back to index20160713 Wednesday Bible Study
00:00:00.000 |
Through this passage that you would awaken a greater longing and desire for you 00:00:09.560 |
We pray that our hearts and our minds Lord God may be fixated on the things that honor and glorify you 00:00:15.600 |
We pray for your Holy Spirit's guidance on leading Jesus name. We pray. Amen 00:00:20.520 |
Okay, just to kind of give you a quick brief cap 00:00:23.560 |
I think most of you guys already know that this is gonna be a shortened session 00:00:30.040 |
Hopefully, you know just to give me a heads up 00:00:33.800 |
We're gonna be finishing everything by 825 and anyone who is not a member in the church 00:00:39.600 |
We're gonna have to ask you guys to not be in the room because we're having a members meeting at 830 830 00:00:49.640 |
You guys are in the middle as you guys are having small group discussion more than welcome to go and grab that stuff 00:00:57.200 |
Snack time unless it's gonna be way at the end 00:00:59.480 |
Okay, so I'm gonna cut my teaching time a little bit shorter or a lot shorter than normal so that we can get to that 00:01:09.080 |
Anybody who's not a member even if you're in the process of going through BCC right now 00:01:14.960 |
And if you have not been officially announced 00:01:16.960 |
We ask that you guys are not in the room by 830. So we don't have to say hey, please exit the premises 00:01:24.000 |
So if you see 830, please do us a favor and if you know that you cannot be here, please 00:01:29.540 |
There's certain things that we need to talk about we're gonna try to start us as as close to 830 as possible 00:01:36.640 |
So again at 830 without any announcement if we don't and again your small small group leaders 00:01:41.420 |
No matter how intense your small group gets please try to finish by a time shoot for 825 00:01:47.500 |
So that if you can't finish by 25 at 830 at the at the maximum that that's when it's gonna be done 00:01:53.060 |
So please control your small group so that that can happen on time. Okay? 00:01:56.940 |
All right. Let's look at the text. We're looking at Isaiah chapter 56 and 57 00:02:01.860 |
So again just to give you context chapter 56 is the continuation of 55 00:02:13.100 |
Where the Lord calls his people to repentance to come and draw and to to gain insight and life from him 00:02:23.840 |
So what does it look like to come to him and so he begins by calling his people? 00:02:37.760 |
I talked about that on Sunday the word for justice is to make something that was wrong to make it right 00:02:43.920 |
Righteousness is to do what is right. So the root word at least in the Greek is the same, right? 00:02:50.140 |
To make something right that was wrong to do something, right? 00:02:55.660 |
So basically what God's calling them to do is now that redemption has come to draw near to him and make what was wrong, right? 00:03:03.560 |
And what is the scope of his invitation even though he begins with a nation of Israel his intent always has been the world 00:03:17.260 |
Genesis begins with the world and then Genesis chapter 12 00:03:20.380 |
It begins to focus on how he's going to reach the world to the nation of Israel 00:03:24.140 |
But now that he's prophesying about the redemption of redemption. He's again opening up the scope to mankind, right? 00:03:31.560 |
So he begins by saying it's going to foreigners and verses 3 to 8 00:03:35.980 |
Not just the Israelites, but the foreigners are going to be called to this 00:03:40.040 |
Gentiles and anyone who is considered an outcast 00:03:45.100 |
And again the theme of the redemption is for those who are who are in need of redemption those who are in need of grace 00:03:51.440 |
Who normally did not have access to God God's gonna open the door wide 00:03:55.360 |
It specifically mentions that they're in the kingdom. There's going to be eunuchs 00:04:06.400 |
Jews knew that it was prohibited for eunuchs to have access to the temple 00:04:13.000 |
So it was prohibited that that passes not here, but Leviticus chapter 21 00:04:16.560 |
18 through 20 specifically spells out that the eunuchs were not allowed because they were considered unclean 00:04:23.660 |
Deuteronomy 23 1 says the same thing Acts chapter 8 anybody know what is contained in Acts chapters 8 26 00:04:43.540 |
Ethiopian eunuch gets converted. So remember what happens is the gospel is in Jerusalem member the 00:04:49.920 |
Member the angel says I you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you will be my witnesses 00:04:54.980 |
Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the remotest part of the world. So up to chapter 6 and 7 it's in Jerusalem 00:05:01.380 |
