How to Read and Apply the Bible
A talk by See Huang Lim, missionary at IBF church. Two weeks ago, I shared about how God spoke to me through the Bible. I was 15 and not yet a Christian. After asking God for help, I opened the Bible at random and my eyes fell on Psalm 27. The words spoke perfectly to …
How Can I Trust the Bible?
A talk by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Recently more than one person has asked me, “Why should I trust the Bible? Since it’s written by humans, isn’t it biased?” Another friend asked, “I know it is important to read the Bible, but how can I understand it correctly?” These are very important …
1 Kings 22 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Compromise”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s message is my last one on the book of 1 Kings. Last month, we read about the death of King Ahab, one of Israel’s most stubborn and unrepentant kings. Today’s passage is about King Jehoshaphat. While Ahab reigned in …
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1 Kings 22 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Our Attitude to God’s Word”
We are almost done studying the book of 1 Kings. Today, we will read chapter 22, which ends the story of Ahab, king of Israel. From this story, I would like to suggest 3 points: 1) We need to check our attitude toward God’s Word, 2) We must be faithful to God’s Word, and 3) …
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1 Kings 21 sermon, “God’s People and Injustice”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s passage is 1 Kings chapter 21, in which we continue the story of King Ahab of Israel. From this chapter, I want to us to think about 3 points: 1) God’s people will experience injustice, 2) God will judge …
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1 Kings 20 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Seeing God Correctly”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We are continuing 1 Kings chapter 20. Previously, we read about how God saved the helpless king Ahab from Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, had a superior army and after failing to get tribute from Israel, decided to attack Israel. …
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1 Kings 20 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God Helps the Helpless”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s story in 1 Kings 20 is the beginning of King Ahab’s eventual demise. In spite of how he rebels against God, God shows Ahab mercy upon mercy. If anything, this chapter demonstrates 3 characteristics of God: 1) God helps …
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1 Kings 19 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Elisha’s Calling”
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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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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. …
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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 …
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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 …
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1 Kings 16 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Response to Suffering”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We are entering the final section of 1 Kings, which is about King Ahab, the worst king in Israelite history, and the prophet Elijah. Today’s passage is short and will introduce these two main characters. I would like to talk …
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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 …
1 Kings 16 sermon, Part 1 of 2: “Views on Religion”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today, I would like to share some reflections about how some people respond to the idea of religion, especially in Japan. We will still read a passage from 1 Kings as part of our on-going study of this book, but …
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1 Kings 14 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. My last few sermons focused on the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the time of 1 Kings. Today, we will read about the Southern Kingdom of Judah, about the first 3 generations of kings there. The first is King Rehoboam. …
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1 Kings 14 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God Sees Through Our Masks”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. In Japan, many people wear masks. It’s to prevent us from spreading sickness or catching it. But there is another reason for masks, according to a Japanese friend of mine. One day she told me: Some people wear masks because …
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1 Kings 13 sermon, “Taking God’s Word Seriously”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Today we will read 1 Kings chapter 13, to continue our series on 1 Kings. Chapter 13 contains a rather strange story and a warning. Before reading, let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 13] A strange story Welcome to …
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1 Kings 12 sermon, Part 2 of 2: “False Religions”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Have you ever heard of fake noodles? According to a video I watched, some people in an Asian country found a way to make imitation beef noodles, including fake meat. By adding water and sauce to a powdery substance, the …
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1 Kings 12 sermon, Part 1 of 2: “Despite Human Folly”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Last time, we read a sad story about how the wise king Solomon turned away from God in his old age. As a result, God declared that Solomon’s kingdom would be split. Today, as we read 1 Kings chapter 12, we see the kingdom …
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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 …
Kings 10 Sermon
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 …
1 Kings 8, Part 2: “The Contrasting Qualities of God”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. 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 …
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1 Kings 7 sermon
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Last month, I talked about how King Solomon built the first temple for God. Today’s sermon continues reflecting on the temple, but this time, the topic is about achievement and dependence. Let’s ask if our achievements bring glory to …
1 Kings 3: “Seeking Wisdom”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today we continue the story of King Solomon in the book of 1 Kings. Today’s theme is “seeking wisdom.” We will read about Solomon’s prayer for wisdom in 1 Kings chapter 3. Let’s see what we can learn from his …