Bill Johnson’s series on The Beauty of Wisdom studies the life of Solomon and reveals a prophetic pattern for cultural transformation through divine wisdom. In this session, Bill Johnson teaches on the value of living from the Presence of God and understanding His principles for life. David was a man of Presence, while Solomon was a man of principle. Solomon’s lack of value for the Presence, despite his extraordinary principles of wisdom, was what left room for him to walk away from the Lord later in his life. We are to be people of both Presence and principle. This is the fifth sermon in Bill Johnson’s series, The Beauty of Wisdom. Watch the series here: 
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Scripture References: Psalm 25: 12-13 1 Kings 3 3 John 2 Acts 15 Amos 1 Kings 8-9 1 Kings 11 Acts 2: 46 Revelation 21 The Beauty of Wisdom Series is available for purchase and download here: https://shop.bethel.com/products/the-…
Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. He is senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is passionate about seeing Revival and God’s Kingdom established and revealed in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Bill’s teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, hosting the Presence, and the renewed mind has helped thousands around the world to step into their true identity in Christ, God given purpose, and walk in a supernatural lifestyle displaying both purity and power. #BillJohnson #BethelChurch #Presence #Principles
Solomon became a man of extraordinary
principles David his father was a man of
the presence
Solomon was supposed to become the man
of principled presence
but it became the man of principle
[Music]
and what I want to do today is I want to
start with just a real interesting verse
out of Psalms 25 and then we’re going to
go to First Kings 3. so you can pick it
pick a verse pick a verse any verse
and go there end up and we’ll get
reading where I want to start I I need
to give a context for those who are
guests and then I want to give a context
to where we’re going in the study today
first for our guests I’m doing a study
on um the life of Solomon and the
prophetic example that he became
in order that we would have a template
for how to shift change
The Architects of culture that change
cities and Nations
Solomon lived in a way that was very
unique his Insight his his wisdom all
the things involved in his life actually
provides for us
the inspiration and the insight to bring
shift changes transformation to culture
to society that’s a big deal for us
Jesus had cities in mind he had nations
in mind
and I I personally feel one of the
greatest
embarrassments to the gospel would be
for you and me to Hope Jesus comes back
today
because that leaves so many people
outside of his plan
but we have to be a people that live
with the conviction he has answers for
every problem and every dilemma Jesus is
not returning in a rescue mission he’s
coming in a Victorious way to celebrate
the Victorious glorious Pride so it’s
just a huge part of of what kind of
fuels us here and Solomon I have felt
I’ve been saying it for I think maybe
close to 10 years I know at least five
years that there was something in the
life of Solomon in his words of wisdom
that would provide for us insight and a
template so to speak for the shift in
transformation of culture and Society so
that’s the context of what we’re doing
today I want to talk to you about some
of the differences between David and
Solomon and specifically David wrote
something in this Psalm Psalms 25. it’s
a concept I don’t want to teach on the
psalm I want to take kind of what’s
behind a statement I want to elaborate
on that for a moment and then we’re
going to get right into the life salt
all right so Psalms 25 we’re going to
read just one verse actually we’ll read
two verses
verse 12. who is the man that fears the
Lord him shall he teach in the way he
chooses
he himself shall dwell in prosperity and
his descendants shall inherit the earth
The New American Standard puts that 13th
verse
emphasizes something that my translation
doesn’t emphasize what that I really
like he says and his soul will dwell in
prosperity his descendants one of the
hair the Earth the inherit the land
his soul will inherit or uh will dwell
in prosperity his descendants will
inherit the lamb the point is this and
it’s important to catch is that whenever
you get a breakthrough your descendants
get a greater breakthrough
and it starts by describing when your
soul
when the fear of the Lord captures the
heart of an individual their internal
world starts taking on Divine structure
Prosperity abundance what does it look
like to have a soul that is prosperous
it was dealt with in third John verse 2.
