Living Water Community Church

We explored the outcome of Ahab going to war to take back Ramoth-gilead. Micaiah had prophesied he would be killed by going up to this battle. He believes he can cheat death and God is not capable of overcoming his incredibly clever plan. He completely believes he can fool the enemy and get away with going to war without getting killed if he just disguises himself. He even tries to ensure his succ...

We explored the opening half of 1 Kings 22. In this section we see the first real friendly connection being made between the kings of Judah and Israel. Jehoshaphat and Ahab come together and form an alliance to take back Ramoth-gilead for Israel. Jehoshaphat was a God honoring king and he wanted Ahab to bring in a prophet so they could hear a word from Yahweh about this potential battle. Ahab brin...

We continued our study in prayer by looking at the presence of God or the lack of feeling like God is there when we pray. There are three distinct ways in which the Bible talks about the presence of God. There is His Omnipresence. This is the way in which God is everywhere all the time. You cannot get away from Him no matter where you go. A sparrow cannot fall from the sky without Him being aware...

We explored the second part to the story of Naboth’s vineyard. In this section Elijah comes on the scene confronting Ahab over his ill gotten land. He points out how Ahab has not only killed Naboth but has taken his land. This really emphasizes how both the killing and the taking of the land were wrong actions in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord had given the land to families to be passed on to thei...

We explored Ahab’s acquisition of the vineyard of Naboth. We looked at how Naboth rejected Ahab’s offer to give him a better vineyard or money for it. He did this in order to remain obedient to God and the command to not permanently transfer any land to anyone. Naboth clearly wanted to honor God. Ahab went home like a little kid and pouted about it. Jezebel comforted him and told him not to worry...

We explored the last half of chapter 20. This records for us the second battle Ban-hadad had with the children of Israel. This battle was in the spring and it was staged in a valley with the idea that the God of Israel could not help them in the valley because they believed He was a God of the hills. For this very reason God promised to deliver the Syrians and the armies of their allies into the h...

We worked through the section where Elijah calls Elisha and then moved on to the first part of chapter 20 where we have Ahab and Israel being attacked by Ben-hadad the king of Syria and 32 kings. When Elijah calls Elisha to follow him he is plowing in a field with 12 yolk of oxen. These may have been driven by multiple people working for him. But what we see is Elisha is a wealthy farmer. He sacri...

We continued our study of prayer by looking at the how people in the Bible focused on God’s actions as a basis for engaging with Him in prayer. We looked at a bunch of passages where we see prayers or praise rooted in things like His love, faithfulness, and judgements which are cast against His creation. His love extends to the heavens. His love is like the mountains of God. His judgements are lik...

We looked at the value of living an ordinary life for the glory of an extraordinary God. Don't fight for your best life now. But fight for the glory of God in whatever place God has placed you in. You can have an impact for the glory of God no matter where God has placed you. The bad news is that I am the problem and am at fault., but the good news is that Jesus has rescued me from all the evil th...

We looked at how people in the Bible cultivated a fascination with God by looking at the Character of God. We looked at the Character of God and how the character of God draws us into praising Him because of his attributes. We looked at passages like Psalm 18 where we see the Psalmist declaring God to be his rock and fortress. The wording really gives us a sense of the Psalmist's delight in God. T...

We looked at the last event of the mount Carmel confrontation. It is Elijah telling Ahab to go eat and drink because the famine is about to end. Elijah announces this as the sound of the rushing of rain. It is pretty clear from the text this sound was not something they were hearing at that moment. What is important about this statement is the confidence Elijah has in the promise of God. God had t...

We focused our attention on singing songs of Thanksgiving to God and reading different notes of Thanksgiving that the congregation had put together over the course of the last few weeks. As well as spending time in Scripture on examples of Thanksgiving being offered to God. May your heart be drawn to thankfulness towards God as you listen.

We explored the famous confrontation with the prophets of Baal on mount Carmel. It is really easy to get caught up in the details of what went on and miss the way the apex of this event is brought about in response to prayer. This is truly a confrontation between the true God of Israel and the false god Baal. Elijah stacked everything in favor of Baal. He met at their high holy place. He let the p...

