Latest Blog Posts from Wednesday in the Word, the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
In the Servant Songs, we saw that a Servant would come who would bear our iniquities and inaugurate a new age through his death and resurrection. Now Isaiah invites all to a banquet feast to celebrate and share in the reign of the Messianic King.
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians.
In 54:11-17 Isaiah speaks of a New City to demonstrate that what the Servant accomplished through his death and resurrection not only fulfilled the Old Covenant, but it far surpasses Israel’s grandest dreams.
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study both Paul’s epistle to Philemon.
Can believers expect prosperity in this life? What happened to the promises of prosperity in the Old Covenant? When the Servant finished his work of atonement, a new age will be born which promises a prosperity which far surpasses the prosperity of this age.
Church women’s retreats offer one of the best opportunities of the church for women to step away from their daily responsibilities, rest and connect with other women in the church and spend some concentrated time learning more about the Lord. While retreats require a lot of planning, they are worth it in the long run.
The apostle Paul writes to give his systematic presentation (including implications) of the good news of Jesus Christ, who as Messiah is the Savior for all people, who as the Transformer of lives writes His Law on our hearts, and who as the Lord of history is carefully bringing this salvation to all nations — culminating in the full restoration of Israel. Here’s a chapter by chapter summary.
Isaiah describes the work of the Servant and how his work will be received by the Lord, by the nations and by Israel.
Runaway announcements seems to be a particular problem of running a women’s ministry. How do you handle it? What kind of limits should you put in place? After 25 years, in women’s ministry, here’s the policy I’ve found best.
The apostle Paul writes to explain the good news of Jesus Christ, who as Messiah is the Savior for all people; who as the Transformer of lives writes His Law on our hearts; and who as the Lord of history is carefully bringing this salvation to all nations — culminating in the restoration of Israel.
Isaiah describes the work of the Servant and how his work will be received by the Lord, by the nations and by Israel.
The Servant will be equipped with divine speech as he goes through the school of suffering.
The exile raised the question, can we forfeit the promises of God? Can God’s people fail in such a way that God will abandon them? In the Servant Songs, God demonstrates that not only will He remain committed to His people, He will willingly choose to endure horrific suffering in order to free His people from their sinful hearts and make them righteous before Him.
The Servant will not only restore the people of Israel, He will also bring salvation to all the nations.
If God is truly sovereign, where is justice to be found? Where is justice to be found when terrorists plan attacks on tourists and innocent bystanders? Where is justice n the face of school shootings and other acts of senseless violence? Isaiah answers that question for the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the first Servant Song. The foundation of this new kingdom will be a suffering servant who will be everything Israel was intended to be and who will bring justice to the nations.
The exiles in Babylon faced three insurmountable obstacles: the nations, their rulers and their religions. These 3 obstacles dominated and permeated every aspect of their daily lives. How could they be overcome? In 40:12-31, Isaiah contrast these three formidable adversaries with the power of God as author and creator of history. He concludes this new kingdom God is announcing is so powerful nothing will threaten it and it will stand forever because it is build by the word of the Lord.
The nation of Judah was facing exile, the destruction of their land, their community, their temple, and their religion. The critical question before them was: Have we forfeited the promises God made to Abraham and David? Into that despair and doubt, Isaiah announces the end of the exile, the birth of a new kingdom and the arrival of its King.
Isaiah wrote these prophecies of the Servant about a time when all God’s people are scattered and the Davidic throne has disappeared into the sands of Babylon. Does the exile mark the end of the history of God’s people? Have they forfeited the divine promises made to Abraham?
Twice Paul raises the question: “Did God reject His people?” Twice he answers: “By no means!” In Romans 11:1-15, Paul gives five reasons why it is evident that God has not forgotten His people, the Jews.
In Romans 10, Paul is answering the question of why some people who have little knowledge are saved while some who have much knowledge are not saved. He gave part of his answer in Romans 9. All of us are born lost, and God in His mercy and grace chooses to call some people to him. Paul continues his answer into chapter 10. Taking religion seriously is not the answer.
On what is the basis does God choose the elect? Paul’s answer is that God — as God — has a sovereign right to choose who receives mercy.
Romans 9-11 must be read as a unit that builds to a wonderful climax. It contains some of the most difficult material in the Bible.
Isaiah gives us the fullest revelation of Christ in the Old Testament, most notably the Servant Songs. The exile raised the question: Can we fail such that God will abandon us? In the Servant Songs, God demonstrates that not only will He remain committed to His people, He will willingly choose to endure suffering in order to forgive and redeem them.
Paul argues that because of the activity of the Spirit, we can have confidence that everything that happens to us is in our own best interests.
Paul argues that the Holy Spirit produces within believers grief over sin and eager hope for their inheritance.
By my count, Isaiah is referenced (quoted or alluded to): 21 times in the Gospels; 25 times in Paul’s letters; 6 times in 1 Peter; 5 times in Acts; 4 times in Revelation; and once in Hebrews.
While Miriam was more focused on getting glory than on doing good, Barnabas was more focused on doing good than on getting glory and in the process he changed the world.
How do we deal with the fact that we serve and work in a local church where some people just seem to get a better deal than we do? Miriam had the same problem with her baby brother Moses. This talk looks at Miriam and how we go wrong when we focus on who gets the glory rather than doing good.
Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Sometimes we act as if finding God’s will is a version of the old 3-shell con game: where a marble is hidden under one shell and the con man moves them rapidly around the table and you have to guess which shell contains the marble. No matter which shell you pick you are always wrong. I would argue that the problem is not God hiding his will. The problem is the way we are looking for it.
Make the most of your Bible study break with these practical and enriching ideas. From organizing past notes to preparing for your next study or exploring something new, discover meaningful ways to stay engaged in Scripture.
A 3‑week Bible study on how to understand God’s will for you, your church, and your world, with practical insight from James, Exodus, Acts.
Why we should interpret the Psalms at all. Why not just pick up the book and pray them? Why spend an hour on interpretation?
Paul concludes his letter wrapping him up major themes of embracing the gospel individually and striving toward unity around that common belief and thanking them for their support and partnership in proclaiming the gospel.
What do you do when you try harder and still struggle with sin? That’s the question Paul answers in Philippians 3:12-31. Paul pauses to clarify what he means by perfection and the goal of the Christian life.
The key to understanding Hebrew poetry and Wisdom Literature is knowing that the “rhyme” of ideas is more important than the sounds. This “rhyming” of ideas is called parallelism.