Adrian Rogers: Jesus Is The Son of God, Our Savior, and King

In the Old Testament, King Solomon was the apex of all greatness, wealth and wonder. By all appearances of class, wealth, and status, Jesus did not compare to Solomon. But in this message, Adrian Rogers reveals how our great Savior is infinitely greater than Solomon.

My brain cannot comprehend the wonders that belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, king of kings, lord of lords.
And when you see him in glory, you’ll say the pastor preached about this, but he didn’t tell us half of it.
Profound truth simply stated. This is love worth finding with pastor, teacher, and author, Adrian
Rogers. Would you turn to Matthew chapter 12?
And we’re gonna look in just a moment at verse 42.
And while you’re turning, let me tell you this, criticism is 1 of the easiest things there is to do.
It doesn’t take much size to criticize.
But if you were to criticize the Lord Jesus, how pitiful would be your criticism?
Now the text that I’m about to read to you was a text that was given to the Pharisees who were masters of criticism.
They criticized Jesus. They castigated Jesus.
They interrogated Jesus, but they were so blind, They were oblivious to the obvious.
There was the Lord Jesus right in their midst, the king of kings, the Lord of lords, Never another like Jesus.
Amen? But notice what he had to say to these, Matthew chapter 12 and verse 42.
He said to them, to these Pharisees, 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.
Now, these Pharisees were taken with bigness.
They were taken with religion, pop, circumstance, glory, and power.
Therefore, they had read about King Solomon in all of his glory.
And they were impressed by that. But the Lord Jesus said, now wait a minute.
The queen of the South, that is the queen of Sheba, had come from the outermost parts of the ends of the earth.
Most likely, that was Ethiopia.
And she made a long visit, a trek, dangerous, arduous, to see Solomon and all of his glory.
And Jesus said, uh, there’s 1 much greater than Solomon that is right here with you.
And in their blindness and in their arrogance, they missed him.
I wonder what they thought when Jesus said to them, when this peasant prophet said to them, a greater than Solomon is right here with you.
Today, I want to mention 7 ways that Jesus was greater than Solomon, and I hope that God, the Holy Spirit, will burn this into your heart and etch it upon your consciousness, and you will come away saying, hallelujah.
What a savior. Our great our great savior.
Now you find the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba back in the old testament in first Kings chapter 10.
So I’d like for you to go backward in your Bible, if you will, to 1st Kings chapter 10, and lay your Bible open there and uh, continue to look with me as we’re going to find these 7 ways that the Lord Jesus, our great savior, is greater than Solomon.
Number 1, Jesus is greater in wisdom.
Now, let’s think a little bit about the wisdom of Solomon.
In 1st Kings chapter 10, the first 4 verses, we learn about the wisdom of Solomon.
And here’s what it says, and when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him, that means to test him, with hard questions.
And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train with camels that bear spices and very much gold and precious stones.
And when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.
And Solomon told her all her questions.
There was not anything hid from the king which he told her not.
That is, she could not stop him. She could not ask him a question that he could not answer.
You know why? God had given to Solomon the supernatural gift of wisdom.
And chapter 10 verse 24 says, and all the earth sought to Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
Now, here’s the interesting thing. All of Solomon’s wisdom, all of his knowledge, listen, it didn’t satisfy him.
Do you know what he wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 in verse 17?
He said, I gave my heart to know wisdom, and I perceive that this is also vexation of spirit.
Do you know what? Wisdom is not the answer, this world’s wisdom.
The more a man knows, the more he knows that he does not know. Isn’t that true?
No. Jesus Jesus is greater in Solomon in wisdom.
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Here’s a second way that Jesus is greater than Solomon.
Not only greater than Solomon in wisdom, but greater than Solomon in works.
Now Solomon was a man who achieved a lot of wonderful things. For example, Solomon built a house.
You’re in 1st Kings chapter 10, look in verse 4.
And, uh, it says, and when the queen of Sheba had seen Solomon’s wisdom and the house that he built.
Now Solomon built for himself a house. It took him 13 years to complete it.
It defies description. I don’t have time to try to describe it to you this morning, but just put in your margin, 1st Kings chapter 7, and you can read about the house that Solomon built for himself.
And ladies, maybe your husband will build 1 like that for you.
But I want to say that while Solomon built a great house, Jesus has built a greater 1.
Do you know what the Bible says?
In my father’s house are many mansions, and I go and prepare a place for you.
If you think that little shack that Solomon lived in was something, you wait till you see what God has prepared for us.
The Lord Jesus Christ, he has prepared a place for us. What a house our Lord is building.
And, you know, also, not only did Solomon build a house, but Solomon set a table.
Look in verse 5, chapter 10 verse 5.
And the meat, that is the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendants of his ministers, and their apparel which is cup bearers, and and his ascent, and so forth.
She saw the gracious, sumptuous feast that old King Solomon had said.
