Adrian Rogers - Our Great Savior
Take God's precious Word and open, if you will, to Matthew chapter 12. Let me tell you that we entered these new buildings in November of 1989, and we wanted God to bless in a very special way. And I thought, "What would I preach about? What would be my text," as we came into these new buildings, wondering if God would fill it even once, and God filled it twice on that glorious morning. And the Lord laid on my heart to preach about how great the Lord Jesus Christ is, how great He is.
And so, I turned to this passage of Scripture, Matthew chapter 12 and verse 42, "And the queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came from the uttermost parts of the Earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here". We're going to talk about our great Savior, because I've been talking about the kind of a church I want us to have and I've tried to lead us to be, and I hope we will be in the future. And we have talked about a Bible-believing church. We have talked about a spirit-filled church. We've talked about a caring church, and many things. But I've saved today to talk about our dear Savior.
Now, Solomon had a visit from a woman who was the Queen of Sheba. And she came and saw all of the wisdom, the wealth, the works of Solomon, and in First Kings 10 verse 5 she said, "The breath is gone out of me," when she saw the glories of Solomon's kingdom. And Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Look, a greater than Solomon is here". Now, what caused Jesus to say that? Well, the Pharisees were criticizing Jesus. They were castigating Jesus. They were questioning Jesus. They were judging Jesus.
And Jesus said, "Now, you listen. The queen of Sheba came from the uttermost parts of the Earth; probably at that time, Ethiopia; and when she saw all that Solomon had and did, she said, 'It is glorious.'" And then Jesus said, "Look, you are oblivious to the obvious. 'A greater than Solomon is here.'" Now, what do you think they thought when He said that; I mean, this peasant, this carpenter's son? What do you think they thought when Jesus had what they thought was the unmitigated audacity to say, "A greater than Solomon is here"? Because Solomon was the apex of all greatness, all wealth, all wonder, and yet here's a man in His sandaled feet looking them straight in the face and saying, "A greater than Solomon is here".
Dr. Robert G. Lee, the former pastor of this church, said this, and I want to share with you. He said, "They must have thought, well, Solomon was a king's son. Jesus is a carpenter's son. How can He be greater? Solomon was born in a palace; Jesus was born in a stable. How can He be greater? Solomon was born in Jerusalem; Jesus was born in little Bethlehem. How can He be greater? Solomon had many servants to wait upon him hand and foot. Jesus had none. How can Jesus, be greater than Solomon? Solomon wore his kingly robes so much that Jesus compared them to the flowers of the field, but Jesus wore His peasant's garb, a seamless garment. How could Jesus be greater than Solomon? Solomon drank from vessels of gold. Jesus had to get a drink from a Samaritan harlot. How can Jesus be greater than Solomon? Solomon was rich beyond compare. Jesus was a pauper. How could Jesus be greater than Solomon? Solomon had great armies. Jesus only had a few stragglers following Him. How could Jesus be greater than Solomon? Solomon lived in mansions. Jesus was homeless, and sometimes didn't have a place to put His head down. How could Jesus be greater than Solomon? Solomon had 1,400 chariots, 1,200 horsemen, 40,000 stalls of horses, and he rode in splendor. And Jesus walked. How could Jesus be greater than Solomon"?
Well, for our study this morning, as we think about Jesus and we think about this being a Jesus church, I want to tell you some ways that Jesus is greater. First of all, Jesus is greater than Solomon in the wisdom that He proclaims. Now, I want you to go backward in your Bible now and let's look at Solomon. Go back, if you will, to First Kings chapter 10. And just open your Bibles there and if you want to jot these Scriptures down, you may do it, but we're going to be going in a hurry this morning. But I want you to think about Jesus who is greater than Solomon in the wisdom that He proclaims.
First Kings 10 verses 1 through 4, "And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions," that is, she's going to examine him to see just how intelligent he is, "And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train," that is, an entourage with her, "with camels that bear spices, very much gold, and precious stones, and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart". She said, "Now, this is my big chance. Solomon's supposed to be so wise. I'm going to find out just how wise he is". "And Solomon told her all her questions, there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he built, the breath went out of her".
And then notice if you'll skip on down to First Kings 10:24, "And all the Earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart". Now, folks, you talk about a wise man. Solomon was a wise man. Who wrote the Book of Proverbs? Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs. When you read the Book of Proverbs, you see that Solomon knew all about biology. You know that he knew all about psychology. You know that he knew about all about theology. Listen to First Kings chapter 4 and verse 32. Solomon knew 3,000 proverbs. He had memorized 1,500 songs. What a mind he had! Solomon knew all about creation. Look, if you will, in First Kings 4 verse 33, or just jot it down, "And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall, he spake also of beasts, and of the fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes".
