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

1 Kings 19 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Elisha’s Calling”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. ­­ In our last few sermons, we focused on the story of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Today, our story will begin to transition into Elijah’s successor, Elisha. We will be reading from 1 Kings 19:19-21. Here, I would like to draw 3 themes: (1) God’s unique way of calling, (2) the greatness of self-sacrificial service, and (3) the cost of following God. [Read 1 Kings 19:19-21] God’s unique way of calling First, Elisha’s calling is unique. One day, Elijah just happens to come walking across the field and throw

1 Kings 19 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God’s Depressed Prophet”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. God’s Depressed Prophet After the climatic competition between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, as readers we might think that the nation of Israel will finally turn back to God. Unfortunately, as we enter 1 Kings 19, we see Elijah losing hope. From this chapter, I want to highlight 3 points: 1) God’s depressed prophet, 2) God’s gentleness, 3) God can restore our hope. [Read 1 Kings 19:1-18] God’s Depressed Prophet First, let’s look at God’s depressed prophet. Some psychologists define depression as loss of hope. As human beings, we need hope to keep living.

1 Kings 18 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Elijah and Prayer”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Last month, we saw how God sent a drought to discipline the Israelites under King Ahab who turned away from the worship of God to the worship of Baal. Then, we witnessed the great contest between the 450 prophets of Baal against the prophet Elijah at Mt. Carmel. God demonstrated that He alone was God by bringing down fire from heaven, showing that Baal was a false god. This miraculous sign was meant to draw the Israelites back to God. Today, we continue our story of Elijah, which deals with prayer. [Read 1 Kings 18:41-46]

1 Kings 18 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Elijah and the Prophets of Baal”

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s story is a dramatic one. 1 Kings 18 is about the fiery contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. During this time, Israel had turned away from worshipping the one true God, in exchange for gods like Baal. Elijah’s mission was to bring them back to the God of Israel. [Read 1 Kings 18:1-40] There are 3 characters I would like to reflect on from this passage: 1) Obadiah shows we serve God in diverse ways, 2) Elijah was just a servant of God, 3) God demonstrates his power and judgment. With each