I pray that you you would be in health
and prosper even as your soul prospers
so the target the aim of the Gospel is
to heal people on the inside Jen’s word
this morning was perfect during prayer
time healing people on the inside and so
picture this he says those who fear the
lord something happens on their internal
world where things start getting healed
and it becomes so significant that It
prepares the Next Generation to be able
to Steward a vast inheritance of land is
that making sense to you one generation
gets a breakthrough here the other
generation doesn’t have to deal with
that because they got raised in the
environment of her prosperous soul and
so now they can be entrusted with the
inheritance of land
does that make sense all right so the
point being in starting here it’s an
awkward place to start really except
that I want you to see cause and effect
I want you to see what one generation
experiences the next generation is
supposed to experience that and more it
was never supposed to be just the same
even Jesus approached this concept by
saying and Greater Works than these
shall you do he was setting a generation
up to experience more than the
Breakthrough he had seen and walked in
and I believe that’s the heart of God so
David was a one of the most unusual
characters in The Bible one is because
he was such a man if I could use the
term violent Warrior he was this
aggressive man of war to apprehend all
the promises of God for Israel all the
lands that had been promised to Israel
in the time of Moses David fought to
obtain he wanted God’s people to have
their inheritance and he was this man of
war to get it done on the other side the
other side of that same coin is the this
this man David was this passionate
intimate lover of God it’s it’s bizarre
we don’t usually think in terms of uh
the masculine you know He-Man you know
Warrior guy and the other side this
musician this just this romantic lover
of God but David was that he was the
perfect combination of passion for God
and this absolute abandonment as a life
of a warrior to bring for Israel
everything that they that they were to
inherit
so if you think about the concept of
inheritance one Victory is to set the
stage for the Next Generation to have a
bigger Victory think in terms now David
and Solomon David
was allowed to build a temporary
structure Solomon was allowed to build a
permanent structure
David built a place
the Bible gives us no description of
this place Tabernacle it was a
tabernacle that housed the Ark of the
Covenant let’s just imagine this little
Pulpit here symbolizing the ark the ark
was the place where the Holy Spirit
where the spirit the glory of God
literally would manifest tangibly
physically for the nation of Israel
Cloud by day Fire by night that was the
presence
it’s bizarre to me that surrounding
Nations will look down in the valley in
the wilderness and see a whole bunch of
people camp there and then they would
see God the fire of God the cloud of God
right in the midst of this people and so
here’s this Ark of the Covenant David
caught this dream now I should probably
give you the setting that David lived in
no priest none of those who served God
in Priestly Ministry could actually come
before the glory of his presence this
Ark of the Covenant was only for the
high priest on the day of atonement one
day a year that was all and they would
come and offer a blood sacrifice not to
deal with sin but to actually postpone
the penalty of sin because only the
blood of Jesus could deal with sin and
so David comes along and he says man
listen I’ve been discovering God’s heart
is different than that he doesn’t want
the blood of bulls and goats what he
wants is the sacrifices of yielded
Hearts he wants the broken Spirit the
contrite heart and from that comes songs
and praises and worship and expressions
so David comes along and says hey we got
a whole new plan and the bizarre thing
that we’ve dealt with at other times
here the bizarre thing is what David
came up with violated the law he lived
under
but it was it was like God allowed David
to see a new testament reality and David
went ahead he saw this thing that was
forever there would be a day when every
follower of Jesus would be called a
priest of the most high God
one who ministered to God and two people
so David saw this way back hundreds and
hundreds of years before it was it was
going to be possible because technically
it’s not possible to the blood of Jesus
qualifies a person for that kind of
ministry so God allows David if you
would to come and taste of to experience
and he brings back into an Old Testament
context
something that would actually be fully
be made available in the New Testament
and that is every minute every believer
a minister every believer a minister
unto God and so David builds this
Tabernacle we don’t have any description
of size nothing all we know is that the
ark the good that God was there and the
priests of the Lord
they would come in shifts and they would
Minister to God in Psalm 24 hours a day
this continued for at least 30 years I
think it was perhaps closer to 40. if
you can’t you talk about a well of
Revival that needs to be redone think
