I want you to think about something. If GOD promised to give you one thing thing you prayed for, what would you ask God to give you?

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Abner Howard
5 years ago
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1 Message for THE LORD'S DAY EVENING, October 25, 2015 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister TOPIC: Wisdom If You Had Just One Wish I Kings 3 Please open your Bibles to I Kings chapter 3. We will be getting to our text in just a moment. (PAUSE) (PAUSE) Humorous Illustration: A lady was walking along the beach one day when she found a bottle lying in the sand. She rubbed the bottle and out popped a genie. The genie said, You have just one wish. The woman said, I thought I got three wishes? The genies, I'm sorry, but these are hard times, so I can only grant one wish. The disappointed woman said, Well, OK then. She pulled out a world map and said, I wish for peace between these countries. The genie said, Lady, I'm sorry, but these nations have been at war for thousands of years, and besides that, I'm not a very powerful genie. You're going to have to make another wish. The woman said, OK, I wish for a sweet, caring man, who loves to help wash dishes and clean the house, and never watches football. The genie said, Let me see that map again! I want you to think about something. If GOD promised to give you one thing thing you prayed for, what would you ask God to give you?

2 -Would you ask for perfect health for you and all your family? -Would you ask God to allow you to live to be 100 years old? -Or would you gravitate towards more material things, such as enough money to live comfortably the rest of your life, or to move into a nicer home? As we go now to our text in I KINGS chapter 3 we are going to read the account about a man to whom GOD actually gave this opportunity. His name was King Solomon. First of all let's consider... I. Solomon's Prayer For Wisdom (vs. 1-9) I KINGS 3:1-9 (NKJV) 1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask! What shall I give you? 6 And Solomon said: You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in 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.

3 7 Now, O 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. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 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? 1. Solomon refers to himself in verse 7 as a little child, but actually he was about years old at this time. Solomon has just become Israel's newest king, succeeding his father, King David, who had ruled for forty years. 2. Solomon's kingship had gotten off on a very rocky start to say the least. Solomon's older brother, Adonijah believed he was rightfully entitled to the throne, although David had promised Solomon that he would be his successor. 3. Well naturally this didn't set well with Adonijah and he was determined not to go down without a fight. Adonijah began rallying support from others to take the throne away from Solomon. One of Adonijah's chief supporters was Abiathar, who was a direct descendant of Aaron, and the High Priest in Jerusalem at that time.

4 4. Another of Adonijah's supporters was Joab, who had been the commander of King David's army. And another man who rallied around Adonijah was a man named Shemei. Shemei had a long-standing grudge against King David because David had replaced King Saul. And now he was determined to get back at David by going against the man he had chosen to be his successor. 5. Well, long-story short, young Solomon ordered the executions of his brother, Adonijah...Abiathar the High Priest...Joab the commander of Israel's army...and Shemei. It may seem as though Solomon took extreme measures, but he understood as long as these men lived they would be plotting and conniving to seize his throne. 6. One of the first things Solomon did after getting rid of his political rivals was he married the daughter of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. As we will see later on, Solomon's marriages to heathen women would eventually become his undoing.

5 7. Shortly after David's death there had been a relaxation in the worship practices of the Jewish people. They started offering sacrifices to God in the High Places. The High Places were altars that had been built by pagans living in Israel to offer sacrifices to their pagan gods. The people saw nothing wrong with this since there was no Temple at that time, but in the eyes of God it was idolatry. 8. Solomon himself even went to these High Places to offer sacrifices to God; something his father David would never have done. 9. In verse 4 we read that on one occasion Solomon went to the high place at Gibeon to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 10. That night, God appeared to Solomon in a dream, and made that incredible offer to Solomon: v. 5 Ask! What shall I give you? 11. God offered Solomon a blank check. The possibilities were wide open! Solomon could have asked for great riches, great power, ANYTHING!

6 12. But David didn't ask for any of those things. Instead, realizing his deficiency to fill the big shoes left by his father, King David, and that he was inadequate for the job, Solomon asked for WISDOM. There are two things to note about Solomon's request: (A) For one thing, it was A SELFLESS REQUEST. v.9a Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge your people... Instead of asking for something selfish, Solomon wanted GOD to grant him the wisdom to be the best possible leader he could be for the Jewish people. Now how selfless is that? (B) But also note it was A SPIRITUAL REQUEST. v. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an under- standing heart to judge Your people, (now listen) that I may discern between good and evil. Solomon was asking GOD to give him spiritual discernment. He wanted GOD to give him the wisdom to discern between good and evil, and right from wrong.

