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
1 Kings 8 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Six Qualities of God”
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
1 Kings 6 sermon, “Solomon and the Temple, Part 1”
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
1 Kings 2 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “The King and His Enemies”
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
1 Kings 2 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Facing a Big Challenge”
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
1 Kings 1 sermon, “Pride and Humility”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Today we are entering a new series of sermons on 1 Kings, a historical book in the Old Testament. As a young Christian, I used to dislike the Old Testament. It has stories that are weird, more dramatic and shocking than your 7:00pm TV drama. Sometimes I don’t know what God wants me to learn from those stories. Yes, it’s not easy to study the Old Testament, but it is part of our Bible and is very interesting. I hope together we can learn some good things from the book of 1 Kings. Today