Relentless: The Story of God's Faithfulness from the Old Testament Kings

Elijah: Living Biblical Principles in Unbiblical Times (1 Kings 17 - 19)

November 13, 2022 • Pastor Chuck Wampler

1 Kings 17 - 19 “Elijah: Living Biblical Principles in Unbiblical Times” Life Group Questions 1) Can you relate to the behavior of Elijah? 2) Where do you turn in times of discouragement? What Bible verses provide encouragement? 3) How did you respond to opposition or a difficult situation lately? 4) What do you do when you get tired and feel like giving up? 5) Does the Biblical narrative about Elijah encourage you? Discourage you? How? 6) How do you think you would have responded if you would have experienced God’s communication as Elijah in 19:11-12? 7) Imagine your life is coming to an end as Elijah knew (II Kings2:9), what would you like to say? What changes might you make in the way you are living now?

King Josiah: Breaking Generational Sins (2 Kings 22-23)

November 6, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

King Josiah: Breaking Generational Sin November 6, 2022 2 Kings 22-23 Study Questions 1. Read 2 Kings 21:1-15. Describe the spiritual climate of Judah under the reign of King Manasseh. What was the result of their practices? What does this teach us about the character of God? 2. Read 2 Kings 22:1-13. What do we learn about the character and heart of King Josiah? What strikes you about his age? Why? How might he have been impacted at an early age by the sins of his father, Amon, and grandfather, Manasseh? 3. How did he respond to the reading of the Law of God? Why? What does that tell you about Josiah compared to his fathers? 4. Read 2 Kings 23:1-25. How did King Josiah restore Judah back to true worship with the Lord? What hope does this give you in breaking from the sinful patterns of the generations before you? 5. To what degree does the Lord hold generations accountable for the sins of those who hate Him? Is there hope in breaking free from being accountable to those sins? Compare Exodus 20:4-6 and Ezekiel 18:14-21. How has the Lord Jesus Christ brought you hope in light of these passages? See Romans 6:8-13; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Corinthians 6:9- 10. 6. Take a look at your own life – your family background – your past. What were some unhealthy sin patterns that you have had to break away from? Are you still struggling with ‘the sins of the fathers’ as a result of your past? What are you doing about it? Where are you turning to overcome those struggles? 7. Have you had a healthy godly example of how to follow the Lord Jesus from your parents and the generations before you? How has that impacted your faith walk with the Lord today? 8. Read 2 Chronicles 33:10-18. How might Manasseh’s repentance have influenced Josiah’s life? What hope and encouragement do you have as a result of Manasseh’s heart change? 9. Read 2 Kings 22:2 and 23:25. According to these verses, summarize what decisions Josiah made in order to overcome his past. What hope and encouragement do you have as a result of his decisions?

King Uzziah: The 'I Know What I'm Doing' Syndrome (2 Chronicles 26)

October 30, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

King Uzziah: The “I Know What I’m Doing” Syndrome October 30, 2022 2 Chronicles 26 Study Questions: 1. Read 2 Chronicles 26:1-15. Identify the qualities that you admire about King Uzziah. What things did he accomplish? Why was he so prosperous (verse 5)? 2. Read 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. What was Uzziah’s downfall? What was his root problem and what was the cause (verse 16)? When have you been tempted to struggle for the same reasons? 3. Why do you think Uzziah believed it was acceptable for him to enter into the Temple of the Lord when he clearly knew the Law of Moses (cf. Numbers 3:10)? In what ways are we too presumptuous in the way that we approach the Lord today? Why? 4. Read the following characteristics of a proud heart. Discuss where you see any of these in Uzziah’s actions, and in your own. a. A proud heart derives from forgetting the depravity of man in light of the holiness of God. b. A proud heart believes you have special dispensation before God above others. c. A proud heart will deflect responsibility and blame others for failure. d. A proud heart is convinced that you are irreplaceable. 5. Is it wrong for Christians strive for success? What criteria should we use to measure success? How can you keep yourself from becoming conceited or arrogant, particularly when you’ve experienced success or blessing from the Lord? 6. How did Jesus define humility and how did He model it for us? (See also Luke 14:7-11; Ephesians 4:2-6; Philippians 2:3-8.) 7. What’s the difference between being humble and putting yourself down? How should you respond when someone compliments you for something you have done well? 8. In Stuart Scott’s booklet, From Pride to Humility, he provides a personal inventory quiz. Click on the link to take the quiz and see how you score: https://www.keltys.org/manifestations-of-pride-humlity/ 9. Extra Credit: identify someone (a believing spouse, friend, family member – someone who is safe to you) and ask them where they see you struggle with a prideful heart.

King Jehoshaphat: Your Battle Belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 17-20)

October 23, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

King Jehoshaphat: Your Battle Belongs to the Lord October 22, 2022 2 Chronicles 17-20 Study Questions 1. Read 2 Chronicles 17. How is Jehoshaphat’s heart like that of his father? And like that of King David? What did he do when he became king? What do you think were Jehoshaphat’s motives in leading his reform? 2. What did he ‘put away’ and what did he ‘put on’ as a result? How does this correlate with how we live in Christ according to Ephesians 4:21-24? 3. Jehoshaphat didn’t do everything right before the Lord. Read 2 Chronicles 18-19:2 and determine where he went astray, and what resulted. Compare this with the instruction given to Christ-followers in 2 Corinthians 6:14. 4. Can you identify a situation when you relied on yourself or on someone else instead of first turning to the Lord? What was the result? 5. Read 2 Chronicles 20. What was Jehoshaphat’s next battle and what lesson did he learn from the previous battle? How did he respond this time? What was the outcome? 6. Identify the following aspects in Jehoshaphat’s prayer: a. Adoration of God’s nature b. Affirmation of God’s promises c. Supplication for God’s intervention How does this prayer help you approach the Lord with your requests and petitions? 7. According to verse 17, describe the 4 things that the Lord required of Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. What did the Lord promise? What was the outcome (v.20-34)? 8. How has the Lord taught you to turn to Him in the ‘battles’ you face? What can you apply from this study that will help you face your challenges and hardships this week?

