Sermon Central
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Book Of 1 Kings
Contributed by Chris Appleby on Jul 4, 2010 (message contributor)
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1. Solomon For King
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
Things aren't always simple in leadership but we need to do all we can to make things right in the end.
You probably heard this week that the Rudd government are delaying the introduction of Carbon trading as a result of the Global Financial Crisis. This is quite an about-face for a government that prided itself on its environmental policy, but of course it was forced on them by external ...read more
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2. Wisdom For Solomon
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
True wisdom is a gift from God. It’s worth more than riches or power. But by itself it’s not enough. We also need to remain faithful to God.
By Rev Bill Stewart It could almost be an episode of CSI or Law and Order or Bones or some other TV crime drama, couldn’t it? Today’s reading has drama; it has suspense; it has a "goodie" and a "baddie" and a cop, or in this case a king, who needs to find out which is which; and of course it has a ...read more
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3. Solomon Builds The Temple
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
Solomon finally gets to build the Temple that David had planned - a place where God will be with his people but it's still just a building.
By Rev Bill Stewart You could be forgiven for thinking that a report of the Building Committee has been subtituted for today’s reading by mistake. To most of our ears today's reading from 1 Kings sounds like a technical report; dull and boring for everyone except the people who do that sort ...read more
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4. The Dedication Of The Temple
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
The celebration of the finishing of the Temple that will be the focus of the nation’s worship.
We were living in Canberra in 1988 when the new Parliament house was opened. What an occasion that was! The Queen was there to open the building. People came to Canberra from all over Australia. There was a huge march and rally by Christians from all over the country who came to march around ...read more
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5. The Foolishness Of Soloomon
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
For all his wisdom, Solomon acted foolishly so that his heart was turned away form God and so were the hearts of his people.
I’m not a betting man. In fact, I hate the way gambling usually takes from the poor and gives to the rich. But if you were talking odds, you’d have to say that Solomon was a sure bet. Solomon was a winner. Solomon the wise ruler;Solomon the great temple builder;Solomon the famous ...read more
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6. The Divided Kingdom
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
Solomon’s foolishness is repeated by his son who refuses to listen to the wise counsel of his advisers and instead turns to his younger peers who agree with him.
By Rev Roy Hamer About thirty years ago Jo and I were involved in Youth Adventure camping. In fact you could say it’s how we met. You see we had mutual friends who where rock climbers and Jo and I often went climbing with them. Jo was a great climber: nimble flexible and brave. On the other hand ...read more
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7. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
The history of the kings of Israel is a long line of failures interspersed occasionally be a fleeting success. Yet God never abandons his people because his plan is to send a King who will fulfill all that he desires for his people.
‘In breaking news this morning an assassination has taken place in the city of Tirzah, capital of Israel. Reports from the city say that King Elah was at the home of the palace steward, where he’d been drinking heavily, when the commander of the country’s northern cavalry, Zimri, ...read more
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8. Elijah The Prophet
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
Elijah comes as God's representative to call his people back to God. He is a type of Christ
By Rev Bill Stewart In the church we often use outdated language or terms that are not generally used by other people. We sometimes talk about God as "sovereign" and often speak about the "sovereignty of God." My dictionary (The Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus) defines a "sovereign" as "a person ...read more
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9. Elijah's Mountain Top Experience
Contributed on Jul 4, 2010
Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal to show that Only Yahweh is the true and living God.
By Rev Bill Stewart As we have just heard, in today’s Scripture reading the prophet Elijah was called by God to go to Mount Carmel which is situated in the North of Israel. It is not an especially high mountain but it does have a great view. In fact, it’s a bit like the lookout on ...read more
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10. Elijah In The Pits
Contributed on Jul 5, 2010
Having defeated the prophets of Baal Elijah is exhausted and afraid but God strengthens him and sends him off to appoint Elisha to take over from him.
It must have been an overwhelming experience for Elijah on Mt Carmel mustn't it? In fact, to see the lightning fall from the sky and consume everything on the altar, after what was the simplest of prayers by Elijah, must have had an incredible impact not only on him but on everyone present. It ...read more
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11. The Last Straw
Contributed on Jul 5, 2010
Ahab goes one step too fr and God decides to act in judgement of him and Jezebel. Yet even then God's mercy is to the fore.
Reading through the story of Ahab and Jezebel, I occasionally feel a bit sorry for Ahab. He gets a glimpse every now and then of what’s the right thing to do. You feel like he’d really like to do the right thing, but he’s made so many bad decisions in the past that he just ...read more