about that one glory of God manifested
openly for a nation as they would come
in and minister to the most high God and
every priest they didn’t carry blood
anymore in that season because this was
going to be a prophetic template again
for a new testament people that would be
called a new creation a people that
would be born of the spirit of God as
Priests of the most high that’s you
that’s me all right so David grabs this
thing brings it into Old Testament
concept it has such profound effects
that after Solomon came and built the
temple and we’ll talk about the
differences in a moment after they built
a temple some there was a great decline
because of Solomon’s huge blunders and
mistakes that we’ll look at
and then eventually Amos comes along and
he says in the last days I mean we’re
living in the last days in the last days
I’m going to rebuild the Tabernacle of
David and then he makes this interesting
qualifying not a qualifier a a like a uh
he defines what it’s going to look like
he says I’m going to I’m going to
rebuild the Tabernacle of David which
basically means I’m going to recreate
the environment where people get to be
before the glory constantly and minister
to him I’m going to recreate that in the
last days and then he says that the
house of Edom or the unbeliever would
find the Lord would seek the Lord what’s
the point the point was the prophecy
came saying this kind of worship
is going to bring in the Harvest of the
Nations
and you’ll know that that’s what I’m
doing it is when the Nations begin to
come to Christ all right so I’m sorry
I’m trying to go through this quickly so
that we have a context for where we need
to go so Amos comes with his prophecy
and he declares this in chapter nine
that that Tabernacle is going to be
rebuilt
in Acts 15 after the many years now uh I
forget now how many of these somewhere
between maybe 10 and 15 years or so
after
um the day of Pentecost so many Jews are
getting excuse me so many Gentiles are
getting saved that the Jerusalem Council
the leaders of the church the apostolic
leaders come together and they have a
meeting they have a powwow they say what
are we going to do we got all these
Gentiles getting saved they don’t even
know the law they don’t even know what
they’re supposed to do and so they meet
together to try to figure out what is it
from the Old Testament that made it
through the cross that these Gentile
Believers need to know about
it’s a good question because wisdom will
let us know what made it through the
cross davidic worship made it through
the cross
what was changed by the cross the
Sabbath rest
was the seventh day New Testament it’s
every day
what made it through what was changed
and what stopped animal sacrifice blood
sacrifice stopped at the cross
it’s wisdom to know those three
so there you guys doing all right all
right so they have this Jerusalem
Council all these Apostolic leaders meet
and James says hey
Amos said in the last days I’m going to
rebuild the Tabernacle of David and
you’ll know it’s being rebuilt because
Gentiles are going to get saved and he
says you know it’s like what are we
talking about here we’re talking about
what do we do with the Gentiles getting
saved and so he brings this prophetic
word out saying this is it this is the
time
of the Old Testament Prophet all right
that the prophet spoke of he said there
was going to be a shift in the condition
of the people of God and their focus in
Ministry so what was the shift the shift
was from obeying God through external
service to becoming a presence-oriented
culture
all right now this this is the heart and
soul of the apostolic mandate given to
us in the Lord’s Prayer
thy will be done on Earth as it is in
heaven what is the number one greatest
reality in heaven it is the presence of
God everything is literally permeated
saturated inundated with the glory of
his presence everything is connected it
would be like the reference point
everything is Tethered to this one value
and that is the celebration and value of
the presence of God God Is So present
everywhere that there’s not even a
shadow in heaven he is he is everywhere
at once shining there’s not even any
Shadows
so here is this Glory all through Heaven
that somehow has to affect
How We Do Life here on Earth
I don’t think it does you any good to
talk to your boss or your neighbor or
some other business leader about their
need to Value the presence I don’t think
that’s our message I think our message
is is to become a people of the presence
so that when they are with them they
will say to you something is different
when you walk in the room or they will
say why is it I feel so safe around you
but I don’t feel safe around these other
individuals why is it that they’re such
a peace I walk into your house and
there’s this incredible peace here that
just what is that what is what is that
all about that’s what I think that’s
what I think uh are the impact of being
a presence-oriented culture is like from
there it exponentially increases to
where Shadows heal Etc but right now
let’s just keep it at its most basic
form all right
so David David is a presence-oriented
man go with me to First Kings chapter 3.