Solomon knew all about the created universe. Friend, he'd do good on a biology test. He knew all about that. But now, wait a minute. Jesus had greater wisdom. You see, Jesus made all of the things that Solomon knew about. John 1 verse 3, "All things were made by Him," by Jesus, "and without Him was not anything made that was made". Now, we read in the Bible about Solomon and he studied ichthyology. He knew all about fishing and he knew all about fish, but listen, Jesus knew more. Jesus put enough fish in empty nets to sink two boats. Read about that in Luke chapter 5 verses 4 through 10. Solomon knew all about the wind and the cycle of the wind, but Jesus knew more.
In Matthew chapter 8 verses 23 to 27, we read that Jesus knew how to rebuke the wind and cause the Sea of Galilee, that was whipping its frenzied waves up, to lie still like a whipped puppy when He said, "Hush, be still". Solomon knew all about navigation and how ships go when he sent ships out to all over the Earth to bring back riches. Well, he did, but Jesus knew more. Jesus knew how to walk on water, Amen? Mark 6 verses 45 through 52. Jesus knew more than Solomon. And Solomon found out that all of his wisdom didn't satisfy him. Maybe you're a Ph.D., and you think that's going to satisfy you, but you may end up a Phenomenal Dud. That's what it'll stand for.
Let me tell you what Solomon said about his wisdom there in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 17, "And I gave my heart to know wisdom and I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit". Folks, listen. The more a man knows, the more he knows he doesn't know. And if a man has any sense, he knows that he doesn't know. We think of Einstein as kind of being the Solomon of our age because of his brilliance. Einstein died in 1955, and he said, "I feel like a man chained. If I could only be free from the shackles of my intellectual smallness, then I could understand the universe in which I live". Now, that's Einstein, "The shackles of my intellectual smallness". Yes, Solomon was wise, but he wasn't as wise as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You want wisdom? I believe God has given me wisdom.
You say, "You're boasting". No, I'm bragging in Jesus. Listen to what the Bible says here in First Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom". If you have Jesus, you have wisdom! And James says in chapter 1 verse 5, "If any of you lack wisdom, ask of God; it will be given to you". Ephesians 1 verse 8, "Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence". You say, "Pastor, are you putting down education"? No, but I'm going to tell you something else. I'd rather be in Heaven singing, "Jesus loves me, this I know," than to be in Hell spouting philosophy. I'm just so glad that Jesus is greater than Solomon in wisdom. And then, Jesus is greater than Solomon in His works. Now, Solomon did some mighty things, and we're going to see them right here.
Look, if you will, in First Kings chapter 10 verse 4, "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all of Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built," so not only did she see his wisdom; she saw his works. Solomon built a palace for himself. It took 13 years to complete his palace. His palace defies description. It was lavishly provided. You can read all about it in First Kings chapter 7 if you want to go home and read about it later on. But, friend, Jesus is building a greater house.
Look if you will in John 14 verses 1 through 3. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions, If it were not so, I've told you, and I go to prepare a place for you". I was visiting with a preacher one time, I was preaching a revival in his church. And so, we were driving around talking. He said, "Let me take you to the upscale section of the city". And so, he took me out to where all the mansions are, and I said, "Well, that's nice, but you ought to see my brother's place". And we kept on talking. I kept on bragging on my brother. He said, "Good night! Who is your brother"? I said, "Jesus". Jesus is my brother. He's not ashamed to call me His brother.
Now, Solomon built a great house, a great palace, but oh, thank God for what Jesus has done. He's greater than Solomon. Solomon set a table. He invited people in for great feasts. Look, if you will, in First Kings 10 verse 5. "And the meat of his table, and the setting of his servants, and the abundance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers," she saw all this. She went to a banquet. She saw the cups of gold. She saw the servants, the way they were dressed so lavishly. It would go far beyond anything any state dinner that the White House might have. The feasting was sumptuous. The food was beyond compare. But Jesus said in Matthew 12:42, "A greater than Solomon is here". And we read in Matthew 14 verses 13 through 21 where Jesus could take five loaves and two fishes and feed 5,000, Amen?
Jesus could turn plain water into sparkling wine. Read about that in the Gospel of John chapter 2 and verses 1 through 11. All that Solomon did could never satisfy, but Jesus said in John 4:14, "If you drink of the water that I give you, you will never thirst again". And you know what Jesus is saying to you today, this one who is greater than Solomon? He's saying to you, "Come and dine". I'm telling you that only Jesus can set a table that will satisfy your heart. "Friends all around me are trying to find what the hearts yearns for by sin undermined; I have the secret, I know where 'tis found, only true pleasures in Jesus abound". Solomon built a temple. A temple that he built was beyond compare and description.
