Victory Groups

English

Comfort

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Do you like nature? What about it do you enjoy the most? • What is your comfort food? Why do you like it so much? • Whose voice or words comfort you the most? Recall an instance explaining this. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋’𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴. 𝘈 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴: “𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋; 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟬:𝟭–𝟯 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟬:𝟰–𝟭𝟭.) While God’s people had a long history of stubbornness and unfaithfulness, God has a long history of consistency and faithful love. Even when they did not do what was right, God loved them still. And even in exile and judgment, God brought comfort and hope. Starting with Isaiah 40, the focus of this book shifts to hope, restoration, and victory. In this lesson, we will look at how God’s character and actions bring us comfort. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟬:𝟱 For a child or a person in danger, a loving voice of a parent or a firm voice of a person in authority brings comfort, relief, and protection. While we may associate God’s voice with volume, He can also speak in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Regardless of how He speaks, His word is reliable, true, and final. Through the prophet Isaiah, God comforts His people that the glory of the Lord will be seen by all together. This passage alludes to Christ, through whom God’s grace is revealed in the flesh. We know Christ through God’s word, the Bible. How do you respond when someone you trust speaks? How do you respond when God, your Creator and heavenly Father, speaks? 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟬:𝟴 Nature and human life, even in all its beauty, will fade. Only God’s word will stand forever. The Bible shows us that God is faithful to fulfill all His promises. His word is both timeless and timely. It is true forever and yet very real in our daily situations. God's word meets our deepest needs and from it we find true strength and hope. This is comforting and a source of strength and hope. Share about how God’s word has been timely for you recently. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲. 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘥; 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴; 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟬:𝟭𝟬–𝟭𝟭 God loves each of us and expresses His love in response to our particular brokenness and burdens. While He allows some of us to freely dwell in His presence like sheep in pasture, He also seeks out those who are hurting and in need of reassurance. He gathers us in His arms and carries us in His bosom. This is a beautiful picture of both God’s might in leading His people and His gentleness in caring for the brokenhearted. How is God’s might and tenderness to His people reassuring? Why do you think He said, 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 (Isaiah 40:1)? In the New Testament, John the Baptist’s ministry was a fulfillment of this prophecy: “𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥; 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥” (Isaiah 40:3). He was referring to Jesus Christ, who is Lord and Savior, the embodiment of God’s glory, and the tangible expression of God’s love, mercy, and grace. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • In what area of your life do you need hope and comfort? Which part of today’s lesson encouraged you to trust God? • Do you believe the word of God stands forever? How can you go deeper in His word this week? • Think of one person or family that needs to experience both the might and gentleness of God in this season. How can you be a blessing and encouragement to them? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for speaking to us and for being reliable and true. Pray you would trust Him and find comfort in Him every day. • Lift up your situation and needs to God today. Ask Him to provide for you and fulfill His promises to you and your family. • Pray that you would encourage others to know God and find comfort in Him this week.

Courage

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Tell us about one of the hardest things you had to do in the past year. • If you were not afraid of anything, what would you do? Why? • Growing up, what is one word your parents or guardians used to describe you? What impact do you think it had on you? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: “𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟯:𝟭–𝟮 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟯:𝟯–𝟳.) Israel had failed to trust God. They had trusted in many other things, to no avail, and even rebelled against God. As a result, they faced His judgment and discipline. They even felt like God had abandoned them. However, God remains faithful—to fulfill His promises, to the covenant He made with His people, and to His own character. After everything Israel had done and been through, God referred to them as 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 (Isaiah 43:1), 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, and 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 (Isaiah 43:4). Because He remains faithful, His people can have courage and face every challenge. In this lesson, we will highlight two reasons to not fear. 𝟭. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘖 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭: “𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦." 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟯:𝟭 God not only created and formed His people. He also redeemed them and called them His. When God calls people by name, this shows that God knows who they are. This also brings peace and security. If we believe Him, we belong to Him as well. Because of this, no matter what else happens in our lives and even in times that we have failed Him, we can choose to live in hope rather than fear. He has redeemed us in Christ and will continuously assure us as His treasured possession. What are some of the promises God made to His people in Isaiah 43:2–4 that you can appropriate by faith in your own life? 𝟮. 𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀. "𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟯:𝟱 God promised to be with His people in every situation. Although they had been exiled because of their disobedience, He promised His presence and restoration from wherever they were. As we continue to walk with God, the knowledge of His presence brings joy, peace, and hope in our lives. How do you think the words “fear not” reassured God’s people? The promise of redemption and belonging to God—in spite of our sin and disobedience—was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. On the cross, the Great Exchange happened. God gave Himself up for our salvation, so that we may be forgiven, know Him, and have eternal life. He who never sinned became sin for us, so 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 (2 Corinthians 5:21). He is 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘭, 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴 (Matthew 1:23), and He also promised to be with us 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦 (Matthew 28:20). 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Why do you think “fear not” is reassuring to hear from the Almighty God? In what area of your life are you learning to “fear not”? • Take some time to think of where you put your trust. What are you willing to do differently to trust God every day? • Who do you think would be encouraged by knowing God is with them? What can you do this week to share this truth with them? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His redemption available in Christ Jesus. Thank Him for the great exchange He made for sinners on the cross. • Pray that you would not be in fear because you believe that God is your Redeemer and He is with you. Pray that this would be real in your life every day. • Ask God for courage to obey and serve Him, and to love and serve others. Pray that you would preach the gospel with courage.

