Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

 Sermon Text: 1 Kings 19:3-8
 Other Readings: Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2 and John 6:41-51


 

  1. Why was Elijah afraid? (Confer previous context.)
     
  2. At which point do you think Elijah’s natural feelings turned into sins? 
     
  3. What do you think Elijah meant that he was “no better than his ancestors” (v. 4)?
     
  4. Elijah was visited by an angel. Who might that angel be? Confer Genesis 22:11-18.
     
  5. Say a prayer which either thanks God for bringing you through a time in your life when you had “had enough” or a prayer which prays for someone you know who is going through a rough time and maybe even wants God to take his or her life.
  1. He was afraid because Queen Jezebel had sworn to execute him. 
     
  2. It is pure speculation on our part. Perhaps the point for us is to recognize that natural emotions and reactions can turn into sins, if left unchecked. May God give us the wisdom and discipline to use his Word in such times so that we avoid sinning and dishonoring his name!
     
  3. Any answer we would offer would be pure speculation. Perhaps the takeaway for us is that we constantly need to be on our guard so that we do not let our emotions turn into sinful attitudes, thinking, and actions.
     
  4. Sometimes in the Old Testament, the phrase “the angel of the LORD” clearly refers to the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, before he took on human flesh. We cannot say for sure that this is an appearance of Jesus, but we certainly can’t rule it out either.
     
  5. Whatever your prayer, remember that the prayer of a believer is “powerful and effective” (James 5:16).