Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the significance of having a 'hearing heart' through the story of Solomon in 1 Kings 3. He highlights how God invites Solomon to express his desires, revealing the importance of recognizing our own limitations and dependency on God. Solomon's humble request for wisdom instead of riches illustrates the essence of a heart that seeks to understand and obey God's will. Beach encourages the congregation to embrace their identity as children of God, acknowledging their need for divine guidance. Ultimately, he calls for a deeper relationship with God, where believers seek a heart that hears and responds to His voice.

1 Kings chapter 3, and we may begin reading in verse number 3. Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar. Now, I believe that in a spiritual sense, God has brought us to Gibeon this morning. As Solomon in verse number 5, the scripture says, In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, and God said, Ask what you wish me to give to you. Now can you imagine this awesome setting? Here King Solomon is in Gibeah, and it's at night, and he falls into a sleep and has a dream, and the Lord himself appears to him. And I like what the Lord says to Solomon. And I believe, I believe God asks Solomon this question, in order to accomplish two goals. The first goal is, God asks Solomon this question, in order to surface the inner desires of Solomon. Secondly, I believe God asks Solomon this question, in order to give Solomon an opportunity to see God's willingness and readiness to respond to such a request. Now let's read on and find out what it is that Solomon asked God in response. Now remember, this is in response to God's question. Let's begin in verse 5, In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, and God said, Ask what you wish me to give you. Then Solomon said, Thou hast shown great lovingkindness to thy servant David my father, according as he walked before thee in truth and righteousness, and a brightness of heart toward thee. Thou hast reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of my father David. Yet I am but a little child. Wow! We're already beginning to see God's purpose in asking Solomon the question, Ask what you wish me to give you. The curving question that God asked Solomon began to surface in Solomon, his own estimation of himself, and what a good estimation he had. Now why did he have this estimation of himself? Because he was acquainted with the Holy One. God gives this estimation to all who become acquainted to Him. It is a work that is initiated by God, and that it results in our confessing it before Him. God, I am but a child. I like that. I sense the Lord this morning longs to possibly recreate, in a spiritual sense, through His Word and by His Holy Spirit, this incident in real life. What can I do for you? What would you wish me to give you? God is saying this morning. The first thing that Solomon says, I am but a little child, and I do not know. I am a child, and I do not know. Now friends, these are perhaps two of the most profound statements in the entire Bible, are they not? Now you think about this. The Almighty comes to a man. What do you wish that I give to you? The man responds by saying, I am a child, and I do not know. What is God saying to us this morning? Why is the Holy Spirit moving in such a manner this morning? He is seeking the same response in us as He found in Solomon. You see, in Christ Jesus, basically, we have had this same question asked to you and I. In Christ, God is saying, listen, what is it that you would like me to do for you? In Christ, we have been given offerings that pertain to everything that we need to know our God and to serve Him and to walk pleasingly in His sight. But listen, the degree that we can utilize what has been given to us in Christ is based upon our inward realization of two things. I am but a child and I know nothing. I am but a child and I know nothing. Which results in an ever increasing awareness of our sufficiency and dependency and competence upon Him. This is what God is seeking to produce in us this morning. This great work that only He can do. That only He can do. This is what He is doing in your life. Let's read on now. The two most profound statements possibly in the Old Testament. Now, mind you, we're not talking about Apocrypha here. A poor man, are we? We're not talking about a man that is down on the low. Ah, the word has left my mind. Down on the low social status. Thank you. We're not talking of a man here who's poor. Talking about a king who, if he would read the Bible, used gold for his drinking glasses. Pure gold. What a paradox. Oh how God wants us to possess the same inner quality that He said solemnly. And my friends, I believe it's God's will this morning that this quality be produced in each one of us. I believe this is what the Lord is doing. Verse number 7. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king in place of my father David. Yet I am but a little child, and I do not know how to go out or come in. You see friends, this is more than just an intellectual acknowledgement. And only the Holy Spirit can take our profession and walk it into our inner being. And this again is what the Lord is doing. He's taking our profession of faith and He's producing the profession of our faith in the innermost being of our soul. So that it's not just a testimony, I depend on God, that it's the breath of our soul. This is pleasing in the Lord's eyes. Verse 8. Thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, a great people who cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. Now here is the ultimate. So give thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of thine? Now, if we were to put a title on this message this morning, we would call it A Hearing Heart. I have a marginal reading here that says an understanding heart literally is a hearing heart. A heart that hears my word. A heart that hears His voice. A heart that hears His word. And of course, the natural conclusion of a hearing heart would be an obedient heart. So listen. God comes to Solomon and says, What shall I do for thee? Solomon says, Lord, give me a hearing heart. Listen. What enabled Solomon to be able to ask God for such a beautiful request and really mean it from his heart? It was his prior two confessions. I am a child and I do not know. It was the unfolding of Solomon's dependency upon God and his continuing need to love Him and know Him that resulted in, give me a heart that hears. A hearing heart. Now let's see how God responds to Solomon's request. And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have you asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but you have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice. Behold, I have done according to real words. I have given you a wise and discerning heart so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. And I have given also unto you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will be none of you among you, the kings like you all of your days. It is my belief that as the Lord came to Solomon, He seeks to come to His own today. And He seeks to do these things. Number one, He wants us to understand that in Christ all things have been given unto us that pertain to life and godliness. In Christ we have been made complete. Secondly, He seeks to ever produce in us the increasing awareness that we are but children and we do not know without His help, without His guidance. We are children and we know nothing. So number one, the revelation of Jesus Christ in Him, we are complete. Number two and three, we are children and we do not know. And then number four, the consummation of bringing out of us the ultimate desire that is pleasing to Him and that is more, I want a healing heart. These things come in order. The revelation of Christ, the revelation we are children, the revelation we do not know, and then that produces the ultimate fragrance that constantly rises up to God and that is a breath, a prayer. Oh God, give me an understanding heart. Oh God, give me a heart that hears. Oh God, give me a heart that knows. Your heart. This is God's supreme pleasure. Now, we're going to let you go tonight, Lord willing, depending on how God moves. We make our plans but then God is the one who establishes them. Tonight we will go into what characterizes a healing heart. We're going to go to the New Testament and show you that the Apostle Paul in his prayers to the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Philippians, and the Thessalonians, he perfectly defines what a healing heart is and it really will bless your heart. So we're going to continue this evening as God leads us and we just once again want to encourage you, if you want to spend time in prayer, this was an unusual service, but what else is new? Say, what else is new? It's our supreme goal here. That is to let God have his way in the hearts of his people. This is what we're dedicated to do and we've prayed and said, God, wipe out this ministry. Wipe it out rather than let it become a religious institution where the Lord Jesus stands outside weeping, knocking to come in to have his way in the hearts of people. Jesus wants to have his way in our life. That's what we're going to do. We're going to wait. And if Jesus should tell you until the year 2000, then we're going to be here until then just waiting on him, asking him to move in our lives and in our hearts. Amen. You'll be 63. That's what we want. The throne glitter doesn't do anything for us anymore. We just want him. And I know there's a lot of people that want him. Good to see a good tale here. We're not done. So what I'm going to say is this. If you need to go, take off. If you want to stay and let the Spirit of God continue to minister to you, then you certainly feel free. I'll sing this. You don't want to. You don't have to. But I'm going to sing it. What is this now? Who is liking unto the 171? If you have a special offering this morning and forgot about the offering, you can just put it right in here.