Right, and then after that the gospel begins to spread out to Samaria 00:05:05.940 |
And then we get to chapter 13 of the book of Acts and it begins to spread out to the remotest part of the world 00:05:10.660 |
Chapter 8 is the beginning of where the gospel where the persecution happens 00:05:14.980 |
Phillips the evangelist as he is going he runs into an Ethiopian eunuch and he converts him 00:05:21.500 |
Remember the passage that the eunuch was reading 00:05:23.500 |
Yeah, we just finished Isaiah 53 he reads that he converts 00:05:27.960 |
If you don't understand the context of why all of a sudden the one Ethiopian eunuch converting what's the significance of this is because? 00:05:36.220 |
The Ethiopian eunuch converting and coming into the kingdom represented the the fulfillment of this prophecy 00:05:42.480 |
Where God is going to restore and when God restores and redeems that the door of to his kingdom is going to be wide open 00:05:50.100 |
So the significance of that what happens in chapter 8 is 00:05:55.060 |
Where the gospel now begins it goes beyond the borders of the Jewish community and now it's beginning to open 00:06:00.660 |
To this even this Ethiopian eunuch. He he was a God-fearer who came to Jerusalem to worship God 00:06:06.140 |
But he would have never been able to enter the temple one because he was a Gentile and second because he was a eunuch 00:06:11.540 |
But now because of the because now the door has been opened he's able to go and worship. That's the significance of that, right? 00:06:21.140 |
And he promises that those who are on the outside they will begin to partake of all the promises that God made to the nation 00:06:30.300 |
Even though his language was to the nation of Israel the fulfillment of all these prophecies are going to be opened up to everyone who? 00:06:39.620 |
And that this covenant that God makes with them is also an everlasting covenant that this is not a temporary 00:06:50.340 |
Door opening but this was going to be permanent 00:06:55.860 |
It begins with God's promise to the world and then it narrows to the nation of Israel 00:07:00.540 |
Because that's the salvation plan and then and then now he says at the end through them the Messiah is gonna come he's gonna open 00:07:21.100 |
again, he's going back and forth and now he's going back to the 00:07:25.980 |
Warning against the watch before the watchman. They're the leaders of Israel 00:07:30.100 |
So again just just the imagery itself of calling the leaders watchmen 00:07:45.220 |
To protect what does a watchman do when you put a watchman on the tower to protect? How does he protect? 00:07:53.780 |
Warn people right when there's danger what else 00:07:59.500 |
Stay sober and alert right in order to do their job 00:08:06.080 |
Well, they they themselves have to be sober and alert 00:08:08.780 |
So if you look at the indictment against the leaders of Israel that God establishes leaders for the purpose of watching 00:08:19.560 |
So the indictment against them the rebuke against them so they said they were beasts ready to devour 00:08:25.540 |
The watchmen are placed there to protect from these wild beasts from their enemies 00:08:32.700 |
But they say these these leaders themselves became the devourers 00:08:36.240 |
And the reason behind that was because they themselves were blind if they were watchmen 00:08:44.780 |
How can they be a watchman if they themselves are blind, right? 00:08:49.200 |
So they couldn't do their job because they didn't know themselves 00:08:51.860 |
Well, what do you think the meaning behind is they're like silent dogs that can't bark what do you think the meaning behind that is 00:09:04.300 |
They can't sound that alarm right the dog can't bark when there's danger they're just limp they're just there 00:09:18.020 |
They said they're lazy they have lots of vision but no discipline to carry it out 00:09:21.520 |
They speak a lot about what they're gonna accomplish what they want to do. But in the end there is no fulfillment of any of these things 00:09:34.900 |
Meaning the focus is upon themselves. It's not to warn the people it's it's for their own 00:09:40.960 |
Egos, it's for their own fulfillment and it is never satisfied 00:09:46.780 |
And ultimately it's because they turn to their own ways that seeking their own gain 00:09:50.660 |
They ultimately gather people for themselves promise hope that will ultimately lead to destruction 00:10:04.380 |
And if you look at the very end of that he says come they say let me get wine 00:10:10.820 |
Let us let us fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow will be like this day great beyond measure 00:10:18.460 |
