FBCMW, 19 April 09 Sunday School Lesson SS - Isaiah 40-48.doc

LESSONS THIS QUARTER

1)  Mar 01 Is 1-5 Meet Devine Expectations

2)  Mar 08 Is 6 Honor the Lord

3)  Mar 15 Is 7-23 Act on Revealed Truth

4)  Mar 22 Is 24-35 Follow the Lord’s Will

5)  Mar 29 Is 36-39 Stay Spiritually Alert

6)  Apr 05 Is 49-53 The Sacrifice is Sufficient

7)  Apr 12 Mat 27 The Lord is Alive (EASTER)

8)  Apr 19 Is 40-48 The Lord is at Work

9)  Apr 26 Is 54 The Lord is Compassionate

10)  May 03 Is 55-66 The Invitation is Inclusive

11)  May 10 Mic 1-2 Rebellion – a Path to Ruin

12)  May 17 Mic 3 Corruption – a Path to Nowhere

13)  May 24 Mic 4-6 Hope- a Path to Fulfillment

14)  May 31 Mic 7 Commitment – a Path to Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION

·  Why does God wait sooo long before He answers our prayers?

·  Why does God hide himself?

Passage / Comments
Chap 40 / ·  v2 - She (Israel) received double punishment for her sins. That doesn’t sound fair, does it? Why?
God is trying “doubly” hard to wake Israel from her stupor
·  v3 – Prophesy of John the Baptist
·  v5 – “all flesh shall see it [salvation]”
·  v8 – God’s word stands forever
·  v12-17 – Who is smart enough to instruct God?
- What can God be compared to?
- All nations before him are as NOTHING
·  v22 – God sits upon the circle of the earth
- this passage defeats the flat earth society of yesteryear
·  v28 – God, creator of the earth, does not grow tired
·  v29, 30 – instead, God gives his strength and stamina to those who need it, when they need it
Chap 41 / ·  v10 – FEAR NOT – FOR I AM WITH YOU
- It doesn’t say He will remove our troubles, or gives us tons of money, or fix things for us
- God promises to strengthen, help, uphold us with His righteousness
- How does this work? Consider Phil 1:6
·  vv17-20 – Why does God wait sooo long to answer some prayers, even for water – when tongues are stuck to the roof of the mouths due to severe dehydration
- It may be so that all probability of coincidence is removed
Chap 42 / ·  vv1-4 – Prophesy about Jesus
·  v16 – The blind will be blessed
- The handicapped of the world need not fret about being short-changed in this life. Better days are coming Is 56:4,5
Chap 43 / ·  vv1-3 – Blessings of Protection for God’s chosen ones
- Should be taken spiritually because we know of many who died in abject poverty (Lazarus widow with 2 mites), and others who died martyr’s deaths (Apostles)
·  v7 – we have all been specifically created for God’s glory
·  v25 – In the end, God will not recall our sins
Chap 44 / ·  vv18-19 – God blinds those who want to be blind toward God
Chap 45 / ·  v7 – darkness has to be created? And evil
- basically, God sends the good times and bad; prosperity & recession
·  v9 – Woe to him who strives with his Maker!
- We sometimes need to see the big picture
·  v15 – and God is a God who hides himself.
- Why, and from whom?
- Probably to keep from forcing himself on those who want a loophole so they can disbelieve
·  v17 – Israel will be saved
·  v18 – God formed the world to be inhabited
Carl Sagan, a famous and outspoken evolutionist, estimated that the chance of life evolving on any given single planet, like the Earth, is one chance in 1 x 102,000,000,000. If anything was ever impossible, spontaneous generation would have to be it
·  v23 – Eventually every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear or give praise to God
Chap 46 / ·  vv10-11 – God may hide himself, but He gives sufficient prophesies to remove all doubt - Cyrus
Chap 47 / ·  v13 – If one doesn’t believe in God, he will believe in something else. E.g., astrology, witchcraft, horoscopes, false religions
Chap 48 / ·  vv3-5 – Reasons for prophesies? To either break the obstinate neck or to seal it

APPLICATION FOR TODAY

·  God is the end all, be all

SUPPORTING PASSAGES

Phil 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 56:4,5 For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs (e.g., the handicapped) who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.

NEXT WEEK

·  Isaiah 54 – there comes a day when the chosen of God will no longer be forgotten or left alone

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