When Wisdom Wasn’t Enough - DJ Dickerson - 4/5/26

This evening, I encourage you to go to

the Old Testament book of First Kings.

First Kings.

And as I always like to remind, make

sure to prove all things according to

God's word, not DJs.

This lesson this evening, uh the kids

just started a new quarter. uh some of

the Bible class teachers did swap up a

little bit. Uh but uh the quarter has

changed to talking about Old Testament

in which as you know I commonly like to

go and do those lessons that coincide

with what the kids are learning to

reinforce what they've learned starting

today and for us adults to be reminded

of these very valuable lessons that we

even learned when we were younger. Um

there are some biblical characters whose

lives leave us inspired.

There are others that leave us warned.

Interestingly, it is the very life of

Solomon that does both.

When we first meet Solomon as king,

there is so much promise. Uh he's the

son of David. Uh he's chosen to sit on

the throne. He loves the Lord. He asks

for wisdom instead of wealth. He builds

the temple. He becomes known throughout

the world for wisdom,

insight,

greatness.

But if you had looked at Solomon early

on in his reign, you might have said,

"Surely this man

will be faithful

all his days."

And yet the account of his life does not

end the way we would expect. The man who

asked God for wisdom, you know what he

did? He made some foolish spiritual

choices.

The man who built the temple

also built high places for idols.

The man who was admired by the nations

allowed his own heart to be turned from

God, the very God who had blessed him.

That's why this sermon

bears the title, "When wisdom wasn't

enough,

because Solomon teaches us a truth we

dare not miss, that it is possible to

know much and still fall.

It is possible to have blessings and

still drift. It's possible to start with

a tender heart toward God and later

allow or permit that heart to become

divided.

And that's what makes Solomon's life so

relevant. Even his his story is not just

what it's consider.

It's a spiritual warning for every

generation. It's a warning to preachers,

to elders, to parents, to young people,

to seasoned Christians and new converts

alike.

Because Solomon reminds us that the

greatest danger is not merely ignorance.

Sometimes the greatest danger is

thinking that because we know what is

right, we are somehow safe even if we

stop doing what is right.

Now I'll tell you wisdom is a wonderful

gift. It's a wonderful thing. Knowledge

is a blessing. Understanding is quite

valuable. But wisdom by itself is not

enough if the heart is not guarded, if

obedience is not maintained, and if

faithfulness is not continued. And so

for this evening, I want us to walk

through the life of Solomon.

We're going to hit on some main points

because there's a lot to cover, but we

want to learn the lessons that God has

preserved for us. What do we take away

from this? And as we do, we ask the

question, not not merely what happened

to Solomon because we're going to find

that out, but the question that we want

to probe in our own hearts, our own

minds, our own lives is what could

happen to me if I do not remain

faithful.

So let's begin with this point. First

Kings chapter 2:es 1-3.

Look at that verse.

Keep now the days of David drew near

that he should die. And he charged

Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of

all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and

prove yourself a man, and keep the

charge of the Lord your God, to walk in

his ways, to keep his statutes, his

commandments, his judgments, and his

testimonies, as it is written in the law

of Moses, that you may prosper in all

that you do, and wherever you turn.

We'll stop there.

I think what we see right off is the

first great lesson from Solomon's life

is that he began with a blessing of

godly instruction. Wouldn't you agree

with that? Uh before David died, we see

there that he called Solomon near spoke

to him not merely as uh as as a king to

a successor uh but as a father to a son.

David knew that he would soon leave this

world. And when a man is about to die,

he does not waste words on what is

shallow, but rather he has some meaning

and some significance that he wants to

share. He speaks of what matters most.

And what mattered most to David was I

want you to notice this. Let me go back

to that verse. Look at that again. What

mattered most to David? Uh was it

military strength? Is that what he's

talking about? Is he talking about

political strategy? Is he talking about

economic stability? Are those the topics

that he has in mind? I think when you

read that you're saying, "No, none of

those."

What mattered most was Solomon's

relationship with God.

Prove yourself

a man and keep the charge of the Lord

your God to walk in his ways, to keep

his statutes, his commandments, his

judgments, and his testimonies. As it is

written in the law of Moses, that you

may prosper in all that you do and

wherever you turn. David understood

something every parent ought to

understand and every child ought to

hear. What is that? The greatest thing

that you can ever pass on is not land.

