Fifth Sunday of Easter

Sermon Text: 1 Kings 18:16-45

Other Readings: 1 Peter 2:4-10 and John 14:1-12

 

  1. Click here to learn a bit more about Baal and click here to view Mount Carmel.

 

  1. Why did Ahab speak this jab at Elijah, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” (v. 17). Confer 1 Kings 17:1 and 18:1.

 

  1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Why?
    As he did with the drought in Elijah’s day, God is using the coronavirus to punish our nation’s idolatry and to turn our hearts back to him.

 

  1. In verse 31 Elijah makes a reminder of the twelve tribes of Israel. In verse 36, he addresses God as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” Why is Elijah so concerned about bringing up the past? What can you take away from that?

 

  1. Look at the picture below (also found here). What words come to mind when you stare at it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. When non-Christians read the Old Testament, they often see a ruthless and angry God. This account might be a prime example of that to them. How could you use Sunday’s other readings to help them see God in a new light?

 


 

 

  1. To summarize, Baal was a god popular among many pagan cultures in the Canaanite and Mesopotamian region, and these peoples believed he controlled the rains. Mount Carmel is a key geographical feature in the northern part of Israel right on the cost of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

  1. God had used Elijah to pronounce a severe drought on Ahab’s Northern Kingdom because of their idolatry. This is why it was such a big deal that rain came at the end of the account.

 

  1. We should disagree with it, for at least this reason: we cannot say for sure that God is using the coronavirus as a direct punishment. Every day–pandemic or not–God puts opportunities in our lives that make us think about our relationship with him. Too often, we’re too selfish to think about them, though.

 

  1. He wanted to show the people that the Lord had always been with their forefathers, so why should they abandon him for some new god their evil king recently began promoting? In the same way, we can learn from older Christians about how God has been faithful to them and be encouraged that he will stay faithful to us.

 

  1. Answers will vary.

 

  1. God is just and does not waver in his rules. But Jesus’ words in John chapter 14 make it clear that God uses his exclusive approach to salvation to give us tremendous blessings. The words in 1 Peter show us the high honor God gives his believers – not only has he brought them into light but he also gives them titles of honor.