as we will read in a few minutes
Solomon
had certain experiences in God
that I think are unparalleled
some of the things he experienced you
may be able to find a few others in
history that had that experience
but when you put all of it together I
don’t know that there was anyone who had
as much exposure to the glory to the
presence as Solomon did that’s that can
be debated but it’s just an opinion
I believe that the Lord set Solomon up
if you can remember the inheritance
thing internal Victory the Next
Generation inherits internal Victory and
now inherits the land so in other words
it’s it’s increased I believe what the
Lord had planned for David for Solomon
was that he would inherit a
presence-oriented culture from his dad
that would permeate all of life and
literally would see for the first time
in all of human history and the only
time in human history is heaven on Earth
in a city structure
I I talked with you a couple weeks ago
about uh several weeks ago now since I
was gone for two
about this passage in First Kings 5
verse 4 where Solomon writes this letter
in his letter and he says
he says we don’t even have an adversary
how many we’re here for that one we
don’t have an adversary that word
adversary is Satan we don’t even have a
devil
which tells me that wisdom is so
profound in its effect that the enemy
loses anything to hold on to
but then there was a phrase I didn’t
develop somebody just sent me a letter
and they they did a word study for me
and it just really impacted me really so
whoever’s listening out there that sent
this bless you
um they said uh this verse says
um
they have no it says we have no
adversary nor do we have evil occurrence
that word evil occurrence can actually
be translated
nothing would happen because of
fatherlessness
gracious when you when you look at the
ills of society that we face as a nation
that that are
exponentially increased because of the
pain and the trauma of fatherlessness
Solomon is saying listen we lived in
such beautiful Perfect Harmony that
there was no effects there was no
fatherlessness
there wasn’t even a devil and he’s
describing on Earth in an Old Testament
context before people were even born
again
a heaven on Earth culture so if there’s
anything that should cause us to become
a a convinced and convicted group of
people to what God intends to do I don’t
mean the Perfection of humanity I mean
giving him a place where presence dwells
and permeates culture so much that it
actually arrest the hearts of people and
we learn to live in cities that love God
well
that I believe is really the heart of
the Lord I believe that’s the heart of
the Lord all right let’s go first Kings
chapter 3 are you there
yes five of you that’s enough verse 3.
Solomon loved the Lord walking in the
statutes of his father David except that
he sacrificed and burned incense
at the high places he loved the Lord
like his dad except he sacrificed and
burned incense at the high places
this is um this is a very critical
beginning in Solomon’s story and let me
describe why
Solomon would do is he would sacrifice
and burn incense on high places on
mountains logical places to reach God
easier
all the surrounding Nations did it to
their false gods Solomon did it to the
one true God
the problem with it is sacrificing on
high places is something God said not to
do number one
so that’s automatically not a good idea
number two it represents self-will that
infects worship
and it’s in the foundation Stones how
many you know you can have a foundation
that’s slightly tilted and it’s not
going to make a big difference now but
the taller your building gets the more
disastrous that slip in the foundation
becomes
and it’s exactly what you see in the
life of Solomon is what started with
just a slight
off kilter Foundation God shows up to
him twice openly visibly so that he sees
besides the glory that came at the
dedication of the temple which we’ll
look at these encounters with God I
believe were given to Solomon to help
him adjust that foundation so that it
became solid enough to build something
extraordinary on but instead something
happened in Solomon’s heart where it
seemed to just fuel the independence the
self-will part of worship and self-will
may not look real nasty right here on
this Foundation level but the higher you
build that thing the more profound and
destructive it becomes
the whole issue of of worship when David
said God’s not interested in the blood
of bulls and goats he’s interested in
what the contrite heart the yieldness
the nature of worship is to recognize
value in God and at a place of
Brokenness and I don’t mean Brokenness
because I’m because I’m a jerk I mean
Brokenness in the sense of I’m before
one who is so overwhelmingly perfect
that I yield everything breathless to a
point to a point of breathlessness I
yield everything just to exalt and to
honor this one he never shows up to
humiliate he always shows up to bring
into Destiny but part of that process is
you realize his significance and your
insignificance without him
and without that reality you and I get
weird
especially you
that was that was a joke that was
completely a joke completely how did
that come out all right just just jumped
right out there all right
all right I want you to go now to
chapter eight chapter eight has the
dedication of the Temple
this is one of my uh most favorite
set of verses in the scripture
Chronicles has the same event and
