Taking comfort in the shelter of ‘the vine’. – Israel: The symbols of temple, land, Torah. – Australia: peace, wealth, family? “I am the true vine” – The existence of the ‘true vine’ implies that anything else is false. Warnings and Encouragement – Remain in me and bear fruit, or – be ‘cut off’ from the vine, and wither. – Have faith…
Sermons on Isaiah (Page 3)
If I had seen Jesus heal the sick, feed the 5000, calm the storm, give sight to the blind, enable the lame to walk and raised the dead then and only then would I properly believe. 1) How could they not believe? John 3:2, “we know you are a teacher who has come from God for no one could perform the miraculous…
A mixed mob Dealing with the differences Romans 14:1, fully welcome each other with open arms. Warning # 1 Very different with false teaching The differences mentioned Difference # 1 … the food that they eat Difference # 2 Romans 14:5 … one day is more sacred than another What should they do to resolve them? v 6-8, get on with serving…
Cheese truth and Bus truth The Trinity God is triune – Father, Son and Holy Spirit unified in the Godhead. What does the statement mean? One God, three persons. The Creed of Athanasius we worship one God in trinity and Trinity in unity. Neither confounding the persons; nor dividing the substance. Coexist, Coeternal, Coequal. What does the Bible say about it? Firstly,…
Setting the scene The ‘Festival of Dedication’ (Hanukkah) “Are you the Messiah?” (John 20:30-31) Three proofs of who Jesus is and what we learn from them 1. The signs that he does reveal the Father and show us what kind of world he is making (Revelation 21:2-4) 2. Jesus’ sheep will know his voice and we see both security and separation 3.…
A bizarre symbol For Romans … a vulgar term For Jews – Deuteronomy 21:23, “anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse”. Mocked or ridiculed. “Alexamous worships his God”. Why it must remain central The cross is central to the plans of God The cross is central in OT prophecy The cross is central in Jesus’ story The cross…
Question: Isaiah 64:12 – Where is God? Answer: Isaiah 65:1 – “Here am I, Here am I” Note that Salvation and Judgement are not a one off events but a process, beginning at the cross and ending when Jesus comes back a second time. Three pictures Judgement Who for? Those who ignore God’s call (Is. 65:11,12) What is the result? Death, destruction,…
What is it that dominates your prayer life? Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 Isaiah’s prayer Isaiah 63:7 – 64:12 Talking to God about God (63:7-14) Crying out to God to intervene (63:15-64:3) Recognising before God the roots of the problem – 64:4-7 Turning back to…
Waiting How good are you at waiting? “I am the LORD, in its time I will do this swiftly” The Man of Authority (v1-6) Chapters 1-35 – a Messianic Warrior Chapters 40-55 – a suffering servant “the Spirit of the Lord upon him” What he is going to do? Proclaim restoration. When does it all happen? The spirit of the Lord is…
The Shoot (v21) – The Shoot displays my splendour and glory The Glory of the Lord has risen on you, and the nations will bring their wealth to you. v1-13 Isaiah prophesies that God is going to shine upon Israel. He is showing them compassion in this time of restoration. John 8:12 – “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,…