Author: RCCM

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Just 2 months ago, there was a nation-wide alarm when North Korea fired its missile across Hokkaido. Everyone wondered what Kim Jong-Un is thinking. Would he truly be willing to engage in war? More recently, people in Japan were preoccupied with the national elections. It is not just Japan, but all over the world, people worry about who will take control of their country. Or they wonder how long a bad situation will last in their country. For Christians, it’s natural to wonder: Is God going to make things better in our country? Today,

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro The first 10 chapters of the book of 1 Kings talk about the rise and success of King Solomon. God blessed him with wisdom and wealth. The nation of Israel prospered under him and enjoyed peace. Then comes chapter 11. Everything sweet begins to turn sour. Today, we’ll read about the reason behind Solomon’s decline. [Read 1 Kings 11:1-13] There are 3 topics I want to focus on today: 1) the gradual tragedy of Solomon; 2) affairs of the heart; and 3) God’s jealousy. Main A Gradual Tragedy Solomon’s decline wasn’t overnight. Verse 4

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We have been studying the story of King Solomon for the last few months. Today we will read 1 Kings chapter 9, which is near the end of his story. Solomon had spent the last 20 years building the first permanent temple, a magnificent building he dedicated to God. Chapter 9 is about how God responded to Solomon after he completed this grand achievement. Let us pray before we begin. [Read 1 Kings 9:1-9] I’d like to reflect on 3 ideas today: First, God desires our faithfulness. Second, sin is costly. Third, our salvation is

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today we will read 1 Kings chapter 8, which is the final chapter about King Solomon’s Temple. The temple has been built, and now Solomon will dedicate it to the Lord. Since this chapter is long, we will only read half today and half next month. Today, let’s explore six of God’s qualities. One Old Testament scholar has suggested that this chapter reflects many qualities of God which can be seen in pairs. First, God’s mystery and clarity. Second, His loyalty and sovereignty. Third, His immensity and intimacy. [Read 1 Kings 8:1-30] Mystery and clarity

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today, we will read 1 Kings chapter 6. It is about King Solomon building a temple for God. We will reflect on two things: the importance of obedience and the meaning of the temple. Let us pray. Background Before we read 1 Kings 6, I’ll summarize chapter 5. In chapter 5, King Solomon announced that he wanted to fulfil the dream of his father David, which was to build a temple for God. At that time, there was no temple for worship. There was only a special tent called the Tabernacle, which contained the Ark

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Last month, we talked about David’s advice to his son Solomon on how to be a successful king and have a secure kingdom. David said the biggest key was obedience to God. Today’s, we will see that the king’s role, besides being a spiritual leader, is to identify his friends and enemies, and to make decisions of mercy and judgment. Let’s read today’s passage, which starts from 1 Kings chapter 2 verse 5. The passage continues David’s advice and shows how Solomon responded after that. [Read 1 Kings 2:5-46] Solomon’s systematic elimination of his enemies

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s sermon is about taking on big new challenges. Today’s Scripture is about David’s advice to his son Solomon as Solomon takes on a huge new responsibility: becoming the next king of Israel. May David’s words be useful to us in our own challenges today. We will only a short passage in 1 Kings 2, only the first 4 verses. [Read 1 Kings 2:1-4] Background We don’t know how old Solomon was when he became king of Israel. How many people here are 30 years old or younger? Please raise your hand. Some scholars suggest