts of these biblical
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events. Apart from that, you might find
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the value of numbers in predictive prophecy where God,
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in desiring to showcases foreknowledge will tell of an
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event that is yet to come to pass and we'll even at times
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give the number of years or days that this thing will occur.
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And in other cases, when we look at numbers in the Bible, the
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Holy Spirit in his perfect authorship grants us patterns
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throughout the scriptures with certain numbers in order to
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communicate certain spiritual truths.
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And there are many examples of this that we've seen that we
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might be familiar with. The number that comes to mind is
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the number 40, a very prominent and obvious number from cover to
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cover. We think about the 40 years that
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the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness.
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We think in the New Testament, of the 40 days that Jesus spent
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in his own wilderness. I think of Goliath, who spent 40
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days taunting the nation of Israel, and the list goes on and
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on and on of how there is this consistent association with the
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number 40 and the idea of testing or time of trial.
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The Bible makes that clear. It's obvious to us because the
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Bible makes it obvious to us. Now, unfortunately, there is
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some who have taken the numbers in the Scriptures to another
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extreme, where they feel as though every number has symbolic
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value, every number has significance.
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And so they spend their efforts and their energy trying to
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decode some secret meaning by using some numerical value
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system or these elaborate equations that really end up
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leading us into strange conclusions.
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That is a dangerous way of handling the word of God.
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And the reason I'm saying all of this at the outset of our Bible
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study tonight is because we're going to read a few verses, and
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the first verse that we're going to encounter contains a number,
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a number that we are familiar with that should stop us in our
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tracks. And so let's read these verses.
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We're not going to read the entirety of the rest of this
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chapter, but just the first few. And then we will take our time
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to dissect what the Holy Spirit has to say.
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Verse 14. Now the weight of gold that came
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to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that
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which came from the explorers, and from the business of the
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merchants, and from all the kings of the West, and from the
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governors of the land. King Solomon made 200 large
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Shields of beaten gold. 600 shekels of gold went into each
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shield, and he made 300 Shields of beaten gold. 3 Minas of gold
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went into each shield, and the king put them in the House of
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the force of Lebanon. The king also made a great ivory
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throne and overlaid it with the finest gold.
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The throne had six steps and the throne had a Round Top and on
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each side of the seat where armrest and two lines standing
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beside the armrest, while 12 lines stood there, one on each
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end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in
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any Kingdom. All King Solomon's drinking
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vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the
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Force of Lebanon were of pure gold.
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None were of silver. Silver was not considered as
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anything in the days of Solomon and so again we read of these
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vast numbers and the one that should stand out to us is what
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we find here. In verse 14 we read of his
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yearly salary and the number is 666 talents of gold.
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Some estimate the value of that to be in the hundreds of
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millions of dollars. This man's wealth was
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unprecedented. Israel's prosperity was unlike
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at any time in its history. And as we look here, we might
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think to ourselves, is this strange coincidence?
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Is there anything worth meditating on here?
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Some would say let's just move on, this is simple coincidence,
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let's not make too much of this. And others would say hold on,
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maybe there is something deep here because this is such a rare
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number in the Bible. So the number 666 is found how
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many times in the scriptures if you include this text?
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Are you sure? Look at everybody.
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Attentive for Bible study. We are going to deal with those
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two. And there is another one.
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There is a total of three. Let me give you a couple seconds
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to think where you might find it.
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If you do know where it is, well in the Bible, study here and
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just rejoice because it's a very obscure passage.
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The only other place #666 is found is in the book of Ezra in
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Ezra chapter 2 verse 13, where we read a list there of the
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returning exiles, and this number makes up of the sons of
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Adunaikim 666. So we have 666 here with
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Solomon, 666 in terms of the return, exile, and where's the
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last number of 666 found in the Book of Revelation, chapter 13?
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When the Holy Spirit deals with the beast or the Antichrist,
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what do we make of this? What do we do with this?
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Is John by the Spirit, referring to one of these two Old
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Testament passages to provide greater insight into what may
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seem like a cryptic message concerning the Antichrist?
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Well, let's think about it for a moment here.
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If we look at this number again, you mentioned earlier that there
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was two times that it is referred and I think that number
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two is important because Ezra doesn't have the same
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overlapping themes as Solomon's context and revelations context.
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In other words, the number 666 is linked to two individuals in
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all of the Bible and all of the scriptures and all the God
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breathed records. This number is linked to only
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two distinct people, and I think there's something there for us
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to consider. If we think here about Solomon
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and we link it with Revelation 13 again, there might be not
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including Ezra's reference, some kind of connection, some kind of
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parallel, and these are just suggestions.
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These are not dogmatic, but something worth chewing on and
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maybe exploring further concerning the artistry and the
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mind of God. Look at Revelation 1318 with me
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as we look at where this other reference of 666 is mentioned in
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Revelation 1318. The Holy Spirit says this calls
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for wisdom. Let the one who has
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understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is
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the number of a man and his number is 666.