It's not money. It's not inheritance.

It's a call to walk with God.

David did not say, "Son, make sure

everybody respects you. Son, protect

your image. Son, make sure your rain is

impressive. Son, what's he say? stay

with God.

Why is that? Because David understood

something as well. Not that David was

perfect by any means. We know that just

like we're not.

But David understood this is

foundational stuff here. This is

foundational.

And Solomon, at least early on, listen,

he began with a heart that was open to

truth and receptive to godly counsel.

Let's ask the question, how many people

today have had good instruction?

They taught by faithful parents,

sat in Bible classes, they heard sound

preaching, they were warned about

temptations and compromise and

worldliness, and the topics could go on

and on. They know what God says.

The issue is not always lack of

instruction. Sometimes the issue is

failure to continue continue listening

to what we have already been told

because I'll submit to you there is a

profound difference between hearing

counsel and holding to counsel.

There's a distinct difference in those.

Many people admire truth while they are

young.

Many respect godly teaching while life

is simple.

But when power grows or success comes,

when temptations increase and when pride

begins to whisper in their ear, their

heart, their mind, then what was once

heard with humility can be set aside

with indifference. That's how it works.

So we never underestimate the value of

godly instruction. Because I think if

you can say this, if you've had a

faithful father, mother, grandparents,

elder, teacher, preacher, whichever who

pointed you to God, you are thankful to

God for that blessing. I am.

I'll be the first to say it.

But also remember this, instruction only

helps the heart that continues to submit

to it.

And that's what made Solomon's early

life so promising. It starts out

beautiful. He not only received godly

instruction from his father David, but

he also demonstrated something essential

for every servant of God. You know what

that was? He began with godly

instruction. But what we find in first

1 Kings 3 · chapter mention

kings chapter 3 6 and 7. Look at first

kings 3 6 and 7.

And Solomon said, "You have shown great

mercy to your servant David, my father,

because he walked before you in truth

and righteousness and an uprightness of

heart with you. You have continued this

great kindness for him, and you have

given him a son to sit on his throne as

it is this day." Now, oh Lord, my God,

you have made your servant king instead

of my father David, but I am a little

child. I do not know how to go out or

come in. You know what's interesting

with that

is when Solomon came to the throne, he

did not uh protect the image of a man

swollen with uh self-confidence. Uh

instead, what he was doing, he confessed

his inadequacy is what he's doing.

And I think that's striking because

think about this. This is a king

speaking. This is a man who is about to

lead a nation. And yet, instead of

pretending, I've got all the answers,

Solomon admits, I'm not enough

for this by myself.

Well, friends, that's what humility

does. Solomon begins with humility. He

understood the weight of leadership. He

understood the the gravity of of of u

responsibility. And he understood that

being placed on a throne does not

magically place wisdom in a heart. And

he knew that if he was going to lead

well, he's going to need help from

above. And that's something beautiful

about that spirit.

Humility is not weakness. Humility is

honest dependence upon God.

James 4 and verse 6 says, "But he gives

more grace." Therefore, he says, "God

resists the proud but gives grace to the

humble."

Let that sink in for a second.

That one of the most dangerous moments

in a Christian's life is when

they stop feeling their need for God.

The person who says, "I know enough," is

already in trouble. We're already in

trouble if we start saying that. Uh the

person who says, "Well, I've heard

enough sermons."

They're already drifting. I can tell you

the person who says, "I can handle this

temptation." Oh, and you're standing on

the edge of spiritual disaster. Do you

hear me? Solomon was safest when he

actually felt small.

And that's a profound lesson. Some

people imagine that maturity means

reaching a point where I don't need as

much prayer or I don't need as much

dependence or I as much searching for

the scriptures.

But real true spiritual maturity does

the very opposite. The more mature a

Christian becomes, the more they realize

how deeply they need God every single

hour, every moment.

As James 4 and verse 6, he gives more

grace.

He says, "God resists the proud but

gives grace to." He goes on to talk

about humble yourselves in the sight of

the Lord and he will lift you up.

Solomon's greatness began not with his

throne. But you know how his greatness

started? It started with his humility.

