Something Greater than Solomon | Jesus Brought the Kingdom of God

Jesus said, "The queen of the South…came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42). This verse isn't worded the way we’d expect! Wouldn’t we expect Jesus to say, "…someone wiser is here"? Why did He say something? He said something because He’s referring to more than just Himself. He’s also referring to the kingdom He brought with Him. God become a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven to earth. He brought the kingdom with Him. He was near the people: they could see Him, hear Him, and even touch Him…which is why they said the kingdom is “NEAR or “AT HAND.” The rest of the sermon focuses on this kingdom, and how it’s greater than Solomon’s kingdom. https://youtu.be/DBnjh8wo_hM Jesus said, "The queen of the South…came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42). Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Something Greater than Solomon Is HereFamily Worship Guide for Something Greater than Solomon Is HereSermon Notes for Something Greater than Solomon Is HereLesson one: Jesus brought the kingdom of God with him.Lesson two: Solomon prefigures the glory of Christ’s future kingdom.Lesson three: Jesus is greater than Solomon in (part one) his knowledge of people.Lesson three: Jesus is greater than Solomon in (part two) the supper he prepares.Lesson three: Jesus is greater than Solomon in (part three) his servants’ joy.Lesson three: Jesus is greater than Solomon in (part four) his execution of justice. Sermon Lessons for Something Greater than Solomon Is Here Lesson 1: __________ ______________ the kingdom of God with him (2 Samuel 7:16 cf. Luke 1:30-33, Matthew 3:22, 4:17, 10:7, Luke 10:9-11). Lesson 2: ______________ ____________________ the glory of Christ’s future kingdom (Matthew 12:42, John 5:39). Lesson 3: Jesus is greater than Solomon in: (Part 1) his knowledge ____ ___________ (1 Kings 10:1-3 cf. John 2:24, Hebrews 4:13). (Part 2) _______ ____________ he prepares (1 Kings 10:4-5 cf. Revelation 19:9). (Part 3) his _________________ ______(1 Kings 10:6-8 cf. Genesis 2:15, 3:17-19, Revelation 22:3). (Part 4) his __________________ ____ justice (1 Kings 10:9, 3:28 cf. Isaiah 11:3-4). Family Worship Guide for Something Greater than Solomon Is Here Day 1: Read 2 Samuel 7:16 cf. Luke 1:30-33, Matthew 3:22, 4:17, 10:7, Luke 10:9-11 and discuss: when did it look like the Davidic Covenant was unfulfilled? When was the Davidic covenant fulfilled? Describe the kingdom Jesus brought with him. What did the gospel sound like before Jesus’s death? What does the gospel sound like after Jesus’s death? Or another way to ask: what did the gospel sound like in the Gospels, and then what did it sound like in Acts and the epistles? Day 2: Read Matthew 12:42, John 5:39 and discuss: what mistake did the religious leaders make with the Scriptures in Jesus’s day? How can we avoid making the same mistake? What are some of your favorite pictures or types of Christ in the Old Testament? How does Isaac serve as a type of Christ? What about Joseph? What about Jonah? What are some of your favorite prophecies of Christ (note: prophecies and types are not the same!)? Day 3: Read 1 Kings 10:1-9, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 19:9, Isaiah 11:3-4 and discuss: how is Jesus’s knowledge of people superior to Solomon’s? Why is the marriage supper of the Lamb superior to the supper Solomon prepared? Why will our joy serving Christ be greater than Solomon’s servants’ joy when they served him? How is Jesus’s execution of justice greater than Solomon’s? In what ways did Jesus deal with harlots better than Solomon? Sermon Notes for Something Greater than Solomon Is Here Go ahead and open your Bibles to 1 Kings 10. We spent the last two weeks looking at how Jesus is greater than Solomon, and we’ll continue that this morning. In our first sermon we saw how Jesus built the greater house of God: Solomon built the earthly, physical temple, or house for God. Jesus built the greater heavenly, spiritual temple, or house of God, known as the church. In our second sermon we saw how Jesus is the greater Son: Solomon is the son of David, but Jesus is the true and greater Son of David In 2 Samuel 7:14 God said to David about Solomon, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” So Solomon is a son of God But Jesus is the true and greater Son of God This morning and next Sunday we’ll see how Jesus rules over a greater kingdom. We spent the last two weeks studying the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7. I didn’t read the last verse of it because I wanted to share it at the beginning of this sermon. Listen