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Isaiah 40-59 Comfort My People
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 7, 2013 (message contributor)
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1. Gods Truth Stays The Same, Our Understanding Changes
Contributed on Apr 8, 2013
God does not change, and his truth is always true; our perception of the truth either improves or declines. The New Testament doctrines we embrace are not new: God, who is the God of both testaments, inspired Paul and others to develop them for us.
God’s Truth Stays the Same, Our Understanding Changes (Isaiah 45:22-25) 1. The English language began as Anglo Saxon, a Germanic language similar to Friesen. When the Vikings conquered England, they brought in their words and grammar. Then the French Normans conquered England and mixed in ...read more
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2. The Messiah And His Descendants
Contributed on Apr 21, 2014
We are the prize that Jesus bought through his death and resurrection.
The Messiah’s Descendants (Isaiah 53:7-12) 1. A billboard posted by an atheist group in Wisconsin this season advertised, “Nobody died for your sins.” 2. Dr. George Sweeting tells of an incident in the early 1920s when Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to ...read more
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3. Comfort My People
Contributed on Jan 7, 2013
We are not only saved by faith, we are comforted by faith, motivated by faith, and anticipate God’s glorious presence by faith.
Comfort My People (Isaiah 40:1-5) 1. My view: one Isaiah, this written before 680 BC. 2. Many of our most important NT teachings find their origin in these chapters. 3. Isaiah’s times [Rise of Assyria] 4. The first part of Isaiah has a variety of themes, but heavy on judgment. 5. ...read more
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4. Kingdom Attitudes
Contributed on May 5, 2014
The church and New Testament doctrine are founded not only upon God’s past dealings with Israel, but also his future dealings. If you miss this, you miss much. We are a preview of God’s Kingdom on earth, and we must embrace Kingdom attitudes.
Kingdom Attitudes (Isaiah 56:1-12) 1. I collect humor, and Jewish jokes are among my favorites. 2. It was a sweltering August day in 1937 when the Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker. "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the ...read more
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5. Mechanical Religion Or Heartfelt Obedience?
Contributed on May 27, 2014
The type of worship or religious practice that pleases God comes from a sincere heart and is directly connected to the way we live every day.
Mechanical Religion or Heartfelt Obedience? Isaiah 58:1-8 with Matthew 6:1-4, 16-23 1. Some of the most successful leaders, politicians, or business persons are some of the worst family members. Workaholics, driven, or impossible people, but they get the work done, and many of them are quite ...read more
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6. Sovereignty Gone Viral
Contributed on Mar 18, 2013
All things work together for ultimate good because God is Sovereign over all.
Sovereignty Gone Viral (Isaiah 45:1-13) 1. My friend reviewed her young son's fill-in-the-blank homework. One line: "At Christmas, we exchange gifts with ____." His response: "Receipts." [Reader’s Digest] 2. The word “exchange” can imply the mutuality of gift exchanging, ...read more
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7. The Isaiah 53 Flashback
Contributed on Apr 15, 2014
When people grasp the atoning work of Jesus and turn to him, his death on the cross begins to make sense.
The Isaiah 53 Flashback (Isaiah 52:13-53:6) 1. Looking Back The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Johnny interrupted with this triumphant announcement: "My Mommy looked back once while she was driving, and she turned ...read more
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8. Romans In Isaiah 48
Contributed on Apr 22, 2013
Much of what Paul writes in Romans comes from Isaiah: God’s truth is eternal, so it is no surprise that we see the major tenants of the Christian faith are found in the Old Testament.
Romans in Isaiah 48 (Isaiah 48:1-19) 1. This has been an eventful week. We were shocked by the Boston Marathon bombing; floods reminded us of 2003, and many of you had flooded basements and streets. 2 The church had a number of water issues. 4. Our motto this week was “Let’s ...read more
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9. Romans In Isaiah 48
Contributed on Apr 22, 2013
Much of what Paul writes in Romans comes from Isaiah: God’s truth is eternal, so it is no surprise that we see the major tenants of the Christian faith are found in the Old Testament.
Romans in Isaiah 48 (Isaiah 48:1-19) 1. This has been an eventful week. We were shocked by the Boston Marathon bombing; floods reminded us of 2003, and many of you had flooded basements and streets. 2 The church had a number of water issues. 4. Our motto this week was “Let’s ...read more
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10. Messiah In Isaiah 49
Contributed on Mar 31, 2014
We need to understand Jesus and his mission as much as we can. Isaiah 49 presents, in prophetic verse, three truths about our Savior.