He was in the right condition to receive

God's blessing because he had not yet

become full of himself. We sometimes not

use those words, full of oneself.

And because Solomon was humble

enough to recognize his need, he made

one of the most beautiful and

God-honoring requests ever uttered by

man.

Solomon asked for wisdom instead of

selfish gain.

You know, when God invited Solomon to

ask what he should give him, Solomon,

you know, he stood at a crossroads few

men would ever know, but he could have

asked for the things that most men spend

their lives chasing.

Of course, think about the wealth,

military dominance, long life, downfall

of your enemy. You know, we could make a

make a list here. But what Solomon asks

for is what would say something deeper.

And what's that in first kings 3:es 8

and n that he asked for. And your

servant is in the midst of your people

whom you have chosen. A great people too

numerous to be numbered or counted.

Therefore give to your servant an

understanding heart to judge your people

that I may discern between good and

evil. For who is able to judge this

great people of yours?

What did he want? Wisdom.

What did he want? Discernment.

He wanted to know how to lead rightly.

And that's a remarkable request. It's

remarkable. It revealed that at this

point in Solomon's life, his concern was

not first for personal comfort or

self-exaltation,

but fulfilling his Godgiven role

faithfully.

You know what says God was pleased?

God was pleased. There is something

deeply moving about a heart that wants

to be useful more than impressive.

Solomon did not ask, "Lord, make me

great." He asked, "Lord, help me do

right.

You know the prayers we pray often

reveal the condition of our hearts. You

ever think about that?

What do most people often ask God for?

A lot of times we can make an easy list.

Comfort, ease,

sometimes more money,

fewer problems. That's that's another

one list.

That could be those.

But think about this other side. Do we

ask him for wisdom to honor him,

the courage to obey him,

and the discernment to choose what is

right?

Now, there is nothing wrong praying for

daily needs,

but Solomon reminds us that the best

prayers are those that seek first

what will help us please God.

You ever think how different our homes

would be if fathers prayed, "Lord, give

me wisdom to lead my family."

You ever think how different marriages

would be if husbands and wives prayed,

"Lord, give us discernment to honor

you."

You ever think how different the church

would be if we all prayed, "Lord, give

us understanding hearts." And again, I

could keep going with a list here,

but I think you get the point.

When Solomon sought first what pleased

God, God blessed him with what he

requested

beyond even. And the principle still

echoes through scripture. The Lord

honors those who truly put him first.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his

righteousness, and all these things be

added to you. Right? Matthew 6:33.

Matthew 6:33

The wisdom that Solomon asked for was it

was not hidden away in in private

thought. It it began to

show itself in the way that he lived, in

the way that he ruled so that others

could clearly see God's hand upon him.

That's it. Solom Solomon's wisdom was

visible to others.

Because one of the signs that Solomon

truly had received wisdom from God is

that people actually recognized him. Uh

you think about all the things areas of

his life, his conduct, his his judgment,

his his leadership. What that revealed

was something more than natural

intelligence as he was growing. They

they revealed divine blessing even

because if you go through the scriptures

in in one of Solomon's earliest

demonstrations, you know, and chapter

three of First Kings of God-given

wisdom, we remember this when we talking

about this at the dinner table the other

day, uh was two women came before him.

Y'all remember that one? You know, both

claiming to be the mother of the same

living child. That's a that's

Wow. Bring that one before us, huh? And

one woman explained that both had given

birth. This is in verses 16- 28.

But during the night the other woman's

baby died, she then secretly did what?

She switched the children. She placed

the dead child with the other woman and

taking the living one for herself. Now

there's no witnesses. It became one

woman's again one woman's word against

the other. Okay? She said, she said type

deal.

Now what does Solomon do? It calls for a

sword. That had to be intense. Okay.

And ordered that the living child be

divided in two with half given to each

woman.

I know that though I I kept thinking

about the people that were standing near

going, he what what are you doing? Well,

what happened?

But what did the true mother do

naturally?

The true mother immediately cried out

for the child to be given to the other

woman,

pleading that the baby not be killed.

What did the other woman do? She agreed,

let's divide it.

