[Sunday] Blockbuster - 1 Kings 17 - Foolish Wisdom

God doesn’t need you to be a blockbuster Christian. The big story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath shows we don't need a massive spiritual resume for God to love and rescue us.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Rey and Jerry 1 Kings 11-13 - Foolish Wisdom

When the kingdom splits, Kings Rehoboam and Jeroboam desperately grasp for power and control, but God uses Elijah, a nobody from the sticks, to show us that true freedom comes not from controlling our circumstances but from trusting the King who went to the cross for us.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Loud Lips & Far Hearts - Foolish Wisdom

• AI Summery of Sermon (click to see)

  Series Context

  • Sermon series: “Foolish Wisdom,” walking through First and Second Kings by focusing on Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha.

  • Narrative arc:

    • Solomon: precipitates the kingdom’s downfall.

    • Elijah: ministers as the kingdom collapses.

    • Elisha: serves among the ashes after the fall.

  • Aim: To expose “foolish wisdom”—the contrast between human displays of power and God’s way of humble service.

  Opening Illustration: LCMS History and Power

  • LCMS congregational identity noted; origin story used as a parallel to Solomon’s trajectory.

  • Martin Stephan:

    • Charismatic leader in Germany amid 19th-century nationalization.

    • Organized migration to America in 1838 on five ships; declared himself bishop en route.

    • Settled in St. Louis, then directed many settlers to Perry County, MO, to maintain control.

    • Reports of exploitation emerged—“honoring with lips while heart is far”—used as a modern example of the temptation to power.

  • Theme introduced: When leaders seek control, honor God outwardly but their hearts drift toward self-glory and domination.

  Main Texts and Biblical Context

  • Focus: Solomon’s fall as the pattern of choosing empire power over covenant faithfulness.

  1. Solomon’s Forced Labor

  • Scripture: First Kings 9:14 (NIV paraphrase noted)

    • “Here is the account of the forced labor Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple…”

  • Context and emphasis:

    • “Forced labor” exposes slavery-like practices reminiscent of Egypt.

    • God’s identity statement to Israel: “I am the God who brought you out of Egypt”—don’t return to Egypt’s ways.

    • The author subtly critiques Solomon’s “Egypt-like” rule even while praising his grandeur.

  2. Solomon’s Wealth and Throne

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:14

    • “The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents…”

  • Number significance:

    • “6” symbolizes incompleteness; “666” evokes anti-God patterns of power (cf. Revelation).

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:18–20

    • Solomon’s throne: ivory and gold, six steps, twelve lions—hyperbolic claims of unmatched greatness.

  • Historical illustration:

    • King Tut’s throne (c. 300 years earlier) shows Solomon is emulating Egyptian grandeur; the “nothing like it” boast mirrors despot rhetoric.

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:27–29

    • “Silver as common as stones… Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt… chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels…”

  • Application:

    • The repeated “Egypt” connection highlights Solomon’s desire to be Pharaoh—a pursuit of power antithetical to God’s covenant call.

  3. Solomon’s Loves and Idolatry

  • Scripture: First Kings 11:1–2

    • “King Solomon… loved many foreign women… [from nations] about which the Lord told the Israelites ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’”

  • Correction of common misreading:

    • The sermon challenges the tendency to blame the women.

    • Deeper cause: Solomon’s heart already set on empire power—wives were a symptom, not the core problem.

  • Pastoral application:

    • We scapegoat “weak” or obvious targets to avoid confronting our own worship of power.

    • Lip-service to God can mask a heart enthralled by glory, dominance, and self-justification.

  4. God’s Judgment on Solomon

  • Scripture: First Kings 11:9–11

    • “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away… ‘Since this is your attitude… I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.’”

  • Theological point:

    • God judges covenant unfaithfulness, especially when leaders reinstate bondage God already broke.

    • Solomon’s attempt to be Pharaoh leads to loss—God resists proud rulers and defends the oppressed.

  LCMS Case Study Continued: Accountability over Personality

  • St. Louis pastors feared confronting Stephan; chose the youngest pastor, C. F. W. Walther, to investigate.

  • Walther:

    • Rode to Perry County, verified abuses.

    • Removed Stephan, sent him across the Mississippi.

    • Established lasting accountability: “No bishops”; authority in the Word and local congregations; pastors accountable to congregation and district president.

    • Became first LCMS president, seminary professor, and championed “sola deo gloria” (Glory to God alone).

  • Fruit of humble leadership:

    • LCMS helped found a historically Black university during Reconstruction to uplift those oppressed by “pharaohs.”

    • Note of lament: the university closed five years ago; a call to recover mission focus.

  Jesus: The Greater-than-Solomon Way

  • Scripture: Matthew 12 (Queen of the South/Sheba and judgment)

    • “The queen of the south… will rise at the judgment… for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to all of Solomon’s wisdom; and now one greater than Solomon is here.”

  • Interpretation:

    • Jesus contrasts with Solomon’s power model.

    • Pharisees with long robes and devouring of widows exemplify self-glorification; Jesus confronts them.

  • Temptation narrative:

    • The devil offered Jesus “all power, gold, wisdom, greatness”; Jesus refused, embracing humility.

  • Pastoral assurance:

    • If salvation were based on our daily performance, we’d be lost.