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The first thing that I want to bring to your attention is that
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both individuals and this number are tied to the theme of wisdom.
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The theme of wisdom. In Solomon's case, we know that
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he was a ruler who wielded supernatural wisdom.
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In the case, in the context of the beast, we are called to
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exercise wisdom and understanding his nature, his
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character, his identity. There's a second thing.
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There's a second, perhaps pattern that's worth
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considering. Both individuals in the number
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666 are contextually associated with the practice of business
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and trade and commerce, and both exercising unusual economic
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authority and power. So keep your finger there in
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Revelation 13 and go to 1617 and notice what's mentioned with the
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Beast. We're told here concerning the
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Beast and his image. Also, it causes all, both small
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and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be
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marked on the right hand or the forehead so that no one can buy
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or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or
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the number of its name. So here we're told of this,
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Mark. We're told of this beast.
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And we're told that this beast, this political figure, will be
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able to cause people to feel trapped, that they won't be able
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to do simple transactions or simple business apart from
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pledging their allegiance to him.
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And again, that number is linked to that context and that
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experience in that reality. And we come back to our text of
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our study. And what do we read in First
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Kings 10? Well, let's read again verse 14
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to verse 16. Now the weight of the gold that
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came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides
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that which came from the explorers and from the business
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of the merchants and from all the kings of the West and from
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the governors of the land. Again, just consider the themes
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here. You have this number that's
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linked to this economic realm, both here with Solomon and the
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Beast, who share this number. There's a final thing, and I
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think it is the most significant thing.
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It is the placement of this number, 666, in Solomon's story
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and what it is preparing us for. So we look at these verses and
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we read a few of them, and we might get the impression that
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this is some irrelevant, meaningless summary of Solomon's
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wealth. And that would be wrong.
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That would be wrong, because there is, of course, practical
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insight. But this is setting the stage
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for a very important chapter in Israel's history, and that's
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First Kings 11, where Solomon will commit apostasy.
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And so we read of the talents of gold here that he was able to
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acquire. And more than that, we read of
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his accumulation of more wealth, and what he does with it are
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serious flags concerning his faith.
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This is not just a catalogue of what he owns.
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This is indicators and reminders of the compromising flaws that
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he tolerated, the issues concerning his character.
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And so we look at this man and he might think, yes, it's
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speaking highly of him, but it's really not.
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This man is about to depart from his allegiance to the Lord and
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will worship false gods. And what about the beast?
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What about Revelation 13? Again, what do we just cover?
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Well, we glazed on the fact that there is this kind of connection
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with the call to wisdom. Solomon had the wisdom.
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We are called to have wisdom. We see this practice of the
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business trade and commerce and merchants and selling and buying
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both associated with this number in terms of its placement.
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And lastly, we see the theme of apostasy.
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This is going to be a set up for us to see the decline of
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Solomon. And what do we read of the
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beast? We read of him calling for
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people to make a complete departure from the true God and
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his gospel. And not just that, but to
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worship something. Else, and that's found in
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Revelation 14, you know, you had people ask is the vaccine.
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The mark of the beast, have you been asked that I got some
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emails is the COVID-19 maybe we have to take that thing out.
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So the mention of that just in case of censorship.
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Is the thing, is it the mark? Because look, we can't go into
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our favorite restaurants and we can't travel and we can't do
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this. No, it's not the mark for one
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main reason. The mark will be a pledge of
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worship to a man, to a man. And here's what we're told in
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Revelation 14 verse nine. And another Angel 1/3 followed
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them, saying with a loud voice If anyone worships the beast and
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its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
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then he goes on to explain in verse 10.
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That the wrath of God is reserved for such a person.
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So again, both contexts containing the number 666 are
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closely connected to idolatry. And if these points are
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persuasive to you, let me warn you that in no way am I
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suggesting that the Antichrist is going to be some kind of
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reincarnated Solomon. But perhaps the thematic
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overlaps provide us this ominous understanding this layer to many
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other layers, and understanding the beasts and revelation.
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An insight that may suggest how, like Solomon, there is a future
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leader who is to come, and initially he will present
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himself as unbelievably wise, incredibly powerful one who will
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shape culture and bring nations to their knees.
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And yet, eventually. Will lead the masses into false
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worship. This is what we see here with
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this number. And so this is verse 14.
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But we read on and we read a verse 16.
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King Solomon made 200 large Shields of beaten gold. 600
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shekels of gold went into each shield, and he made 300 Shields
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of beaten gold. 3 Minas of gold went into each shield, and the
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king put them in the House of the forest of Lebanon.
