*6/2/2023* Young Adult (COLLEGE-POSTGRAD) Life Group guide

EAT.                SHARE.           PRAY.
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Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “Fifteen More Years to Thank You” – from ISAIAH 38:1-22? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city. 7 “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

1. [v.1-8] What did King Hezekiah do after hearing from the Lord that he would not recover, but rather die, from his sickness? Because God remembered His promise to David (to give his offspring a house, kingdom, and throne established forever – 2 Samuel 7), how does God show His grace to King Hezekiah?
2. *The biblical principle – When we measure life in years left over years lived, we too will turn our face to the wall and pray to the LORD. How many years do you have left (according to Psalm 90:10)? How does this change the focus of life and focus of prayer?

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9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: 10 I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years. 11 I said, I shall not see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end; 13 I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end. 14 Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. 15 What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.

1. [v.9-15] Initially, King Hezekiah thought it was unfair for God to end his life at a young age – “in the middle of his days.” Because he was so focused on extending his temporal life, what filled King Hezekiah’s soul against God?

 

1. *The biblical principle – When we are so focused on prolonging this temporal life, we will not see the LORD over death and life. In what ways is the focus of your life on the temporal matters? How do they cloud us from seeing the LORD who exists in eternity?  

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16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! 17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back. 18 For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness. 19 The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. 20 The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord. 21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” 22 Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?”

1. [v.16-22] King Hezekiah’s bitter prayer begins to change into thankful praise. What was more concerning to God than the health of his physical body was the sins of his bitter heart. What does King Hezekiah declare about his sins?
2. *The biblical principle – The problem with death is not in failing health but wretched sins, keeping us from being thankful in God who casts all our sins behind His back. What can you *not* be thankful to God for today? What keeps you from being thankful for it? How can giving thanks to the Lord be the power to heal and save you today?

 
The central truth of this word was – As given to King Hezekiah, we too have fifteen more years that we shouldn’t have had. Will you live like the owner or the borrower of this grace? When we measure life in how many years we have left over how many we have lived, we too will turn our face to the wall and pray to the LORD. Prolonging this temporal life will not be the focus of life. We will see the LORD over death and life. Failing health will not be the ultimate cause of death, but our wretched sins, keeping us from being thankful in God, who carries us through death into eternal life with Christ. While still on earth, give thanks and live, as we will eternally in heaven! – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?
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Life-Praying
Pray for one another.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

​*5/26/2023* Bible Reflection guide  

 
Pause & Reflect
 

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “Because You Have Prayed” – from ISAIAH 37:21-38? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

 

 
21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him:
“‘She despises you, she scorns you--
    the virgin daughter of Zion;
she wags her head behind you--
    the daughter of Jerusalem.
 

1. [v.21-22] God saw the continued despising and scorning of His people. Even in this situation, how did He address His people?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, we are made aware that whatever the circumstances are, God already knows and calls us His precious sons and daughters. How do you need to hear today God’s answer to your prayers, “I know already… you are my precious son and daughter”?

 

 
23 “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! 24 By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest. 25 I dug wells and drank waters, to dry up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.
 

1. [v.23-25] How did Assyria mock and revile the LORD?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, the raised voice is silenced and lifted eyes to the heights are brought low. How do you need to hear God’s answer to your prayers, “Quiet your voice... close your eyes before me”?

 

 
26 “‘Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins, 27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown. 28 “‘I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. 29 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.’
 

1. [v.26-29] The wicked Assyrians thought that their success came from their own power and achievements. Was that true? Who determined long ago to even allow evil to go its course to show the extent of undeserved grace?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, we hear of everything that comes to pass is by God’s determined plan from days of old, and that He will get His day of vengeance for all those who rage against Him and His people. How do you need to hear God’s answer to your prayers, “I am still in control… nothing can escape my determined plan and my perfect judgment… I will make all things right”?

 

 
 
 
30 “And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
 

1. [v.30-32] Although the Assyrians had destroyed the surrounding farmland, what was the LORD’s sign that He would be faithful to deliver His people?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, there will be a sign of providence from the LORD to take root downward and bear fruit upward. How do you need to hear God’s answer to your prayers, “There is a sign that I am providing and leading you… keep your roots in me and bear much good fruit for me”?

 

 
33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
 

1. [v.33-35] How would the LORD deliver His people from Assyria? Would they have to do anything?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, we know the LORD defends and saves us for His own sake. How do you need to hear God’s answer to your prayers, “I am your Defender… to uphold my own glory and for the sake of my own reputation, I will protect you and deliver you”?