    • Jesus “went to the bottom”—His cross and self-emptying place salvation under us, sustaining us amid doubt and failure.

  Christ’s Humble Exaltation

  • Scripture: Philippians 2:5–11 (paraphrased in sermon)

    • Jesus emptied Himself, became a servant unto death on a cross; therefore God exalted Him, so every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ is Lord—to the glory of God the Father.

  • Revelation image:

    • In the throne room, John hears glory and power—but when he looks, he sees “a Lamb that is slain.”

    • God’s throne is the crucified Lamb—power expressed as sacrificial love so God is never out of our grasp.

  Who God Is, Who You Are, and How to Live

  • Who God is:

    • The Redeemer who brings His people out of Egypt; He opposes oppressive power and judges idolatry.

    • He exalts the humble Christ, whose throne is the slain Lamb—power as self-giving love.

  • Who God says you are:

    • Beloved, upheld by Christ’s salvation “underneath” you; not defined by performance but by grace.

    • Called away from empire-seeking identity to servant-hearted, covenant faithfulness.

  • How to live:

    • Renounce pursuits of power and self-glory; embrace accountability and humble service.

    • Guard against honoring God with lips while hearts chase influence and status.

    • Refuse scapegoating; examine the heart’s idols—especially the idol of power.

    • Live “sola deo gloria”—direct all glory to God alone; organize church life around the Word, communal accountability, and care for the marginalized.

  Application and Examples

  • Biblical application:

    • Resist building “Egypt” in our homes, churches, and institutions: avoid systems that exploit or dehumanize.

    • Read First and Second Kings with an eye for the authors’ “truth bombs”—praise of grandeur paired with subtle critiques.

  • LCMS application:

    • Build structures that check charismatic personality power.

    • Recover missional commitments to uplift those historically oppressed.

  • Personal spiritual practice:

    • Regularly ask: Are my fruits revealing a heart seeking power?

    • In seasons of doubt and failure, remember Christ’s salvation is beneath you, ready to lift you.

    • Pursue servant leadership; seek accountability; give glory to God alone.

  Key Points

  1. God rescued Israel from Egypt so His people would not imitate empire power; Solomon tragically re-imported “Egypt” through slavery, wealth, and military alliances.

  2. Blaming “foreign wives” misses the deeper issue: Solomon’s heart loved power and self-glory, turning from God.

  3. God resists proud rulers and tears down oppressive structures; He calls His people to humble accountability.

  4. Jesus is greater than Solomon: He rejected worldly power, embraced the cross, and reigns as the slain Lamb—God’s true throne of love.

  5. Our identity and endurance rest in Christ’s self-emptying grace, not in our performance; therefore, we live “sola deo gloria,” serving rather than dominating.

  Scriptures Referenced

  • First Kings 9:14

  • First Kings 10:14, 18–20, 27–29

  • First Kings 11:1–2, 9–11

  • Matthew 12 (Queen of the South/Sheba and judgment)

  • Philippians 2:5–11

  • Revelation (Lamb that is slain in the throne room)

  Closing Exhortation

  • Pursuits of power are frivolous; Christ alone brings you near.

  • Embrace “foolish wisdom”: humble service, accountability, and glory to God alone.

We look at Solomon's tragic fall into pride and power, reminding us that true wisdom isn't found in building our own empires, but in the self-emptying love of Jesus.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Temple Traps - Foolish Wisdom

It’s easy to get distracted by building grand things, forgetting that God's true work is simply rescuing broken people right where they are.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Foolish Wisdom | Teaching Series

Exploring the stories of Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha in 1st and 2nd Kings, our new "Foolish Wisdom" series reveals that God's truest wisdom is found not in human achievements but in rescuing everyday people right where they are.

Reading Plan
Read around the readings for Sunday

• 2/14/26/26 - Soloman and the Temple

  • 1 Kings 8:12-21
    1 Kings 9:1-9
    Mark 13:1-10

• 5/3/26 - Soloman's Downfal

  • 1 Kings 11:1-10
    Romans 5:12-19
    Mark 12:38-44

• 5/10/26 - Drought/Fed by Ravens-- Jeroboam and Rehoboam 1 Kings 11-15

  • 1 Kings 17:1-7
    1 Corinthains 10:1-13
    Matthew 4:1-11

• 5/17/26 - Widow of Zarepath Call to repentance Evil Ahab

  • 1 Kings 17:8-24
    Galatians 3:6-9
    Luke 4:16-26

• 5/24/26 - Mt Carmel and showdown with Prophets of Baal

  • 1 Kings 18:20-39
    Galatians 1:6-10
    Luke 7:1-10

• 5/31/26 - Elijah flees running from Jezebel

  • 1 Kings 19:2-3, 9-18
    Romans 10:5-15
    Matthew 14:22-33

• 6/7/26 - Elisha takes over as Elijah goes to heaven

  • 2 Kings 2:1-15
    2 Corinthians 4:3-6
    Mark 9:2-9

• 6/14/26 - Naaman

  • 2 Kings 5:1-14
    2 Timothy 2:8-15
    Luke 17:11-19

• 6/21/26 - Elisha annoints Jehu, yet Jehu still does Evil

  • (2 Kings 9-10)2 Kings 9:1-7
    Romans 7:14-20
    Matthew 11:1-19