Every Sunday morning I teach a Sunday School Class at 9:15 AM. I would like to say that attendance is huge, but it isn't. The fact is that people today seem to struggle to carve out an hour to and hour and a half each Sunday morning togo to church. The thought of taking an extra hour (even if it is to learn about and study God's word) seems to be too much for most. There was a time when peoples' entire Sunday would revolve around church and it was pretty much an all day affair. What a concept - observing the Sabbath!
Anyway, I know how hard it can be with all the pressures of the week. We struggle with how to get done all of the things we want to get done. I know that a lot of you have great intentions when it comes to prayer and Bible study. Even as your Pastor, there are times when I have trouble following through with my devotional practices.
Today I want to start offering you some tools to help make this process a little bit easier. Bit by bit, I plan to start adding content to the web site that you can access at your convenience. For example, the Sunday School class is studying Isaiah right now. The prophecies of Isaiah foretold the coming of Christ and he is the prophet most quoted by Jesus in the Gospels. I am going to start putting the materials for this class on the web site. That way, if you can't make it to class one Sunday or if you can't ever make it to class on Sunday, you can still do the study on your own. It wont' be nearly as rewarding as doing it in a group. However, it is a good alternative nonetheless. Remember that God's word is a gift!
This coming Sunday (6-17) we are looking at Isaiah: Chapters 9-11.
Read these three chapters (It would really be good for you to go back and read from the beginning.) and try to answer the questions that follow. You will get much more out of it by re-reading each passage multiple times. It is helpful to take notes on what you see as you go. It is also a good idea to use a study Bible and look at the notes offered there.
This week's questions:
1. What does it mean that he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles?
2. What is the prophecy saying about the nation of Israel in 9:3?
3. What should believers do in hearing or reading 9:1-7?
4. Why is there such a dramatic contrast between the frist part of chapter 9 and the second?
5. What does the warning of 10:1-4 reveal? Why will there be judgement against Assyria?
6. What is the recurring theme in the Bible about "the remnant?"
7. What does the "stump of Jesse" mean?
8. Should verses 11:6-9 be taken literally?
9. Would Isaiah make more sense without the negative prophecies interspersed with the words of hope?
10. Since Isaiah's prophecies in chapter 9 and 11 did not see fulfillment for hundreds of years, why would he have any enduring credibility?
Next week read Isaiah 12-14.
If you would like to get the study guides for the earlier weeks on Isaiah, please contact the office. I would be happy to provide them for you.
Have a blessed day!
Pastor Dmitri