What did Solomon declare the first woman

to be the real mother? Because her

compassion revealed the truth. The child

was given to her. And when Israel heard

this judgment, they recognized that the

wisdom of God was in Solomon, and they

respected him as king. What is verse 28?

Notice. All Israel heard of the judgment

which the king had rendered, and they

feared the king, for they saw they saw

it was visible that the wisdom of God

was in him to administer justice. Isn't

that what

he prayed for?

to lead the people with discernment.

Again, it didn't stay hidden. They saw

it. It manifests itself in choices, in

responses, in fairness, in perspective,

and again in discernment. That Sodom

became known not merely as a man with

information on his mind, but as a man in

whom the wisdom of God was quite

evident.

Friends, you don't have to tell the

people the sun has risen.

When the sun comes up, the darkness is

pushed back. The landscape is eliminated

and everyone can tell that the light has

arrived. And really, in the same way,

when the wisdom of God governs a life,

it shows it affects how a person talks,

how a person leads, how a person

responds, how a person lives.

Let's ask the questions.

Can people see God's influence upon us?

Do we have such discernment? You know,

we're taught in Hebrews chapter 4 even

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

about discerning between that which is

good,

evil,

truth versus error.

Scriptures make it quite quite clear,

doesn't it?

Of what we are told to do with that word

that is sharper than any two-edged sword

that is able to divide.

It tells us, doesn't it? Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

5, we're told in verse 14, "But solid

food belongs to those who are full age,

that is those who by reason of use have

their senses exercise to discern both

good and evil." Where does that come

from?

God's word.

So really, can people see us with such

discernment? Can they see it how we

handle conflict? Can they see it in our

speech? Can they see it in our marriage?

Can they see it with how we make

decisions? Can they see it in what we

prioritize?

What did Jesus say? Let your light so

shine before men that they may see your

good works and glorify your father in

heaven. Matthew 5:1 16. Our faith is not

Matthew 5:1

intended to be merely claimed. It is

intended to be seen in action.

Now, let me tell you, Solomon's early

life was attractive because it bore

visible evidence of God's wisdom.

The world does not need more people who

merely say they know God. There's a lot

of people that make that claim.

It needs people whose lives display the

fruit of actually walking with him.

Because a person may impress others with

talent, but only godliness leaves the

fragrance of heaven on a life.

And because God's hand was upon Solomon

and is quite evident in just the verses

that we have considered so far, the

blessings in his life, it multiplied

greatly. Yet those blessings, while good

in themselves, would later reveal

another important lesson.

Solomon was blessed beyond

measure.

You know, it's always interesting to

study in the life of Solomon

that he was really his life. It was on a

scale

almost beyond imagination

in this time that he was living. He he

gave God, you know, gave him wisdom and

understanding, peace, prosperity,

influence and and renown. I mean, you

know, go and study Ecclesiastes

first kings 4 and verse 29. Look at

this. And God gave Solomon wisdom and

exceedingly great understanding and

large largest of heart like the sand on

the seashore.

And friends, his wisdom surpassed the

wisdom of the east. His fame spread

among surrounding nations. Y'all

remember the queen of Sheba? She came

from afar and after seeing what God had

done in Solomon's life, she said this.

However, I did not believe the words

until I came and saw with my own eyes

and indeed the half was not told me.

Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the

fame of which I heard. First Kings 10

1 Kings 10:7

verse 7.

That was

how she appraised it.

Solomon's life became an example of what

God can do through a life

truly surrendered to him.

Think about how God gives blessings for

stewardship. We are stewards. There's a

whole series I can do on that one for

sure. Stewards, not self-indulgence.

There's a difference. Okay. He gives

wisdom to God. He gives influence to

serve. He gives resources to glorify

him. Remember Matthew 5 verse 16 we just

Matthew 5:16

read. He gives opportunities to bless

others.

But I'll tell you one of the greatest

dangers of blessing.

Y'all ready for it?

One of the greatest danger of blessing

is forgetting the blesser.

You know, a full table

can make people forget the hand that

provided the meal.

Yeah. I remember I was thinking about

this the other day, how how often it is.

I I remember, you know, growing up

and, you know, food just magically

appeared on the table. Our kids see that

all the time, too. It's just there. It's

amazing how that works. And of course, I

grew up in a carpenters's household and

I didn't realize how hard it was

for us to make ends meet because that's

not what I saw, right? Until I was

being, you know, dad would wake us up

four o'clock in the mornings during the

summer months, summer when we're out of

school, right? Wake up, we got to beat

the sun.