Draw Near to God

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What song do you enjoy listening to? What do you like about the song? • Who are the biggest influences in your life? Why do you listen to them? • When you give advice or encouragement to others, how do they respond? Recall an instance explaining this. 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 “𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟴:𝟭𝟲 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟴:𝟭𝟮–𝟭𝟱.) Getting to know a person involves drawing near and listening. If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit we are not very good listeners. Some would rather keep talking, while others may get easily distracted and would want to do something else with their time. We also get easily distracted and have an abundance of information available. In Isaiah 48:12–15, God is calling His people to listen and draw near to Him. He wants to be known. The infinite God wants to be intimate with His people. Today, we will look at His invitation and the benefits of drawing near to Him. 𝟭. 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. “𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘖 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥! 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘦; 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟴:𝟭𝟮 In the Bible, the word “listen” usually means focused attention. God invites us to actively listen to Him so we can know Him more. As we listen to Him fully and focus on His voice, we are reminded that He is the first and the last. That means He is powerful, trustworthy, and eternal. Whereas many things change and fade, God remains. Why do you think God wanted His people to know He is in control? 𝟮. 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘂𝘀. “𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴: 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟴:𝟭𝟲 God has been with His people from the beginning and reveals Himself as a faithful God without speaking in secret. Ever since, He has been seeking His people and calling them to Himself. He invites His people to draw near to Him and also promises to draw near to them (James 4:8). How does God invite you to draw near to Him every day? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • How has listening to God affected your life? How can you draw near to Him every day? • Take some time to reflect on the things you’ve been listening to. What are some new things you can do to listen to God’s voice more? • Think of someone who needs to listen to God more. How can you help point him or her back to God this week? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His love for you, His nearness, and His assurance that He is in control of every situation. • Ask God to help you block out the noise that can hinder you from hearing Him. Pray for a renewed desire to listen to His voice and draw near to Him. • Pray that you would help others encounter God and draw near to Him by preaching the gospel to them.

