Don’t Forget God # 6 Lessons from the life of Solomon – The ‘seed’ of our failure in Life, and in ministry, is the sin we practice and excuse

Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon

Last time: 1 Kings 2: 13-46

Adonijah makes a 2nd attempt to become King

Solomon deals with his enemies

Solomon’s Kingdom is now secure

Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 2: 13-46

If you want to be successful in Life and in your ministry, you must get some people OUT of your life and you must get some people INTO your life

Today: 1 Kings 3: 1-3

Solomon the politician

One of the many ‘skills’ that God blessed Solomon with was the ‘skill’ of a politician

1 ‘Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters’

She came to live in Jerusalem with Solomon before Solomon built his palace and the Temple (1 Kings 7: 2-7, 7: 8)

As a wedding gift to his daughter, Pharaoh gave her the city of Gezer, which, later, Solomon had rebuilt (1Kings 9: 16)

Graphic: Map Israel/Egypt/Gezer

Pharaoh’s daughter became Solomon’s favorite wife and he built a special room for her in his palace (1 Kings 7: 8)

Now, Pharaoh’s daughter was not Solomon’s first wife, as he had already married an Ammonite woman called Naamah, and with her, Solomon had a son called Rehoboam

Later, Rehoboam would become the next king after Solomon (1 Kings 14: 21)

As we know, politics can be a ‘dirty’ business; by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon gained a peaceful alliance with Pharaoh and expanded the territory of Israel

But, in playing politics Solomon had disobeyed the clear command of God not to marry ‘foreign’ women

Deuteronomy 7: 3-4 ‘You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you’
(Exodus 23: 31-32, 34: 12-16, Ezra 9: 2)

I think Solomon knew this but chose to disobey God anyway

This command of God not to marry unbelievers also applies to us in the New Testament Age
2 Corinthians 6: 14-18

Also, God had clearly commanded that the kings of Israel should not marry too many women
(Deuteronomy 17: 17a)

By this time we know that Solomon was already married to 2 women, and by the end of his life, Solomon had accumulated 700 wives and another 300 concubines

So, how many wives is too many wives? Answer: 2 (1 is enough Genesis 2: 24)

In the end, Solomon’s foreign wives ‘steal’ Solomon’s heart away from God to worship ‘foreign’ gods (1 Kings 11: 4)

Solomon uses the local places of worship

2-3 these local places of worship were the hilltop places where the pagan Canaanites worshipped their gods

Graphic: Canaanite worship sites

This practice was also condemned by God (Leviticus 17: 3-4)

Here’s the lesson from 1 Kings 3: 1-3

The ‘seed’ of our failure in Life, and in ministry, is the sin we practice and excuse

3 ‘Solomon loved the Lord…except’

Here in our text we see the ‘seed’ of Solomon’s failure which later would result in him forgetting God (1 Kings 11: 33, 39)

Have you ever heard Christians saying things like this?

‘I love the Lord…except, I am dating someone who is not a Christian’

‘I love the Lord…except, sometimes I tell lies’

‘I love the Lord…except, I only come to Church when I feel like it’

‘I love the Lord…except, I don’t tell my friends about Jesus because I might lose their friendship’

Do you have an ‘except’ in your Life? If you do, it will be the beginning of your eventual failure

Real Life Example: not for publishing

As we close today:

Here is some wisdom from Pastor David

‘Small crocodiles are harmless, but when they are full grown, they will eat you’

Graphic: small/large crocodile

Here’s some wisdom from Solomon who should have taken his own advice

Song of Solomon 2: 15 ‘Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard’

Proverbs 28: 13 ‘You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you’.

Don’t Forget God # 5 Lessons from the life of Solomon – If you want to be successful in Life and in your ministry, you must get some people OUT of your life and you must get some people INTO your life PART 2

 

Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon

Last time: 1 Kings 2: 13-46

Adonijah makes a 2nd attempt to become King

Solomon deals with his enemies

Solomon’s Kingdom is now secure

Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 2: 13-46

If you want to be successful in Life and in your ministry, you must get some people OUT of your life and you must get some people INTO your life

Today: Let’s consider how to apply this lesson to our life

Firstly, there are people you need to get OUT of your life because they are ‘holding you back’ in Life and sabotaging your ministry

These people are:

1/ Christians who deliberately sin

1 Timothy 1: 19-20 ‘Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God’.

2/ Christians who cause division in the Church

Division about leaders in the Church 1 Corinthians 1: 10 – 13a

Division about Sunday Services/meetings in the Church 1 Corinthians 11: 17-22

Division by caring for some people in the Church but not for others
1 Corinthians 12: 25 (NIV) James 2: 9

Romans 16: 17 ‘Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them’.