That was a hard day of roofing is what

that was.

And I realized some things.

I was blessed to have that food on the

table. But you know what? There there

was some work. There were some things

that was going on in the background. I

need to forget that. That was good

reminders, wasn't it?

Thankful that we had that.

But it's easy to forget

because a strong season of life can make

people forget the God who actually

sustained it.

Success can slowly produce the illusion

that we are sufficient in ourselves.

You see, the problem was never that

Solomon was blessed. The problem came

when blessing no longer deepened his

dependence on God.

And that's a warning all in this

passage. Sometimes adversity just drives

us to our knees. But prosperity can make

us careless.

Some people are more likely to pray

fervently

when they're on the mountaintop or the

valley. Which one do you think's the

right answer? The valley.

But let me tell you, both the valley and

mountain are meant to drive us to God.

Because friends, blessings are safest in

the hands of those who still remember

that they are needy.

And nowhere was Solomon's devotion more

visibly expressed in his in his work in

the temple uh for the temple. At his

best, he gave the Lord what was

excellent. But even that highlights

highlights another sobering truth I want

to share with you from his life. Solomon

gave God his best.

But notice this, a good start is not the

same as a faithful finish.

One of Solomon's defining

accomplishments as mentioned was

building of the temple. First Kings

1 Kings 6:14

6:14, it says, "So Solomon built the

temple and finished it." Now, he did

that. There's a lot of work that was

involved in that. He oversaw the

construction of a house for the name of

the Lord with really extraordinary care

and beauty and precision and excellence.

I mean go and read all of that. The the

the uh finest materials were used. Great

labor was given. Nothing about it was

careless though. It wasn't

because there was a pattern that

designed that God gave him to do and and

he was doing it and he did it.

And this tells us something really

important. There was a time when

Solomon's heart was truly fixed on

honoring God. He did not treat the

things of God lightly. He gave

attention. He gave effort. He had

excellence in his mind of what belonged

to God.

And I'll tell you that when people value

something so deeply, it shows in what

they are willing to invest.

It's called invested interest. That's

what those two words are. And if a

person truly I mean, think about it. If

you truly treasure a family heirloom,

you may have some of those. How do you

protect it? You let the kids play with

it?

Nope.

Might not be in the safe. It might be if

one values a a relationship, they give

time to it. If one values God, guess

what? That value will appear in what

they offer him. Solomon once

demonstrated that kind of devotion.

And we have to ask the question, do we

give the Lord our best or we give him

the scraps, the leftovers? Do we give

him the best of our attention or our

leftover thoughts? Do we give him the

best time or the scraps of a busy week?

Do we give him the best efforts in our

worship or whatever energy we just

mustered up today? Solomon once knew

what it meant to honor God with

excellence, friends. But this is the

lesson. A person can have a season of

deep devotion and still later drift if

they do not continue to guard their

heart.

That is why we must be careful not to

live on yesterday's faithfulness.

It is wonderful to say there was a time

when I was on fire for God. That sounds

great. But the more important question

is where is my heart at the present

time? Where is it right now?

because yesterday's obedience is not a

substitute and never will be a

substitute for today's faithfulness.

And that is the great turning point in

the account of Solomon's life.

For all of his wisdom, for all of his

blessings, for all of his past devotion,

Solomon

did not keep his heart where it needed

to be. and the drift began.

We find ourselves in First Kings chapter

1 Kings 11 · chapter mention

11

and we start talking about Solomon who

allowed his heart to drift.

This is where the lesson becomes

painfully sobering

because first kings 11 tells us that

Solomon loved many foreign women.

Women from nations concerning which God

had clearly spoken. God had warned

Israel not to join themselves to those

nations because they would turn their

hearts after other gods. Do you believe

there was wisdom in that? Yes. Yes. Yes.

And yet Solomon ignored that warning.

The text says in First Kings 11:4, "For

1 Kings 11:4

it was so when Solomon was old that his

wives turned his heart after other gods,

and his heart was not loyal to the Lord

his God, as was the heart of his father

David."

