Adriene Rogers was a motivator, an encourager, and a leader of the faith. He was also passionate about presenting scriptural application to everyday life circumstances, and you'll hear that in today's message.
Now, let's join Adriene Rogers. Would you turn to Matthew chapter 12, and we're going to look in just a moment at verse 42. And while you're turning, let me tell you this. Criticism is one of the easiest things there is to do. It doesn't take much size to criticize. But if you were to criticize the Lord Jesus, how pitiful would be your criticism. Now, the text that I'm about to read to you was a text that was given to the Pharisees who were masters of criticism. They criticized Jesus, they castigated Jesus, they interrogated Jesus, but they were so blind, they were oblivious to the obvious. There was the Lord Jesus right in their midst, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, never another like Jesus, amen.
But notice what he had to say to these, Matthew chapter 12 and verse 42. He said to them, to these Pharisees, the Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Now, these Pharisees were taken with bigness. They were taken with religion, pomp, circumstance, glory, and power. Therefore, they had read about King Solomon in all of his glory. And they were impressed by that. But the Lord Jesus said, now wait a minute, the Queen of the South, that is the Queen of Sheba, had come from the uttermost parts of the ends of the earth.
Most likely that was Ethiopia. And she made a long visit, a trek, dangerous, arduous to see Solomon in all of his glory. And Jesus said, there's one much greater than Solomon that is right here with you. And in their blindness and in their arrogance, they missed him. I wonder what they thought when Jesus said to them, when this peasant prophet said to them, a greater than Solomon is right here with you.
The past pastor of this church, Dr. Lee, imagines what they might have said. They thought, well, Solomon was a king's son. You are a carpenter's son. Solomon was born in a palace. You were born in a stable. Solomon was born in beautiful Jerusalem.
You were born in little Bethlehem. Solomon had many servants. You don't have any servants. Solomon wore kingly robes. You dressed in a peasant's garb. Solomon drank from vessels of gold.
You had to ask a fallen woman, a Samaritan harlot of water. Solomon was rich. You're poor. Solomon had armies.
You just have a few followers. Solomon built great cities. You're a carpenter's son.
You build plowshares and chairs. Solomon lived in a palace. You're homeless. Solomon had 1,400 chariots.
You have to walk wherever you go. Solomon ate with the queen of Sheba. You eat with publicans and sinners. How can you say that you're greater than Solomon? Today, I want to mention seven ways that Jesus was greater than Solomon, and I hope that God the Holy Spirit will burn this into your heart and etch it upon your consciousness and you will come away saying, hallelujah, what a Savior. Our great, our great Savior. Now, you find the story of Solomon and the queen of Sheba back in the Old Testament in 1 Kings chapter 10, so I'd like for you to go backward in your Bible, if you will, to 1 Kings chapter 10 and lay your Bible open there and continue to look with me as we're going to find these seven ways that the Lord Jesus, our great Savior, is greater than Solomon.
Number one, Jesus is greater in wisdom. Now, let's think a little bit about the wisdom of Solomon. In 1 Kings chapter 10, the first four verses, we learn about the wisdom of Solomon, and here's what it says, the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. She came to prove him, that means to test him with hard questions and she came to Jerusalem with a very great train with camels that bear spices and very much gold and precious stones and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart and Solomon told her all her questions. There was not anything hid from the king which he told her not. That is, she could not stop him. She could not ask him a question that he could not answer.
You know why? God had given to Solomon the supernatural gift of wisdom and chapter 10 verse 24 says, and all the earth sought to Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart and Solomon was a wise man. For example, Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs.
I read regularly from the book of Proverbs. What an incredible compendium of wisdom that is and that was written primarily by Solomon and as you read the book of Proverbs, you realize that Solomon knew theology, Solomon knew philosophy, Solomon knew biology, Solomon knew sociology. What an incredible gathering of wisdom that Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs and by the way, it is said in the Bible that he knew 3,000 Proverbs and 1,500 Psalms by memory, by heart. What a prodigious mind he had and what great wisdom he had. He knew all about creation. For example, he studied all of the trees of the field and the creatures and the Bible says in 1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 33, and he spake of trees from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall. He spake also of beasts and of fowl and of creeping things and of fishes.
