Salvation for the Faithful

Isaiah 52:1-12

Sermon Notes:

1) The Clothing of Redemption, 1-2

2) The Cost of Redemption, 3-6

3) The Cryer of Redemption, 7-10

4) The Cleansing of Redemption, 11-12

Reflection Questions:

1. What does the Bible say about shame and nakedness, clothing and salvation? Some passages to consider: Genesis 3; Isaiah 52; Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 19:6-9.

2. Did God pay any money to save us? Was our salvation cheap, or was it costly? See Acts 20:28.

3. Do we clean ourselves up to get saved? Does God’s grace clean us up before and/or after we get saved? See Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-8.

For A Little While

Hebrews 2

Sermon Notes:

1) From Subjection to Supremacy vv. 1-9

2) Sanctification Through Suffering vv. 9-13

3) Salvation Through Suffering vv. 1-4, 14-18

Reflection Questions:

1) How can we be sure that God will make all things new even though we do not yet see all things in subjection to Jesus?

2) Sin tears us away from God, but sanctification brings us closer to God. How has suffering you have experienced in the past drawn you closer to God through your sanctification?

3) How does God's justice give us hope in our suffering? How does Christ, our faithful high priest, give us lasting hope?

Comfort for the Faithful

Isaiah 51

Sermon Notes:

1) The Righteousness that Comforts, vv. 1-8

2) The Redemption that Cries Out, vv. 9-11

3) The Remembrance that Casts Out Fear, vv. 12-16

4) The Reversal that Consoles, vv. 17-23

Reflection Questions:

1) Why is their comfort, knowing that God will make all things right? Cf Galatians 1:3-4 and the “present evil age.”

2) Have you ever thought, “Surely, Godly people don’t complain when life gets hard”? How might vv.9-10 or certain Psalms challenge that point of view? How does Philippians 4:6 inform the way we should pray to God in hard circumstances, as well?

3) 2 Corinthians 5:21 shows us not so much a reversal as an exchange. (‘The Great Exchange’ many have called it.) What is being exchanged? What transfers from us to Christ, and what transfers from Christ to us?

By His Son

Hebrews 1

Sermon Notes:

1) The Ultimate Word

2) The Ultimate Character

3) The Ultimate Victory

Reflection Questions:

1. If Jesus is the fullness of God's revelation to us, why do our hearts so often seek direction and value apart from him? What are some ways that you can recenter your focus on the Word of God today and this week?

2. Jesus is the center of God's story because he is the only one who had all the qualifications to fulfill the great gospel story. How do you try to bend your story so that it's focused on you? How does seeing who Jesus is help us to see him as the center of the story?

3. What gets in the way of our sharing in the victory that Jesus has won?

The Steadfast Servant

Isaiah 50

Sermon Notes:

1) The Suffering of God’s People, 1-3

2) The Steadfastness of God’s Servant, 4-9

3) The Separation the Servant Causes, 10-11

Reflection Questions:

1. Is our sin the cause of some of our suffering in this life? Is it always the cause of our suffering in this life? See Isaiah 50:1-3 and John 9:1-3.

2. Is the Servant an example of how God’s people should have obeyed? Is he merely an example, or is he something more? Compare Isaiah 50 with 1 Peter 2:21- 25.

3. Read verse 4 and the following commentary: “Nothing indicates a tongue befitting the disciples of God, so much as the gift of administering consolation.” 1 How can you give the gift of consolation to someone today?

The Servant's Mission

Isaiah 49

Sermon Notes:

1) The Servant is Israel, 3

2) The Servant has a divine mission, 1-2

3) The Servant has a worldwide mission, 1, 6-8, 11-12, 22

4) The Servant’s mission is to restore Israel, 2-3, 5-7, 19-21

5) The Servant’s success is secured by a covenant, 8-9

6) The Servant’s mercy will release prisoners and captives, 9-13, 22-26

7) The Servant’s people may feel forgotten, but they certainly are not, 13-16

8) The Servant will be served by kings, 7, 17-18, 22-23

9) The Servant will provide life out of barrenness, 19-21

10) The Servant’s Strength will bind the strongman and rescue the captives, 23-26

Reflection Questions:

1) When is the “time of favor” and “the day of salvation” that Isaiah talks about in v.8. See 2 Cor. 6:1-2 (and consider reading 2 Cor. 5 for context).

2) Does Jesus have a bride? See Isaiah 49:18 and compare to Revelation 19:6-9.

3) Is the Servant willing to get blood on His hands and clothes to save His people? See Is 49:26; 53:3-10; 63:1-6.

God Saves His Stubborn People

Isaiah 48

Sermon Notes:

I. A Rebellious People: Good company doesn’t ensure good choices, 1-8

II. A Regret-filled People: Second chances don’t ensure good choices, 12-22

III. A Refined People: God’s choice and discipline leads to good character, 6-11

Reflection Questions:

1. Romans 9:6 says that not everyone who was born an Israelite is truly an Israelite from the heart; they’re not true worshippers of God. So should we be friends with good people or bad people? Christians or non-Christians? Who should we live like and imitate? Consider the following verses: 1 Cor. 15:33; Psalm 1; James 4:4; Romans 12:1-2.

2. What does 2 Corinthians 7:10 say about regret and grief? Can grief ever be good? What outcome did Paul want to see from their grief? Was he pleased, and why (in what way)? See 2 Cor 7:5-11 for context.

3. Why did God refine His people, Israel? What reason is given in Isaiah 48:9-11?

Pride Before Babylon's Fall

Isaiah 47

Sermon Notes:

I. God Is Jealous for His Glory and His People, 1-7

II. God Will Crush All of His impersonators, 8-11

III. God Exposes the Emptiness of Alternative Saviors, 1-3, 12-15

Reflection Questions:

1) Why is ancient Babylon’s destruction good news for God’s people? Consider this quote: “Scripture sometimes uses the term ‘Babylon’ to convey everything that is evil and hostile towards God and his people (e.g. Rev. 17:5). But evil will one day be destroyed (Rev. 14:8; 18:2).”

2) Why can Israel take comfort in this passage, despite the fact that God admits that he was “angry” with her? See Is 47:3-6 (the ‘you’ is Babylon); Hebrews 12:5-11.

3) Read Isaiah 47:12-15, and compare it to Psalm 2:10-12. What warnings and/or comforts do you see in each passage?

I Have Spoken

Isaiah 46

Sermon Notes:

I. The God Who Carries Our Burdens, 1-4

II. The God Who Saves us from Our Distress, 5-7

III. The God Who Declares Our Future, 8-11

IV. The God Who Draws Near to His Beloved, 12-13

Reflection Questions:

1. What are vv. 1-7 teaching us about idols? See especially vv. 2, 7. Compare this to the story of Dagon in 1 Samuel 5.

2. People carry idols; God has been carrying (and will continue to carry) His people. What promises and past actions of God would that truth have brought to mind for Israel. See Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 1:31; 32:11; Isaiah 63:9.

3. How has God brought His righteousness and salvation near to us who were far off? See Ephesians 2:11-22, especially vv. 13, 17.