Sermon Summary: The Crown Season 3, Episode 3 – Success

This sermon continues the study of King Solomon, focusing on his wisdom and the construction of the temple as found in 1 Kings 5-9. The pastor begins by reviewing Solomon's rise to power, emphasizing the pivotal moment when God offered Solomon anything he desired, and Solomon chose wisdom and discernment to govern well.

The Nature of Godly Wisdom

The sermon explores how true wisdom differs from worldly wisdom. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 and Romans 1:21-22, the pastor explains that godly wisdom often appears foolish to the world. Examples include using vacation time for mission trips, volunteering instead of relaxing, sacrificial giving, loving enemies, reading Scripture over entertainment, and showing kindness to outcasts. As Joy Davidman noted, "Being a fool for God was not merely alright but liberating."

The core definition presented is that wisdom means aligning our will with God's will, submitting to His reign, and merging our hearts, souls, and minds with God's. This challenges believers to pray not just for changed circumstances, but for wisdom to respond godly to whatever happens.

Solomon's Wisdom in Action

The famous account of two prostitutes disputing over a baby demonstrates Solomon's divinely granted discernment. When both women claimed the living child, Solomon's clever test revealed the true mother's identity through her willingness to sacrifice her own claim to save the child's life. Significantly, these women were prostitutes—society's outcasts—yet Solomon showed no partiality, embodying the biblical principle that godly wisdom applies justice equally to all people, echoing Jesus's own ministry approach.

The Fruits of Wise Leadership

Under Solomon's rule, Israel experienced unprecedented prosperity and peace. The people were "as numerous as the sand on the seashore" and lived safely "under their own vine and fig tree." Solomon's wisdom attracted international attention, with people from all nations coming to hear him speak. He composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs, demonstrating expertise in botany, zoology, and various fields of knowledge.

Responding to Success with Worship

When faced with this tremendous success, Solomon's response was exemplary: build a temple to honor God. The pastor emphasizes that this represents the proper response to good fortune—turning to worship and praise rather than self-glorification. The temple served multiple purposes: establishing the legitimacy of Solomon's reign, expressing the relationship between God and His people, teaching about God's exclusive dominion, and declaring God's presence among them.

Application for Modern Believers

The sermon challenges contemporary believers to maintain proper awe and reverence for God, noting how familiarity can breed contempt in our relationship with the Almighty. While we don't build physical temples today, the pastor points to Matthew 12:6, where Jesus declares that "something greater than the temple is here."

The ultimate call is for believers to respond with the same reverence toward Jesus that the temple was meant to inspire toward God. Whether rich or poor, Christians are rich in Christ Jesus and should fall on their knees in worship when considering what God has done through Jesus.

The sermon concludes with a prayer that this story of Solomon's temple would revive a sense of awe and inspire genuine praise for our awesome God, encouraging believers to maintain wonder and worship in their daily walk with Christ.