This man had incredible wisdom. He knew about fish, but I want to tell you Jesus is greater than wisdom. Jesus made the fish that Solomon knew about.
Isn't that right? The Bible says in 1 John chapter 1 and verse 3, all things were made by him. That is by Jesus and without him was not anything made that was made. Solomon may have studied fish, but Jesus loaded a fisherman's net with fish so much that it sank two boats. Solomon knew about all of the winds and the circulation of the winds, but the Lord Jesus, greater than Solomon, stilled the winds and made the waves lay down at his feet like whipped puppies. Solomon might have known about navigation and indeed he did because he sailed the ships, but the Lord Jesus was the one who walked on water. A greater than Solomon is here.
Now, here's the interesting thing. All of Solomon's wisdom, all of his knowledge, listen, it didn't satisfy him. Do you know what he wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 and verse 17? He said, I gave my heart to know wisdom and I perceive that this is also vexation of spirit.
Do you know what? Wisdom is not the answer, this world's wisdom. The more a man knows, the more he knows that he does not know.
Isn't that true? And you take a man like Einstein. Einstein died in 1955, but here's what Einstein said. He said, I feel like a man chained if I could only be freed from the shackles of my intellectual smallness, then I could understand the universe in which I live. He said, I feel bound.
Oh, he said, if I could only understand. Folks, that was Einstein who said that. Solomon said, all of my wisdom, all of my learning, it was vexation of spirit. But you see, Jesus has greater wisdom.
You can know facts. You can have a full head and an empty heart, but oh, Jesus gives wisdom that satisfies the wellsprings, wisdom that a little child can know. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 that Jesus Christ has made unto us wisdom. Ephesians 1 verse 8 says, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom.
Folks, I want to tell those of you in the university, I want to tell our college students, study all you want, learn as much as you want, but that wisdom will never satisfy the longing of your heart. It didn't satisfy Solomon and it will not satisfy you. And how sad for you to study biology and the study of life and not know Jesus who is the life. How sad to study geology and the ages of the rocks and not know Jesus, the rock of ages.
How sad for you, my precious friend, to study philosophy and not know the Lord Jesus Christ who is the way and the truth. No, Jesus, Jesus is greater in Solomon in wisdom. Here's a second way that Jesus is greater than Solomon. Not only greater than Solomon in wisdom, but greater than Solomon in works. Now, Solomon was a man who achieved a lot of wonderful things. For example, Solomon built a house.
You're in 1 Kings chapter 10, look in verse 4. And it says, and when the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon's wisdom and the house that he built. Now, Solomon built for himself a house. It took him 13 years to complete it.
It defies description. I don't have time to try to describe it to you this morning, but just put in your margin 1 Kings chapter 7 and you can read about the house that Solomon built for himself. And ladies, maybe your husband will build one like that for you. But I want to say that while Solomon built a great house, Jesus has built a greater one. You know what the Bible says in John chapter 14, verse 1? In my father's house are many mansions. And I go and prepare a place for you. If you think that little shack that Solomon lived in was something, you wait till you see what God has prepared for us, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has prepared a place for us. What a house our Lord is building. And you know also, not only did Solomon build a house, but Solomon set a table.
Look in verse 5, chapter 10, verse 5. And the meat, that is the food of his table and the sitting of his servants and the attendance of his ministers and their apparel, which is cupbearers and his ascent and so forth. She saw the gracious sumptuous feast that old King Solomon had set.
It was delicacy beyond compare. But I want to tell you, Jesus is greater. Solomon could set a feast, but Solomon couldn't take a little boy's lunch, five loaves and a few fishes and feed 5,000. He couldn't do that. I'll tell you what else Solomon couldn't do. Solomon could not change pure water into sparkling wine. And even if Solomon could, Solomon could not serve the bread of life, the water of life that will satisfy the deepest longing of your heart.