First Kings chapter 10 verse 5 speaks of the house of the Lord. And when she saw the house of the Lord, she said, "There's no more spirit in me". What she meant by that is, "That's it! I'm about to faint. I never expected to see so much. It's far more than I expected to see". Now, what was Solomon's temple like? They tell us it's the most glorious, gorgeous building, the most magnificent building that has ever been built. 183,600 workers worked for seven and a half years to build that temple. Solomon's father, David, had been collecting gold and silver and brass and jewels and cedar wood to build that temple. God Himself designed the temple. God was the architect of the temple. God anointed the workmen to build the temple.
The temple faced east. And as the sun would come up over the Mount of Olives and shine on that temple overlaid with ivory and gold, Josephus, the Jewish historian, said, "It stood there upon Mount Zion like a mountain of snow". But Jesus has built a greater temple. Where is Jesus' temple? Right here in this building. This building is not the temple; you are the temple. Listen, First Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19, "What? Know ye not, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you". You want to see a temple of God more wonderful than Solomon's temple? Right here. Right there. Right up there. You are the temple of God. In the Old Testament, God had a temple for His people; in the New Testament, He has a people for His temple.
Now Solomon's temple is gone. It's been destroyed. What you're looking at now will never be destroyed. But one of these days, this temple is coming up out of the grave. It will never, never, never be destroyed. You see, I'm a temple of God. You're a temple of God. Learn that. A greater temple than Solomon ever built. You see, look, salvation, and I've told you this many times, I'll tell you one more time, that salvation is not getting man out of Earth into Heaven; it is getting God out of Heaven into man. We are now a temple of God. Now, thirdly, not only is Jesus greater in wisdom and greater in works, but Jesus is greater in the workers that He pleases. Solomon had some happy workers.
Look in First Kings chapter 10 verses 6 through 8, "And she said to the king, 'It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts,'" that's his works, "'and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it, and, behold, the half was not told me, thy wisdom and thy prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men,'" that is, his workers, "'happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.'" She said, "Look, I've never seen people so happy. These people who work in your courts, they're the happiest people that I have ever seen".
And can you imagine serving Almighty God by serving in the court of Israel's King Solomon in all of this lavish wealth, the way he fed his servants, the way he dressed his servants, the way he paid his servants? And they were servants of such a wise and a healthy king. But, listen, listen precious friend; Jesus is greater than Solomon in the workers that He pleases. I'm so happy in Jesus. I am. It may sound corny, but I love Him with all of my heart, and I want to love Him more.
You see, I am His worker. You're His worker. Solomon's workers were happy, but Jesus gives more. Jesus gives joy unspeakable and full of glory. Jesus gives joy that is conspicuous, continuous, contagious. Solomon's workers had to give up all of those things that brought them happiness. They're all gone and they're done for. The palace is gone. The tables gone. The robes are gone. Solomon is gone. But the source of my joy has not diminished because my joy does not depend upon what happens; it depends upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And I thank God for the joy of serving Jesus. I am incredibly blessed that God has let me serve Him these years and to be the pastor of this dear church. And I want to tell you, this world and this very people, this very building, is filled with people who are happy in Jesus. Jesus pleases His workers, and Jesus rewards His workers, and Jesus is far greater than Solomon in the workmen that He pleases. But now I want you to notice that Jesus is far greater than Solomon in the wealth that He possesses. Solomon was wealthy.
Look in First Kings chapter 10 verses 14 and 15, "Now the weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold. Besides that he had the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants, and all of the kings of Arabia, and all of the governors of the country". They were just pouring the wealth into Solomon's coffers. Probably no man ever in the history of the world has had wealth like this man Solomon had. It's summed up in First Kings 10 verse 23, "So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the Earth for riches and for wisdom". It was not an exaggeration. They were pouring pounds and tons of gold on him, ivory and spices. And he had ships going out, and they were bringing the wealth to Solomon. And he was wealthy. But you listen to me. Jesus is greater in wealth, Amen?
Listen, Psalm 24 verse 1, "The Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof". The cattle on a thousand hills belong to Jesus, and all of the diamonds and the rubies in those hills. Every star in the sky belongs to Jesus. I heard some people had a pretty good scheme. They were selling stars. You know, if you'd send them some money, they would name a star after you. I thought, "Big deal. It's too late for that". The Bible says in Psalm 147 verse 4, "He calls them all by name," every one of them in the vast stellar universe. You know, Solomon was rich, but he left me no legacy. Jesus has made me rich beyond compare, and I would not, listen, I would not sell what I have in Jesus, I would not, God bears me witness, if you were to fill this building with rubies, gold, silver, diamonds, and stocks and bonds, I wouldn't have to think a New York minute about whether I would trade it all for Jesus.
