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
1 Kings 17 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Fear of Death”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. When I was a child, the one thing that I was afraid of was that my mother would die. I had nightmares in which I saw the lifeless body of my mother. In 2011, it felt as if the nightmare came true when I received an email from my dad, telling me that my mother had a stroke. I flew home from the U.S., and though I was happy to learn that my mother was alive, she was a shell of her former self—unable to talk, walk, or eat. It was as if I had
1 Kings 17 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God’s Provision, Our Obedience”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We have been going through 1 Kings for a while. Today’s passage is the starting point of the prophet Elijah’s ministry. From it I would like to draw 4 points: 1) God’s unexpected way of provision, 2) worshipping God in the midst of hardship, 3) how Elijah points us to Jesus, and 4) the widow’s act of faith and obedience. Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 17:1-16] Here is a brief summary of the background. Verse 1 tells us that God permitted a drought to happen in the land of Israel as a sign of
1 Kings 15 sermon, “God and Evil”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. In this sermon series on the book of 1 Kings, we will soon reach a turning point and enter the fascinating story of prophet Elijah. Today’s is the last passage about evil kings, and it revolves around King Baasha. King Baasha rose to the throne by murdering the previous king. His actions set a pattern for the next few kings; they, in turn, became king of Israel through assassination. Today’s passage is bleak, but I believe it will not leave us hopeless. There are 3 ideas I want to reflect on: 1) God may allow