Let me tell you something. I don't care how much you know and I care not how much you acquire. If you don't know Jesus and have Jesus, you are ignorant and poor. Jesus is greater than Solomon. She saw the table that Solomon set, but God brought me here to tell you, my children, come and dine. Come and feed on the Lord Jesus who is the bread of life, the Lord Jesus who is the water of life. He and He alone can satisfy the deep longing of your heart. Solomon ate and he was hungry again. Jesus is the bread of life. He is the water of life. Think of the temple that Solomon built.
We're talking about his works. In 1 Kings 10, verse 5, the Bible says, she also saw his ascent when he went to the house of the Lord. What house of the Lord is he talking about? That incredible temple that Solomon built. Historians tell us it was probably the most magnificent building the world has ever seen or ever will see. It took 183,600 workers to build that temple.
They worked on it, labored for seven and a half years. Solomon's father, David, had been gathering gold and silver and precious stones to build that temple. God Almighty was the architect of that temple.
It faced east. The sun rose on the covering of that temple, gold plated. Josephus said it stood there on the mountain like a mountain of snow. But I want to tell you, Jesus has built a greater temple. Do you want to know where his temple is? Not this building that we worship in. You, you are the temple that Jesus has built. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 says, what know ye not that you are the temple of God? You are his temple. Where is the temple that Solomon built? It is gone.
You can't find the shred of it. The temple that Jesus has built will live forever. I mean this temple, inhabited by the Holy Ghost, will live forever. We are temples of God. We have to understand that's what salvation is all about. Salvation is not primarily getting man out of earth into heaven.
It is getting God out of heaven into man. And we are now temples of Almighty God. Jesus is greater than Solomon in wisdom. Jesus is greater than Solomon in works. I'll tell you a third way that Jesus is greater than Solomon, in workers, those who serve him who do those works.
Look, if you will, in 1 Kings now, chapter 10 and verse 8. The queen of Sheba is there and she sees the retinue of servants that Solomon has. She sees those coming and going and she notices something about their countenance.
They all seem to be smiling. Here's what she said, happy are thy men. Happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee that hear thy wisdom. What she said is, what a wonderful place to work and what a wonderful man to work for. She said, I believe these must be the happiest people I've ever seen. Can you imagine serving in the court of such a wise and wealthy king as Solomon? I want to tell you something, friend, listen to me. Greater than Solomon is here and his servants are more blessed than Solomon's servants ever could be blessed.
Is that not true? Listen, Jesus, the servants of Jesus have far more happiness and far more than happiness than Solomon's servants ever had. Not only do we have happiness, we have joy. And Jesus says to us in John chapter 15 verse 11, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. A child of God walking by the Spirit has continual conspicuous and contagious joy and we are to serve the Lord with gladness. Now Solomon is gone, his palace is gone, his sumptuous table is gone and all of those who served him, so what?
But friend, you can't give a cup of cold water in the name of the disciple and lose your reward. The service of Jesus is wonderful. Jesus' servants are greater in joy. I'll tell you what else they're greater in.
They're greater in dedication. Those of you who are servants of the Lord Jesus know what I'm talking about. In this world today there are literally millions and millions of people who not only serve Jesus, but if necessary would die for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is greater in wisdom. Jesus is greater in works. Jesus is greater in workers. If I had a thousand lives I'd want to give everyone to Jesus, serving the Lord Jesus.
Happy are his servants. I'll tell you another way that Jesus is greater than Solomon. Jesus is greater than Solomon in wealth. Now think about the wealth that old Solomon had. 1 Kings chapter 10 beginning in verse 14.
Listen to it. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold. Beside that he had of the merchant men and of the traffic of the spice merchants and of all the kings of Arabia and all the governors of the country and King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went to one target and he made three hundred shields of beaten gold. Three pounds of gold went to one shield and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the best gold.
