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October 7, 2026 | Ozzy Wei teaches from Luke 11:29-32, exploring the stories of Solomon, Jonah, and Jesus, emphasizing Jesus' superiority. He highlights how the unified biblical story points to Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of wisdom and repentance, encouraging listeners to see their lives as part of God's ongoing story.
Various midweek classes on wednesday nights
So tonight, we're going to talk about the story. If I had to give this lesson a title, it is called the story. The Bible isn't always easy to understand. Amen? It's not always easy to understand. Think about the times you've tried to read through Leviticus or Numbers. How about a genealogy? Or try to pronounce a really long, outdated name. Some of us haven't read certain books in the Bible because we don't really know what we're getting into. We don't know anything about Obadiah or Deuteronomy or books like Isaiah, Jeremiah. But all of these books are in the Bible for a reason. There's a lot of resources available to us today, both physically and digitally, to help us understand the meaning of the text. But my hope tonight is just to give you one word, one word that will hopefully encourage you to study your Bibles more and with joy. And that's the word story. I want you to remember that word, story. The Bible is made up of 66 books. But there's one story that unifies all of them. Maybe you've heard it said, history is his story. It's God's story. It's not just time passing and God is somewhere in between. God is the author of it all. It is his story. These books weren't randomly put together. And as I've been saying, they tell one unified and coherent story about salvation in Jesus Christ. My hope is that today we would walk out of this room with, one, a greater understanding of the Bible, a greater appreciation for it, and two, a stronger desire to live it out. So if you haven't already, I'm going to be reading out of Luke 11, 29 versus 32, if you want to join me in flipping there. I'll also have it on the screens for us. Luke 11, verses 29 through 32. As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began saying, this generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And look, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's preaching. And look, something greater than Jonah is here. So there are three main characters in our passage, Solomon, Jonah, and Jesus. Each one of these characters has a story. But as we just read, Jesus is greater than the other two. And we'll unpack what that means. This passage right here, this is one of many passages that show the connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Testament is another word for covenant. So when we say Old Testament, we say old covenant. New Testament, we mean new covenant. God created covenants with this people, and he's created a covenant with us as well, to assure us of his promises. So when we are struggling, when we don't feel like he's working or see him at work, he is still working. That's what these covenants are for. You know, Angela, you're talking about the word remember. Right, look back. Look at what God has already done. Look at what God has already said. And that's gonna propel you forward when God shows up again. And then you're gonna have to remember that moving forward. But because Jesus has come and he's died and rose again, we are now New Testament, new covenant Christians. So when we say new covenant Christians, that means we are followers of God after Jesus' ministry. Okay, in the Old Testament, faith was the measurement for being a people of God. Now it's faith in Jesus, followers of Jesus, because of this new covenant. That's what characterizes us. But just because Jesus has come does not mean the Old Testament is pointless. The plot twist in a story or a movie isn't much of a twist if there's no buildup to it. And what we read about in the Old Testament is a faithful God who is gracious and merciful to people who need a savior. And if you read the Old Testament, there's this longing, there's this ache for a redeemer. There's an ache for a king. So you can read the full stories of Solomon and Jonah in the Old Testament. Tonight, I'm just gonna summarize them and we're gonna answer three questions. What was so great about Solomon? What was so great about Jonah? And what makes Jesus even greater? So first question, what was so great about Solomon? To summarize the story, you can read about this in the book of 1 Kings. He is the son of David, who many of us probably know, and he became king right after him. So Solomon became king right after David. Solomon wrote three books in the Old Testament. Proverbs, the Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiastes, Reflection on Life, and then Song of Solomon, Intimacy and Relationships, Reflecting on God's Creation of That. A well-known part of the story of Solomon is his request to God about wisdom. Do you guys remember this? Right, he's known for not only all he has and all he knew, but his humble request for wisdom. God liked that request, so he gave Solomon what he wanted. If you asked God something, if you had the opportunity to get something you wanted from God, I wonder what that answer would be for you. This year, I probably would have said a shorter summer. Right? Solomon made a good request and God granted it. However, more than wisdom, the Lord also gave Solomon riches. Out of the kindness of God's heart, Solomon didn't ask for it, God gave Solomon more. Solomon was such a rich man, this is how it translates to today's currency. That's about a billion dollars a year and a net worth of two trillion dollars. That's how much stuff this guy had, okay? Lots of wisdom, lots