I spoke on this subject one time, and someone handed me this. He said, "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine; He owns the rivers, the rocks, the rills, the sun and stars that shine. Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell, and He's my Father and they are mine as well". And that's true. But friend, the greater spiritual riches are what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is greater in the riches that He possesses. But let me come to the final thing. Jesus is greater than Solomon in the worship that He provides. You see, Solomon led in worship.
In First Kings chapter 10 verse 9, the Bible speaks of Solomon and, and the queen of Sheba said, "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made He thee king, to do judgment and justice". Now, Solomon was there to lead the people in worship. That's why he built the temple. And God gave him a throne. Look in First Kings chapter 10 verse 18, "Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best of gold". No wonder the breath went out of the queen of Sheba when she saw that shimmering throne. But, hey, church, listen to me. There's another throne and Jesus sits upon it.
I want you to listen to this verse, Revelation chapter 5 verses 11 through 13, "And I beheld, and lo, the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousands, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.' And every creature which is in Heaven, and on Earth, and under the Earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever and ever.'"
Friend, Solomon no longer sits upon his throne. Jesus sits on His! That throne is not up for grabs. He will never, ever be dispossessed. And that's why, church, we must worship the one, the Lord Jesus, who is greater than Solomon. Dr. Lee, that I referenced here a few moments ago, Dr. Lee told a story I think I shall never forget. Dr. Lee told a story of a fire that was in a schoolhouse in South Carolina. The children were trapped inside that schoolhouse. The bells rang. The alarms went off. The strong men of that community came to try to rescue those children from the fire, but they were trapped inside. It was an inferno. And they tried to get the children out, but it was too late. Mortal flesh could not do it.
One father was there. And he looked through the flames and he saw the face of his little boy. And his little boy saw that father. And his little boy said, "Daddy, can't you save me? Can't you save me"? They had to hold the man back. It would have been suicide for him to go into those flames. And Dr. Lee said that man stood there and watched his precious son wither like a flower when an acetylene torch would be held upon it. The father hair turned white almost overnight. All he could see for two years was the face of that boy in the flames. The father only lived for two years because of a broken heart. And over and over again, he heard that little boy, saying, "Father, can't you save me"?
In this old Hell-bound, sin-soaked, careening, sick, drunken world, it needs saving. This world looks to science and says, "Science, can't you save me"? Solomon knew all about science. But science says, "I can tell you how far it is from the Earth to the Sun, but I can't save you". And this dying world looks to culture and says, "Culture, can't you save me"? Culture says, "I can teach you etiquette, I can teach you how to make the world a better place to go to Hell from, but I can't save you". And this world looks to education and says, "Education, can't you save me"? Education says, "I can teach you how to work at your computer, I can teach you the history of the world, but I have no ability to save you".
This world looks to government and says, "Government, please save us". Are you counting on Washington to save you? Are you counting on the Pentagon to save you? Government, in honesty, says, "I cannot save this world". We all know it. But, friend, there's one greater than Solomon, and we need to sing it with all of our hearts, "Jesus Saves! Jesus Saves"! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, our great Savior, Jesus. A greater than Solomon, a greater than anyone else, a greater than all else, is the Lord Jesus Christ. What makes our faith different? You can be a Confucianist without knowing Confucius. You can be a Buddhist without knowing Buddha. You can be an Islamist without knowing Mohammad. But you can't be a Christian without knowing Jesus. Christianity is a vital relationship with the Son of God.
Now, that Jesus that is greater than Solomon is here today, for He says in Matthew 18 verse 20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them". A greater than Solomon is here today! Understand that. Greater in wisdom. Greater in wealth. Greater in works. Greater in worship. Solomon slew thousands and thousands of animals when he dedicated his temple, but the Bible says in Hebrews 10:4, "The blood of bulls and goats can't take away sin". But there is one, Calvary's Lamb, who took your sin, my sin, to the cross and with that rich, red, royal blood paid our sin price, our debt.
Bow your heads in prayer. Now, friend, a greater than Solomon is here today, and He's worthy of your love, He's worthy of your worship. He loves you. He wants to enrich your life. He wants to give you joy. He wants to reach out to you and say, "I'm the only one that can truly save you". If you'd like to be saved, would you pray a prayer like this:
Dear God, I know that education can't save me, and science and culture and government, and all of these things that men are striving after, and perhaps I've been striving after. Lord, You're the great Savior, greater than Solomon, greater than any, and greater than all. And I receive You, the Lord of glory, into my bosom, into my heart, into my life this morning. Come into my life. Take control of my life. Forgive my sin. Cleanse me. Save me, Lord Jesus.
Friend, believe on that old rugged cross He paid your sin debt. And if you will receive Him, He will make you a new creature. Pray from your hearts.
Save me, Lord Jesus. And, Lord, I pray that many will do that today. In the holy, wonderful, saving name of Jesus. Amen.