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We've dealt with the House of the Force of Lebanon in a past
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Bible study. We use this as a reference to
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confirm that it was most likely utilized as an Armory for the
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nation of Israel. But there is another meaning
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here. There's something else for us to
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be able to apply to our lives because in just a few chapters
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we're going to see reference to not just this place, but to
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these Shields that were used in this Armory for a decorative
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purpose. You're not going to use golden
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Shields to go to war. But again, this man had such
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overwhelming income of gold, it's as though they just wanted
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to do so much with it and things that didn't even seem to make
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sense, like golden cups as we read.
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But there's a spiritual principle with this, and it's
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only when you come to 1st Kings 14 where you read of Solomon's
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son, Rehab Ohm, that you learn why this is an important thing
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to grasp. Rehab Ohm will also fall into
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idolatry. Worse, he will commit more
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grievous rebellion against God than his Father's, And after a
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few short years, the Lord's patience wears out and he
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exercises divine chastisement toward Rehoboam.
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And the way that he does it is that he allows the king of Egypt
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to be unleashed and to ransack Jerusalem.
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And here's what we read in verse 25 of First Kings 14.
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In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, King of Egypt
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came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of
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the House of the Lord and the treasures of the King's house.
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He took away everything. He also took away all the
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Shields of gold that Solomon had made.
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And King Rehoboam made in their place Shields of bronze, and
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committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard who
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kept the door of the King's house.
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So Solomon during his reign was able to create these beautified
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Shields to decorate this glorious house known as the
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House of the Forests of Lebanon. And just in a matter of five
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years, five years into the reign of his son, those Shields are
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removed and they are replaced with something inferior, these
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Shields of brass. And again, you look at that and
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you see that as an unfortunate transition, right?
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No, there is a spiritual lesson there.
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Because again, the reason for these Shields being removed was
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the consequence of sin. Here's the lesson.
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If you just look at these verses and you connect them, This is
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why. Let me remind you, read your
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Bible a verse a day ain't going to cut it.
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If you want Revelation, finish the book that you started.
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So I read here in chapter 10 that there's this elaborate
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Shields being placed into this house.
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And then in few chapters I realize that a king removes them
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from Egypt. He takes them and this is the
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result of divine discipline. Sin will always impoverish you.
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Sin will always lessen the quality of life that God has in
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mind for us. Sin steals from you.
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Sin will diminish and take from you not the physical but the
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spiritual treasures that the Lord longs to adorn you with.
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Sin robs sin takes saying brother.
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Why is this important? For many reasons, Because often
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times when we're tempted to sin, we think we're gaining
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something. We think we're adding something.
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We're adding a thrill. We're adding purpose.
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We're adding safety. We're adding peace.
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We're adding happiness. No, no, no.
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Be reminded, even in this illustration, sin will always
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grab, and often times take more than you anticipated.
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Because there are some smart sinners out there who know that
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there is always a price to any decision.
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But in their foolishness, they would think, well, no.
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And sin, though I'm making some kind of an investment.
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I'm getting more in return. No, you're always going to lose.
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And here's poor rehoboam thinking to himself that
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although the consequence of sin cost him something and made his
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reality a little bit more empty than it was before, he thought
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that he can replace the blessing of God with cheap substitutes.
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They took the gold, let me replace it with brass.
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And what are sinners doing now? As they depart and turn their
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back on the true and living God? They try to fill that empty void
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with other things, the thing that only God can fill and
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complete. They try to do themselves
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instead of seeing what sin is doing to their soul, eroding
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their soul, decaying their hearts.
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Instead of repenting, they try to patch it up with their own
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ideas and schemes and even some with more sin.
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Here's what the prophet Jeremiah spoke to his generation
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concerning sin. Jeremiah 525, if we can put it
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up, this is one of my favorite verses And confronting sin,
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confronting sin in my life, Confronting sin in the lives of
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those that I love. Jeremiah, the prophet told this
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to his people of his time and it's insightful concerning what
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we read with this idea in mind. Well, if it's not there, you can
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turn there. And Jeremiah 525, we read.
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Your iniquities have turned these away.
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Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have
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kept good from you. Highlight it, under score it,
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and if you feel it necessary, put it somewhere above your door
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before you leave your house. Your sins have kept good from
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you. That's one of the tragedies of
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sin, unrepented iniquity and transgression.
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It takes, it keeps from you that which God longs to lavish you
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with. And this is the case with
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Solomon in his time. Yes, he's going to lose out in
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his own day, but we see Rehoboam, who unfortunately
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follows in his steps. And has robbed the blessing in
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his own day. That's what we learn about these
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Shields. Isn't that amazing?
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Who knew that golden Shields could teach us about sin?
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Let's come back to our main text, shall we?
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Verse 18. The king also made a great ivory
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throne and overlaid it with the finest gold.
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The throne had six steps and the throne had a Round Top, and on
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each side of the seat were armrest and two lines standing
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beside the armrest. While the 12.
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Line stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps,
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the like of which it was never made in any Kingdom.
