Sermon Tone Analysis

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|   |   | The Elijah Chronicles  |   |   |

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|   |   | * *Table of Contents*Click on the study title or Scripture text you’d like to see: * Study 1: God Is True to His Word1 Kings 17Study 2: Only God Can Make It Rain1 Kings 18Study 3: God Never Leaves Us Alone1 Kings 19 |   |   |

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\\ *The Elijah Chronicles – Study 1*

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|   |   | Leader’s GuideGod Is True to His WordWhen we stand up for the Word of God, God stands up for us.1 Kings 17 |   |   |

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|   |   | At the time of 1 Kings, the worship of God was in disarray following a string of godless monarchs.

The current king of Israel was Ahab, who in 1 Kings 16:30 is described as having “done more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.”

It was not a bright time for Israel.Elijah arrived on this scene with little introduction, speaking God’s word to Ahab: /There will be no rain or dew until God says so./

When the water ran out, God led Elijah to the home of a widow who had only a little water and meal left to share with her son.

The unfolding drama is a testimony of God’s faithfulness to his own.

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\\ *Scripture:* \\ 1 Kings 17 \\ \\ *Based on:* \\ “The Elijah Chronicles,” Series Builder by Kenton C. Anderson, Preaching Today Sermons

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Identify the Current Issue

Note to leader: At the beginning of the class, provide each person with the “Participants Guide” included at the end of this study.

First Kings 17 begins with Elijah standing confidently before Ahab.

Elijah’s certainty was striking because of its audacity.

How could he act so outrageously unless he had truly heard from God?

The text takes pains to emphasize the authority of “the Word of the Lord.”

It is the Word of the Lord that leads Elijah each step of the way.

This emphasis culminates in verse 24 with a dramatic statement of faith: “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”

In contrast, contemporary listeners struggle with their level of confidence before God.

We might be willing to act confidently if we could be sure that we had truly heard from God.

So often, however, we find ourselves hedging our bets instead of declaring what we claim to know and believe.

!! Discussion starters:

[Q]  What kind of risk was Elijah taking in declaring the Word of the Lord to an evil king?

[Q]  What makes us afraid to speak out about God?

[Q]  Have you ever experienced a moment of confidence in standing up for your faith?

What gave you this confidence?

PART 2

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Discover the Eternal Principles

!! Teaching point one: God honors those who take a stand for him.

Read 1 Kings 17. Elijah was a stand-up guy.

He was willing to take great risks to stand for the Word of God before kings and widows, defying law, logic, and even the weather.

It took confidence to tell the king it wouldn’t rain.

It took courage to tell the woman that she could give up her last bit of flour and oil because God would ensure that the jar would never run out.

When his faith was tested further in the death of the widow’s son, Elijah dug in with a deeper, more tenacious faith.

God responded by healing the boy.

The woman was thus convinced that Elijah came from God and that his word was truth.

[Q]  What do you think gave Elijah his courage?

Why was he confident that God would do what he said he would?

[Q]  Can we be this confident in God’s Word?

In what ways do we need as much courage as Elijah?

*Optional Activity \\ Purpose: *To help us realize we need to know God’s revealed Word.

*Activity:* Read the following three statements.

Two are scriptural truths and one is fictional.

Which two are true?

1.     God promises salvation to those who earn his favor through faithful prayer.

2.     God promises that one day every knee will bow to him.

3.     God promises his mercy if we confess our sins.

Note to leader: The first one is wrong—see Ephesians 2:8–9.

Two and three are found in Philippians 2:10 and 1 John 1:9, respectively.

Talk about how the first one sounds reasonable if we don’t know Scripture.

!! Teaching point two: God stands behind his Word.

In third-world countries, one can often find brand-name products for less than we would pay here.

However, on closer inspection, you will find that the product is not that brand at all, but merely includes their label.

We look for brands because we want to know that someone will stand behind their product.

Our faith is actually in the company who makes the product.

We tend to put confidence in what sounds reasonable to us.

But sometimes the things God says don’t sound reasonable at all.

This is fine, because our confidence is in the God who stands behind his Word.

John 1:1 reminds us that “in the beginning was the Word.”

God created the world by his Word, and he controls it by his Word.

Turning rain on and off like a faucet, ensuring that jars of oil never run dry and that boys come back from the dead might not seem reasonable to you or me, but to the God who created the universe by the power of his Word, these things are easily achieved.

[Q]  Read Psalm 119:129–130.

Why is the Word of God so powerful?

[Q]  Read 2 Timothy 3:16.

How do we hear the Word of God today?

What does it mean that all Scripture is God-breathed?

[Q]  Read 2 Peter 1:20–21.

How did we get the Word of God?

According to these verses, why can we have supreme confidence in it?

[Q]  With which statement do you find yourself agreeing most: \\ 1) The Bible is mostly true but has some errors in translation.

\\ 2) The Bible is written by men; therefore it’s thoroughly flawed.

\\ 3) The Bible is inspired by God and true in its entirety.

\\ 4) The Bible is true in its broad strokes but false in its details.

Explain why you chose the statement you did.

What difference does it make which statement you believe?

How does that belief affect your life?

!! Teaching point three: God’s Word to us is clear.

It may be hard to identify with Elijah.

For instance, can we pray with confidence that God will heal someone who’s sick?

If the sick person were to die, could we pray that God would raise him from the dead?

James 5 says that “Elijah was a man just like us” and that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

In the same chapter, however, James describes the need for believers to be patient in suffering.

So how do we know when we have heard from God? Perhaps we could start with what we know for sure.

God’s Word is clear, and there is plenty within its pages for me to stand up for right now.

Read James 1:2–8.

[Q]  What does perseverance have to do with our faith in God?

What does it mean that it has to “finish its work”?

[Q]  What are we to pray for according to verse 5? Why is that more important than just getting what we want?

[Q]  What does it mean when it says we are to believe and not doubt (v.

6)?

What are we to believe God will do for us according to these verses?

[Q]  What does it mean to be double-minded (v.

8)?

Why does being double-minded make us unstable in all we do?

!! Teaching point four: Miracles happen when we stand up for God’s Word.

We can probably all think of a time when we stood up for the truth.

A miracle is when God gets involved, changing someone’s mind, rearranging circumstances, even altering the weather.

Does God still do these kinds of things?

Of course he does; otherwise why would we pray?

We need to listen carefully for the Word of God, and when we hear it we need to stand up for it confidently.

Perhaps we will need to tell truth to our friends, our children, or even to ourselves.