PTW 1 Kings: Power, Politics, and the Hope of the World

A Word to Those Who Preach the Word
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction: Fourteen Kings of Israel and “The King of the Jews”

Part 1: Politics or Promise? How the Kingdom Was Established (1–2)
1. A Frail and Fading King: What Hope Can There Be? (1:1–4)
2. An Up and Coming King: “But It Shall Not Be So Among You” (1:5–10)
3.The Right Side of History (1:11–40)
4. Sooner or Later . . . (1:41–53)
5. Good Government—What Would It Be Like? (2:1–12)
6. The Bible’s Disturbing News (2:12–46)

Part 2: The Wisdom of God: How Things Were Put Right (3–4)

7. It’s Complicated (3:1–3)
8. What a Complicated World Needs (3:4–15)
9. The Wisdom of God to Do Justice (3:16–28)
10. What a Kingdom! (4)

Part 3: The Goal of History (5–8)

The Most Important Building in the History of the World (5–7)
11. A Chosen and Precious Stone (5)
12. A True Perspective on the History of the Whole World (6)
13. The King Who Will Build (7:1–12)
14. The Truth about Everything (7:13–51)

The Church of the Living God (8)
15. King Solomon’s “Church” (8:1–11)
16. Excited about Church? (8:12–21)
17. “Whatever You Ask in My Name” (8:22–53)
18. The Joy of God’s Blessing (8:54–66)

Part 4: Not Yet (9–12)

19. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (9:1–9)
20. Are We There Yet? (9:10–28)
21. “All the Treasures of Wisdom” (10)
22. The Failure of King Solomon (11:1–8)
23. There Are Consequences (11:9–25)
24. What Hope Can There Possibly Be? (11:26–43)
25. Power in Unworthy Hands (12:1–24)
26. The Terrifying Prospect of Actually Trusting God (12:25–33) 

Part 5: The Power behind Everything: The Word of the Lord (13)

27. The Word of the Lord versus Human Religion (13:1–10)
28. The Word of the Lord versus Human Lies (13:11–24)
29. The Word of the Lord and Human Hope (13:25–34)

Part 6: Power Politics Played Out  (14–16)

30. Deceiving God (14:1–20)
31. Do You Dare to Hope? (14:21–31)
32. Where Is the Promise? (15:1–24)
33. Power Politics in Perspective (15:25–16:34)

Part 7: The Ultimate Question: Who Is God? (17–19)

How The Drought Began (17)
34. Does Your God Rule the Rain? (17:1–7)
35. Is Your God Too Small? (17:8–16)
36. Can Your God Beat Death? (17:17–24)

How The Drought Ended (18)
37. The Troubler (18:1–19)
38. Religion for Dummies (18:20–29)
39. Decision Time (18:30–40)
40. The God Who Answers (18:41–46)

Not Quite What We Had Hoped (19)
41. There is No Plan B (19)

Part 8: The Failure of Political Power (20–22)
42. King Ahab Did Not Destroy the Enemy (20)
43. King Ahab Did Not Put Things Right (21)
44. King Ahab Hated the Truth (22:1–14)
45. King Ahab Did Not Have a Listening Heart (22:15–28)
46. King Ahab Died (22:29–40)
47. The Hope of the World and the Legacy of King Ahab (22:41–53)

Notes
Scripture Index
General Index
Index of Sermon Illustrations