Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon
Last time: 1 Kings 8: 1-11
Here is the lesson from: 1 Kings 8: 1-11
Our limited experience of God’s presence on the Earth is preparing us for the fullness of His presence in Heaven
Today: 1 Kings 8: 12-66
Solomon the theologian
12-21 (15) Solomon publicly praises the Lord
22-53 (23) Solomon publicly prays to the Lord
54-61 (55) Solomon publicly blesses the people
62-64 (62) Solomon publicly makes sacrifices to the Lord
65-66 (65) Solomon publicly celebrates the Festival of Shelters
In our text, 1 Kings 8: 12-66, Solomon publicly
Praises the Lord
Prays to the Lord
Blesses the people
Makes sacrifices to the Lord
And celebrates the Festival of Shelters
All of Solomon’s praises, prayers, blessings, sacrifices and celebrations are expressions of his Theology – his understanding of God
So, was Solomon a good theologian or was he a bad theologian?
What was his understanding of God?
The answer is in Solomon’s prayer 1 Kings 8: 53 ‘Sovereign Lord’
Solomon was a good theologian – he had a correct understanding of God
Solomon understood that God is Sovereign – that is, God is: Almighty, unrivalled and unlimited in His supreme authority and power over all things
Solomon understood that in God’s sovereignty – God: chooses, appoints, determines, predestines and governs all things according to His eternal plan and for His own eternal glory
Or, as the great Apostle Paul put it in Romans 11: 36 ‘For everything comes from Him and (everything) exists by His power and (everything) is intended for His glory’.
We know that Solomon’s theology was good because he wrote many times of God’s sovereignty – here are a few examples
God is sovereign in guiding our decisions in Life:
Proverbs 21: 1 ‘The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever he pleases’
God is sovereign over the direction of our Life:
Proverbs 19:21 ‘You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail’
God is sovereign over seemingly random outcomes in our Life:
Proverbs 16: 33 ‘We make our own decisions, but the Lord alone determines what happens’ CEV
God is sovereign over every ‘season’/stage/time of our Life:
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 ‘For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die’.
Have you ever wondered why God exercises His sovereignty over Man (Mankind)?
If God were not sovereign over Man (Mankind), Life on Earth would be Hell on Earth!
Genesis 6:5 ‘The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
In fact, Solomon said this: Ecclesiastes 9: 3 ‘twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course’ CSB
Now, have you ever thought about this: every Christian is a theologian – we all have our own understanding of God
The question is: are you a good theologian or are you a bad theologian?
Here is the lesson from: 1 Kings 8: 12-66
Being a good or a bad theologian all depends on your understanding of God’s sovereignty
The good news is: our theology can change – for the better!
True Life Example:
In the early 90’s God ‘raised up’ an incredibly talented songwriter by the name of Geoff Bullock/one of his very famous worship songs was called ‘Lord, I come to You’
Words on screen:
In the mid-late 90’s Geoff went through a major crisis in his life that forced him to examine his theology – his understanding of God’s sovereignty
As the Lord healed and restored him, Geoff re-wrote the first line of that famous worship song from ‘Lord, I come You’, to, ‘Lord, You come to me’
That small change to the first line is good theology!
Ephesians 2: 8 ‘It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!’
Dear friends, God is sovereign and when you understand this, you too, like Solomon, will fall on your knees in worship before Him and declare that in His sovereignty, we, are His own ‘special possession’
1 Kings 8: 53
And, we are His to do whatever He wants with our lives
Solomon was a good theologian and that’s why for Solomon to forget God was without excuse – what a tragedy!
1 Kings 11: 33 ‘Solomon has abandoned Me’
As we close today: Let’s humble ourselves today and worship the Sovereign Lord
revdotdavid 