In this sermon, the preacher discusses how the plots of movies often involve sinful behaviors such as murder, deceit, fornication, and adultery. He argues that society's acceptance of these behaviors is evidence of the truth of God's word. The preacher references the story of Solomon, who multiplied wives and turned away from the Lord, as an example of the consequences of forsaking God's word. He encourages the audience to lay aside sin and run the race of faith, seeking a right relationship with God. The sermon concludes with a reminder that true fulfillment cannot be found in worldly pursuits, but only in walking with God.

Let's turn now in our Bibles to Psalm 115 for our scripture reading. I'll read the first, the unnumbered verses, and Pastor Brian will lead you in the reading of the even verses as we stand now for the reading of God's Word. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever he has pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not. Feet have they, but they walk not. And neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them. So is everyone that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord, for he is your help and your shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord, for he is your help and your shield. The Lord hath been mindful of us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. And he will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord, which has made the heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's. But the earth hath he given to the children of men. The dead praise not the Lord, and neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord. Let's pray. Father, as we have come now to look at your Word, that we might find from it guidance, help, strength, direction, that our hearts will be open now, Lord, by your Spirit. That you'll be able to speak to us, Lord, concerning the issues of life. Open now our hearts to receive. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Tonight we'll be studying 1 Kings chapters 10 through 12. We encourage you to read them over. Join with us at seven o'clock as we gather to worship the Lord and to study through the Bible. Great opportunity to learn the whole Bible. And we encourage you to go through it with us. This morning we'd like to draw your attention to the 11th chapter, beginning with verse 4. We read, It came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord. And he went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. And then Solomon built a high place for Shemash, the abomination of Moab, and in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all of his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. This is the record of Solomon's decline. Because of his wives turning his heart and his mind from the true and the living God, and beginning to do homage to the gods that his wives had worshiped from the various countries from which they came. In Deuteronomy chapter 17, this is God's word to the nation, when in the future they would desire a king. When you have come into the land, God said, which the Lord your God has given to you, and you shall possess it and are dwelling in it. And you say, we want to set a king over us, like all the nations that are around us. You shall only set the king over you that the Lord your God shall choose. He must be one of your brothers. You may not set a stranger over you. And he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to the end that he should multiply horses. For as much as the Lord has said unto you, you shall henceforth return no more that way. And neither shall he multiply wives to himself. That his heart turn not away, neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. We just read the account of how Solomon's wives in his old age turned him from the Lord, and he began to worship these other gods. But you see, it was God's command back in Deuteronomy that that is not what the king was to do. He was in violation of God's law that said, you shall not multiply wives. We see that Solomon broke the commandment. And just as God said, the wives would turn their hearts away from the Lord. So his wives turned his heart away from the Lord. Sometimes people get the strange idea that the scripture doesn't apply to them. That they have some special case that exempts them from the necessity of obeying the scriptures. This is Satan's deception. It is Satan's lie. Sometimes people even think that God has spoken to them and told them that it is all right for them to violate the commandment of God. This is one of those cases what Paul referred to when he said that Satan was able to transform himself into an angel of light in order to deceive. You can be sure that God will never allow or permit you to do something that is in violation of his commandments. The word of the Lord is sure and steadfast. And you are no exception. And God does not make exceptions to his commandments. He had commanded the kings were not to multiply wives lest the wives turn their hearts away from the Lord. Solomon evidently thought that it was all right for him to break this commandment. He felt secure. He felt strong. He felt that his commitment to the Lord would never diminish. But just as God said, so it happened. And that is the way it always is. You cannot go against the word of the Lord. I can assure you that God will never tell you to do something that is in violation to his written word. Paul, writing to the Galatians, repeated over, And as I said before, and so I say again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that which you have received, let him be accursed. God's word is sure and steadfast. God's word stands and God will never tell anybody to do something that is in violation to the word of God. It is Satan that suggests that you should do that which God has said you should not do. It is Satan that said to Eve in the garden that if she would eat of that tree, she would come into a new understanding and would be as God. God said, you shall not eat it. And God's word stood. God said, you will surely die. Satan said, you won't die. God's word stands. The story of Solomon is like the story of so many other stories in the Bible. A man who had started well. A man who had every blessing and every advantage from the Lord in the beginning. When Solomon came to the throne in the place of his father David, the kingdom was at peace. David had subdued the nations around them and they were paying now tribute to Israel. And thus the kingdom was not only peaceful but prosperous. And God gave unto Solomon great wisdom. Wisdom that exceeded all of those that preceded him. He had all of the ingredients