You're picking the, you're catching the idea. I don't have time to read all of this. Fast forward down to verse 23. Here's what it says, so King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. Mr. Gates, Aristotle, Onassis, they were paupers compared to Solomon, compared to Solomon. Probably no individual who has ever lived or whoever will live had the wealth that Solomon had. The queen of Sheba who herself knew wealth. When she came and saw the wealth of Solomon she said, the breath has gone out of me.
She said, the half has never yet been told. Wealthy, yes, but come up here, let me tell you something. Jesus is greater in wealth. How wealthy is Jesus? In Psalm 24 verse 1, the earth is the Lord's.
That's pretty wealthy. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and all they that dwell in. In another place the Bible tells us that the cattle in a thousand hills belongs to Jesus. All of the minerals in this earth belong to Jesus.
Every star is his. It was made by him, it was all made by him and for him and it's all coming back to him. People ask, what is this world coming to?
Have you ever said that? What is the world coming to? It's coming to Jesus. It is coming to Jesus and it belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Solomon was wealthy, but he left me nothing. I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.
You know what that means? To be a joint heir? The lawyers here will tell you what a joint heir is, friend. That's share and share alike. I mean, that is share and share alike. We enter into his riches.
What a blessing. Jesus is greater in wealth than Solomon. I want to mention the fifth way he's greater than Solomon. Jesus is greater in worth. I didn't say wealth, I said worth. Wealth is what a man has.
Worth is what a man is. The queen of Sheba came. She looked at Solomon and saw the blessings of God and realized he was a worthy man. 1 Kings chapter 10 verse 9. Here's what the queen of Sheba said when she saw how God had blessed Solomon.
She said, blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighteth in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel because the Lord loved Israel forever. Therefore, the Lord made thee king to do judgment and justice. The thing is, Solomon, God has crowned you. God has blessed you.
God has seen in you worth. And therefore, according to verse 18, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the best gold and he sits upon that throne. There were 12 lions out in front of that throne. There was steps going up to that throne. Just imagine what that throne must have been like. When Sheba saw it, the Bible says the breath went out of her.
But I want to tell you, Jesus is greater in worth. Let me tell you about another throne. Revelation chapter 5. I love this passage. Revelation chapter 5 verses 11 through 13. The apostle John is transported. He's taken up into heaven and this is what he saw. He says, and I beheld and heard the voice of the angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them and heard I saying blessing and honor and glory and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb forever and ever.
Amen. Oh, friend, what a great Savior, greater in worth than Solomon. Solomon's throne is gone. There's a throne established in the heavens. John saw it.
It was occupied. There is one sinning upon it and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. Friend, I'm glad that God honored Solomon and I pay respect to him, but I would never worship him. I worship Jesus.
I worship Jesus. A king came into a room and a bunch of diplomats and dignitaries were there and when the king walked in, they all stood up. He in feigned modesty said, Sirs, be seated. After all, I'm not the Lord. One said to him, sir, I mean you no disrespect. I stand to give you honor, but if you were the Lord, I would fall on my face.
I would fall on my face. Have you been on your face before him? Do you join that group in revelation? Do you have somebody that you love or greater than Solomon, greater in worth, somebody that you say is worth all that I have and am and are? I give him honor and glory and power and majesty forever. I'll tell you another way that Jesus is greater than Solomon.
He's greater in worship. Now, in chapter 10, verse 5, the Bible says that the Queen of Sheba, as she's there watching all of this, she sees the ascent in which he went up to the temple. I've studied this word ascent, and what it literally means, the word ascent may be translated burnt offering.
One translation that I studied this week said Holocaust, and what it means is this, that she saw Solomon as he brought his offerings in worship to the Lord. Solomon dedicated that temple, the Bible describes it in 2 Chronicles chapter 7 and verse 5, and King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 20 and 2,000 oxen, 20 and 2,000 oxen, and 120,000 sheep, 120,000 sheep. That is one offering when he dedicated the temple. All of those offerings could not atone for one sin.
All of them. All they did was to typify and illustrate the offering that would be made. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 4 says, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sin. But Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12 speaks of our great Savior, and it says, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. Friend, he is our great Savior. He's greater in worship. Solomon in worship offered the blood of bulls and of goats.
