1 Kings 22 sermon, Part 2 of 2: “Compromise”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s message is my last one on the book of 1 Kings. Last month, we read about the death of King Ahab, one of Israel’s most stubborn and unrepentant kings. Today’s passage is about King Jehoshaphat. While Ahab reigned in the northern kingdom of Israel, his ally Jehoshaphat reigned in the southern kingdom of Judah. I’ll give historical background on the passage, but mainly I would like to talk about the theme of compromise. Let’s pray. [Read 1 Kings 22:41-50] Jehoshaphat’s Compromise Verse 43 is somewhat refreshing after all we have read about evil kings

St Patrick’s Day: Irish evangelistic event

St Patrick’s Day: You may be surprised to know that no other national festival is celebrated more widely across the world. March 17, the official festival day, coincided with the visit of a short-term worker to our church (IBF, Japan) this year. Joy Anne is a 23-year-old university student who came to Japan for a few months to assist the missionaries in IBF and another local church. She volunteered to organize a St Patrick’s Day cultural event. It was an opportunity to share the testimony of St Patrick besides helping people learn more about this popular festival. The event was attended by a mixture of church members and non-Christians who

1 Kings 22 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Our Attitude to God’s Word”

We are almost done studying the book of 1 Kings. Today, we will read chapter 22, which ends the story of Ahab, king of Israel. From this story, I would like to suggest 3 points: 1) We need to check our attitude toward God’s Word, 2) We must be faithful to God’s Word, and 3) We may suffer for holding on to truth. Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 22:1-40] We need to check our attitude toward God’s Word My first point is about our attitude towards God’s Word. Let’s reread verses 19-23: Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord sitting on his

1 Kings 21 sermon, “God’s People and Injustice”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s passage is 1 Kings chapter 21, in which we continue the story of King Ahab of Israel. From this chapter, I want to us to think about 3 points: 1) God’s people will experience injustice, 2) God will judge the unjust and yet extend mercy to them, and 3) God’s people should be prepared to stand for justice. Let’s pray. [Read 1 Kings 21] God’s people will experience injustice The passage doesn’t say much about who Naboth is. We only know from that Naboth cared more about treasuring God’s gift to him than pleasing

1 Kings 20 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Seeing God Correctly”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We are continuing 1 Kings chapter 20. Previously, we read about how God saved the helpless king Ahab from Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, had a superior army and after failing to get tribute from Israel, decided to attack Israel. In today’s sequel, we will look at the Arameans misunderstanding of God, and also Ahab’s continuing disobedience. We will reflect on two questions: 1) Do we have misconceptions about God?, and 2) Why do we disobey God sometimes? Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 20:23-43] Do we have misconceptions about God? In verse 23 Ben-Hadad’s

1 Kings 20 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God Helps the Helpless”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s story in 1 Kings 20 is the beginning of King Ahab’s eventual demise. In spite of how he rebels against God, God shows Ahab mercy upon mercy. If anything, this chapter demonstrates 3 characteristics of God: 1) God helps the helpless, 2) God helps the undeserving, and 3) God helps to gain our attention and response. Let’s pray. [Read 1 Kings 20:1-22] Surrounded by the Syrian army, King Ahab of Israel has nowhere to run, and Ben-Hadad’s victory over Israel is guaranteed. Suddenly, a prophet of the Lord appears out of nowhere, in verse