SESSION THREE
Isaiah 53
The suffering servant
Aim= Adore Jesus, and worship the sovereign one who planned all this.
*A biblical servant- A trusted member of the household. Holds great responsibility and confidences.
I.
The servant exalted
53:13-15
*He will act wise, be exalted, be sprinkled, be disfigured, silence kings.
II.
The servant despised
53:1-3
*Addressed to returned exiles and those who benefit (us).
*Not noticed by the world.
*Passage doesn’t mean Jesus was unattractive, but that he was a regular person.
*Despised, pitiable.
*The people go from failure to recognize him to full rejection.
III.
The servant wounded
53:4-6
*People believed he was cursed.
*Jesus wasn’t just punished; he was doing WORK on the cross.
*He provided healing form sin (this passage does not suggest a promise of physical healing but spiritual healing), spiritual cleansing. Physical healing was NOT purchased for us on the cross. He proved a cure for the disease of sin.
*God treated Jesus as if all sin in history had been committed by him. He was wounded for me.
IV.
The servant cut off
53:7-9
*Jesus was a willing and submission servant.
*Unfair trial, no physical descendants (sorry Da Vinci code, it’s pretty clear here).
*Honored with a rich mans tomb.
V.
God and servant satisfied
53:10-12
*This was God’s plan even before Adam and Eve sinned. IT IS NOT PLAN B!!
*It is the ultimate way to glorify himself.
*It was not Jesus’ perfect life that paid our debt, it was his death.
*Jesus, like a seed, had to die in order to produce fruit.
*God was satisfied and Jesus is exalted.
*He made intercession for me
Principle= He is God the savior.
**We should ponder this not just with emotion but with intellect as well.
SESSION FOUR
Chapters 57-58
Aim=True and acceptable worship flows from a high view of God
I.
God’s Position
57:14-21
*A walk from exile toward God.
*God tells us he is holy and lives in a high and lofty place. His name is holy.
*We should be contrite before him. This means crushed.
*Know in my heart that I am no better than other people.
*Strip away the garbage and know our place before God.
*God didn’t heal because the people had changed but because he chose to. He doesn’t hold grudges. God comforts, restores, and produces joy on our lips.
*The wicked face constant turmoil. Do I envy the wicked and their ways (thinking they have more fun)? When we see God’s view of them how does it change our attitude?
Principle=True worship requires putting God in his rightful place and not adjusting Him to my preferences.
*We need to use God’s word daily to show us how we are putting God and ourselves into wrong positions. Saturate ourselves in scripture.
II.
God’s Complaint
58:1-5
*Addressed to people who need an attitude adjustment. They have a faulty relationship with God. This is a heart issue.
*Problem: Selfish worship, rebellion/sin, thought fasting could twist God’s arm or be “super spiritual”, and unconfessed sin.
*True fasting means constant life of self denial in order to glorify God. They wanted a little outward abstinence but not inward change or self denial.
*We dull our appetite for God when we let too many other distractions in.
*A divided heart compartmentalizes our worship and our work/life.
*Worship should be 24 hours a day, not just Sunday.
*It isn’t enough to just ask God for forgiveness. It there was a relationship that was hurt it must be restored. It takes love, perseverance, and courage. Sin can be dealt with and restoration can happen.
Principle=True worship requires a heart open and obedient to God.
Is my heart divided? (we had a personal evaluation on this topic)
How has my worship been superficial?
What sin is keeping me from true worship?
III.
God’s Desire
58:6-14
*He wants: a compassionate, self denial life style. Blessing comes from self denial, blessing comes from giving, gain life by giving it away. This is the paradox.
*God makes himself available
*God meets outward and inward needs.
*God desires to give me joy.
**The Sabbath:
- The Sabbath frees us from extraneous things to focus wholly on the Lord.
- Trust God to care for you, your work, your home, etc. so you can keep the Sabbath.
- Sabbath practices include; self forgetfulness, self discipline, laying down idols, etc.
- Keeping the Sabbath is a heart issue not a set of rules or restrictions.
- V13 says not to do as I please on the Sabbath.
- Ask what God would want that would separate the day (This may look different for each person).
- Sabbath is a day to enjoy God.
- This will bring him glory.
Principle=True worship brings delight to God and the worshiper.
*True and acceptable worship flows from a high view of God.
Do I call the Sabbath a delight?
Is it a day to do as I please or as God pleases?
Do I speak idol words?
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