That is a tragic sentence. It's tragic.

The heart that once sought wisdom was

now being turned. The life that once

pointed others toward God was now being

pulled toward compromise. And the king

who once built the temple, as we just

saw, was now connected to idolatry.

That just sounds crazy, doesn't it?

But here's the frightening thing. You

know what the frightening thing is?

That did not happen overnight.

Didn't

Solomon did not wake up one morning and

instantly become an idoltor.

This is what we call slow erosion,

gradual surrender.

This friends is a series of tolerated

compromises.

You know, and I I talk to young people a

lot of times marriage and, you know,

picking a spouse. My kids hear this one

already and you're like, "Well, they're

all look how young they are. Don't

worry, we're starting early." All right.

Talk about Jezebel last time, didn't we?

We talked about talk about her a little

bit. But also Ahab goes both ways,

right?

Why? Why do we share and and and make

sure? Because we want to guard put the

guard rails up. Get the boundaries in

place. There's a reason for it.

Because I tell you what,

I've seen a lot of people fall away.

You know, they told me said, "No, we

won't. That's not going to happen. We

won't fall away from the Lord."

They did.

They sure did.

Because friends, that's how shorelines

work.

They're not usually reshaped by a single

wave, are they?

It's changed by the constant wearing

away over time.

In the same way, spiritual collapse

often comes not by one dramatic moment,

but by repeated compromises that slowly

erode devotion.

That's how drift works. That's why the

scriptures make it so clear

and so many warnings are given.

lest you drift away.

Hebrew writer speaks of that because all

this begins when people stop taking

God's warning seriously. Look, look what

look what Solomon did. Solomon,

it grows when they tolerate what God

forbids. It deepens when infee when when

affection for something else competes

with affection for God. And before long,

that heart is no longer whole. It's

divided.

And we often imagine that wisdom alone

should protect a person. We would think

that, but Solomon proves otherwise. A

person can know exactly what the danger

is. We can know it and still walk into

it if desire overrules devotion. You

know how to prove this point real easy?

If you have a sign on this wall and it

says wet paint,

we're going to DO IT JUST TO check it.

Tell me you ain't never done that. Oh

yes you have.

Why do we have to be warned at things? I

mean it's

we gravitate to that.

Why do we have the warning? Keep your

heart with all diligence for out of it

springs the issues.

Proverbs 4 verse 22.

Proverbs 4:22

The battle

is always the battle for the heart. My

friends, we can still attend while

drifting,

my friends. Preachers can still preach

while drifting. Can a parent may still

look respectable while drifting,

but the drift always begins within. And

friends, the most dangerous distance in

life is not measured in miles from home.

It's measured by inches

of the heart from God.

And because God is holy and because sin

always bears fruit, Solomon's drift did

not remain without consequence. Because

this is painful.

Solomon's choices brought consequences.

God warned Solomon repeatedly, clearly,

lovingly, but warnings ignored

eventually became judgments experienced.

First Kings 11:1, Solomon turned away.

1 Kings 11:1

God declared the kingdom would be torn.

Y'all see it? Therefore, the Lord said

to Solomon, "Because you have done this

and have not kept my covenant and my

statutes which I've commanded you, I

will surely tear the king away from you

and give it to your servant."

And though this did not happen fully in

Solomon's lifetime for David's sake, the

damage had already been done and the

seeds of division were planted. And

after Solomon's death, the kingdom

split.

That's a tragic legacy. A man who had

once known such unity and peace and

blessing would leave behind fracture and

to

sin

never remains neatly confined. It

affects marriages, families, children,

congregations, futures. One compromised

life can leave a long shadow. Friends,

Solomon's sin not only damaged Solomon,

it affected an entire nation.

And that's why we got to stop

romanticizing compromise. Sin promises

freedom, but you know what? It delivers

bondage.

It promises pleasure, but it leaves

ruin. It whispers, "Nah, no one's going

to get hurt." Yet it scatters wreckage

everywhere.

What's Galatians 6 tell us in verses

seven and 8? Still holds true to this

day. Do not be deceived. God is not

mocked. For whatever a man sws that he

will also reap. For he who sws to his

flesh with the flesh reap corruption,

but he who sws the spirit will the

spirit reap everlasting life. Whatever a

man sws that he will also reap. And we

see this throughout the scriptures why

there's so many warnings. Do not be

deceived because the fact is the devil

always hides the harvest while

advertising the seed.

