In the midst of the Servant Songs, we pause to look at Israel's ideas about God. Encouraged by his promises of redemption, they tell the Lord to“awake, awake” and come to rescue them. But this betrays their way of thinking: that thus far, God has been asleep to them. The Lord's response is to tell them and show them that He has been awake to them, but they have fallen asleep on him. The same can be said of us. God shows us what it means to be spiritually alert to him and centers us on the Servant, Jesus Christ.
Application Questions
1. Have you ever felt like God was asleep to your needs? Looking back, do you think that was true?
2. Are you awake or asleep to the reality of Jesus? Are there ways you see spiritual drowsiness in your life?
3. How can you cultivate spiritual alertness in your life?
11. Awake, Awake
“He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
April 14, 2019
01. Wickedness and Grace
February 3, 2019
Isaiah lived in a time of major social upheaval and personal struggle. In the midst of it all, he receives a vision of the LORD, and begins a ministry of telling everyone that the LORD is the central factor to everything in life. In the first chapter of the book, Isaiah teaches us about the LORD, his wayward people, and his plan to save them. At the center is the LORD's character, goodness, and love, which we see ultimately in Jesus. Application Questions 1. How is the God of the Bible unique? Are there ways your default ideas about God don't line up with the way the LORD describes himself in the Bible? 2. Can you relate to Isaiah's description of human beings rebelling against God's desires and being hurt in the process? 3. Have you ever used religious activities to pretend that you love God when really they are just ways to do whatever you want and still feel spiritual? 4. What would change about your life if you understood the LORD is the biggest, the best, and loves you the most? How can meditating on the gospel remind you that it's true?
02. Holiness and Grace
February 10, 2019
Isaiah's call to ministry teaches us the pattern of true spirituality. Isaiah is overwhelmed by God's holiness and then met with undeniable grace. After that, he commits his entire life to God's service. This same process happens not once but regularly for anyone who relates to God. Today we face the same question the nation of Israel faced in the times of Isaiah: will we distance ourselves from the reality of God or acknowledge his reality and embrace his holiness and grace? Application Questions 1. Do you underestimate God's size and holiness in your daily life? What impact does that have on you? 2. How have you experienced the connection between God's holiness and his grace? How might you cultivate an understanding of God'sholiness so that you can understand his grace more deeply? 3. Are there any ways you push away the reality of God in your daily life? How can you cultivate the reality of God's holiness and grace instead?
03. The Judgment of the LORD
February 19, 2019
Judgment is an uncomfortable idea. Why would you ever want to listen to a sermon on judgment? In this sermon, we explore why we, in fact, ought to be deeply comforted and assured by God's judgment. God's perfect judgment brings about the justice that our souls crave in a rampantly unjust and unfair world. More than this, the more we come to understand God's perfect judgment, the more we come to comprehend the sheer magnitude of his grace. Isaiah pronounces judgment upon the nations of the earth, and upon the entire earth itself. Yet, in the midst of this focus on judgment we continually find hope, joy, and grace in the promise of a future Messiah. Application Questions 1. In what ways do you find your soul longing for justice in our fallen world? 2. How does God'sjudgment of both the nations and individuals reflect the perfection of his character? 3. How does studying Isaiah help us to combat the false characterization of the God of the Old Testament being a God of judgment and the God of the New Testament being a God of love? 4. What is an aspect of God's judgment that you normally don't think about that you should probably strive to remember more regularly? 5. How does considering the reality of God's judgment help you to appreciate the magnitude of his grace?