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You're supposed to be amazed by this.
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You're supposed to be in awe of this.
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You're supposed to visualize this.
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Here's this glorious throne and these engraved decorative
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emblems around this throne, and it speaks of the splendor of
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this man, the majesty, the magnificence, the brilliance of
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his rule, of his reign, of his authority.
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Clearly it was designed for those who at this time would
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step into that scene to be overwhelmed with a sense of,
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again, the things that I mentioned, but including the
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sense of justice. And yet, as we look at this, we
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learned of it, of another Bible study that it would be temporal.
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It's a temporal glory. It is glorious.
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It is majestic, but the grandeur of it becomes nothing in a short
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amount of time. And so it really is like a
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firework. The peak of Solomon's success.
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And even the beauty demonstrated with examples like this is like
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a flash in the sky. It moves you for a moment, but
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it ends up turning into smoke and ash and disappears in the
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wind, never to be seen again. But look at this verse again.
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Look at this image with a wider scope of scripture in view.
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The scripture speaks of many Thrones.
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The scripture speaks of Thrones, that have been raised, Thrones
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that have been brought low. But there is only one throne, as
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you know, that will be eternal, and its glory will never fade.
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It will never be challenged. It will never be overthrown.
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It will remain stable, and we will forever marvel at it.
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Not because of what that throne will be made of, but the one who
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occupies the throne, the wisdom of that king, the love of that
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king, the power of that king. We will never lose our sense of
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Oz. We look upon him who sits on
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that throne and will sit on it forever and ever, and the Bible
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gives us glimpses. I was I stepped back this
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afternoon, and I thought to myself about the throne of Jesus
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Christ and the variety of its characteristics that should
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cause my heart to worship. What are we to anticipate when
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we see him receiving his rightful due?
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And this is one verse that came to mind among many verses,
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right? The verse of him who yes, will
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be a king and a priest on the throne.
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The extent of the authority of that throne, those who will
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bring their gifts and submit to the lordship of that Yes, all of
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that is wonderful. But may I present to you an
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aspect of the throne of Jesus Christ that should cause your
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knees to be weak and to bow before it.
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Now. Revelation 321.
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Here is the Lord Jesus himself speaking to one of the most
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spiritually deprived churches out of the seven in the Book of
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Revelation. This is this is in reference to
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this is in the context of the lukewarm church.
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Some interpret the seven churches as a prophetic
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timetable of the condition of the church until the return of
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Christ. I don't necessarily see it that
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way. But this is speaking about the
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lukewarm church, the church that felt as though they were
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self-sufficient. This the church that felt as
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though they had need of nothing, This church that prospered in
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every way you can imagine except for their Spirit.
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The Lord has a word for them, a word of rebuke scathing, word
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blistering. And he gives this church a
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church that he says if you don't repent, I'm going to vomit you
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out of my mouth. I mean, this is the Lord Jesus
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Christ speaking here that seems so hopeless, that seem to be so
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despised. And yet is promise one of the
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greatest rewards, an unthinkable, inconceivable
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reward for those who seem to be so far from the standard of
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holiness that Christ longs from those that he has purchased.
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Here's his word to them in verse 21, the one who conquers.
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I will grant him to sit with me on my throne as I also conquered
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and sat down with my Father on his throne.
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You see that? He's telling a bunch of lukewarm
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Christians if you conquer. Conquer what?
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Conquer lukewarmness. Conquer indifference.
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Conquer self-reliance. If you're able to live in
27:44
victory over that, do you think many people suffer with
27:47
lukewarmness? Yes.
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And here's the promise to the Lord.
27:52
If you are able to walk in victory over that, If you are
27:55
willing to remain in fellowship with me.
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If you. Are willing to.
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Consistently allow your heart to place me as your supreme desire
28:05
and your supreme source of all that you need.
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I will give you this reward. I will allow you to sit.
28:11
With me on my throne. Now think about that.
28:16
That moves me. And I move you into confusion,
28:20
because you just heard me say that this eternal throne, this
28:24
throne that will never lose its glistening glory, the thing that
28:28
makes it so glorious, is the one who sits upon.
28:30
And now you're telling me that we're going to sit on it with
28:32
him? It's less glorious now.
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No, it's more glorious because you and I sitting on his throne
28:43
is not so much US sharing in his identity or sharing in his
28:48
exaltation as him being virtue, God, and King.
28:55
We sitting on His throne, more than anything else, are
28:58
demonstrations and displays of His glory and grace.
29:03
We are trophies of His mercy. This is what the Lord is
29:06
communicating. We are trophies of His
29:08
compassion. And so again when we think about
29:12
the throne of Christ in this light.
29:15
The glory of it exceeds Solomon's for many reasons, and
29:18
and here's one of the reasons when we'll see it, we will see
29:21
grace. We're not just going to see
29:23
justice. We're not just going to see
29:25
power and authority. We're going to see grace.
