The God of All Comfort

Isaiah 40

Sermon Notes:

1) The Ever-Comforting God, 1-2

2) The Ever-Conquering God, 3-5, 9-11

3) The Ever-Constant God, 6-8

4) The Incomparable God, 12-26

5) The Everlasting God, 25-31

Reflection questions:

1) Do you need God’s comfort any less than Isaiah’s original audience did? What is one result of God’s comfort shown to us? See 2 Cor. 1:3-7.

2) How does the coming of John the Baptist (which prepares the way for Jesus) result in “comfort” for God’s people? Compare Isaiah 40:1-5, Mark 1.

3) Read Isaiah 40 aloud, especially vv.12ff where the rhetorical questions start, whether you’re in a group or in your home by yourself. (If this is too touchyfeely for you, then congratulations; you might be a Presbyterian.)

Happy Ending?

Isaiah 38

Sermon Notes: 

1)   A Brush with Death and a Gracious Reprieve, 1-8

2)   A Good Affliction and a Reflective Rejoicing, 9-20

3)   A Mundane Ending and an Ominous Request, 21-22

Reflection questions:

1.    Does Hezekiah deserve the reprieve that he gets in vv.1-8? What should this kind of kindness teach us? See Romans 2:4

2.    How can affliction possibly be good? See Psalm 119:65-71.

3.    Just because God sometimes gives signs, should we ask for more? See 2 Cor. 2:1:22-24. What do the signs God gives say about Him?

God's Passion for His Own Glory

Isaiah 37:8-38

Sermon Notes:

1) History: A Testimony to God’s faithfulness, 8-13

2) Prayer: A Plea for God’s Glory, 14-20

3) Prophecy: A Defense of God’s Glory, 21-29, 38

4) Prophecy: A Defense and Restoration of God’s Remnant, 30-35

5) History: Another Testimony to God’s Faithfulness, 36-38

Reflection questions:

1. Is Hezekiah a good king or a bad king in this passage? Why or why not?

2. What does Hezekiah teach us about prayer in this passage? What similarities do you see to the opening of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6?

3. Why is God’s power made perfect in our weakness? See Isaiah 37:36; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Exodus 14:13-14.

Faith Under Siege

Isaiah 36:1-37:7

Sermon Notes:

1) The Doubt that the Enemy Sows, 36:1-20

2) The Faith that Dares to Trust, 36:21-37:4

3) The Savior that Won’t Let Go, 37:5-7

Reflection questions:

1. Compare Isaiah 36 to Isaiah 7. What do you see about Israel’s enemies, God’s message to the King, the King’s response?

2. Barry Webb says, “It is always Satan’s way to make us think that God has abandoned us.” How do you see this message in Isaiah 36, and how have you heard that message recently (from your conscience, from someone you know, from the news or entertainment world)?

3. Do we deserve worse than what God gives us, or does God give us better than we deserve? How does the way you frame that question affect your attitude? See Psalm 103:8-13.

What Does Wrath Have to do with the Gospel of Grace?

Isaiah 34

Sermon Notes:

1) God Warns, 1-4

2) God Avenges, 5-9

3) God (Un/Re) Creates, 9-17

4) God Waits, Is 30:15, 18; Is 33:2; Rom 2:4; Genesis 2:16-17

Reflection questions:

1) Should God’s vengeance (Is 34:5-9, especially v.8) upon His and our enemies make us vengeful, as well? What effect does Paul say it should have upon us? (See Romans 12:14-21)

2) Some of 2 Peter’s audience had heard false teachers who claimed that God’s judgment was an empty threat (2 Peter 3:3-5). What did Peter say about this? Was God slow or unfaithful, or was God patient? And how should we respond to His patience (see 2 Peter 3:11-13 and Rom 2:4)?

3) God is faithful (Is 34:16-17) to judge those who do not repent. But how is our Creator faithful to us who are new creations (2 Cor 5:17) in Christ? See Philippians 1:6.

Our Arm, Our Salvation, Our Stability

Isaiah 33

Sermon Notes:

1) The Prayer of a Humble People, 1-9

2) The Answer of a Holy God, 10-16

3) The Beauty of Our Promised Home, 17-24

Reflection questions:

1. What kind of prayer will God always answer? See Is 30:18; 33:2; 33:6; Psalm 139:23-24.

2. If no one can dwell with the consuming fire (Is 33:14), if no one can be perfect, then what hope do we have? See Psalm 1, 15, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9.

3. Why does suffering ultimately produce hope? See Romans 5:1-5; 1 Peter 1:6-9

In the Shadow of the Almighty

Isaiah 31-32

Sermon Notes:

1) The God who Woos and Pronounces Woe, 31:1-9.

2) The God who Shelters the Weary and Foils the Fool, 32:1-8 (cf 31:4-5).

3) The God who Lets the Harvest Fail so that the Spirit can Restore, 32:9-20.

Reflections questions:

1) Do you tend to think of God primarily as a God of woe and doom or primarily as a God who woos us? Read Hosea 2 (especially vv.13-14) and ask yourself: Isn’t God both?

2) Do you ever (or know anyone else who does) feel like no one is looking out for you or that everyone is out to get you? How can God (the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land – cf. Is 32:2) comfort those who feel this way? See also, Psalm 91.

3) Do you ever feel like you are sowing/planting in tears? Do you wonder if God will ever let you reap/harvest with shouts of joy? See Psalm 126

He Longs to be Gracious to You

Isaiah 30

Sermon Notes:

1) Our Stubbornness and Rebellion leads us to shame, and swift ruin, 1-7

2) God’s Kind Waiting leads us to Repentance and Rest, 15-18

3) God’s Might and Majesty leads us to Milk and Honey and Healing, 18-33

Reflection questions:

1. What does the Bible say about waiting on God? See Psalm 130; Ps 27.

2. What might “quietness and trust” look like in your life? See Psalm 46 (especially v.10).

3. What would it look like to repent or return to God instead of anxiously looking for another savior (be it a “swift horse” to fight a war, or something else that could fix your latest problem)? See Matthew 6:25-34.