Restoration

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • If you could fix one broken object you owned in the past, what would it be and why would you want to fix it? • Have you experienced going to a place for the first time, relying completely on a navigation tool? Describe the experience and what happened when you arrived at the place. • What keeps your home safe from strangers and burglars? How effective are these objects in making you feel safe? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋: “𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 . . .” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟵:𝟴 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟵:𝟵–𝟭𝟳.) As a result of sin and disobedience, God’s people were taken to Babylon in chains. Defeated, they found themselves in a new land with no place to worship their God. It was for this difficult time that Isaiah spoke a word of hope, a promise of restoration from God. God wanted to assure His people that He had not forgotten them nor would He ever abandon them. In this passage, we will look at what God promised to restore for His people. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋: “𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶; 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, ‘𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵,’ 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, ‘𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳.’ 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴; 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 . . .” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟵:𝟴–𝟵 Living in a foreign land as exiles, the Jews faced a very uncertain future. They didn’t know what would happen to them as a people. Isaiah’s words assured them that God will not only set them free from captivity; He will take them from darkness to light. The same God is at work in our lives today. He is bringing freedom by inviting people into a relationship with Him that is full of faith, hope, and love amidst uncertainties we may face. How have you experienced the restoration of God’s freedom and light in your own life? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟵:𝟭𝟭 Sometimes, we find ourselves in situations that are the exact opposite of what God promised. This was the situation of the Israelites. God promised them fruitfulness and abundance in their own land, yet because of their own disobedience, they found themselves defeated in war and exiled in another nation. But God said that He will make His mountains a road and 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱, signifying the clear path that will restore His people to their homeland. God had not abandoned them and was in fact leading them to receive the inheritance and blessings He had promised to their forefathers. Likewise, we can be confident that as we allow God to lead us, we will receive our inheritance—what He promised in His word to fulfill in our lives, no matter our present circumstance. How has God’s path led you to eventually receive His blessings? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. “𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘣? 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴; 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟰𝟵:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟲 God was telling His people to look beyond their present situation. Their city may have been destroyed, but He had not forgotten them. He is always mindful of His people and is full of compassion. He is their protection. He will rebuild His people and they will feel safe again. In our own lives, things may happen that make us wonder if God is against us. But just like the Israelites, God wants to show us His compassion and protection. He will even enable us to rebuild. Why do you think God used the picture of a mother caring for her child to show His people His love and concern for them? How is God greater than even the best mom in the world? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • Are you experiencing hopelessness and fear in some areas of your life? Which passages in Scripture show God’s promises to His people that relate to your life and family right now? Write them down so you can meditate on them this week and speak hope into your situation. • Do you have faith to see beyond present circumstances and trust that God will restore His light, inheritance, and protection for you? What are you willing to do in response to today’s message? • Think of someone who needs to be reminded of God’s compassion and protection. Ask Him to give you the words to encourage and speak hope to him or her this week. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His promise of restoration. Pray for peace and assurance that God will lead you to receive what He promised no matter what you are experiencing. • Ask God to help you dispel any doubt from your heart, trusting that He will restore whatever the enemy has tried to take away from you. Pray that God will open your eyes and enable you to see your life through eyes of faith. • Pray that God will give you opportunities this week to share to others how you have experienced His freedom and light.

Righteousness

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Do you have clothes that you only use on special occasions? What makes it special and when was the last time you wore it? • Have you experienced playing a sport or any game against someone who broke the rules of the game? What happened? • What comes to mind when you hear the word “justice”? Why? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟵:𝟭𝟲 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟵:𝟭𝟰–𝟭𝟱, 𝟭𝟳–𝟮𝟭.) The prophet Isaiah was describing the condition of their nation: there was inequity, injustice, violence, and corruption. He said that because 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 (Isaiah 59:14), the people have been separated from God. The injustice in the land has left God’s people hopeless. But God wanted Isaiah to not only point out their transgressions. He also wanted to bring hope. Today, we will look at how God responds to unrighteousness in the world. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘆𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺; 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘦 . . . 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟵:𝟭𝟰–𝟭𝟲 God saw the unrighteousness and injustice in the land and 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. He looked for someone who would intercede and serve as a champion of the oppressed, a protector of the innocent—but found no one. Knowing that God sees and desires to do something against the lack of righteousness and justice in society gives us hope today. We know that out of His concern and love for His people, He will act on their behalf. Zephaniah 3:5 says that 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. How can people take comfort in this truth? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. . . . 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥; 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟵:𝟭𝟲–𝟭𝟳 When God saw that no man was interceding to bring righteousness and justice in the land, He stepped in and upheld His own cause. By His own arm and righteousness, He brought salvation. Putting on 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 indicates that He brought judgment on those oppressing His people. To this day, we know that God is moving to bring about His righteousness and justice. How have you experienced God’s intervention to bring justice in your situation? How did it encourage you to wait for God to bring His righteousness instead of taking matters in your own hands? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿. “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘡𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘣 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯,” 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟱𝟵:𝟮𝟬 God promised to send a Redeemer for those who will repent and turn away from sin. We now know that God was referring to Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Even though He lived a sinless life, God poured out His wrath on Jesus in order to execute His justice. Jesus took the punishment for our sins and gave us His righteousness. Jesus alone can redeem us and bring us to right standing with God. God also promised His people that His Spirit and His words 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 out of their mouth, but will be passed on from one generation to the next (Isaiah 59:21). What the Redeemer did for us has reached us and continues to reach people all over the world. What are you doing at this time to pass on the Spirit and words of God to those around you? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • In what area of your life or society around you are you in faith that God would bring justice? Ask God for wisdom and what He wants you to do in this situation. • Meditate on Psalm 139:23–24 this week. Ask God to show you any area of unrighteousness in your heart and pray that you would draw near to Him. • Who among your family members or friends do you think would be encouraged by today’s message? This week, how can you encourage them to trust God? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His hand that brings righteousness and justice. Pray that God will use people in places of authority to help the oppressed and bring righteousness in our nation. • Ask God to show you how you respond to the unrighteousness and injustice around you. Pray for grace to respond in faith knowing that He is at work and you can be His hands and feet. • Pray for someone you know who has experienced injustice. Ask God to give you the words that will encourage this person to trust in and wait on God.