that were necessary for a long, happy and prosperous reign. But God had in the law given to the kings prohibitions. Prohibitions. Do not go back to Egypt to trade horses. Do not multiply wives. Do not multiply silver and gold. And Solomon broke all three of these commandments. The effect of these things is that they get your eyes off of the Lord and diverted to these other things. When you start getting into possessions, horses with Solomon, you start getting so interested in horses that your mind begins to think about this horse that you're wanting to buy. Of course, with us it's horsepower probably. And you start thinking about that car and you start picturing yourself driving that car. And it becomes sort of an obsession to you. It takes up your thought life. And God is crowded out of your thought life as the result. God said the many wise will turn your heart away from the Lord. And in seeking to please these wise, He built there on the Mount of Olives temples for their gods, where they could go and burn incense unto their gods. And he had his heart turned away from God by the worshiping of these other gods also. In the amassing of wealth, it is like an opiate. You never can get enough. And so Solomon was actually seeking to amass more than he could possibly spend. We read that the amount of gold that he amassed each year equaled about 250 million dollars worth of gold every year. Now, what can you do with that much gold? You can't spend it. But it just becomes sort of a craze with you. And you have more than you could possibly spend. And yet it is never enough. And the danger is that you seek to find happiness, satisfaction and contentment in these other things. Having forsaken God, Solomon felt that void in his life that only God can fill. But he was trying to fill that void with other things. In Ecclesiastes, he speaks of his quest for that inner fulfillment in things other than God. His conclusion was that the works of man under the sun only lead to more emptiness and frustration. That that which is crooked cannot be made straight. Lust is like a bottomless pit. It can never be filled. It's impossible to even count the number of things that man wants. He first sought to find meaning in life, in wisdom. But he concluded that the more you know, the more you have to grieve over. In much wisdom is much grief. And in the increase of knowledge, it only increases your sorrow. So he turned to partying. And he sought to find fulfillment in just partying. But as he looked at it, he said it's just shallow. Laughter is madness. There's no good that can come from partying. So he turned to great construction projects. He built houses, planted vineyards, made gardens and orchards with all kinds of fruit. And then he made reservoirs whereby he could water the gardens and the orchards. And as he began to amass things, servants, great possessions, many cattle, silver, gold, expensive jewelry, choirs, orchestras, he said, whatever my eyes desired, I kept not from them. I did not hold my heart back from any joy. I rejoiced in my wealth, but that was all I got from it. Just a little rejoicing. Because when I looked at everything, it was all empty and frustrating. And there was no profit under the sun. What can anybody do more than I have done? I mean, Solomon is saying, I took it to the limits. You can't do any more than what I did. And when I got to the end of it, I found it empty. I found it frustrating. And I found myself totally frustrated. So my conclusion is that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. But the same event happens to the wise man as happens to the fool. They both die. So what good has all of my wisdom done for me? I die just like a fool. And so I hated all of these things that I amassed. Because I'm going to have to leave them now. I'm going to have to leave them to a foolish son who will probably just go out and waste it all. And that's exactly what happened. His son Rehoboam was a foolish son who went out and just lost everything that his father had amassed. And so he concluded that life is just a waste. There is nothing of real worth or value. Everything leads to emptiness and frustration. And life under the sun is not worthwhile. With all of these things, that was his conclusion. That that's his problem. He was looking at life under the sun. And the Bible tells us that true life is in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. And he had forsaken Him to try to find meaning apart from Him. I cannot help but wonder how different a view that Solomon would have had of life had he spent his life pursuing God rather than pursuing the pleasures and the wealth. If he had stayed on course in worshiping God rather than turning to the gods of this world, the gods of his many wives in his earlier life as he was still true and following the Lord, he said in Proverbs, the blessing of the Lord makes you rich and it adds no sorrow with it. But he forgot even his own Proverbs. If he had only paid attention when God spoke, his life could have been far different. What is true with Solomon is also true for you and for me. If we obey the commandments of God, life will be rich and full, for only God can fill the void in the human heart. The Greeks used to say, the dice of the gods are loaded. What they meant was, you dare not go against the gods because you can't win. It's impossible to win against the gods. God has said what he meant and God meant what he said. And he who is so much wiser than Solomon knew what would happen when Solomon would multiply wives to himself. Ultimately, they'll turn your heart, God said, away from you. You know, I'm always amazed at what stupid and dumb things smart people can do. Have you ever noticed? Over in India, there is a fellow by the name of Sai Baba who says he's God, that he has gone through the transition from the human into the divine state. And there are thousands of people who make a trek to India, live in the squalor conditions of those devotees of Sai Baba, and they sit there to listen to this man and to try to get close to this man. In order to themselves go through an evolutionary transition from the human to the divine state, the things that they do in order to partake of Sai Baba, I would not be able to tell you in a mixed congregation. Foolish, stupid things. But you know, that among those that are there are some of the elite scholars of the world. PhDs abound in those that are there to hear the squeaky-voiced man talk of coming into the divine state, to reject the truth of God leaves you wide open to be deceived and to believe the most preposterous lies. Paul spoke of those that did not have a love for the