29:28
Because look at those whom he is willing to sit with him, those
29:32
who were once lukewarm, those who once found satisfaction and
29:37
other things content and worldliness, but repented.
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Those whom he has purchased by faith and was able to empower
29:43
unto holiness. This is the grace of this king,
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and that will move us to worship as we stand before it.
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And so whatever you see with Solomon's throne, it pales in
29:56
comparison. It is eclipsed by the absolute
30:01
depth of the majesty and the magnificence of the one who
30:03
occupies this throne, the Son of David, who will rule forever and
30:07
ever. And we read on verse 21, all
30:12
King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the
30:16
vessels of the House of the Force of Lebanon were of pure
30:19
gold. None were of silver.
30:21
Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.
30:25
Can you imagine that? Let's add this verse connected
30:28
to this. Look at verse 27 and verse 27.
30:32
We read and the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone,
30:38
and he made cedar as plentiful as the Sycamore of Shephilah.
30:43
Think about this. You have silver now that has
30:46
been reduced to the value of rocks.
30:51
The thing that was prominent, the things that was so
30:54
available, was gold, and there was so much of it that silver
30:58
was an afterthought. That's not the case today and
31:02
there are very few. I can't think of any time in
31:04
history where this is the case. Silver was as though it was like
31:09
stone, and there's a lot of stone in Israel.
31:13
And again, we look at this and we get a snapshot of the glory
31:16
of this man's reign, surely. But again, there is a timeless
31:20
principle that's not difficult to perceive.
31:22
The this characteristic of Solomon's reign reminds us that
31:26
the value of materialism is not permanent.
31:30
It's not permanent. It's vacillating potential is
31:34
true of this life, and the change of its worth is certain
31:38
in the life to come. That's an important word for
31:42
many of us. Many of us who chase after these
31:46
things I like to jokingly refer to the streets of gold in
31:50
Jerusalem. The thing that people die,
31:52
cheat, lie and betray over will become pavement in heaven.
31:57
Here we see silver becomes as nothing, as nothing in the days
32:02
of Solomon and it's so sad to see the investments that Solomon
32:06
makes here. You you might be impressed.
32:10
I might be impressed. But it's actually a sad sign.
32:13
The reason why it is a sad sight is because Solomon was to be
32:17
preoccupied with something else. And there seems to be no
32:20
indication that he was preoccupied by what I'm about to
32:23
show you. Because in this catalog, you see
32:27
one achievement after the next. You see the wealth coming in,
32:29
and you see how he applies the wealth, extravagance, luxury,
32:32
things that we would never do with what he had.
32:36
I never thought to myself, you know, I think one day I want my.
32:38
Cupboards to be filled with cups of gold.
32:42
Where have you gone in your success for you to think this
32:44
way? And again, this takes time,
32:47
effort, thought, strategy. And as I peeled back from these
32:53
verses, I thought, but wasn't he supposed to be busy with
32:56
something else? Yes, we see here the
33:00
faithfulness of God to an extent, where he promised
33:02
Solomon, you asked for wisdom, and I'm going to honor you.
33:05
Not just with wisdom. I'm going to give you riches and
33:07
honor. We see a fulfillment of God's
33:09
faithfulness here. But there was something even
33:12
further back that was supposed to be characterizing every king,
33:15
not just this king. If we don't.
33:18
Get the impression with all the things that we read here that
33:21
Solomon was at that place. Here is the law of God
33:26
concerning the future kings of Israel, and before we even turn
33:30
there, maybe as returning there in Deuteronomy 17 verse 18.
33:33
Do you remember what the king was to do after not doing
33:37
certain things? He was not to acquire many
33:40
wives, he was not to acquire many horses.
33:42
He was not to acquire too much wealth, right?
33:46
But there was something he was to do.
33:48
There was something he must do. Do you remember what it was?
33:53
He was to take a copy of the law and write a personal copy for
33:58
himself. You want a exciting assignment
34:05
in your life. If you have the time, I
34:06
challenge you to do that. Take the book of Deuteronomy and
34:10
write it word for word in a journal.
34:15
That's what every king had to do.
34:18
A king, yes, but a scribe in some sense as well.
34:22
It was to be approved by the Levites.
34:24
But every king, for many reasons, was to have a personal
34:29
copy of the law in their hands, and not just to write at once,
34:32
though that would cause them to be very familiar with the
34:34
passages and the context. It was also to be something that
34:37
they were to make personal. It was a way of saying, make
34:39
this personal in your life, and absorb it, and read it and
34:42
digest it every single day. So let me read these verses to
34:47
you. We read in Deuteronomy 1718.
34:50
And when he sits on the throne of his Kingdom, he shall write
34:53
for himself in a book a copy of this law approved by the
34:59
Levitical priest, and it shall be with him, and he shall read
35:03
it all the days of his life. Then he may learn to fear the
35:08
Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these
35:11
statutes, and doing them. Why don't we complete in verse
35:14
20? What do we read there?