of riches. So what made Solomon great? He had everything the world could offer. From a material standpoint, from a possession standpoint, he had everything the world could offer. And so when he writes the book of Ecclesiastes, it's worth reading, in Proverbs, in Solomon, of course, but this guy has everything you and I could ever want and more. And when he's reflecting on what life is like, we ought to listen, right? God has inspired him to write down these words and they teach us an important lesson and that's that we can only be fulfilled in the Lord. No possessions, none of that, we can only be fulfilled in the Lord. So Solomon's interaction with the Lord teaches us something, that God is open to hearing from us. God is not distant, as some beliefs say. God is not like somebody you write a wish list to and then just hope he responds. God is a father and he invites us to talk to him. Like a parent tending to their children, God wants us to talk to him and he wants to give us good gifts. God wants to hear your prayers. And there's room in prayer to ask God for things we need, even things we want. Bible says, if any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly and it will be given to him. How many of you would say you need wisdom in this season? My hand is up. I need wisdom in every season. God, how could I be more focused on what I'm doing now? God, I don't know which path is right. There's five of them. Or sometimes there's two of them and I feel like I'm gonna pick it wrong, right? We need wisdom because we're limited. He's God, we are not. But God invites us to ask him. Not AI, not social media. It's okay to ask some friends and some counselors, but they're not God either. You can read in the book of Job. All of his friends are trying to give him counsel, but they're all wrong, right? So you always want to check with God. And usually, not always, usually, it does align with what wise counselors say. But even if God is telling you something and it doesn't check with the wise counselors, I would go with God. The truth is for our purpose tonight, we need to remember when we pray, we want to align with his will. Jesus prayed, not my will, but yours be done. God's not a vending machine dispensing your wishlist items. He has a plan and he wants you to be a part of it. We don't fit God into our story, but we are a part of his. We all have stories. Everybody has a story in this room, but in the end, it points to God. Our stories reflect God's story. Solomon had everything in the world could offer. Imagine that. Imagine if you had everything you ever wanted. Wouldn't that make us happy? Definitely not, right? You and I agree that it won't. Reflecting on this experience, this is what Solomon said. When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this. Fear God and keep his commands because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil. So with everything he had, everything he wanted and more, this was his conclusion. You cannot find satisfaction apart from God. But obedience to him, being undistractedly devoted to him today is the key. Everyone in this room has the key.
to live fully content, if we want to, if we pursue Christ and what we're doing. Solomon's story points us to God's story. I'm gonna make one last point about the story, and I'm gonna throw it to your tables. You may know Solomon for all the stuff he had, all the wisdom he had, and you may know about his encounter with God, but maybe you don't know that Solomon actually turned from the Lord. His heart got so caught up with what he had, and the many, many wives that he had, that he ended up veering away from the Lord. He was great in the world's eyes. The Queen of the South, as Jesus said, came and visited him to hear his wisdom, but he slowly started turning to the blessings rather than the blesser. His heart drifted away. The reality is, even then, his life points to God. Case in point. Your life and my life are all about God's story. So that's the story of Solomon. I want you to take a few minutes and discuss these questions. What difference does it make viewing your life through the lens of story? Through the lens of story. And why do you think we can't be fulfilled apart from God? Why do you think we can't be fulfilled apart from God? Take a few minutes, and then we'll talk about the story of Jonah. All right guys, for the sake of time, I just gave y'all five minutes. Hopefully y'all don't complain about that, but just to keep things moving along. Real quick, before we jump into the next part of this, what do y'all think about this question? What difference does it make viewing your life through story? Does that make a difference? Does that change your perspective on things? What are your thoughts? Oh yeah? I'm sure there's some great parts in it. You work for Bluebell. That's great. Yeah, the truth is, we're all still here. That means the story's still being written, right? And there are some parts in the Bible where, I don't know if I want to read it, just it's gory, it's messy, God's people mess up, and it's interesting how the Bible is arced that way, the narrative arc, the storyline of it, also kind of matches our experience, where we have some lows, we have some highs, but all of it is pointed towards the finished product, right, which is the end. In Revelation, there's something exciting coming. We're all still here. If we're all still here, something exciting is coming. God is not done with us, so the story's still being written. But thanks for sharing, Sean. Somebody else? Yes? Right, and it sounds a little scary in the moment, but that's what makes the twist so good, right, is when you least expect it. Lord comes in, and He teaches us things about Him, He teaches us things