7 Well as we move on to VERSES we see... II. Solomon's Prayer Is ANSWERED (vs ) I KINGS 3:10-14 (NKJV) 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. 1. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. 2. GOD always keeps His promises. He had promised Solomon He would give him whatever he asked for. Solomon asked for WISDOM, and verse 10 tells us this pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked for this thing. 3. GOD was fully aware of Solomon's weaknesses and deficiencies. He knew Solomon could have selfishly asked for a long life or for great riches, but He didn't!

8 4. GOD was so pleased with Solomon's request, not only did He give Solomon the wisdom he asked for, GOD also gave him great wealth and great honor throughout the world. And God even promised Solomon that if he walked in His commands as his father David had done, He would also bless him with a long life. 5. True to His holy word, God always gives us exceedingly, abundantly far more than we think or ask! SOLOMON PRAYED FOR WISDOM. SOLOMON HAD HIS PRAYER ANSWERED FAR BEYOND WHAT HE HAD ASKED FOR But this now brings us to the sad part of Solomon's life story and that is... III. Solomon Squanders His Blessing (I Kings 11:1-10) I Kings 11:1-10 (NKJV) 1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For 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.

9 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. 1. In many ways, Solomon was the most colossal failure in all the Bible. He had been given the greatest opportunity of any man who ever lived, and he squandered it. 2. While God had blessed Solomon with incredible wisdom, Solomon still had the free will to choose what he would do with God's blessings, and he blew it big time. 3. These verses tell us Solomon had a harem of 700 wives, and 300 concubines. Concubines were for sexual pleasure and servant duties. They did not have an equal status as a wife and had no say so in household affairs.

10 4. As noted in our text, most of these wives and concubines were foreigners, and by bringing these women into his life, Solomon also brought their heathen gods into his land, and not only did Solomon fall farther away from God, so did the Israelite people. 5. Do you remember at the time GOD gave Solomon great wisdom, He promised Solomon He would bless him with a long life if he walked in His commands as his father David had done? 6. Tragically, Solomon didn't do that, and as it turned out Solomon died when he was about sixty years old, which was relatively young in those days, as well as in our own. APPLICATION OF THIS MESSAGE What can we take away from this message? (1) For one thing, we must understand GOD GIVES US THE SAME OPPORTUNITY HE GAVE TO SOLOMON. JAMES 1:5-8 (NKJV) 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

11 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. I think all of us would admit our own deficiencies to know the right thing to do in any and every situation. Let's face it, sometimes we get hit with situations that leave us wondering what we should do and which way we should turn. Can you honestly think of anything greater to ask for than GOD'S WISDOM to know the right thing to do in every situation? I want to challenge each and everyone of you to pray this prayer this evening before you go to bed: LORD, I ask that You give me the wisdom to handle each and every situation I face this next week. (B) Something else we need to learn from the example of Solomon is this: BEWARE OF THE DANGERS OF SQUANDERING GOD'S BLESSINGS. You know, there is no getting around it: Life always comes down to the choices we make. ALWAYS! How different would Solomon's life have been had he CHOSEN not to enter into a relationship with all those pagan women who brought their pagan gods into Solomon's home? One thing is for sure, he would have lived well beyond sixty years of age, because GOD promised Him a long life as a reward for his obedience. This should be a sobering reminder to all of us of the dangers of squandering God's blessings. While God has blessed each of us far beyond measure, He still allows us the free will to choose what we will do with His blessings. This is why it so vitally important that we pray for Godly wisdom each and every day.

12 C O N C L U S I O N I Asked God... I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brain to work I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome I asked for patience God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities I received nothing I wanted I received everything I needed My Prayer Has Been Answered.

THE LIFE OF KING SOLOMON 1 KINGS 3:1-5; 11:1-8

THE LIFE OF KING SOLOMON 1 KINGS 3:1-5; 11:1-8 EXAMINING SOLOMON S WISDOM: True wisdom starts with the worship of God (3:1-4). Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to