35:16
That his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that
35:20
he may not turn aside from the commandment either to the right
35:23
hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his
35:27
Kingdom, he and his children and Israel.
35:30
I love how there is a promise concerning relating to the word
35:35
of God and humility. You read this word every day
35:41
with humility, with hunger, with transparency and eagerness.
35:47
One of the rewards of that is that it will humble you and it
35:50
will keep you humble. You're not reading the Bible,
35:54
right, if you're proud by reading it.
35:57
You're not reading the Bible, right?
35:58
If you're puffed up after you've studied it, it's supposed to
36:03
humble you. Which tells me that in great
36:06
part, when I read the Bible, I'm supposed to see God.
36:10
I'm supposed to see the Lord and how transcendent he is and how
36:15
real he is and how he is able to intervene both for.
36:18
Good and injustice. And it's supposed to cause me to
36:23
feel small and to keep me dependent.
36:28
And the power of this word is not just to do that for those
36:31
who feel small and other aspects of life, but even for kings,
36:35
even for rulers, even for leaders of nations.
36:39
And so his heart would not be lifted up.
36:43
And not only that, there is a connection between knowing
36:46
people. People ask, should I read my
36:48
Bible every day? Here's a wonderful proof text.
36:52
Here's a wonderful proof text. Let me ask you this question.
36:55
Do you want longevity in your faith, in your character?
36:58
Because that's what's promised to the kings that he may
37:01
continue long in his Kingdom. I can tell you the reason, one
37:05
of the reasons why people don't go long in their faith, in their
37:08
consistency and consecration. At some point they abandoned the
37:11
word of God. At some point they abandoned
37:15
everything. Well, no.
37:15
I know preachers who did this or do that.
37:17
Yeah, but did they read it? And did it cause them to be
37:20
humble? Or were they just looking for
37:22
another sermon because they wanted a paycheck?
37:25
Big difference that he may continue long in his Kingdom.
37:31
I want to know success for the long run.
37:35
Well then you're going to have to know the word of God and
37:39
listen. Having a Bible on your night
37:42
stand is not enough. Visiting it from time to time is
37:45
not enough. Remember again the great
37:47
investment that a king was to make with the word of God.
37:49
Write it. Write a copy of it.
37:53
What does that entail? That entails dedication.
37:57
That entails discipline. That entails commitment.
38:03
Get to the word of God. Get familiar with the word of
38:05
God. Every time I read of Apollo's, I
38:08
like to go into the King James Version, just for that part,
38:10
because I like how the King James words his commitment and
38:13
his relationship with the word of God.
38:15
We're told there that he was mighty in the.
38:18
Scriptures. I like that.
38:22
I want to be mighty in the scriptures.
38:24
I'm not too concerned being mighty on the bench press or
38:29
mighty on social media. If I want to be mighty in
38:31
anything, it's in the Bible, it's in the Word.
38:34
Of God mighty in the scriptures. OK, I'm getting.
38:40
I'm losing track here. We have to go back to original
38:42
thought. Look at verse 18.
38:43
One more time, we're told again. When he sits on the throne of
38:47
his Kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this
38:50
law approved by the Levitical priest.
38:55
So again we here see that the King of Israel was to labor.
39:01
He was to labor over the word of God.
39:04
That includes making a personal copy of it, and that includes
39:06
him reading it and instead. We read of these other
39:13
achievements that that are nice. They're not necessarily evil in
39:16
itself, though there are concerning achievements at the
39:18
end of this chapter, and Solomon reaches a height in his success
39:26
where he makes. Silver to be as valuable as
39:30
stone, and all the while his heart is becoming stone.
39:38
So he is moving this people. To know great success in their
39:43
own right. And yet at the same time,
39:46
there's something shriveling in his own heart.
39:51
Who cares what you achieve if you forfeit your walk with God?
39:57
And that's what we see here. Evidently, as we're about to
40:01
find out in the next chapter, Solomon would not know true
40:06
longevity. Successful longevity.
40:10
Finishing well. And could it be because he did
40:14
not honor the prescription that would promise such an end?
40:20
And instead we see a very busy man, a very ambitious man,
40:28
making silver be a stone while his heart was becoming stone.
40:35
It's a sad sight indeed. And this is where we see the
40:41
biggest cracks in the foundation of his faith.
40:45
Let's read verse 26 to verse 29. And Solomon gathered together
40:49
Chariots and horsemen. He had 1400 Chariots and 12,000
40:54
horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the
40:57
king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver as
41:00
common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful
41:04
as a Sycamore. Of the Shifala.
41:08
And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt, And Q and the
41:12
King's traitors received from Q at a price.
