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,
1 Kings 11 sermon, Part 1 of 2
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
1 Kings 10 sermon, “Solomon and His Wealth”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a new missionary at IBF. Intro Today, we will read 1 Kings chapter 10. It is the last happy chapter in Solomon’s story before his decline as king of Israel. I would like to reflect on 3 topics from this chapter: (1) the source of wealth; (2) attitudes towards money; and finally, (3) what we can learn from the Queen of Sheba. [Read 1 Kings 10] Israel was doing very well economically. The details in this chapter are meant to impress the reader. 10 times, the word “gold” is mentioned. Imagine you’re a tourist visiting Solomon’s palace. Everything is
(日本語) アジアカベナント大会
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1 Kings 9 sermon, “Solomon and the Temple, Part 3”
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, Part 2: “The Contrasting Qualities of God”
Last month, we looked at the contrasting qualities of God in 1 Kings chapter 8. We saw how God is mysterious and yet clear. He is the King of the world and yet loyal to his people. He is much greater than anything and yet wants to have a relationship with us. Chapter 8 was quite long, so we didn’t finish it. Today we will finish it by looking at a few more contrasting qualities of God. The first contrast is judgment and mercy, and I would like to focus on that. The second contrast is the big picture and the little details. So let’s read chapter 8, starting from
Team Evangelism
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. – Acts 13:2-3 From 22 March to 31 March 2017, we went on a field trip to visit a church in Detroit, Michigan, with support from the Japan Covenant Churches Evangelism Committee. It has been 7 years since Pastor Shunichi Miyamoto and his wife Masako began reaching out to Japanese people living in Detroit. They had a hard time initially and felt ill-prepared for the