to it… 2 Samuel 7:16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” We know this looks past Solomon because of the repeated use of the word forever. Solomon didn’t live or reign forever. Now I want to ask you to think about something… When did it look like this covenant was not fulfilled? In other words, when did it look like there was no king sitting on the throne as God promised? The answer is when the Jews went into exile. Zedekiah was their last king around 600 BC. You could say, “What about when the Jews returned from exile, back to their land?” Then they only had governors, not kings. From the time of Zedekiah, their last king, forward, the Jews didn’t have a king. So what were they forced to do? If you put yourself in their place, what would you do? You would look forward in faith for God to keep his covenant with David and provide a king to sit on his throne. Or another way to say it is you would look forward to the true and greater Son of David coming. We know that King was Jesus, and we know when he came. When the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’s birth it sounded like he was quoting 2 Samuel 7:16. Listen to what Gabriel said to Mary… Luke 1:30 “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID (He’ll be that long-awaited king), 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob FOREVER, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” This sounds like a quote of the Davidic covenant, showing Jesus was fulfilling it. The long-awaited King arrived, and what did he bring with him…which you can answer from Gabriel’s announcement? He brought what every king needs to have to be a king. He brought his kingdom, the kingdom of God…and this brings us to lesson one… Lesson one: Jesus brought the kingdom of God with him. Let me ask you a question, that is one of the more common ones I have received as a pastor… What did the gospel look like in the Old Testament? Here’s why people regularly ask this… If I said, “Tell me the Gospel,” you’d probably say something along the lines of: “Jesus died for my sins, was buried, and three days later God raised Him from the dead.” “Jesus was crucified to take the punishment I deserve.” There are a few things you’re going to mention: You’re going to mention Jesus. You’re going to mention His death, burial, and resurrection. You’re going to mention Him taking the punishment for your sins. We know these are the essentials of any Gospel presentation. The apostle Paul said: 1 Corinthians 1:23 we preach Christ CRUCIFIED 1 Corinthians 2:2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and HIM CRUCIFIED If Paul determined to know anything except Christ crucified, “What did they preach BEFORE Christ was crucified?” You can tell by the way the disciples responded when Jesus was crucified that they didn’t expect Him to die. So they clearly weren’t preaching His death, burial, and resurrection because they didn’t think there would be a death, burial, and resurrection. So what was preached? If you’ve read the Gospels even once, I bet you know the answer! They preached the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, which are the same: John the Baptist said Matthew 3:22 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” When Jesus began his ministry Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When Jesus sent out the twelve: Matthew 10:7 “Proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ When Jesus sent out the seventy-two: Luke 10:9 Say to them, “THE KINGDOM OF GOD has come near to you.” 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that THE KINGDOM OF GOD has come near.” They preached the kingdom of God, but was it the same as preaching the Gospel? Listen to this… Luke 9:2 [Jesus] sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God…6 They departed…PREACHING THE GOSPEL. So preaching the kingdom of God was preaching the Gospel. When people preached the kingdom of God, they preached the revelation they had at the time: God become a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ. He came from heaven to earth. He brought the kingdom with Him. He was on the earth near the people: they could see Him, hear Him, and even touch Him…which is why they said the kingdom is “NEAR or “AT HAND.” Preaching the kingdom of God was the primary message in the Gospels, but when you move out of the Gospels, which is to say past Christ’s death burial and resurrection, there’s a very abrupt and sudden change in the message. You notice they don’t preach the kingdom of God in Acts. The gospel in Acts and the epistles is Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and return to establish His kingdom physically.