actually has better detail on some of it
than this version but we’ll read this
one anyway all right begin with verse 1
Solomon assembled the Elders of Israel
and the heads of the tribes the chief
fathers of the children of Israel to
King Solomon in Jerusalem that they
might bring up the Ark of the Covenant
of the Lord From the City of David which
is Zion in other words they’re going to
take the ark that is in the Tabernacle
that David built they’re going to take
it from the temporary structure to this
multi-billion dollar facility that
Solomon has just built for the presence
all right and so they’re going to the
priests are going to carry this Ark of
the Covenant because the presence does
not rest as you recall does not rest
well on Ox carts David found that out
miserably
in other words the presence does not
rest on the vehicles that people create
it rests on the shoulders of the people
he created you and I were always
designed in the fear of the Lord to live
with and to carry the presence that’s
part of the design
and so they bring the Ark of the
Covenant uh into this assault this
Temple that Solomon built all right then
verse 4 says they brought up the Ark of
the Lord the Tabernacle of uh the
Tabernacle of meeting the holy
Furnishings that were in the Tabernacle
the priests the Levites they brought
them up King Solomon all the
congregation of Israel who were
assembled with him were with him before
the ark sacrificing sheep in Oxen that
could not be counted or numbered for the
multitude listen if you can be in the
presence of God and not give an offering
you maybe don’t recognize the presence
of God
and I’m not I’m not talking about your
wallets I’m talking about you know what
there’s something that happens if you
could picture this Isaiah 6. Isaiah says
I see the Lord he’s high he’s exalted
his train fills the temple and then God
start God starts talking to himself he
says who am I going to send what does
Isaiah do he says send me what’s the
point when you see the presence you
become a living offering it’s an
automatic response if you don’t see the
glory and become an offering then I
question what you see
amen bill that was a very very
trying to strengthen myself in the Lord
here
all right
let’s
let’s let’s move uh verse 6 says the
priest brought the Ark of the Covenant
of the Lord to its place into the inner
sanctuary of the temple to the most holy
place under the wings of the cherubim
all right jump down to verse 10. it came
to pass when the priest came out of that
Holy place the cloud filled the house of
the Lord so that the priest could not
continue ministering because of the
cloud for the glory of the Lord filled
the house of the Lord
this is a passion actually the chronicle
passage is is more of of of a favorite
because it says when the 120 trumpets
blue and the the the people lifted up
this Shout to the Lord then the glory
came and filled the house and somebody
didn’t stand up and say I sense the Lord
present I suggest all of us kneel before
the Lord I mean it wasn’t that kind of
an event it was he’s here bam on on my
face that’s that’s what happened in that
person there was no let’s Express
reverential attitude and awe towards
this king of glory there was none of
that stuff it was everybody on their
face trembling before the presence of
the Lord that’s that’s what’s described
here so Solomon now
has led this dedication of the house and
God responds God loves Solomon now he
ended
stupid
but he didn’t start that way he started
brilliantly
and uh yeah it’s it’s bad it’s bad where
he ended but at this moment this things
are going well
and the glory has showed up in such an
overwhelming way here’s what I want you
to see
all of this
is setting
the prophetic pattern for
transformational culture
if the presence of God does not become a
practical influence in our personal
lives our families or corporate
Gathering we have no business using that
template for changing of a city
I this is the wrong term I’ve been
saying we need to we need to be able to
learn how to measure I don’t mean
measuring a sense of quality or quantity
I mean measure in a sense of recognize
to attribute to be able to say oh he’s
here or oh there’s this present some
ability to recognize God in the room
that is tangible in a way where there
are results because he has shown up
and I I believe with all of my heart
that is that the heart and soul of a
transformational culture here’s the
problem
Solomon became a man of extraordinary
principles David his father was a man of
the presence
Solomon was supposed to become the man
of principled presence
but it became the man of principle why
is that dangerous Paul tells us later in
Corinthians he says knowledge puffs up
knowledge automatically brings arrogance
into a life
now notice when Paul says this to the
church at Corinth he doesn’t say
carnal knowledge
makes you proud
it doesn’t say knowledge of secular
matters worldly things he doesn’t say
that the context is to Believers
knowledge makes you proud what’s the
only thing that keeps Knowledge from
making us proud the only thing is that
when knowledge comes with a Divine
encounter
[Applause]
you know take Paul on this donkey God
knocks him off the donkey he has an
encounter he doesn’t walk away from that
experience going you know wait till you
see all the books I’m about to write
he doesn’t walk out of that experience
strutting he comes out tail between his
legs the servant of all delightfully