King Ahab: The Destruction of Discontentment (1 Kings 21-22)

October 9, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

King Ahab: The Destruction of Discontentment October 9, 2022 1 Kings 21-22 Study questions: 1. Read 1 Kings 21. What was Ahab’s heart issue, and how was that reflected by his behavior? What was the outcome (verses 5-18)? 2. What did Elijah prophesy would happen to Ahab as a result? (vs. 17-26) What was Ahab’s initial reaction to Elijah’s prophecy from the Lord? Do you think his response was genuine? Why/why not? (See also 2 Corinthians 7:10.) 3. Read 1 Kings 22. What patterns continue in Ahab’s actions? Why? 4. What was the outcome for Micaiah after he prophesied the word of the Lord to Ahab? What does this mean for believers who follow Christ today? 5. Why did Ahab disguise himself going into battle with Jehoshaphat (verses 29-33)? What does this reveal to you about Ahab’s character? 6. What do we learn about the sovereignty of God in the account of the ‘random arrow’? (See verse 34.) 7. What ultimately brought about Ahab’s destruction? 8. Reflect on the following verses as you move through each day of this week. Ask yourself: a) What does the verse teach? b) How can I apply it to my circumstances practically? Monday: Psalm 107:9 Tuesday: 1 John 2:15-16 Wednesday: Psalm 73:1-28 Thursday: Psalm 63:1-11; John 6:66-68 Friday: Deuteronomy 8:1-14 9. What does it mean to be satisfied in Christ? Where is the Lord asking you to reevaluate or reorient in order to intentionally find greater satisfaction in Him this week? 10. Identify three areas in your life in which you are not truly content in the Lord. Consider writing in your prayer journal to Him, or taking set-aside time in prayer with Him, about these areas.

King Asa: How Not To Finish Well (2 Chronicles 14-16)

September 25, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

King Asa: How Not to Finish Well September 25, 2022 2 Chronicles 14-16 Study Questions 1. Read 2 Chronicles 16:9. As a theme verse for this study, what does this verse teach us about the character of God? Describe in your own words what it means to be ‘fully committed’ to the Lord? 2. Read 2 Chronicles 14. What do we learn about King Asa? How did he break out of the destructive patterns of his family? What dysfunctional patterns have you had to break from in order to live as a follower of Jesus? How has the Lord given you victory over them? 3. What do you attribute to the success of Judah’s defeating King Zerah of Ethiopia? What were the ‘odds’? Identify some of the recent ‘battles’ in your life that the Lord has overcome on your behalf. 4. Read 2 Chronicles 15. What promise & warning did the Lord give to King Asa through the prophet Azariah? What did the Lord require from King Asa? What was his response along with the people of Judah? Describe what this looks like in your life today. 5. Read 2 Chronicles 16. What do you believe happened in King Asa’s life/heart for him to turn to the King of Aram instead of turning to the Lord for protection from King Baasha (Israel)? Why did the Lord strike King Asa with a disease to his feet? What was Asa’s response? 6. Read Revelation 2:1-7. What similarities can you draw between King Asa and the Church of Ephesus? 7. What do you need to do in your life in order to ‘finish well’ before the Lord? See also: 2 Timothy 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 9:23-27; Hebrews 12:1-3.

Jeroboam: A King After His Own Heart Part 2 (1 Kings 13-14)

September 18, 2022 • Pastor Doug Thuen

Relentless / Jeroboam: A King After His Own Heart – Part 2 September 18, 2022 1 Kings 13-14 Study Questions 1. Review: Who is Jeroboam and how did he become king of the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel? See: 1 Kings 11-12. What did the Lord promise Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah? 2. Read 1 Kings 12:24-33, 1 Kings 13:1-10, and 1 Kings 13:33-14:14. How did Jeroboam sin against the Lord? Identify at least 3 ways the Lord warned Jeroboam in calling him to repent from his sin. What was deep in Jeroboam’s heart that caused him not to humbly acknowledge his rebellion and disobedience? 3. What covenant promise(s) has the Lord made to you in Christ? Identify them with scripture passages that are personal to you. 4. Similarly, to Jeroboam, in what ways does the Lord get our attention (warn us) when we ‘turn away’ from Him? See also: Joshua 22:5, Proverbs 12:15 and 19:20-21, James 1:2-4, John 15:1-2, and Hebrews 12:7-11. Give specific examples of how you have experienced the Lord leading you back to Him. 5. Read 1 Kings 13:11-32. Who was the ‘young prophet’ from Judah, what did he do right (1 Kings 13:1-3), and what did he do wrong (1 Kings 13:11-19)? What were the consequences of his actions (1 Kings 13:20-25)? Who was the ‘old prophet’ and in what way did he deceive the young prophet? What lesson can you learn from this situation? Why did the Lord discipline the young prophet and not seemingly the old prophet? 6. Overall, identify in this text how you see the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant promise to David. How do you see the Lord fulfilling His promise through Christ Jesus? See: 1 Kings 11:36, John 8:12, and Acts 13:47-48. 7. What lessons can you apply to your life from this study? How?

Sparta Evangelical Free Church