 

 
36 And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 37 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. 38 And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. 35 For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
 

1. [v.36-38] How did the LORD strike down the Assyrians? What tragic end did the king of Assyria have to his reign and life?
2. *The biblical principle – Because we have prayed, against all odds it will be shown that the LORD fights on our behalf to fulfill His covenant promises and put an end to those who work against them.  How do you need to hear God’s answer to your prayers, “I am fighting for you… I am working for you… it will all depend on me, so trust me and rest in me”?

 

 
The central truth of this word was – Prayer is the process of coming to confess as Jesus had, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” King Hezekiah’s fruits of a godly prayer are evidenced when He turned away from seeking help in other gods/nations and put His trust wholly upon the LORD’s sovereign character to deliver. Because King Hezekiah prayed, he saw with greater clarity what God was already doing and the sign that He was at work. Prayer must make us aware with greater clarity that God already knows what we are going through, calls us His precious sons and daughters in the midst of it. It must silence our raised voice, bring low our lifted eyes, illumine God’s determined plan, show a sign of providence, upholding His glory for His own sake, against all odds prove that He fights on our behalf. So pray, unleash the power and fruits of godly prayer!
 – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?
 

 
Holy Spirit Moment
Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray.
 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
 
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)            

Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “You Alone are the LORD” – from ISAIAH 37:1-20? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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1 As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. 2 And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
 

1. [v.1-4] In King Hezekiah’s deep distress and fear, where did He go?
2. *The biblical principle – Do not be covered by distress but go into the house of the LORD. Are you in the house – the presence – of the LORD? What remains uncovered in the house of the LORD today?

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5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”
8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’
 

1. [v.5-13] How did Isaiah reply to a fear-struck King Hezekiah?
2. *The biblical principle – Do not be afraid of escalating evil but put your hope in the God who sees and promises to deliver. What do you fear? How is the fear of man growing around us? How ought we respond?

 
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 18 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 20 So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”
 

1. [v.14-20] What did King Hezekiah do after receiving the letter with escalating threats?
2. *The biblical principle – Pray to the LORD, who inclines our ears and eyes to see He alone is the LORD. How can you incline over decline in prayer by praying what King Hezekiah prayed?

 
The central truth of this word was – There will be many things to fear in life. How can fear turn into faith? Instead of being covered by distress, go into the house of the LORD, where fear in the world is rebuked by the words of the living God. Do not be afraid of escalating evil but put your hope in the God who sees, already planned in promise to deliver. Pray to the LORD, who inclines your ears and eyes to see He alone is the LORD. Then, what can we fear? Fear will be unveiled as the false god it is before the living God alone, so live in and from the victory Jesus has won now and forever. – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?
 
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Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
 
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

​Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “Do Not Answer” – from ISAIAH 36:11-22? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?” 13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

1. [v.11-13] Why did Judah’s officials (Eliakim, Shebna, Joah) want this evil Assyrian commander to speak a different language?
2. *The biblical principle – If you are more concerned with how you will be heard by people over how God will hear you, do not speak. Where and to whom is God calling you to be still and not speak?

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14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. 15 Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” 21 But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.”

1. [v.14-21] While his character and words were being falsified,  what did King Hezekiah do?
2. *The biblical principle – Do not be deceived to correct the adversary’s lies and justify yourself, for the LORD will surely deliver you. How have we been deceived by trying to justify ourselves without first staying still before the LORD?

 
 
22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

1. [v.22] In their fear and hopeless despair, what did Judah’s officials do after hearing the proud taunts of the Assyrian commander?
2. *The biblical principle – Have your mouth guarded over your clothes torn – do not be defeated in despair but immovable in the words of God. When have you tore clothes before guarded mouth and heart?

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The central truth of this word was – As much as what is spoken, what is kept from being spoken is just as important before the LORD. He will call us to stay still, to not speak, to not answer. When can we discern these times? Do not speak when your focus is on how you will be heard over how God will hear you. Do not be deceived to correct the adversary’s lies and justify yourself, for the LORD will justify and surely deliver you. Have your mouth guarded over your clothes torn – do not be defeated in despair but immovable in the words of Christ, richly dwelling within you. – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?
 
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Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
 
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

​Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “In Whom Do You Now Trust?” – from ISAIAH 36:1-10? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field. 3 And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder.
 

1. [v.1-3] Where was the wicked Assyrian military commander – the Rabshakeh – standing?
2. Who do we allow to stand where God should be standing in our lives?

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4 And the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? 5 Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? 6 Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”?  
 