3/ Christians who are ‘fake’

2 Timothy 3: 1-5

5 ‘They will do things to make it look as if they are Christians…Keep away from such people.’ (NLV)

2 Timothy 3: 6-9 these people can be very difficult to get out of your life

6a ‘work their way into people’s homes’ 8b ‘counterfeit faith’

Now, there are some people you cannot get OUT of your life – they hate Christ and will persecute you for because you are a Christian

But, in the End, Jesus Himself will ‘deal’ with these people and they will be OUT of your life forever! 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-10

Secondly, there are people you need to get INTO of your life because they will be a blessing to you, they will ‘push you forward’ and help you succeed in Life and in your ministry

These people are:

1/ Friends

These people are like Barzillai who was a friend to King David
(2 Samuel 19: 32-33)

King David advised Solomon to make friends with the sons of Barzillai
1 Kings 2: 7

Friends IN your life will help you get through tough times

2/ Benefactors

Bathsheba was Solomon’s benefactor – she helped Solomon become the King after David
1 Kings 2: 19

(Bathsheba was NOT Solomon’s advisor – he rejected her advice 1 Kings 2: 20-22)

Benefactors IN your life will help you achieve your God-given purpose in your life

3/ Fighters

Benaiah was one of King David’s famous 30 mighty warriors (2 Samuel 23: 20) and now Solomon’s top military Commander
1 Kings 2: 35a

Fighters IN your life will protect you from harm

4/ Pray-ers

Zadok was a priest, a man of God, a man of prayer
1 Kings 2: 35b

Pray-ers IN your life will lift you up to God, by name, every day, and persevere in prayer for you until those prayers are answered in your life

5/ Advisors

Zabud was the son of Nathan the prophet and an advisor to Solomon
1 Kings 4: 5b

Advisors IN your life will help you make the right decisions

Ideally, they are people who have a ‘history’ with your family – they know your family, they know you, they know your strengths and weaknesses and they know what truly motivates you – listen to them

As we close today:

Let’s consider some advice from Solomon about the people that we need to get INTO and people we need to get OUT of our life

Proverbs 13: 20 ‘If you want to grow in wisdom, spend time with the wise (IN). Hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces (OUT)’. TPT & MSG

Don’t Forget God # 4 Lessons from the life of Solomon – If you want to be successful in Life and in your ministry, you must get some people OUT of your life and you must get some people INTO your life

Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon

Last time: 1 Kings 2: 1–12

King David’s last words to Solomon

Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 2: 1-12

If you want to be successful in Life, and, in your ministry, you need a Mentor

The great lesson from the life of Solomon – ‘Don’t Forget God’

Today: 1 Kings 2: 13-46

Adonijah makes a 2nd attempt to become King

13-18 Adonijah asks Bathsheba to request Solomon for permission to marry Abishag, King David’s nurse (1Kings 1: 3)

19-21 Bathsheba presents Adonijah’s request to King Solomon

Solomon deals with his enemies

22 Solomon immediately recognizes that this is another plot by Adonijah to become King

Adonijah already has several rights to claim the throne

1/ Adonijah is King David’s eldest surviving son (2 Samuel 3: 4, 2 Samuel 5: 14)

2/ Adonijah has the support of Abiathar the High Priest, and Joab, King David’s top military Commander (1 Kings 1: 7)

If Adonijah could take Abishag as his wife it would increase his claim to be King

23-25 King Solomon orders Benaiah to execute Adonijah

26-27 King Solomon deposes Abiathar as High Priest and fulfils the will of God by bringing the priesthood of Eli’s family to an end (1 Samuel 2: 22-36)

28-34 Solomon orders Benaiah to execute Joab for the murders of Abner and Amasa (Joab had no claim for mercy Exodus 21: 12-14)

35 Solomon appoints Benaiah to be his top military Commander and appoints Zadok as High Priest in the place of Abiathar

36-46a Solomon sends for Shimei (not the Shimei of 1 Kings 1: 8) and puts him under ‘House arrest’ in Jerusalem under the threat of death if he violates his Order

Eventually Shimei does violate the Order and Solomon has him executed according to the last instructions of King David (1 Kings 2: 8-9)

Solomon’s Kingdom is now secure

46b ‘so the Kingdom was now firmly in Solomon’s grip’

Here’s the lesson from 1 Kings 2: 13-46

If you want to be successful in Life and in your ministry, you must get some people OUT of your life and you must get some people INTO your life

As Solomon got Adonijah, Joab, Abiathar, and Shimei OUT of his life, there are some people that you need to get OUT of your life

These people are ‘holding you back’ in Life and sabotaging your ministry

Real Life Example: Not for publishing

Now, as Solomon got Zadok the priest and Benaiah the warrior INTO his life, there are some people you need to get INTO your life

These people will be a blessing to you, they will ‘push you forward’ and help you succeed in your life and ministry