It was delicacy beyond compare. But I wanna tell you, Jesus is greater.
Solomon could set a feast, but, uh, Solomon could take couldn’t take a little boy’s lunch.
5 loaves and a few fishes and feed 5, 000. He couldn’t do that.
Jesus is greater than Solomon.
She saw the table that Solomon set, but God brought me here to tell you, my children, come and dine.
Come and feed on the lord Jesus, who is the bread of life, the lord Jesus, who is the water of life.
He and he alone can satisfy the deep longing of your heart. Solomon ate and he was hungry again.
Jesus is the bread of life. He is the water of life. Think of the temple that Solomon built.
We’re talking about his works. In in in, uh, 1st Kings 10 verse 5, the Bible says, she also saw his ascent when he went to the house of the Lord.
What house of the Lord is he talking about? That that incredible temple that Solomon built.
Historians tell us it was probably the most magnificent building the world has ever seen or ever will see.
It took a 183, 600 workers to build that temple.
They worked on it, labored for 7 and a half years.
Solomon’s father, David, had been gathering gold and silver and precious stones to build that temple.
God almighty was the architect of that temple. It faced east.
The sun rose on the covering of that temple. Gold plated.
Josephus said it stood there on the mountain like a mountain of snow.
But I wanna tell you Jesus has built a greater temple.
Do you wanna know where his temple is? Not this building that we worship in. You.
You are the temple that Jesus has built. 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 says, what?
Know ye not that you are the temple of God?
Uh, you are his temple.
Where is the temple that Solomon built? It is gone.
You can’t find a shred of it.
The temple that Jesus has built will live forever.
I mean, this temple inhabited by the Holy Ghost will live forever. We are temples of God.
We have to understand that’s what salvation is all about. Hey.
Uh, salvation is not primarily getting man out of earth into heaven.
It is getting God out of heaven into man. And we are now temples of almighty God.
Jesus is greater than Solomon in wisdom. Jesus is greater than Solomon in works.
I’ll tell you a third way that Jesus is greater than Solomon, in workers.
Those who serve him, who do those works.
Look if you will in 1st Kings now, uh, chapter 10 in verse 8.
The queen of Sheba is there, and she sees the retinue of servants that Solomon has.
She sees those coming and going, and she notices something about their countenance. They all seem to be smiling.
And here’s what she said. Happy are thy men.
Happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee that hear thy wisdom.
What she said is, what a wonderful place to work and what a wonderful man to work for.
She said, I believe these must be the happiest people I’ve ever seen.
Can you imagine serving in the court of such a wise and wealthy king as Solomon?
I wanna tell you something, friend. Listen to me.
Uh, greater than Solomon is here, and his servants are more blessed than Solomon’s servants ever could be blessed.
Is that not true? Uh, listen.
Jesus, the the servants of Jesus have far more happiness and far more than happiness than Solomon’s servants ever had.
Not only do we have happiness, we have joy.
And Jesus says to us, in John chapter 15 verse 11, these things have I spoken unto you that, uh, my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.
A child of God walking by the spirit has continual conspicuous, and contagious joy, and and, uh, we are to serve the Lord with gladness.
Now Solomon is gone. His palace is gone. His sumptuous table is gone.
And all of those who served him. So what?
My friend, you can’t give a cup of cold water in the name of the disciple and lose your reward.
Uh, these servants were working this morning in the nursery, changing diapers and wiping little noses.
The Lord makes a note of all of that. Happy are his servants.
The service of Jesus is wonderful. Jesus’ servants are greater in joy.
I tell you what else they’re greater in. They’re greater in dedication.
Those of you who are servants of the Lord Jesus know what I’m talking about.
In this world today, there are literally millions and millions of people who not only serve Jesus, but if necessary, would die for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is greater in wisdom. Jesus is greater in works.
Jesus is greater in workers.
By a 1000 lives, I’d wanna give everyone to Jesus, serving the lord Jesus.
Happy are his servants. I’ll tell you another way that Jesus is greater than Solomon.
Jesus is greater than Solomon in wealth. Now, think about the wealth that old Solomon had.
1st Kings chapter 10, beginning in verse 14. Listen to it.
Now, the weight of gold that came to Solomon in 1 year, was 603 score and 6 talents of gold.
Beside that, he had of the merchant men and of the traffic of the spice merchants and of all the kings of Arabia and all the governors of the country.
And King Solomon made 200 targets of beaten gold.
600 shekels of gold went to 1 target, And he made 300 shields of beaten gold.
£3 of gold went to 1 shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the best gold.
You you’re picking the you’re catching the idea. I don’t have time to read all of this.
Fast forward down to verse 23. Here’s what it says.
So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
Mister Gates, Aristotle Onassis, they were paupers compared to Solomon compared to Solomon.
Probably, no individual who has ever lived or whoever will live had the wealth that Solomon had.