1. [v.4-7] For this wicked Assyrian commander, what was powerful and worthy to be trusted?
2. When have we heard the power and trustworthiness of God’s Word being reduced to “mere words”? How do we respond to it?

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8 Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9 How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 
 

1. [v.8-9] How did the Assyrian commander try to wager and bribe God’s people to trust in Assyria?
2. How does our adversary bribe us by devaluing God’s resources with worldly blessing? How does it always appear initially better, but in the end completely destructive?

 
 
10 Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”’”
 

1. [v.10] Who did this wicked Assyrian commander even claim was on His side?
2. When has it appeared that God was on the side of evil, or even the author of evil? How can God be sovereign over evil yet not be the author of it?

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1. The central truth of this word was – As we follow Jesus, our adversary follows us. Our life with God is in constant spiritual attack. The strategy of the enemy is to be the last person standing, where God once stood within us. He seeks to make God’s Word appear mere words. He is the master wager (briber) and liar, even with initial blessing to keep us away from every blessing in Christ. He claims the LORD Himself is on his side. Who can you trust in now? Know the strategy, turn to the real Savior, fight the real enemy – not each other but the adversary within each other. – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?

 
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Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
 
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s Easter message – “For the LORD has a Day of Vengeance” – from ISAIAH 34:1-17? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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1 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. 2 For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter. 3 Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood. 4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.
 

1. [v.1-4] What is the LORD asking the nations to give attention to?
2. What is the LORD asking you to give attention to?
3. What happens when we give attention to the rage (anger) and fury (wrath) of the LORD?

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5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6 The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat.
 

1. [v.5-7] What does the LORD do with His sword?
2. Is there a middle ground with the LORD?
3. Are you under the LORD’s sword or the LORD’s Son? When have we tried to play middle ground?
4. “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” Is that what God does?

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8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 11 But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. 12 Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. 13 Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. 14 And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place. 15 There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate.
 

1. [v.8-15] To whom does vengeance belong? Why?
2. Can our vengeance ever be the full recompense of justice?
3. When have we taken the place of the LORD’s vengeance?
4. When has the offense of others become greater than our own offense towards God?

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16 Seek and read from the book of the Lord: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the Lord has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them. 17 He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.
 

1. [v.16-17] To leave vengeance to the LORD, we need to seek and read from the book. Yet, have you let the book seek and read you? How can we let the Scriptures “read” us?
2. The central truth of this word was – God’s vengeance is just and good. Our vengeance is corrupt and evil. Hand over your vengeance by giving attention to the LORD’s fury over your own fury. We fall under His Son’s grace – not His sword. Only God can bring full recompense of vengeance, so keep seeking and reading His book to be assured that He turns our deserts into His fruitful garden. Bless over curse, for we possess every blessing in Christ for it! – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this?

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Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

​Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s Easter message – “Blessed are Those Who Have Not Seen” – from JOHN 20:24-31? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

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24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
 

1. [v.24] When Jesus came, who was not there with the other ten disciples?
2. When Jesus and the presence of His holy Spirit comes, are we there or not there?
3. How important is it to be with the fellowship of a covenant family of God to experience the power of Jesus’ presence?

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25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
 

1. [v.25] Although the disciples kept on telling him that their testimony was true, what beyond believable condition does Thomas make to believe them?
2. What “unless You…” conditions have entered our walk with the Lord?
3. Even if we were to have all our conditions met, would it lead to greater faith in the risen Christ?

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26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
 

1. [v.26-29] For eight more days, the disciples labored to convince Thomas. Now, in the exact same way they had told him, what does Jesus do for Thomas? How does Thomas respond – does he touch Jesus’ scars as he had wanted?
2. At times, how is your faith resting on what you can see over how you are seen by Jesus?

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30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
 

1. [v.30-31] Why did the gospel writer John take great care in writing the book?
2. Is the written Word alive? What life is pouring forth to you through them?
3. The central truth of this word was – None of us have seen the resurrection of Jesus, and for that we are blessed. By being with the fellowship of a covenanted family of God, we see a glimpse of it. By releasing our demands (“unless You…”), we avoid the snare of unbelief. By knowing we are seen by Jesus over being able to see Him, our faith rests on solid ground. Although we can’t see Him, the written Word gifts us a life seen by Him, and that is enough! – *How are you blessed today without having seen the resurrection of Jesus?
4. *How has your walk with the LORD been this past week? What areas of spiritual health have been nourished? What areas are still in need of growth that we can treat together with the Word and Spirit?