about us, and then once we've learned that lesson, alright, next blessing. It's almost like a cycle, but we're maturing in Him over time, right, the story continues to progress. Alright, let's talk about the story of Jonah. So what was so great about Solomon? He had everything the world could offer. Now what was so great about Jonah? If you know the story, it's definitely not his preaching. Definitely not, alright? This is all that Jonah preached. In 40 days, Nineveh will be demolished. That was the whole sermon, alright? For some of us, maybe, that would be nice for tonight, right? If that was the whole sermon, right? But that's all Jonah shouted to the Ninevites. Ninevites were his enemies, by the way. In the Hebrew, which is the language the Old Testament was written in, the New Testament was in Greek, and there's some Aramaic in there as well, Jonah preached five Hebrew words. Five. So it's really five. In English we have seven, some translations have eight, but you know how long five words is? Our pastor Ben Mandra often says, now with my time remaining. That's five words. And so that's all Jonah preached to this nation. Now imagine if that sermon that saved you was only five words. Even before preaching, Jonah actually ran away from what God was calling him to do. God asked him to do this, and Jonah ran the other way. Jonah knew that God was compassionate, and that if he preached, God would have withheld the harm that was coming on his enemies. So Jonah knew God, and Jonah did not want God to save these people. That's why he tried to run away. But look what happened. The people of Nineveh believed God. In 40 days, Nineveh will be demolished. Then the people of Nineveh believed God. A whole nation saved just because Jonah reluctantly fulfilled God's calling on his life. What made Jonah great was not his example, it was his message of repentance. His life is not what saved this nation, it was the message that came through him. God used a reluctant messenger and an imperfect sermon to fulfill his plan. You probably know Jonah because he was also swallowed by a whale, right? And we'll talk about that before we're finished. But there's another lesson to be learned here. When God calls you, it's not about you, but what he wants to do through you. When God calls you, it's not about you. It's not about Jonah, but about what he wants to do through you. What he wanted to do to the people of Nineveh through Jonah. God has gifted us with gifts to serve other people. They aren't gifts to lift ourselves up on a pedestal, they are gifts to help other people. It's God asking you to do something, but you're holding back, you're running away for a selfish reason. God calls us to serve others. God wants to write a story with your life. But oftentimes, right, we don't let him be the author. We don't let God be God. So it's God calling you to do something, but it's something holding you back. Quickly, we're gonna go back to our tables here. What might God be calling you to do so that he can work through you? And is there something that is holding you back? So take another five minutes, and then we'll finish out our passage. All right, guys, let's finish up those discussions. And Ray, that was the last discussion question, so you have to wait till next week, the next one, all right? I'll be looking for you next week, all right? Somebody else, you can hire somebody else to do it. Do like a bullhorn or something. Hey, the goal of this evening is, again, just to remind you, for you to have a better understanding of the Bible, and I think one of the best ways to do that is to remember that word, story, okay? So there aren't two gods in the Bible. There is some frustration with people who read the Bible, saying, hey, there's a God of the Old Testament, and it looks like there's a different God in the New Testament. It's the same God. We're telling the same story here. The Bible tells a story about one God who offers salvation in Jesus Christ. It points to Jesus's perfect sacrifice in the eternity with God that awaits those who believe in Him. So with every character in the Bible, there's context. So it's not just Solomon's story, it's not just Jonah's story, it's God's story. And Solomon and Jonah, you and I, are just part of it. He's writing a story, we're all just along for the ride. And the story he's writing with you and I's lives should point to Jesus. It will, either because we rebel and we learn that He is holy, or because we obey Him and we start to look more like Jesus. It's going to end with Christ either way. Which side are you on? So now that we flash back to Solomon and Jonah's story, we can now connect to what Jesus is saying, because we are in Luke, remember? So let me read this passage one more time. As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began saying, this generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And look, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's preaching. And look, something greater than Jonah is here. So what makes Jesus even greater than Solomon and Jonah? Thank you for asking. For Solomon, Jesus is greater than man's wisdom. Solomon had all the wisdom, all the stuff in the world you could ask for. And Jesus says something greater than Solomon's here. Now, Jesus refers to the Queen of the South. That's very interesting. If you read the Bible, it's the Queen of Sheba. And I don't know if you've ever been to that restaurant, I could not think of the restaurant when I read that. But it's the Queen of Sheba, and Solomon was so popular, so wise and smart, that she had to travel a long distance just to see him. This was way before airlines, okay? So she had to go a long, long way. And so Jesus brings up the Queen of the South here.