The queen of Sheba, who herself knew wealth, when she came and saw the wealth of Solomon, she said, the breath is going out of me.
She said, the half has never yet been told. Wealthy, yes. But come up here.
Let me tell you something. Jesus is greater in wealth. How wealthy is Jesus?
Psalm 24 verse 1, the earth is the lord’s. That’s pretty wealthy.
The earth is the lord’s and the fullness thereof.
The world and all they that dwell in.
In another place, the Bible tells us that the cattle in a 1000 hills belongs to Jesus.
All of the minerals in this earth belong to Jesus. Every star is his.
Friend, it was all made by him and for him, and it’s all coming back to him.
People ask, what is this world coming to? Have you ever said that? What is the world coming to?
It’s coming to Jesus. It is coming to Jesus, and it belongs to the lord Jesus Christ.
Solomon was wealthy, but he left me nothing.
I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.
You know what that means? To be a joint heir?
The lawyers here will tell you what a joint heir is, friend. That’s share and share alike.
I mean, that is share and share alike. We enter into his riches. What a blessing.
I mean, this world has so much to offer, but nothing compared to Jesus.
Oh, the wealth of our great king who owns it all, and he didn’t make it for the devil’s crowd.
He made it for his children. Jesus is greater in wealth than Solomon.
I wanna mention the 5th way he’s greater than Solomon. Jesus is greater in worth.
I didn’t say wealth, I said worth. Wealth is what a man has.
Worth is what a man is.
When queen of Sheba came, she she looked at, uh, Solomon and saw the blessings of God and realized he was a worthy man.
First Kings chapter 10 verse 9.
Here’s what the Queen of Sheba said when she saw how God had blessed Solomon.
She 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, the Lord made the king to do judgment and justice.
What she’s saying is, Solomon, God has crowned you. God has blessed you.
God has seen in you worth.
And therefore, according to verse 18, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the best gold, and he sits upon that throne with 12 12 lions out in front of that throne.
There was steps going up to that throne. Can you just imagine what that throne must have been like?
When the queen of Sheba saw it, the Bible says the breath went out of her.
But I wanna tell you, Jesus is greater in worth. Let me tell you about another throne.
Revelation chapter 5. I love this passage.
Revelation chapter 5 verses 11 through 13, the apostle John is transported.
He’s taken up into heaven, and this is what he saw.
He says, and I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, the beast and the beast and the elders And the number of them was 10000 times 10000 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 the 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.
Amen? Oh, friend, what a great savior, greater in worth than Solomon.
Solomon’s throne is gone. There’s a throne established in the heavens. John saw it. It was occupied.
There is 1 sitting upon it. We sang it. Our God reigns.
And the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our lord and his Christ.
Friend, I’m glad that god honored Solomon, and I pay respect to him, but I would never worship him.
I worship Jesus. I’ll tell you another way that, uh, uh, Jesus is greater than Solomon.
He’s greater in worship.
Now in chapter 10 verse 5, the Bible says that the Queen of Sheba, as she’s there watching all of this, she sees the ascent by which he went up to the temple.
I’ve studied this word ascent, and what it literally means, the word, ascent, may be translated burnt offering.
1 translation that I studied this week said, holocaust.
And what it means is this, that she saw Solomon as he brought his offerings in worship to the Lord.
When Solomon dedicated that temple, the Bible describes it in 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 in verse 5, and King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 20 and 2, 000 oxen.
202, 000 oxen and a 120, 000 sheep.
120, 000 sheep.
This is 1 offering when he dedicated the temple.
All of those offerings could not atone for 1 sin.
All of them. All they did was to typify and illustrate the offering that would be made.
Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 4 says, for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sin.
But Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12 speaks of our great savior and it says, but this man, after he had offered 1 sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.
Friend, he is our great savior. He’s greater in worship.
Solomon, in worship, offered the blood of bulls and of goats.
The lord Jesus offered up himself.
Final thing, Jesus is greater than Solomon in wonder.
When the queen of Sheba saw everything that Solomon had done, she was filled with awe, filled with amazement.
She said, in chapter 10 of 1st Kings verse 7, the half has never yet been told.
But I wanna say as wonderful as Solomon was, Jesus is more wonderful. Our great savior.
Friend, I want to tell you that I’m trying to tell you, but wait till we get to heaven.
Wait till we get to heaven. Wait till when by his grace, we look upon his face.
When you see Jesus, you will say, yes. It is worth it all.
He is greater in wonder.
The breath went out of the queen of Sheba when she saw Solomon and all of his glory.
But 1 day, I’m gonna see Jesus in all of his glory. Ain’t that wonderful?
Now, folks, here’s what it’s all about. You listen to me today. Listen.
Jesus is greater than Solomon, and he’s greater than everybody else, and he’s greater than everybody else put together.
There’s only 1 dear, wonderful, glorious savior.
And did you know what?
He wants to save you today, and he will save you.
I promise you on the authority of the word of God, if you trust him.