SERIES SUMMARY
The Bible is the story of God as King and becoming King in Jesus. And we are his image bearers, created for royal reflection. But we don’t live in a monarchy, so “kingship” and “royalty” can feel like foreign ideas to us. Yet, we’re still called to recognize and submit to God as King. In the Old Testament, it was God’s desire for a king to reign over his people as a reminder of these things. Specifically, God promised David a son who would reign forever, and we see glimpses of this promised king in Solomon. Through his story, we’re reminded that there should be a royal wisdom that defines us as God’s kingdom of priests, the church. But ultimately, Solomon failed in his royal reflection. So, the question is, what does Solomon’s story teach us about ourselves and God? How can the life of Solomon be instructive to us as God’s people today? And most importantly, how does King Solomon (a son of David) point us to King Jesus (the son of David)?
PASSAGE GUIDE
A piercing question reframes Christian witness: not whether Christianity is worth sending, but whether the kind of Christianity embodied in your daily life is. Jesus’ vision of “salt” and “light” suggests a way of living that creates thirst and illuminates a path out of darkness. Genuine curiosity is powerful; people will cross deserts, literal or figurative, to investigate something compelling. The claim, then, is that a life shaped by God’s wisdom becomes quietly magnetic, drawing others toward the One behind it. In a culture obsessed with being noticed, wisdom aims not at self-promotion but at making God noticed through steady faithfulness.
Solomon’s story offers the paradigm. Granted unparalleled wisdom in response to his request, he stood within God’s larger design from Deuteronomy 4 that wise obedience would display God’s nearness and righteousness to the nations. Solomon even prayed that foreigners would come to know and revere God through what they witnessed in Israel. Thus, his renown “brought honor to the LORD’s name”, signaling that the point of his gifts was God’s glory, not personal prestige.
Enter the Queen of Sheba, who undertook an arduous journey to test what she had heard with hard questions. Yet the turning point was not answers alone; it was observation. She saw wisdom embedded everywhere with the officials, in worship, hospitality, and the coherence between belief and practice took her breath away. Her response moved from curiosity to investigation to awe to worship, tracing every good thing back to its Source.
This is the influence God gives not visibility we manufacture. And since ‘one greater than Solomon’ has come, wisdom now points beyond royal insight to Jesus himself. The ripple did not end there: “people from every nation” came to hear God-given wisdom. The takeaway is deeply practical: cultivate congruence so that confession and conduct align; let good works shine in ways that redirect praise to God; and steward blessings for ongoing relationships with seekers rather than momentary impressions. When God’s wisdom flows through ordinary life work, leadership, generosity, worship, it doesn’t just defend the faith; it awakens curiosity and gently invites the world to behold the Giver.
This is the kind of life worth sending not louder, but truer, where evident wisdom in ordinary rhythms quietly points beyond us. Welcome hard questions and live answers that can be seen up close. Steward every blessing as an invitation for others to come and see the God whose wisdom orders all things.
*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS
Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. You do not need to listen to both sermons at both campuses to participate in the discussion.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, remind me that every good gift is from You. You are the One who deserves the glory. Thank you for blessing me today.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What stood out to you from the text or from the sermon?
2. What is the most magnetic characteristic of God to you personally? What is it about Him that draws you in?
3. How does wisdom in everyday life draw others to look to God?
4. What characteristics of God do you most naturally reflect to others?
5. What is something that God has given you as a gift, like the wisdom He gave Solomon?
6. Is there an area of your life where you find it difficult to give God full glory?
7. Who in your life models the kind of faith you’d like to replicate? What is it about their faith you admire?
8. In what ways is God inviting you to use your gifts to serve others?
9. Do you ever find yourself in the same position as the Queen of Sheba in v. 7– not believing God’s work until you see it tangibly? Explain.
10. The Queen of Sheba responds to Solomon’s God-given wisdom with awe and generosity. How have you responded to God as He’s given you gifts?
11. What does it look like for you to point others to God through the gifts he has given you?
Life with Jesus: Sit with the Lord this week and ask Him what specific gifts He’s given you to share with others.
Life in Community: Encourage someone in your CG as they show kindness, hospitality, generosity, grace, etc. Remind them that those are given by God and don’t go unnoticed.
Life on Mission: Pray and ask that people would come to know and revere God through what they witness in your life. Ask God to shine through the brokenness and redemption that others hear in your speech and see in your actions.
CLOSING PRAYER
Giver of all good gifts, may Your name be proclaimed and glorified in my life. Show me how to live in accordance to Your story and give me the resources I need to further Your Kingdom.