because Jesus is right in front of them. Just like you guys are listening to my voice, they're listening to Jesus's voice. The Queen of the South traveled so far just to listen to Solomon. These people wouldn't even believe, even though Jesus was right in front of them. That's why Jesus was condemning them. Like, are you kidding me? You know the story of Solomon. Something great in the Solomon's here, and you're not listening. Right? It's just like this appalling look, this awe of like, are you kidding me? And so Jesus is greater than man's wisdom. What about Jonah? Jesus is greater than any other prophet or preacher. Jonah preached a message of repentance, right? And so Jesus preaches a message of repentance. Turn, turn from your sin and follow me. Now there is a whale in a story. I haven't forgotten about the whale. And it's actually a really, really cool connection here. Jonah got swallowed by a whale because he disobeyed God. So God sent the whale, took care of Jonah, but Jonah eventually came back out. Here's that verse where this happens. The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Isn't that interesting? This is God's story. Just like Jonah was in the fish three days, three nights, Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights. Just like Jonah preached a message of repentance, Jesus preaches a message of repentance. Jonah was in a whale for three days, Jesus was in a tomb for three days. The Bible tells one story. God had a plan and it worked through Jonah, even though he was reluctant. So altogether, Jesus's ministry is greater than man's wisdom, and than any prophet or preacher before him. The Bible points to him. The Bible points to Jesus as where you can find eternal life, love, hope, peace, comfort, you name it. So I just want to end here with four takeaways. These are four quick takeaways on how to apply this text. First of all, everything in your story matters. Sometimes we feel like we're in a winter season, and we're just waiting for the warmth to come. We don't see a mountaintop experience coming, but every detail matters. God is the capital-A author of our stories. Your day-to-day mattered, no matter how it went. How your year's going, this matters. This matters for your whole life story. If you are still here, God is not done with your story. Second, know that you are living in God's story. Remember, this isn't about you. When God calls you, it's not about you, but what he wants to do through you. What does God want to do through your story? One of my favorite ways to apply this is, take what you're passionate about, and use it to serve somebody else. God gave you your story, God gave you your desires, so that you would do certain things. But as a follower of Jesus, use that passion to serve other people. This is all about God's story, and our stories should reflect His. Third, when you read the Bible, ask, how does this text point to Jesus? Remember, this is one story, capital-S story. When you read the Bible, ask, how does this text point to Jesus? The famous Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, don't let this quote length scare you, alright? He said, don't you know, young man, that from every town, and every village, and every hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there's a road to London? So from every text in Scripture, there is a road toward the great metropolis, Christ. And my dear brother, your business is, when you get to a text, to say, now what is the road to Christ? I have never found a text that had not got a road to Christ in it. Every word, every book in the Bible, points to Jesus somehow, some way. Many of us are on a journey to understanding how that is exactly, like from Leviticus, for example, Jesus has the perfect sacrifice, or Isaiah the prophet, right? Jonah the prophet, Jesus is also a prophet. There are so many lines that connect us to Jesus. They're there, and that should encourage us to dig deeper and to find out where He is. Lastly, ask for a change of perspective, not a sign. Jesus was condemning these people because they didn't apply what they already knew. They knew Solomon, they knew Jonah, they were asking for a sign. When Jesus was on the cross, they said, hey Jesus, if you're the Son of God, come down from the cross. Another sign was not going to help these people, Jesus knew that. And that's why He said, I'm not gonna do anything, they've already been given Jonah. And I couldn't help but think, what do you and I know that we aren't already faithful with? What aren't we doing with that God has already shown us? God has shown us so much. We don't know a lot, but if we're fully faithful with what He's shown us, that'll keep us busy, right? So ask for a change of perspective, not a sign. God, change the way I see my situation. Open my eyes to see where you are working. Encourage me where I am. God, what are you teaching me in this situation? So God is writing a story with your life, and it's all about Jesus. Know that your story isn't over, and that you can rest knowing that God is the author of your story.