embracing the privilege to be beaten and
persecuted for this one he saw
that’s different
that’s different
the Bible says
that you and I are the fragrance of
Christ
that changes an atmosphere over the
world
that makes ready the knowledge of the
lord it’s the fragrance of the knowledge
of the Lord fragrance is what fragrance
is an experience knowledge
is cognitive
these two words together mean that you
and I are to carry the presence of God
so significantly that we become
we present to people an experiential
knowledge that leads them to Christ
I believe we’re going to see effect we
uh Chris I think prophesied this a
number of years ago I believe this is
God when we started having those clouds
and the gold cut type stuff up here that
we’re going to be seeing some of those
unusual manifestations in public places
in businesses because I tell you I feel
like God is just getting a people who
value the presence more than anything
else get them ready to be
initiators if you will or targets of God
or something where you and I in public
place God begins to show up I already
know of it happening but I think it’s
going to become somewhat regular
so here’s this
here’s this
this moment where they minister to the
Lord and suddenly God comes
and they can no longer minister
I’m not sure what to call that except
amazing
I think it’s appropriate
we have we have the absolute
I’m extremely biased but I’m also very
insightful
yeah I’m very insightful
on this one subject
I am
biased
but I’m biased with insight
we have the absolute best worship
Ministry I know of anywhere in the world
I am so thankful I am so thankful
for as I said first service I’m so
thankful for our teams that serve us
just day and I mean this last week man
they just one of our guitar players he
only missed one meeting you know us I
know he had something else there just he
said my fingers are on their last legs
which brings great a great picture to
mine my fingers are on their last leg
I mean these guys just work day and
night Brian Jen lead this whole team I
am so thankful for the worship Ministry
these guys write songs out of our walk
out of our experience with God they go
all over the world but I don’t I mean
I’m thankful for that but man as long as
we enjoy them that’s that’s what matters
to me most forgive me for that little
selfish moment but
let’s be honest here
‘s the here’s the problem
is that oftentimes Ministry to God
is put into the context of songs
and not life
all right
[Music]
were these people still priests under
the Lord laying on their faces with no
more songs no more trumpets somewhere
the trumpets fell so the people of their
faces are in the you know in the floor
are they still preached under the Lord
yes are they ministering the Lord yeah
they are how are they doing it they’re
they’re not doing anything they’re just
raw exposed Hearts yielded and it was
the very thing that God delighted in
I’m going to emphasize this more in a in
a a later session but one of the one of
the keys to Israel’s life was they
approached daily work their labor as an
expression of work of worship
when your time your work at Starbucks
or the school teacher
or the dental assistant or whatever
position you happen to have
when that position becomes an expression
of worship we lose the ability to
distinguish between sacred and secular
which is what we need we need
desperately to get rid of the separation
between a Christian part of our life and
a non-Christian part of all because it
doesn’t it does not exist biblically it
does not exist
thank you
it doesn’t exist and as long as the
church creates those separations
we are justified in thinking Us and Them
and it’s hard to serve a city when it’s
Us and Them
we serve best when we realize it’s us
it’s us
[Music]
and the ability to take every part of
life I’ve been trying to capture because
I I didn’t learn this to be honest I
didn’t learn this until just a few years
ago it became highlighted to me and I’ve
spent my time since then trying to learn
how to take the menial tasks of life
and have them become expressions of
worship
I think if we take this amount of people
in the room
they hit the hit the marketplace
tomorrow
and learn to grab whatever it is we’ve
been assigned to do and let that be an
offering it changes everything why
because fire always falls on sacrifice
you want to attract the king into the
marketplace your principles are great
but work giving an offering let your
work it makes everything different my
brother was telling me Oh goodness one
of the most horrible stories I’ve ever
heard he’s got food poisoning in Africa
you got food poisoning for several days
no water to drink
a toilet that didn’t flush
and overflowed down through the house
and one of the workers there would come
and by hand clean out this toilet as he
is sicker than a dog
and singing the entire time I have the
best daddy in the whole world
just saying oh
okay I’m not a missionary Jesus
how in the world do you do that there’s
somebody who found out that everything
we do can be unto the Lord and bring him
glory and I’ve got this sense that that
that reality tips the scales that
reality shifts and impacts culture and I
pray that Grace over everybody in this
room
and made the toilet not overflow I pray
that you know just so that nobody gets
tested beyond what you’re able to Bear
all right
go with me go with us see we got we got
a little bit of time left let’s hurry
verse chapter nine
chapter 9 verse 1.