Mean it was a it was very promising what they were saying 00:10:21.140 |
He was encouraging people tomorrow. Everything's gonna be fine. You have plenty of drink, right? There's no danger 00:10:28.140 |
So the message of these false leaders for that there is no danger 00:10:35.660 |
What was the problem with that? Why would that cause judgment? 00:10:43.980 |
Why would promise of hope and prosperity and peace why would that bring judgment upon the leaders 00:11:02.700 |
They were put up there to shout danger that God was warning them that the judgment is coming 00:11:07.820 |
But these false leaders were saying no judgment is not coming. Look look how nice we have it. Why would you worry about tomorrow? 00:11:14.620 |
Tomorrow's gonna be no different than today, right? 00:11:16.980 |
So that was basically the message of the Prophet the false prophets were not 00:11:20.660 |
That God's gonna come and smite you the message of the false prophets 00:11:24.220 |
Basically was peace peace when there is no peace 00:11:27.620 |
It's because they're self-seeking why would a false prophet never sound the alarm 00:11:43.860 |
Because there's they're looking for themselves if you're a man pleasing and all you care about what other people think 00:11:48.380 |
And you're not gonna give a give a message that people aren't gonna be excited about right? That's why they hated Jeremiah Jeremiah 00:11:55.020 |
They said man that guy every time he opens his mouth. He's talking about judgment 00:12:00.980 |
But the reason why they didn't do that is because they ultimately were seeking their own gain their apathy was for their own appetite, right 00:12:16.100 |
And in the in the context when Israel was sinning against God they couldn't discern what was right or wrong 00:12:24.980 |
When they're that far away from God they couldn't discern what is right and what is wrong 00:12:30.820 |
So they were the ones who were persecuting the righteous 00:12:36.340 |
I mean think about the darkest period of church history 00:12:40.020 |
Darkest period of church history one of the things that is that church was known for 00:12:48.340 |
Okay, one of the things that the church was known for 00:12:55.540 |
Genuine people who wanted to bring the Bible they wanted to bring revival 00:12:59.180 |
They were the ones that were extinguished in church history during the darkest period and so in Israel's darkest period 00:13:04.980 |
It's the righteous who got killed. And so the promise that God makes to the righteous is that God is going to ultimately 00:13:11.300 |
Be faithful to them that they are going to truly find peace 00:13:19.500 |
Sin that God indicts the Israel they burn with lust they sacrifice their own children and this is a very specific 00:13:27.260 |
indictment against Israel one of the idols that Israel kept on falling into was the idol of Molech and 00:13:33.820 |
the way that they worshiped Molech was more Molech was like a 00:13:39.140 |
Idol piece with an outstretched arm and they would burn it and then come really hot and they would take their infant babies and place 00:13:46.540 |
in the end then the baby would die in the arm and would burn to death and that way they would appease the 00:13:52.180 |
Idol of Molech. All right, and so he's saying at the at the peak of Israel sin. They were actually 00:14:02.780 |
And they were giving offerings to idols rather than offering to God so if you look at verse 6 00:14:09.100 |
That among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion 00:14:18.460 |
There your lot to them you have poured out drink offering. So who was drink offering meant for? 00:14:27.700 |
Required that for the nation of Israel you have brought a grain offering shall I relent for these things? 00:14:42.620 |
They were obeying God but yet they were offering it up to Molech or to the other idols 00:14:55.140 |
What would be an equivalent of that in the church 00:15:08.020 |
What would be an equivalent of doing what is right? 00:15:21.820 |
Just say it I know you're thinking it I could hear it 00:15:30.700 |
We throw words around like do unto others as you would do unto them 00:15:41.260 |
Unto you would have them do unto us and then you apply it to that's why we need to accept homosexuality as normal 00:15:48.260 |
Right, you take all kinds of sins and then you apply the Word of God into it the wrong way and you're saying well 00:15:54.220 |
That's what a Christian aren't Christians supposed to be gracious and loving and then they're applying it in the wrong direction 00:16:01.980 |
They were offering sacrifices that God required of them 00:16:04.660 |