We explored the famous confrontation with the prophets of Baal on mount Carmel. It is really easy to get caught up in the details of what went on and miss the way the apex of this event is brought about in response to prayer. This is truly a confrontation between the true God of Israel and the false god Baal. Elijah stacked everything in favor of Baal. He met at their high holy place. He let the p...

We worked through the section where Ahab met Elijah before going to Mount Carmel. In this meeting Ahab clearly lays the blame for Israel’s drought at Elijah’s feet. He calls him the troubler of Israel. Elijah doesn’t just take it but points out how Ahab is the one who has troubled Israel. He lays the problem of the drought clearly at the feet of Ahab. He points out how it was Ahab’s abandoning of...

We explored the section which begins the famous confrontation with the prophets of Baal. There are two things really emphasized in the passage. First the importance of patience to the whole process. Elijah had really only been in two places over the course of three years. He waited on God. He rested by the brook being fed by ravens for the first part of the three years, and he rested at the widow...

We explored the section where the woman who is providing food and shelter for Elijah during the famine suffers the loss of her son. This is a time of real trial for her. Yet in this trial we see God working to bring greater understanding of the God of Elijah and by this a greater hope in Him. Her immediate response to the death of her son is to connect it to her own sin. Perhaps she is even connec...

We worked through the part of Elijah’s story where the brook the Lord sent him to dried up. Elijah is recorded here as being obedient to God and staying by the dried up brook until the word of the Lord came to him and directed him to move on. When the word of the Lord did come to him the Lord sent him to Zeraphath. This was a town which belonged to Sidon and Sidon is where Jezebel’s father was kin...

The time of gathering to pray with your brothers and sisters in Christ is precious in the sight of God. Corporate prayer is a means by which glory is brought to God in our dependence on him and in the answers to prayer that God brings (which glorifies God in the hearts of the body of the believers who prayed together). Prayer is an awesome gift from God. May the people of God wield this gift and s...

We looked at the lives of three kings which are recorded for us in the book of kings but are not mentioned in the book of chronicles. This raises the question of why does the writer of kings see fit to recount these rulers to the people in exile he is writing to? The first king of the trio was named Elah. He was the son of Baasha and he ruled for 2 years and not only continued to promote idol wors...

We began to explore the section where Elijah is introduced to us. He just suddenly appears on the scene. In the same way that Melchizedek foreshadows the priestly ministry of Jesus Elijah foreshadows the prophetic ministry of Jesus. He suddenly comes on the scene. He calls the people to repentance and does miraculous works. He ascends into heaven at the end of his ministry. We learn from the book...

We examined the passage dealing with the two kings of Israel in the northern kingdom which followed Jeroboam. Jeroboam’s son Nadab only reigned for 2 years and then Baasha assassinated him while he was attacking the Philistines. Baasha then went on to totally wipe out all the descendants of Jeroboam fulfilling the prophecy given by God. This prophecy had been because Jeroboam turned the people awa...

We will be dealing with a variety of questions related to heaven as we take one last journey into what scripture says about it. Because of this there is no single key passage but a variety of passages which touch on issues related to God’s revealed view on things. We will begin by exploring the question, “Will animals be in eternity?” Then move on to other questions. Will Life Become Boring in hea...

We explored the opening section of 1 Kings 15. In the first 24 verses there is a remarkable comparison between the two kings which followed Rehoboam as rulers over Judah. Abijam Rehoboam’s son followed his father. He reigned for 3 years and continued to plunge the people into idolatry. Asa his son followed him as ruler and he reigned for 41 years and is recorded by the writer as having a heart whi...

We worked our way through the summary of Rehoboam’s reign in Judah. The section begins and end with the mention of Rehoboam’s mother and the fact that she was an Ammonite. The Moabites and Ammonites were descended from Lot and they did not help Israel when they came up out of the land of Egypt. To the contrary Balak the king of the Ammonites paid Balaam to try to curse them. Because of these thing...