and it came to pass when Solomon had
finished building the house of the Lord
and the King’s house all Solomon’s
desire which he wanted to do the Lord
appeared to him a second time
all right two things we need to talk
about the first one there are a few
times in scripture I haven’t counted so
forgive me but it’s
it’s a few times where there is a
statement made about Solomon and this
statement
just basically says
everything that came into Solomon’s
heart
was accomplished
now think about this
what would it be like
to live
such a full life in the things of God
that literally everything he put into
your heart was accomplished before you
died
now I wonder
how many people in all of history
died
only when everything was accomplished I
don’t think it’s very many I know it’s
happened I know I just heard a story
here just recently someone came to the
end they realized they were up in years
they brought the family together they
said you know everything I’ve dreamed of
has been done and they told their family
that they would be dying because of that
everything was done and within I think
it was like three days that person was
taken home to be with the Lord why it
was all done
what would it be like I don’t know if
this message this messes with me in a
really positive way to come to the end
of your life and for you to look back
and say wow
it worked
[Applause]
it it it actually worked and and not
just a part of it it all worked
and every promise he gave to me I have
seen fulfilled I’m reminded of George
Mueller a newspaper writer was
interviewing him saying did you do you
ever have any unanswered prayers he said
never he said they’re all answered well
he says suffer one he said there’s one
that’s not answered yet but he says it
will be and then he made the statement
how can it be any other way I’m still
praying
and it was the salvation of the son of
one of his close friends
and that
adult sum was saved at George Mueller’s
funeral
[Applause]
chapter 11. we’re going to try to wind
this down all right
chapter 11. but King Solomon loved many
foreign women
uh
but anytime there’s a butt
but King Solomon loved many foreign
women women
as well as the daughter of pharaoh women
of the moabites ammonites
cydonians Hittites from the nations of
whom the Lord had said to the children
of Israel you shall not intermarry with
them nor are they with you surely they
will turn away your heart after their
gods Solomon clung to these in love
verse 3 and he had 700 wives
what would possess a man that
that’s a nightmare
I mean it takes everything I have
[Laughter]
my I have an amazing wife
yeah
two amazing wives
700
no
700 wives
princesses see being married is so
demand not demanding in the sense of
controlling or domineering demanding in
the sense of man two people have become
one how in the world you spread yourself
that thin with 700 words that’s Insanity
there’s not enough to go around
I’m gonna stop right there
I I feel the need to stop right there
so it was once
I’m sorry verse three he had 700 wives
princesses 300 concubines and his wives
turned away his heart for so it was when
Solomon was old his wives turned his
heart after other gods his heart was not
loyal to the Lord his God verse 9 the
Lord became angry with Solomon because
his heart had turned from the Lord God
of Israel who had appeared to him twice
I I hope that you’re feeling somewhat of
the weight of this we we ask for
constantly increase the encounters that
we have with you
is that a legitimate prayer well I think
so sign me up
you know anytime I get into the price
place with that presence that glories
manifest
sign me up I there’s nothing I like more
but does it make sense to you
the greater the exposure to the glory
the greater the demand on your life
and this says the Lord was angry with
Solomon why because he went after
foreign foreign gods
what was the context God appeared to him
twice
see this presence culture
this President’s lifestyle that
hopefully we’re learning to live
individually
hopefully we’re learning to cultivate in
families and homes corporately we’ve
worked hard to cultivate a presence a
sense of presence about everything that
we do everything that we are
as that permeates culture Society
there’s a transformational
presence and power that is released
you remove that value and all you’re
left with is principle and David was the
man of the presence and Solomon became
the man of knowledge puffs up
and because of a faulty Foundation of
self-will In Worship he ended up with a
divided heart
what happened here
this is later in life this was not the
beginning the beginning was good the
beginning was the offerings beyond the
ability to count the the extreme
generosity that he had towards God this
this Temple that he built under the Lord
everything their culture was without
adversary so we can’t even blame
Solomon’s fall on the devil because he
wasn’t there he couldn’t get in there
was a whole too much presence and too
much wisdom he couldn’t get in he
couldn’t get through the barricade he
was Solomon was safe and in that
environment
Solomon
turned his heart because he didn’t
protect himself for the one thing that
God warned against and that was illegal
Partnerships
alliances are made constantly
by the people of God that cost them
later
this is I I can’t shed the appropriate
amount of light on this that is needed
today and I apologize for that I don’t
want to create shame or guilt neither do