But they were offering to idols and he said do you think I will relent of my anger because you made these sacrifices to to Moloch 00:16:12.180 |
Right. Do you think God is God's anger as a piece because you are gentle and nice for the wrong purpose? 00:16:18.340 |
So that would be again, I think the New Testament version of something like that 00:16:23.240 |
And ultimately they made a covenant with them so in other words when he says made a covenant with them this was not just a casual 00:16:33.860 |
Drifting away to idols. This was a deliberate commitment to do wrong 00:16:43.060 |
You can't make a covenant with God and covenant with idols 00:16:47.660 |
Covenant it with these false idols was that he they deliberately broke away from God and 00:16:52.740 |
Decided that we have more benefit from worshiping these idols in God 00:16:56.420 |
So they break the first two commandments, I mean they break all of the commandments when they do this 00:17:03.860 |
But you know to not to worship any other on the other God not to make any other graven images 00:17:09.300 |
Right, and that was a constant sin of Israel. They worship idols 00:17:13.540 |
They worship God or Yahweh in a form of idols. It would create this golden calf and say this is Yahweh 00:17:20.780 |
Right, or they will worship God and take it up to high places where God forbid them to go 00:17:26.240 |
So they would worship the name of Yahweh, but they would do it in their own way 00:17:30.300 |
So again, they were covenant covenanting at mimicking 00:17:49.900 |
They forgot about God which is a constant cycle 00:17:52.980 |
the reason why they fall out to fall into idolatry is because 00:18:01.100 |
If you just look back and that's why God always says to a church that's backsliding to remember to go back 00:18:08.780 |
Go back and remember who he is if you remember what he has done his forgiveness his mercy 00:18:23.620 |
And God says those who trust in idols will find that it offers nothing at the end of the day 00:18:59.360 |
But despite all of that despite the indictment despite the detail explanation of what was wrong with the leadership 00:19:05.560 |
He ends with the promise here in this text. Look with me starting from verse 14 00:19:10.960 |
And it shall be said build up build up prepare the way remove every obstruction from my people's way 00:19:24.800 |
listing of indictments against Israel how they forgot him how they made a false covenant with wrong gods and 00:19:30.400 |
Leaders were actually the there were the ones devourers and yet he says 00:19:35.020 |
For thus says the one who is high and lifted up who inhabits eternity whose name is holy 00:19:40.300 |
I dwell in the high and holy place and also with him who is 00:19:43.800 |
Who is of the contrite and lowly spirit to revive the spirit of the lonely and to revive the heart of the contrite? 00:19:50.480 |
he said God though he is high and mighty and and 00:19:54.360 |
Exalted that he's coming for the lowly, right? 00:19:57.700 |
I mean that at the core of the gospel message is that 00:20:05.360 |
God of the universe stepped off of his throne to get 00:20:21.960 |
And not only does he do that he says to his disciples that this is a model I give to you 00:20:30.400 |
Serves as disciples as a last lesson to give all throughout every time there's any kind of competition or pride 00:20:37.080 |
he squashes it by saying that he who serves is the greatest of the kingdom of God because 00:20:42.520 |
That's at the core of what the gospel is the high and mighty came so that he can come for the lowly 00:20:50.700 |
Sixteen and seven he goes back that I will not contend forever 00:20:57.340 |
Nor will I always be angry for the spirit would grow 00:21:01.140 |
Faint before me and the breath of life that I made because of the iniquity of his unjust gain. I was angry 00:21:08.460 |
I struck him I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own own heart again 00:21:15.660 |
Version of Israel's history that God was faithful. He kept chasing after them. They kept on turning away 00:21:21.500 |
but despite all of that I have seen his ways, but I I 00:21:26.900 |
Will heal him I will lead him and restore and comfort him and his mourners 00:21:32.980 |
So in other words even after the indictment the end conclusion is that this is God's heart 00:21:45.340 |
Simply to discipline them his ultimate goal in his discipline is to bring restoration, right? 00:21:52.040 |
He chooses to heal them despite all of that God says I have determined to heal you 00:21:59.140 |
Okay, I said I was gonna keep this short and I'm gonna keep my promise 00:22:08.500 |
So I'm gonna ask you guys to take some time with your small group, take some time to pray.