Real Life Example: Not for publishing

I’m thankful to God for putting this man INTO our life

He ‘pushed us forward’ and helped us to succeed in life and in our own ministry

Let’s consider some advice from Solomon about the people that we need to get OUT of our life

Proverbs 2: 12-15

And, let’s consider some advice from Solomon about the people that we need to get INTO of our life

Proverbs 10: 21 ‘Good people say things that help others (ERV), but fools are killed by their own stupidity’. (CEV)

Don’t Forget God # 3 Lessons from the life of Solomon. If you want to be successful in Life, and, in your ministry, you need a Mentor

 

Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon

Last time: 1 Kings 1: 1–53

King David’s last days

Adonijah had an ambition to become the new King

Solomon becomes King

Adonijah is forced to submit to Solomon

Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 1: 1-53

Ambition will hurt you but God’s blessings will promote you

The great lesson from the life of Solomon – ‘Don’t Forget God’
Today: 1 Kings 2: 1-12

King David’s last words to Solomon

1-4 King David tells Solomon that, according to God’s promise, if Solomon would obey God’s Word and ‘follow all His ways’, he would be ‘successful’ (3b) and one of David’s descendants would sit as King on the throne of Israel forever
5-6 King David tells Solomon to ‘deal’ with his treacherous top military Commander Joab who murdered 2 innocent commanders Abner and Amasa

7 Then, King David tells Solomon to invite the sons of Barzillai of Gilead to become permanent guests in the King’s Court, because they took care of David when he was escaping the rebellion of Absalom – another son of David and a half-brother of Solomon (2 Samuel 19: 31-39)

Graphic: King David’s Genealogy/Absalom

8-9 Then, King David tells Solomon to ‘deal’ with Shimei (a different Shimei from 1 Kings 1: 7) a man who cursed him when he was escaping from Absalom
(2 Samuel 16: 5-13)

10-12 King David dies and Solomon becomes King and sits on the throne of David

Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 2: 1-12

If you want to be successful in Life, and, in your ministry, you need a Mentor

Please notice: 12 Re-Read ‘his Kingdom was firmly established’

Q. How was it possible that Solomon’s Kingdom was established so quickly?

A. king David had spent the previous 40 years preparing it for him

David was a warrior King and had fought hard all of his 40 year reign as King to conquer Israel’s enemies, expand the territory of Israel and set up Jerusalem as its capital City

Graphic: Israel under David then Solomon

King David’s reign was marked by continuous war and bloodshed for 40 years, and because of that, Solomon’s reign as King would be completely different, it would be marked by 40 years of peace and economic prosperity

David had prepared the throne for Solomon, and, Solomon’s early success can be directly attributed to his father David, his Mentor

We see this principle in the New Testament too, in the mentoring relationship between the great Apostle Paul and Timothy

2 Timothy 3: 10-11, 14 for at least 10 years Paul had personally mentored Timothy and was preparing Timothy for success in Life and ministry
And, through Timothy’s ministry in the Churches, Paul continued to mentor the people of God

1 Corinthians 4:17 ‘For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church’

Again, let’s not forget King David last words to Solomon as we close this Message today

1 Kings 2: 3 ‘Observe the requirements of the LORD your God, and follow all His ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go’.

This is the tragedy of Solomon: Solomon forgot the death-bed instruction of his father and Mentor David, and as a result, he forgot God.

And because Solomon forgot God, he failed to Mentor his own son Rehoboam

Graphic: King David’s Genealogy/Rehoboam

After Solomon’s death, when Rehoboam became King, he had no ‘model’ for success, with the very first challenge to his role as King, Rehoboam rejected the advice of the Elders of Israel and instead, took the advice of the young men he had grown up with which caused disastrous consequences for the House of David and Israel!

1 Kings 11: 43, 1 Kings 12: 8

2 Chronicles 12:1 ‘when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the LORD, and all Israel followed him in this sin’.

Graphic: Israel a divided Kingdom

Have you got a Mentor? If not, get one

Are you mentoring someone? If not, get someone

Dear friends, ‘Don’t forget God’

Jesus said ‘come and learn of Me’

Guest Contributor: sister Carmen Gasilao

Last June, 2018 we learned of the death of two well-known celebrities. Both of them Americans.
1) Kate Spade – June 5 (56yrs old)… Fashion designer of Bags (New York)
2) Anthony Bourdain – June 8 (61 yrs old …17 days short of turning 62) — a gifted chef and

TV host whose stories explored culture, cuisine and the human condition.