truth, that God would give to them a strong delusion, that they would believe a lie rather than the truth that they might be damned. Speaking of those who believed in evolution, he said, professing themselves to be wise, they actually became fools because they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator who is blessed forevermore. And then Paul told of the ultimate corruption and decay of the human race. The decay of a culture that would embrace the evolutionary theory. He said, when a culture embraces this theory and begins to worship the creature rather than the Creator, for this cause, God will give them up to vile affections, for their women will change the natural use into that which is against nature. Likewise, also men, leaving the natural use of the woman, will burn in their lust toward one another. Men with men doing that which is unthinkable and receiving in themselves the result of their error, which is befitting what they are doing. And even as they did not want to retain God in their knowledge, God will give them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not proper. And being filled with all unrighteousness and fornication and wickedness and covetousness and maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding, covenant breakers without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who knowing the judgment of God that those which commit such things are worthy of death. But they not only do them, but they have pleasure in them that do them. Look at our culture and our society today. A culture and a society that has taught that man was not created, that the universe was not created, but all evolved. And now look at our society today and just read the newspaper or listen to the news reports or notice the movies and the plots of the movies, where Paul said, not only do they do them, but they take pleasure in them that do them. And what are the plots of the movies involved? Murder, deceit, fornication, adultery. And people go pay money to see others do these things, taking pleasure in them that do them. And then tell me that God's word is not firm and God's word does not stand. The society in which we live today is confirmation to the truth of God's word. God said, if the king will multiply wives, his wives will turn his heart away from the Lord. Solomon multiplied wives, his heart was turned away from the Lord. God said, if a culture will embrace evolution, then all of these things will happen. Our culture is embracing evolution. And now we see the results. The dice of the gods are loaded. You cannot go against God's word and expect anything other than what God said would happen when a person forsakes the word of God. Now, flip the coin. God has promised such wonderful blessings for those who will follow him, for those who will make him first in their lives, for those who will forsake their evil ways. God has promised blessings untold. See if I will not pour out unto you a blessing that you're not even able to contain, God said. And the riches and the glory that God has promised to those that would honor him. And so, there's one of two ways to go. The way of disobedience to God's word, and you'll find out that the consequences are there, you can't escape them. Or obedience to the word of God. And again, you'll find the consequences are there, you can't escape them. You'll be blessed above measure when you commit your life fully to Jesus Christ. You'll be rich in the things of the Spirit. Your life will be full. And as David said, my cup runneth over, your life will be as an overflowing cup, not only blessed more than you can contain, but the blessings begin to overflow and touch those around you, and others begin to be enriched and blessed just by being near you. Because you're walking near to him. God's word is sure and steadfast. God's word will stand. God meant what he said, he said what he meant. And to obey it, you'll be blessed. To disobey, you'll experience the consequences. They're inevitable. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the firm foundation that you have given to us that is laid in your excellent word. And Lord, we pray that you'll help us to take heed to your word. In a day, Lord, in which there is so much deception, and even Satan, Lord, seeking to deceive people into thinking that you're telling them that it's all right for them to break your commandments. Oh, Lord, we ask that you will wake them up to the truth, to realize that even if an angel of heaven would come and tell them that what you said is wrong is right, let that angel be accursed. Lord, may we hold fast to your truth. May we have a love for your truth so that when the days of strong deception come, we will be able to see the deception and will not be drawn after the follies of this world. Help us, Lord, to obey your truth, to follow after you, knowing, Lord, again, it's there. Whatever we sow, we're going to reap. And if we sow to the flesh, it's going to be corrupt. But if we will sow to the Spirit, it will be life and joy and peace. Help us, Lord, to make the right decisions, decisions that are predicated upon your eternal truth. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we stand? The pastors are down here at the front this morning. To pray for you. And if you've been thinking that, you know, it's all right for you to hedge a bit, to just sort of stray from what God has said, know this, God's Word will stand. And if you are sowing to the flesh, you can't help but reap what you've sown. The Lord is here today to put you on the right path, to help you to come into conformity with His plan and His Word. And I would encourage you, if you've been veering from that path, that you get back on that path, because we are getting so close to the end of the road that you dare not stray. Solomon began well, but he ended miserably. I want to end my race breaking the tape. I want to run to win. And I would encourage you to lay aside every weight and sin which does so easily beset us. And run with patience the race that is set before us as we look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. These men are here to pray for you today. You can get back on the right track. You can get back in a right relationship with God. And you can begin to walk with Him and experience again His presence, His love, and that fulfillment that comes from knowing that you're where God wants you to be, that you're doing what God wants you to do. The Lord bless thee. And keep thee. The Lord make His face to shine upon thee. And be gracious unto thee. And be gracious unto thee. For the Lord lift up His countenance. His countenance upon thee. And give thee peace.