Messiah In Isaiah 49 (Isaiah 49:1-16) 1. Exciting day with Boris Goldin, Chosen People Ministries. 2. Some people enjoy Jewish Roots because they like the culture, heritage, or aura of ancient Judaism or Messianic Judaism. 3. I am interested primarily because I love the Word of God, ...read more
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11. Listen Up!
Contributed on Apr 28, 2014
God wants to keep us in the loop; he wants us to get it right and be informed.
Listen Up! Isaiah 55 1. At the women’s Bible study this week, the ladies came up with a theory to account for the clues they found. First, they saw that my vehicle and Marylu’s vehicle were parked in the lot. Second, they saw on the marker board in the hall, “Camp ...read more
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12. Redemption And The Obedience Factor
Contributed on Apr 7, 2014
Jesus obeyed the Father, and Jesus calls us to obey the Father, too!
Redemption and the Obedience Factor (Isaiah 50:4-11) 1. [A] mother who wanted to have the last word but couldn't handle the hassle that resulted whenever she said no to her young son. After an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands and shouted, "All right, Billy, do whatever you ...read more
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13. The Beatitudes In Isaiah 57
Contributed on May 20, 2014
God wants us to be godly even within an ungodly culture, as defined by Isaiah and generalized into principles by Jesus.
The Beatitudes in Isaiah 57 (Isaiah 57:1-2, 13-21) 1. An interesting story broke from UPI this week: “PORT ST. LUCIE , Fla., May 16 (UPI) --Florida police officers who were attempting to catch a suspected car thief got a little help when an alligator decided to cross the road. Port St. ...read more
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14. How Did Romans Get Into Isaiah?
Contributed on Jun 2, 2014
God makes the case that we are sinners, lost, and helpless; we need a redeemer who will first intervene and then empower us by his Spirit.
How Did Romans Get Into Isaiah? (Isaiah 59:1-21) 1. I have told some old jokes before, but never this old. 2. Archaeologists discovered a 3rd century Roman joke book (in Greek) 2009. 3. Seriously, here is one of the jokes. “…about a barber, a professor and a bald man who go ...read more
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15. No Contest: God Is Greater
Contributed on Jan 21, 2013
God’s assurance that he cares is not enough. We must also have a God who can do what he pledges to do.
No Contest: God is Greater (Isaiah 40:12-26) 1. You never know what is going to happen in life. For example, on Friday: Kokomo — A 12-year-old boy suffered serious injuries early Friday when he was hit by a vehicle at Berkley Road and Columbus Boulevard. The boy, whose name was not ...read more
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16. Yahweh And The Eagles
Contributed on Jan 28, 2013
If you learn to wait upon the Lord, you will find him a source of strength that can transform you into an eagle.
Yahweh and the Eagles (Isaiah 40:27-31) 1.Do you know any Eagle Scouts? 2. I have been privileged to participate in a number of Eagle Scout ceremonies; it is something to be proud of. I respect young men who achieve such an honor. 3. The idea of describing an honored scout as an ...read more
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17. God, Our Omnipotent Ally
Contributed on Feb 4, 2013
Those of us who know and serve the true God have an omnipotent ally who upholds us in even the most challenging times.
God, Our Omnipotent Ally (Isaiah 41:1-20) 1. Do you know what a pocket call is? I don’t like ‘em, esp. when I make them. 2. One day I heard a familiar voice in my pocket –my sister was garnering attention. 3. Interesting news about a pocket call this week: ORANGE CITY, ...read more
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18. The Discreet Messiah
Contributed on Feb 11, 2013
Jesus served, he served gently, and he served people unlike himself. He calls us to do the same.
The Discreet Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-9) 1. At Vacation Bible School, the teacher stacked a bunch of apples on one end of a table with a sign saying, "Take only one apple please - God is watching." On the other end of the table was a pile of cookies which an overly-generous mom brought over. Her ...read more
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19. The Blind Who See And The Seeing Who Are Blind
Contributed on Feb 19, 2013
Spiritual arrogance and presumption can blind us to our ignorance and stubbornness of heart; only those who realize their desperate need of the Savior come to the Savior in saving faith.
The Blind Who See and the Seeing Who Are Blind (Isaiah 42:10-25) 1. We discover things everyday. Take this recent article from Medscape: “Middle-aged adults who are more optimistic about their future tend to have higher antioxidant levels than their less optimistic peers, according to ...read more
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20. Taking Pride In God
Contributed on Mar 4, 2013
We should gladly own Yahweh as our God, and we should take great pride in him!
Taking Pride in God Isaiah 44:1-28 1. Sometimes it DOES take a Rocket Scientist Scientists at NASA have developed a gun built specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to ...read more