Don't forget that

the devil always hides the harvest while

advertising the seed. And so when we

stand at the end of Solomon's life, we

are left with both admiration, but

friends, we're also heartbreak.

admiration for the wisdom God

that he had at a time. Heartbreak for

the faithfulness he failed to maintain.

And that leaves us with a central

lesson.

When we step back and we look at the

life of Solomon, we are forced to face a

sobering truth.

Wisdom wasn't enough.

Blessing upon blessing not enough.

Opportunity after opportunity not

enough. A strong beginning

was not enough.

Why is that we ask? Because none of

those things can replace continued

faithfulness. None of those.

Solomon knew better, but knowledge did

not keep him. Solomon had been blessed,

but blessing did not keep him. And

Solomon had seen God work, but past

experiences did not keep him. What he

needed was a guarded heart, ongoing

obedience, and unwavering devotion.

And that is exactly what we need to.

The tragedy of Solomon is not merely

that he failed this. The tragedy is that

a man who once stood so near to God

allowed himself to become divided

within. and soon the kingdom itself

would became divided.

He is a warning to every one of us that

no amount of Bible knowledge can take

the place of daily faithfulness. I said

that this morning, friends, we can hold

and we can know from front to the back

of this Bible.

But if we did not apply it, we don't do

something with it and we don't guard our

hearts and we keep that that good honest

heart, that fruit that we're supposed to

have for the Lord,

it's not simply enough to hear the word

of God and to know what the Bible says

is I can know,

but if I don't do what was that James 1

says, therefore lay aside all filthiness

and overflow of wickedness and receive

with meekness the implanted word which

is able to save your souls. But be doers

of the word and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves. Verse 25, but he

who looks into the perfect law of

liberty and continues in it and is not a

forgetful hearer, but a doer of the

work, this one will be blessed in what

he does. No reputation can substitute

for real devotion, and no spiritual past

can excuse present compromise.

It's not enough to say I used to be

stronger. It's not enough to say I know

the truth. It's not enough to say I have

done much for the Lord. The question

again comes back to us where is our

heart right now.

So, we learn from Solomon. And again, I

shared a lot of information and again,

there's a whole lot more to Solomon's

life than what I shared with you. And I

know the time has certainly uh gone,

but I appreciate your kind attention

tonight. And I hope that has been

encouraging and and exhorting to you,

edifying

that we learn these lessons. Our kids

are learning these lessons. And we need

to make sure to reinforce those lessons

throughout their lives by the examples

that we live. And also, what what do we

need to do? We also need to keep them

ourselves, right? Receive godly wisdom.

Stay humble. Ask God for wisdom and

discernment, blessings for his glory.

Use those to glorify him. Give him our

best. Guard our hearts with all

diligence. Because when wisdom is not

joined to faithfulness,

even the wisest

even the wisest can fall.

As we get the song of imitation, it may

be that someone hearing this and

studying this lesson tonight with me

sees themselves in Solomon more than

they want to admit.

We might know the truth, but our heart

has begun to drift. Might still look

faithful outwardly, but inwardly our

devotion has cooled.

Maybe compromise has crept in little by

little. Maybe the warnings of God's word

have become too familiar to stir you

like they once did. But the good news is

we're on this side of eternity right

now. And you don't have to keep

drifting. You can come back. You can

repent. You can draw near to God again.

You can ask the Lord for mercy,

strength, and renewal. You can do that

tonight. Don't wait another moment.

And friends, if you have never obeyed

the gospel message, tonight is the time

to come to the one greater than Solomon.

Come to Christ in faith, repentance,

confession, and baptism for remission of

sins. And if you are a child of God who

has wondered, come home with a humble

heart. Don't let knowledge without

obedience define your life. Don't let

bless blessing without faithfulness

define your story. And don't let wisdom

without surrender define your end.

Don't let it

great lessons,

sad lessons from the life of Solomon

when wisdom wasn't enough. If you're

subject to the invitation call, we bid

you come while we stand, while we sing

the song that's been selected.