Sermon Tone Analysis
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We all know people who have unique traits and skills that when we see those traits we think to ourselves if only they would use those traits for growing the kingdom of God.
The trait I particularly have an interest in, this particular morning, is called enableing.
The Enabling trait doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, or comfortable.
Often this trait is passed down over time throughout a family.
It is a learned behaviour that is inherited.
In the psychotherapy and the mental health field, enabling has been defined as a positive sense of empowering individuals or a negative sense of encouraging dysfunctional behaviour in individuals.
Enabling can be a good thing, enablers know how to talk people down from dangerous situations so they are good negotiators.
Enablers also know how to encourage others around them to do things they don’t necessarily want to do.
So how is this good?
Enablers can be a huge part in making someone else’s life notably better.
But despite this, I tend to dislike the enabler trait when negatively used.
Enablers tend to be a bit too proud, so proud that there is always room for humility.
An enabler with the skill to play a sport really well, will look at their teammates as nothing more than a hindrance to winning.
You gift another enabler with the ability to talk, and next thing you know their friends are giving them that iPod that they just got.
You put yet another enabler who likes to smoke in the company of someone who is trying to quit smoking and they happily encourage them to keep smoking, so they have a smoking buddy.
Let me apologize to anyone who identifies as an enabler, not all enablers misuse this unique skill set because on the flip side …
You show an enabler how to enable their teammates to score a goal and they will set up and help bring their team to the championship.
You sit an enabler down before speakers who teach them well and they turn around and share their knowledge in such a way that others come to a clear understanding of what they are sharing (whether it be math or the Gospel)
An enabler who gets a phone call, no matter what they are doing they will drop everything and drive out to where that person is to help them out and get them where they need to go safely.
Often enablers are a prideful lot.
More often than not, for an enabler to be settled down they need a pretty decent portion of Humble Pie.
Some will reject that piece of Humble Pie and I pray for those who do, because they have chosen a hard path to follow.
Those who receive that hard-to-swallow pastry become better people for it.
Many of them come to Jesus, influencing others for the Lord in a significant way.
Let me ask you this.
When you critically evaluate yourself and your families behavioural tendacies, how would you define yourself?
It’s not a particularly enjoyable thing when you stop and you think about your sins, and the sins your family have committed and begin to realize that there can actually be a single word you define yourself with.
However, that single word can be a negative thing and a positive thing.
Are you an influencer?
Have you influenced others to partake in the same activities you have?
Are you an enabler?
Do you enable just yourself or others as well?
What do you enable them in?
Are you passionate?
Do your passions drive you?
Are these passions directed at Kingdom building things?
Are you a gatherer?
Do you gather up the things in life that are offered and do you care if those things are good or bad?
Are you steadfast?
So steadfast that you’re not ever willing to admit you’re wrong?
Or are you steadfast in following the scriptures?
Are you for yourself?
Or Are you for Building the kingdom of God? Are you so distracted by your own goals and the furthering of you that you are willing for your heart to not be wholly devoted to the LORD your God?
We all know the subconscious answer you would give.
You are for building the kingdom of God.
Of course you are.
Why wouldn’t you be?
You come to church as an outstanding Christian and leave church an outstanding Christian.
You look at your life and when you check of that check list you are hitting all the right marks.
God has blessed you with your house, your bank accounts aren’t horrible, you have a couple vehicles in your name.
And you tithe regularly.
Check, check, check, and check.
There was this man who had his checklist as well, and by all accounts he was blessed.
He had all the resources he would ever need, God had blessed him with wisdom.
So much so that all the leaders in the known world sought him out for advice.
He was a trades ambassador, a trades titan.
He would make those on the Dragon’s Den look like dust mites put together.
God had blessed him with the gift of wisdom and by golly he knew how to use it.
People in that time looked at him and I bet you they thought he was pleasing God with what he was doing.
He must have been right?
Why would he be so successful if it wasn’t for God? Well we find ourselves looking at this story this morning in 1 Kings 10:14-29 this particular man I’m talking about is Solomon.
We find King Solomon in this particularly affluent situation.
He is so rich not only monetarily but also in wisdom that we see in verses 23-24 his wisdom was sought out from all the earth.
At first, glance when we read 1 Kings 10: 14-29 we understandably come to the conclusion that God was blessing Solomon with these riches.
But the only clear thing God blessed Solomon with was Wisdom.
And Solomon had a choice in how he should use that Wisdom.
While King Solomon’s riches were growing, we can almost get this sense that it was all going to his head.
The issue with building all these resources is, from all appearances, it no longer looks to be Solomon building God’s kingdom, for the betterment of all God’s chosen people but rather Solomon building his kingdom.
For Solomon’s betterment.
God was abundantly clear when he set these rules for a King in Deuteronomy 17:14-20
So when we read Chapter 10 we see Solomon was beginning to break a few of these rules.
Solomon, unfortunately, began to take a spiral nose dive at this point, and it wasn’t just himself he was taking down but he was bringing the whole nation with him.
The Israelite people have worked hard and have enjoyed the material success that Solomon’s wisdom brought them.
They have seemingly remained faithful to God, probably because of the temple which seems to be a consistent “oh yeah forgot that was there” type of nuisance to the Israelite people.
Israel is enjoying the position of power and influence they had not known before.
But this doesn’t last, like I said before, Israel has entered into a nosedive, spiralling out of control.
Keep in mind that the king isn’t supposed to acquire a great number of horses for himself or return to Egypt to get more.
In addition, the King isn’t supposed to accumulate a large amount of gold or silver, you wouldn’t think Solomon would fall any farther.
Let’s read 1 Kings 11: 1-8
Now, we see Solomon has fallen into more trouble.
Solomon, as the King of Israel, disobeyed God not once, not twice, no not three times.
By my count, he has committed more than 6 acts that go against God’s commands.
What was the underlying factor?
Well, who benefits most out of each and every one of Solomon’s disobedient acts?
Solomon does.
When God had called the Israelites to action each time he expected them to respond while following Him.
Each time the Israelites responded out of their own abilities rather than trusting in God, God made sure they learned their lesson.
Now one might be asking what's the difference between David (Solomon’s Dad) and Solomon?
Solomon and David had two different priorities.
Solomon weighed his success by one checklist.
Material Wealth.
And David he weighed his success by a completely checklist and it only had one box to check complete obedience to God.
So when God dished out a decent portion of humble pie to David; David repented with all his heart to God.
David even laments a whole Psalm (Psalm 51) in response to his sinful ways.
David fell to the floor and stayed there lamenting to God for days.
Asking God for his forgiveness after God had called out David’s sin.
David poured his heart and soul out holding nothing back pleading for God’s forgiveness.
Solomon.
Solomon may as well have just shrugged God’s condemnation off.
Why?
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