In 4th century –Augustine of Hippo was raised by a godly mother Monica
He was a restless person and at a young age left home and indulge himself with the pleasures of the world. He was tired of his conservative and safe upbringing and became a slave of his passions. But his mother never gave up praying.
One of Augustine’s well-known quotation: You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Let me just bring you back where this restless problem began.
GENESIS 3:4-5
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

BUT THANK GOD FOR JESUS….
MATTHEW 11:27-30
27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We will look into four things:
1. WHO JESUS IS
2. WHOM JESUS CALLS
3. WHAT JESUS OFFERS
4. HOW TO RECEIVE WHAT JESUS OFFERS

WHO JESUS IS ______

***GOD THE FATHER works THROUGH AND WITH THE SON and never without Him.
What is committed to the Son? ALL THINGS (not some)…
God the Father works through and with the Son and never without Him
(in creation) John 1:1-3
(in the Old Testament) 1 Peter 1:10-11
(in salvation) John 3:16-17
(in judgment) John 5:22-23

Jesus is the ONLY way to know the Father– without Jesus you will never know God

***I AM GENTLE and HUMBLE IN HEART.
Paul said in Philippians 2:5-8
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

WHOM JESUS CALLS _________
ALL those who are WEARY AND BURDENED…..
ALL – not some, regardless of race or gender or age or status or belief
Weary and burdened – tired of doing wrong (sin enslaves)
– sometimes even tired of doing right
(when nothing seems to happen; only going through the motion or tradition )
Luke 11:46 But He said, “Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”
WHAT JESUS OFFERS
I will give you REST (VV28,29)
Rest – to be refreshed, to be at peace
• Calms the mind – clarifies the thoughts (what is important/true)
• Enables the will – to make the right choices
• Regulates the passion – to be subjected to the love and peace of God
Future rest: Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

HOW TO RECEIVE THE REST THAT JESUS OFFERS
1) COME TO ME – draw near to Jesus
2) TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU – the yoke of subjection to Jesus
3) LEARN OF ME – for He is the full embodiment of God

“When an ox is yoked, he is no longer free to do what he wants to do. He is under the direction of the owner, the driver. To be yoked means the end of running his own life and seeking his own way… When you enter into the yoke with Jesus Christ you give up the right to determine what your life may be. You expect him to direct you.” –Ray Stedman

THEN AND NOW

For those who are weary and heavy-laden, the invitation of Jesus remains….
will you come and accept Him and know His rest?

Our Position In Christ

Guest Contributor: Ps. Shalom Gasilao-Barbero

Our Position In Christ

We have been in the series of Do not forget God and if we grasp and absorb what are the blessings we have in Christ, I do believe we will never forget God.

It’s the same with us Christian, we if we profess that we were created in God and that we love Jesus, it should be known in our lives who is our Creator and we will never forget God.

And it boils down if you know what your POSITION is as a child of God is.

So what’s your position?

Ephesian 1:3-14

Background: Paul wrote this letter to the church of Ephesus – who are already faithful followers of Christ – meaning they are already Christians.

v. 3-4 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

1st point: Chosen by God

The God who is so perfect, the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God of love, the God who is so great – chose a sinner like you and me to be with Him and to have fellowship with Him, to be loved by Him.

If you’re mindset is like this that I am chosen by God – you’ll never forget God. I think your response will be
W – worship
A – Adore
W – work for Him

God has called us to be holy and blameless

Because you and I believed and received His Son, Jesus this is what happens

Verse 5 – God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Adoption – which is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person’s biological or legal parent or parents.

Adoption is not a performance base – but a person’s preference base – who she or he wants to get as a child.

It’s not by works that we are saved, it’s a gift from God so no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Balancing this truth is that – you are called for good works, but you are not saved by good works.

God’s adoption for us is something that can’t be fully explained but we can enjoy this!!!

2nd Point: Redeem by Jesus Christ

Verse 6-8 10- 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

Maybe we need to be reminded of this, that our salvation was not free. Jesus paid the price for this. Maybe we need to be reminded today that we should not be taking for granted what Jesus did on the cross.

Our response is to be humble enough to accept the gift of salvation.
Once we know we are forgiven and loved by God our next attitude is to know who this Savior is.

3rd Point: Sealed by the Holy Spirit

11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. 12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[b] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Seal – like the indelible impression made by a king’s signet ring, the Holy Spirit is an inward mark of God’s ownership of His people.

Or if you are a son of rich father and your father has entitled his land and all his asset to you as his inheritance – the written will and testament of his promises can be compared to the Holy Spirit – that it is God’s promise.

The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father (Luke 24:49) – and this promise is extended to all those who trust in Christ.

The Holy Spirit is not only a fulfillment of God’s promise to indwell His people, but also a guarantee that He will bring them to their final inheritance.

And all of these boils down to one purpose

v. 14 – He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Amen!! We as His children’s ultimate goal in life is not be rich, not to be famous, not be the most intelligent, the number one kindest person in the world, no…our ultimate goal in life is to put a smile in our heavenly Father’s face.