The passion of first love

For many of us this was how it was when we first met Jesus.

As we saw last week…

·  Solomon loved the Lord

·  Solomon depended on God

·  Solomon put God first

·  And Solomon attributed to God what God deserved…

Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 1Ki 10:23-25

Tragically this didn’t last…

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel  I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 1 King 11:12

So what happened? 

1. Solomon stopped loving the Lord

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Rev 2:4 

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women…

Despite: “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Because Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. (1Ki 11:1-3)

Losing our first love of God can happen to anyone

Solomon stopped loving God and loved other things more!

2. Solomon stopped depending on God

He depended on God’s great gift – rather than God himself.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Ecc 1:1-4 

We live in a society where it is easy to depend on something other than God

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecc 1:12-14 

So why do we do it?

This is the essence of sin.

My son, beware of anything beyond this... The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecc 12:12-13

3. Solomon stopped putting God first

Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom... (1Ki 10:23-24)

And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon... Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land. (1Ki 10:13-15)

When are we in danger of not putting God first?

4. Still God is faithful

1 Kings 11: 9,11-13,36: And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel…

Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. SLIDE However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen….

[And] I will give one tribe to your son, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. 

Despite our failure - God remains faithful

Perfectly fulfilled in and through Jesus

The Gospel

Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Mat 1:1 

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” Mat 15:22  

“Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;

          Hosanna in the highest!” Matt.21:9 

QUESTION - Is Jesus your King?