Isaiah
Theme: The book of Isaiah is by chapter the longest book in the Old Testament. Therefore, we will be jumping around a little to get a picture of the whole book. There is much to learn in this book so I encourage you to spend some extra time this week soaking as much as possible in each chapter.
Major Points:
(Isaiah’s Call Ch.6)
God called Isaiah to himself not simply because he loved him so much, but more importantly because he had a plan for him. God saves then sends not only in Isaiah’s life but in all christian lives. This is an important yet vastly overlooked aspect in God bringing people to himself. Not only that, but also the response to this call to be sent out. Isaiah responded simply by putting his yes on the table. Isaiah didn’t commit to one service a week and throw in a connect group, he put all available resources into the mission of God. We can clearly see this wasn’t any easier for Isaiah than it is for us. Isaiah knew full well the people wouldn’t respond yet continued to leave his yes on the table. His yes wasn’t dependent upon the success or ease of the mission.
(Isaiah’s Warning Ch.1)
God is sending warning to the people through Israel. Simply put: sin is a big deal, religion is worthless, and God desires a WILLING obedience. In typical fashion, the people have forgotten God and continued to walk in sin. They covered all this in religion (different sacrifices and offerings) which meant nothing to God. When the people come to God in an outward sense yet have no intimacy or personal relationship with him it’s pointless. God doesn’t want some false sense that you’re a good person that deserves his love, he wants you to understand your need for him and out of that worship him in obedience. This is the default for most christians. We live in a constant danger of forgetting what God has done on our behalf yet continuing to perform the christian rituals we’re accustomed to.
(Isaiah’s Hope Ch.53)
There are over 500 prophecies in the OT that Jesus fulfilled. This is a very reassuring thing for the Christian faith. We worship an intentional God capable of incredible things and there’s proof for it. As a group, read Isaiah’s prophecy in ch. 53.
Question Bank:
How has your week been spiritually? / What is God teaching you?
What sins are you struggling with that you need to confess?
What does it mean for God to call someone to himself?
What exactly did the “call of Isaiah” entail?
Share about the time you first understood the individual “call” placed on your life.
What about your life says “my yes is on the table”?
Why would Isaiah commit to something he knew was destined for failure?
How do you see characteristics of the people of Israel in your own life?
What does “religion” look like in our culture? How do you distinguish between religion and obedience?
Read Is 53 aloud. What does this prophecy stir up in your heart?