Here is a link to the manuscript
The Crown Divided — Week 2: "Five Kings, Five Failures" (1 Kings 15–16)
This sermon continues through the northern kingdom of Israel, covering five kings who follow Jeroboam — each one replicating his failures despite having his cautionary example right in front of them.
Nadab (Jeroboam's son) reigns just two years before assassination ends both his life and his father's dynasty. He had every opportunity to chart a different course and chose not to. The application: the sins of parents don't have to become the sins of children. Every generation chooses.
Baasha assassinates his way to the throne, reigns 24 years, and immediately becomes the very thing he destroyed. God sends the prophet Jehu with a direct warning — ignored completely. The warning: it's dangerously easy to judge someone else's sin while quietly replicating it yourself.
Elah is assassinated while drunk at a party, his army fighting in the field without him. The challenge, particularly to younger men, is blunt: don't waste your life on distraction. Any vice — not just alcohol — that keeps you from what matters is Elah's legacy in miniature.
Zimri reigns seven days, burns the palace down around himself, and still receives a full biblical verdict. The point is sobering: we are accountable for whatever time we are given, however brief.
Omri is the most striking case. Geopolitically dominant — the Assyrians named a nation after him for over a century — yet Scripture dismisses him in eight verses. The archaeological record confirms his power; the theological record condemns his priorities. Using John Piper's "seashell collector" illustration, the sermon challenges every person to examine what they are doing with their influence, particularly in retirement years.
The sermon closes with a question: is there a king who will finally get it right? The answer is Jesus — the King every northern king failed to be.