41:15
A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver,
41:19
and a horse for 150. And so, through the King's
41:21
traitors, they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites
41:26
and the kings of Syria. OK, we've visited this verse
41:29
before in anticipation of Solomon's fall, but it's even
41:33
deeper than what we might be might be familiar with.
41:36
Did you notice something in the last part there?
41:39
So he is receiving horses, and he's exporting horses.
41:42
And who is he exporting some of these horses to?
41:46
The Hittites? Good guys or bad guys?
41:50
Are they even supposed to be in the land of Canaan?
41:53
No. So here's a people that are to
41:58
be removed from the land, and instead Solomon's doing business
42:01
with them. And remember, there's no chapter
42:07
break. Going to Chapter 11, we read of
42:10
this man multiplying his wealth. We read of this man multiplying
42:14
what Horses. And we're about to find out that
42:16
he's going to multiply his wives.
42:22
But here's how I want us to end this, because we will visit this
42:25
in the next chapter. Go back with me again to verse
42:28
23 and 24. Thus King Solomon excelled all
42:37
the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom, and the whole
42:41
earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which
42:45
God had put into his mind. I find it scary how this is one
42:52
of many examples again how 1 can be used by God and still not be
42:58
right with God. One can exercise a gift from God
43:04
and not be walking in righteousness, and many people
43:11
are content with that. Many people are content to be in
43:17
the realm of spiritual service and not be connected to the
43:23
Savior intimately privately. But that's not.
43:29
The main point, the point that I want to drive into our hearts,
43:32
is how Jesus refers to Solomon's glamour and splendor and
43:38
provides A practical truth for his children, for those who
43:43
would follow him, for those who would face the reality of
43:47
anxiety and fear for tomorrow. Out of all the studies of
43:53
Solomon, we have yet to touch on this reference.
43:55
So I was excited to finally pull out Matthew Chapter 6, verse 28
43:59
to 31 that has brought comfort to millions over the ages.
44:06
And here's where we end our Bible study tonight.
44:16
When we read this, read it for yourself and when.
44:26
Why are you anxious about clothing?
44:28
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
44:31
They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in
44:37
all his glory, was not arrayed. Like one of these?
44:43
That's incredible. Just look at a bed of lilies,
44:48
look at a field of flowers, and I want you to understand that
44:52
the complexity and the natural decor of those plants outshine
44:59
the splendor of even Solomon. Put one of those things under a
45:05
microscope and you'll know exactly what Jesus means here.
45:10
That which grows by God's Providence and his authorship,
45:15
That which needs no assistance from man, is far greater than
45:19
the fabrics that are created by man.
45:23
Look at these lilies. Look at these flowers.
45:24
Look at the colors. Look at the hues.
45:26
Look at, look at it. I had a chance to look at it,
45:31
maybe not with plants, but on birds.
45:33
And I just was an amazement. I was like the Lord painted
45:38
these feathers. But I am to look at these things
45:43
and consider something, not just how nature exceeds the
45:46
authorship of God, exceeds whatever Solomon was able to
45:50
generate. No, no, no.
45:52
Here's the point. If the Lord himself is willing
45:55
to give such attention and investment to something as short
45:59
lived, to something as perishable, as a flower, how
46:03
much more attention and investment is he willing to give
46:06
to those that he has created in his image?
46:09
How much more is he willing to invest to those who belong to
46:13
him? So you want to know how you can
46:18
marry the old and the new? I read this and I and I see how
46:21
King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth.
46:27
And Jesus says that glory. Yeah, I beautify these flowers.
46:33
More than that. Well, Lord, you're powerful.
46:37
You're amazing. Your mind is unlike any other.
46:38
No, no, no. You don't understand.
46:39
I'm not trying to just make a point that I'm better.
46:43
I'm trying to make the point that if I'm willing to beautify
46:46
these lilies and they perish like that, how much more am I
46:50
willing to take care of you from head to toe?
46:55
Don't worry. And again, you heard me say this
47:00
earlier. As much as this is an indication
47:04
of the dive Into Darkness that Solomon is about to make, at the
47:09
same time it is still a declaration of the faithfulness
47:12
of God. Remember, God told Solomon you
47:14
asked for the right thing, and I'm going to give you more than
47:16
what you asked. Here's riches.
47:18
Here's honor. Is he not enjoying what God said
47:20
he would have? Is God not faithful to his word?
47:24
Absolutely. And if God was faithful to
47:28
Solomon with these subjective and personalized promises,
47:32
here's Matthew telling us God is.
47:34
Faithful He will be faithful to you.
47:37
He will take care of you what he has said.
47:40
He will honor. He will guide you.
47:43
He will lead you. He will clothe you.
47:45
He will feed you. He will.
47:49
He will. He takes care of the flowers.
47:53
They're there one day, and the next day they're losing life and
47:57
they're ready to be plucked out of the ground.