The Lord Jesus offered up himself. Our old sin-sick world looks to science and says, science, can't you save me? And science says, I can tell you how far it is from the earth to the sun, but I cannot tell you how far God can remove sin from the human heart. The world looks at education and says, education, can't you save me? And education says, I can talk to you about facts, but I cannot impart saving truth to you. The world looks at government, and the world says, government, can't you save me? And government, if it would be honest, would have to say, no, we can regulate things and run things. But government has no power to deal with sin. Government has no power to make people good. Sociology, can't you save me?
Sociology would have to say, all I can do and all culture can do is to make the world a better place to go to hell from. I cannot save you. Listen to me. Jesus is great because he is the only savior of the world. And I ask Jesus, Jesus, can't you save me? And Jesus says, yes, I can, and I will sing above the battle strife. Jesus saves. Jesus saves by his death and endless life. Jesus saves.
Jesus saves. He's greater than Solomon in worship. Final thing, Jesus is greater than Solomon in wonder. When the queen of Sheba saw everything that Solomon had done, she was filled with awe, filled with amazement. She said in chapter 10 of 1 Kings verse 7, the half has never yet been told.
But I want to say as wonderful as Solomon was, Jesus is more wonderful, our great savior. I feel tongue tied. I cannot articulate. My emotions cannot describe. My brain cannot comprehend the wonders that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
And when you see him in glory, you'll say, well, the pastor preached about this, but he didn't tell us half of it. He didn't tell us half of it. Why? Because I can't.
Because I can't. Years and years ago, I heard a story of a little girl who was blind. A doctor was able to perform a very delicate operation, hoping to restore the sight to that little girl. The operation took place. The time for healing took place. Then the time when they were going to take off the bandages.
Can you imagine what a moment that must have been? So there they are in the doctor's office. He begins to unwrap that gauze from around her precious little head, her beautiful little face. The nurses are there looking. Then he takes those gauze pads from off her eyes and says, now keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them and open them very slowly.
And already the light is beginning to come in. She opens her eyes and focuses. And the first thing she saw was the face of that doctor. The next thing she saw was the face of her mother. The next thing she saw was the mother's tears. And she could see. She saw that doctor's office. She jumped up, wanted to see everything that she'd only touched. She went to the window and opened the window. And then she saw, not the grass, she saw the green grass.
Not the sky. She saw the blue sky. She saw God's wonderful world. Her mother was dancing in ecstasy. She came back to her mother and said, Mother, why didn't you tell me?
It was so beautiful. And the mother said, Darling, I tried to tell you, but you had to see it for yourself. Friend, I want to tell you that I'm trying to tell you, wait till we get to heaven. Wait till we get to heaven. Wait till when by his grace we look upon his face. When you see Jesus, you will say, Yes, it is worth it all. He is greater in wonder.
The breath went out of the queen of Sheba when she saw Solomon and all of his glory. But one day I'm going to see Jesus in all of his glory. Isn't that wonderful? Now, folks, here's what it's all about. You listen to me today.
Listen. Jesus is greater than Solomon and he's greater than everybody else and he's greater than everybody else put together. There's only one dear, wonderful, glorious Savior.
And did you know what? He wants to save you today and he will save you. I promise you on the authority of the Word of God if you'll trust him. And if you want the Lord Jesus, you must understand that you're a sinner. You must understand that your sins deserve judgment. You must understand that Jesus took your sins, carried them to the cross and bore your judgment, paid the debt of your sin, the penalty of your sin with his own precious blood and that Jesus now by his grace will save you if you will receive by faith the gift of everlasting life.
You cannot earn it. You'll never deserve it. It is a gift to sinners such as we. You may pray a prayer like this, Lord Jesus, I need you and I want you. Thank you for dying for my sins. Thank you that you paid for my sin with your blood on the cross. I believe you're the Son of God. I believe God raised you from the dead and now by faith like a child, I receive you this moment as my Lord and Savior. Come into my heart. Forgive my sin. Save me and keep me. In your name I pray. Amen. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.
