1. Watch the video
2. Do the Bible study, either on your own or with someone in your family. This uses the Discovery Bible Study method. (True story - this is what we were going to do at church last Sunday before the world as we knew it suddenly changed!)
Bible passages to read:
Isaiah 9:1-7 & Isaiah 11:1-10
These passages might seem a little strange, or harder to follow than we normally use. We often study Bible writings that are history or other narrative, but these verses are actually prophecy. The prophet Isaiah was writing sometime around 700 BC. God called him to speak to the people of Israel and Judah (by this time, the great land of Israel that King David established had split into two nations, due to civil war started by David's grandsons). God called Isaiah to warn the people that if they didn't worship him as the one true God of Israel, their nation would fall apart and they would be taken into exile by foreign kings. That's exactly what did happen. However, Isaiah's prophecy was not only about events that were going to occur relatively soon (like capture and exile) but also foretold the coming kingdom of God. It's in Isaiah that we find possibly the most powerful descriptions of Jesus and the kingdom he will bring one day when he returns. Remember, we live in this funny time between the ages that we often call the Now and the Not Yet. Jesus came to earth, he showed us how to live, and he defeated death - for himself. He broke the power of the curse of death that Satan put on all people when we rebelled against God. It's because of what Jesus did that we can come close to a holy God, and have our sins forgiven. It's because of what Jesus did that we sometimes see miracles, as God's power breaks through Satan's hold on this world and triumphs here now. But Satan still has power in this world, for now, causing all kinds of death and famine and war and corruption - and coronavirus! So we have hope as we look ahead to the time when Jesus returns, when he ushers in the new kingdom for all that Isaiah talks about here. As you go through the Bible study, ask God what hope he wants to put in your heart during this time.
READ
Read the Scripture aloud. I've provided two selections from the book of Isaiah.
RETELL
If you're doing this study with someone else, quickly tell them in a couple of sentences what the reading is about.
DISCOVER
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about humans in general?
What does this passage say to us sitting here today?
LIVE IT OUT
Since this is the Word of God, God uses it to change our lives. As you read this passage, what is Jesus saying to you through the Holy Spirit? What action will you take this week to obey Him?
How in the next week can you be obedient or responsive to what you received? Be specific.
PRAY
No comments:
Post a Comment