I want to create license
for ungodly things but I will say this
ungodly alliances get formed constantly
between men and women because business
partners between all kinds of things
the enemy looks for unhealthy alliances
because it gives him legal access to
steal kill and destroy
Solomon who was Solomon he was the guy
that God showed up to twice where else
has that said in scripture I don’t know
anywhere where that was said
who is Solomon he’s the guy I appeared
to twice the Lord says
what’s the point in this
Solomon missed something that was
discovered by the early church
the radical outpouring of the Holy
Spirit was actually the outpouring of
the face of God to the people of God
that became born again
and in that context chapter 2 I think
it’s verse 46 as this statement says
and the church the Believers they
continually devoted themselves to the
apostles Doctrine to the breaking of
bread to Fellowship into prayers
continually devoted is the word I want
they continually resigned the contract
they had already signed
they continually said yes to God
whenever he spoke they didn’t live off
of yesterday’s Covenant
some of you may remember many years ago
that film Fiddler on the Roof there was
a famous line in there about the the
wife wanted to know if if if if he loved
if he loved his or her and he said yes
as I told you on the day we got married
and you know it was like 20 years later
and she’s that’s a sure way to die man
that’s
700 wives oh goodness all right
there was something that the early
church discovered early on listen to me
that sustained Revival
throughout the first several decades
what was it it’s verse 46 of chapter two
they continually devoted themselves it
basically means they kept saying yes
they renewed The Covenant they renewed
the contract
Old Testament gives us prophetic
pictures Manna on the ground every day
for Israel in the wilderness if they
took too much Manna today it’s great
food tomorrow it’ll have worms in it
you can’t live off of yesterday’s bread
the Lord is emphasizing here a current
relationship
faith comes by hearing not from having
heard faith is that activity that
pleases God it is the it is the evidence
of a present tense hearing impact of the
spirit of God on my life Faith is that
expression God is looking for a people
that are current that’s why he says
don’t go to bed angry don’t let the sun
go down on your anger why because I want
things current I want everything to be
kept current up-to-date all the
contracts all the you say well I I live
in an intimate relationship yeah yeah
whatever you say yes
you sign your name to the bottom of a
blank sheet and then he fills it out
that’s our walk with Jesus
he didn’t show us his will beforehand he
said surrender we said yes and then he
fills it out with with what we’re
assigned to do and it’s just that’s the
Christian Life and the early church
discovered this they stepped into that
privilege of re-upping the contract
every single
day
the church at Ephesus experienced
tragedy
because they stopped doing that
Revelation Chapter 2 they left their
what
first love
Solomon
had the potential
of creating something on Earth that
would be sustainable for multiple
Generations instead he had an extreme
rise
in Fame in wealth in presence and all
these things but he didn’t adjust the
self-will aspect of life and as a result
he insisted that as king he has the
right to as many wives as he wants
from any country because it sustains
peace do you know why you had foreign
wives because when you take a foreign
wife you now have guaranteed peace
between you and that country it was a
compromise to sustain a Biblical Mandate
of peace
I’ve run out of time why don’t you stand
let me make one more comment to wrap
this up
there’s this amazing picture found in
Revelation
of the New Jerusalem coming out of
Heaven it’s a prophetic language is just
bizarre to me it’s it’s uh it’s just
bizarre I don’t ever try to figure it
out I just try to say yes with my heart
if that makes sense
here’s this picture of the New Jerusalem
it’s a cube
1500 cubits a cubit is about 18 inches
1500 by 1500 by 1500 it’s a cube
literally comes out and that’s called
the New Jerusalem the bride of Christ
what does it mean
I’m clueless
I just know if God made it up it’s good
that’s all I know
so here he gives this picture of this
Cube that comes down out of heaven and
it represents this place of intimate
Ministry
from believer to the presence all right
this cube is the New Jerusalem the bride
of Christ
the only other cube in the Bible is in
the holy of holies
it’s where the priest comes in before
the glory the presence
and there’s something of that Holy Holy
Experience that prophesies the new
nature of every believer something that
is offered to you and me in the value of
the presence of God
I I learned by accident to be honest
with you a number of years ago you will
always release into the environment
around you whatever you’re most
conscious of
and living conscious of the spirit of
God upon us actually changes the
atmosphere of every place we go
so father I pray for us as a church
family our guests I pray that this
contagious sense of your presence Your
Glory would permeate everything about
our lives
and that this issue of the presence
being our greatest treasure would
actually become practical
work it into our thinking our
Consciousness I pray and the wonderful
mighty name of Jesus