Victory

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • Recall a time when you waited eagerly for someone to arrive home because the person had something for you. What did you do when he or she arrived? • Who is the most hardworking person you know? Share a memory that explains it. • Have you ever been in an embarrassing or difficult situation where you needed someone to save you? What happened? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩: 𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘡𝘪𝘰𝘯, “𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴; 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘵, 𝘈 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟲𝟮:𝟭𝟭–𝟭𝟮 (Read also 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟲𝟮:𝟴–𝟭𝟬.) In our study of Isaiah, we have seen that time and again God’s people failed to fulfill their part of the covenant. On the contrary, God always honors the covenant and commitment He made to His people. In this passage, God was repeating a promise He had already given—He will set His people free and establish His covenant with them. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘵, 𝘈 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯. Today, we know that God fulfilled this promise through Jesus. Everything that the prophets spoke about the promised Redeemer was fulfilled in Christ. In Him, we receive our salvation, our victory, and all the blessings that God has for us. In this lesson, we will look at how God works to fulfill His covenant with His people. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘮: “𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟲𝟮:𝟴–𝟵 The Israelites were forced to give part of their produce as tribute to the powerful nations around them. They would give their grain to be food for their enemies and foreigners would drink their wine. In this passage, God swore to reverse this situation. He declared freedom from this oppression. They will enjoy the fruit of their labor and praise the Lord. God is also doing this for us today. We can hold on to His word because He can turn things around for us. What does Romans 8:28 promise for those who love God and are called according to His purpose? 𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩: 𝘚𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘡𝘪𝘰𝘯, “𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴; 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟲𝟮:𝟭𝟭 God is coming and 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘮. God has always been at work to bring salvation to His people. He also desires to give His blessings and rewards not because people deserve to receive them but because of who He is. He is a promise-keeper and a rewarder. What He has done and continues to do will be 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. God will send the Savior, and people will know the deliverance He brings. How has God used other people to proclaim His deliverance to you? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘖𝘶𝘵, 𝘈 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟲𝟮:𝟭𝟮 God has always been at work to redeem people and restore them to Himself. To do this, He chose Israel to be His witness to the world. God will bring freedom to His people, establish them in their land, and make them known not only for their benefit, but for the other people groups to see and know Him. He sent His Redeemer—Jesus Christ—through the Jews. They will be a sought-out city because of God seeking them out and not abhorring them despite their sin and rebellion. People would see what God is doing in their lives and want the same. Similarly, God wants to proclaim His reality through us. We obey Him and preach His word not out of obligation, but out of His love. The love that reached out to us compels us to reach out to others. What does 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 say about the love of Christ? 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • In what area of your life and family are you seeking God for a reversal? Do you believe that God can do a miracle in a dead end situation? Ask God to reveal to you what He is doing for you through this situation. • Ask God to reveal to you your motive for preaching the gospel to others. If something else other than His love is driving you to do that, ask Him to change your heart and give you His heart for people. • Among your family and friends, who do you think needs to experience the victory and deliverance that is available in Christ? Ask God for open doors to share what Christ has done and for others to experience His deliverance. 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for the deliverance that is available in Christ Jesus. Thank Him for making you part of His work so people will know Him and be set free. • Pray that no matter what your situation is, you will never cease to be amazed at what God has done to restore us back to Him. Pray that His love will compel you to proclaim what Jesus did for us on the cross. • Ask God for strength and courage to reach out to others in your sphere of influence. Pray that you will always be ready to share the hope that you have in Christ.