47:59
And here you are worrying if tomorrow we'll be able to
48:05
provide. I love how the how the Lord even
48:09
mentions about our clothing saying how relevant is that.
48:14
I'll tell you how relevant it is what happens to you when a
48:17
wedding comes up ladies fill in the blank.
48:26
Practical real life concerns and whereas the little things.
48:29
Here's the Lord saying the little things.
48:32
I'm willing to manage your life in more ways than you can
48:34
imagine. Here's the requirement from you,
48:36
though. Seek my Kingdom first, you seek
48:40
my Kingdom first. So the way to deal with anxiety
48:44
is more than just rehearsing the promises of God.
48:46
Those promises are conditional, first established within your
48:50
heart. Is my heart convinced that I
48:52
will seek His Kingdom first, no matter what His purpose, His
48:56
message, his mission is? My mandate is the banner of my
49:01
life. If you can say that, then you
49:03
and I should never feel a drop of anxiety because, he promises,
49:08
if that is your course of life, then watch me take care of you
49:12
every step along the way. Along the way, I can testify
49:18
that he does. He does, and I have so many
49:23
testimonies which I will not keep you with, about how he can
49:26
take care of everything from a house a roof over your head to
49:30
the shoes on your feet when they are ready to be replaced, he
49:35
knows how to take care of his own.
49:37
Well, that's a hopeful thought to end on in a very dark
49:40
chapter, and one that's allowing us to enter into a very dark
49:44
tunnel for the rest of our study in First King.
49:47
So let's just meditate on those truths that we might have been
49:49
very familiar with. But sometimes we need to be
49:52
reminded with shall we posture our hearts and adoration toward
49:56
this king? It is with great delight to be
50:17
in your presence, O Lord, our hearts are enlarged in love for
50:27
you. Thank you for the mastery of the
50:31
Bible. Thank you.
50:35
That week after week, and for many of us, day by day, you
50:39
remind us that this book you show us, you prove that this
50:43
book is authored by you. We are amazed by you, Thank you
50:50
that even in a text of a list of numbers and historical details,
50:58
we see your character. We see your face, we see your
51:04
love. We see the foreshadowings of a
51:08
greater king. We see principles and truths
51:14
that are tucked behind symbols and tucked behind.
51:19
Examples, good examples, terrible examples.
51:27
Oh Lord, thank you that you are ruling and reigning now.
51:33
And thank you that though you have given us salvation, and
51:38
that is enough, you go above and beyond and want to reward us for
51:44
faithfulness that you empower us to achieve.
51:48
And so, Lord, for us tonight, who might feel lukewarm and more
51:52
than just being aware of it, our content in it.
51:56
Oh Lord, may the words to the Laodicean Church be for us
52:00
tonight that you invite us to sit with you on your throne if
52:05
we conquer. If we conquer this, we finish.
52:10
Well, we finish with our eyes on you and our hearts soft and our
52:15
hands empty, not clinging to anything else except the plow
52:21
that you called us to push forward.
52:24
Lord, you are worthy. What an amazing God you are.
52:29
What a throne you sit on. A throne that you are willing to
52:33
have. Sinners who have been forgiven
52:34
to sit. What A throne that is greater
52:39
than that of ivory, covered with gold.
52:42
Greater than that who occupies it with a mine unlike any other
52:46
Lord. Your mind exceeds that of
52:48
Solomon's, and your heart does as well.
52:51
We bless your name. Oh, we're moved by your
52:54
greatness. Lord Jesus, help us see.
52:57
See you who for who you are. And, Lord, help us finish.
53:03
Well. You've brought us into 2024.
53:07
Thank you for the souls who are here week after week.
53:10
Thank you for the people that watch week after week.
53:13
Or we pray that you would bring us through another year filled
53:16
with testimonies and greater treasures that we will discover
53:19
in this book. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
53:22
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
53:25
Amen. Yes, praise team.
53:28
You can come. Had a chance on the Sunday
53:34
morning, the last Sunday morning of our trip, to meet somebody
53:38
who watches us every single week from Australia.
53:43
She drove 2 hours to come to the meeting if she waited in line to
53:47
meet us and I was just overcome. It's like there are people who
53:52
are connected to the embassy family who are 9000 plus miles
53:56
away. And so it's so encouraging to
53:59
see you here primarily, but to know that what's happening here
54:02
is going across the world. Glory be to God.
54:05
And so we want to rejoice in the Lord that what we are
54:07
experiencing here every Friday, your eagerness making this Bible
54:12
study possible. Because I love Bible study, but
54:14
if nobody else is interested, I'm having Bible study by
54:16
myself. And I'm not one to record myself
54:19
having Bible study. But because you're here, this is
54:23
able to happen and it's able to go into the Internet streams and
54:28
platforms and people are being blessed.
54:31
We serve a mighty king, so let's stand and worship him as we
54:35
conclude this meeting.