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Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

​Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last week’s message – “Now I will Arise” – from ISAIAH 33:1-12? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

 
1 Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you.
 

1. [v.1] The Assyrians were merciless destroyers and betrayers at every level, yet what will the LORD do when they think their destructive military campaign is finished?
2. Like what happened to the Assyrians, what will the LORD do if we keep destroying and betraying His work in our lives (read also Matthew 7:12)?
3. In the face of overwhelming and uncontrollable times, when have you said, “It’s over… I’m toast… It’s finished” while God came through to prove, “Until I say it is, it’s not finished yet”?
4. As God delivered His people from their greatest fear (the Assyrians), what is He delivering you from today? Do we have reason to fear?

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2 O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. 3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, 4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. 5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, 6 and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.
 

1. [v.2-6] When we humble ourselves to call on the Lord’s grace and wait for Him, what happens?
2. Like a father who raises his child on his shoulders to see higher and farther, how does exalting in the LORD raise us to see Him as our stability, salvation, wisdom, knowledge, and treasure?

 
7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. 8 The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man.
 
9 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
 

1. [v.7-9] God’s people at the time trusted in their heroes, envoys of peace, covenants, cities, and beauty of their land. What ultimately happened to all of these?
2. How is the LORD removing your heroes, highways, earthly covenants and beauty? Why must He do this?

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10 “Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted. 11 You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you. 12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire.”
 

1. [v.10-12] When the lives of God’s people give birth to nothing more than what is useless like chaff or stubble, what will the LORD do?
2. When we think we have come to the end of ourselves, what will the LORD do?
3. The central truth of this word was – When does God arise to move in our lives? At times, we are fooled to think that the LORD is sitting idly by while life progresses. Yet God is always on the move. Although we may come to an end, until God says it is, it’s not finished yet! The LORD arises to get the last word – not what destroys nor betrays you. For God to rise up, you must go down – humble yourself in His arm and wait for His grace. Until all heroes and highways are put away, God cannot arise as our Hero and Way. With nothing more you can do, God can now arise to do. Jesus, who lives in and through you, arises daily to show His unfading glory and work. Now will you arise with Him? – *How is the LORD arising to move in your life?
4. *How has your walk with the LORD been this past week? What areas of spiritual health have been nourished? What areas are still in need of growth that we can treat together with the Word and Spirit?

Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through last Friday’s “Built Up” Praise & Prayer Night from 1 PETER 2:1-10, and the messages from previous weeks – “A King will Reign in Righteousness” and “Hear My Voice, You Complacent” from ISAIAH chapter 32? Read the texts once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

KEY VERSES:
1 PETER 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…… 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
 

1. [1 Peter 2] How am I becoming a living stone instead of a stumbling stone? How am I being built up into God’s spiritual house?
2. What were some convictions the Spirit of God gave you through last Friday’s praise & prayer night?

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 ISAIAH 32:1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. 2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. 3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 4 The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.
 

1. [v.1-4] Who are we next to King Jesus, and what will happen when we live into this new identity?
2. How are you growing beyond being forgiven into being a prince/princess/ruler with King Jesus?

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     9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech. 10 In little more than a year you will shudder, you complacent women; for the grape harvest fails, the fruit harvest will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and tie sackcloth around your waist. 12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers,
yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city. 14 For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;
 

1. [v. 9-14] What was the problem with the women of Judah? What should they have been doing?

 
 

1. When has complacency – the feeling that you’re just fine where you are, you’ve done enough, don’t want to be disturbed – entered your walk with God? Are you hearing the Lord’s voice to “rise up!”?

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15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.
 

1. [v.15] What happens when the Spirit is poured out?
2. The Spirit wants to pour – not drip – out. How can we let the Spirit pour – do more than we can ever ask or imagine, in our lives and in this church?

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16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. 17 And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
19 And it will hail when the forest falls down, and the city will be utterly laid low. 20 Happy are you who sow beside all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free.
 

1. [v.16-20] What are the effects of God pouring out His Spirit?
2. What are the undeniable effects of the Spirit’s pouring in your life?

The central truth of this word was – Do you hear the LORD’s voice to rise up today? Let us not settle with where we are, complacent to what should be uneasy within us, as is uneasy on God’s mind. Learn holy discontentment, to be uneasy and grieve first at our own sins, and then at the brokenness around us. The gift of God’s Spirit has already been poured out through Jesus Christ. Let us not just take sips and drips of Him, but walk and move with Him in godliness and wisdom, showing all the effect of what the Spirit is doing through us for one another – restoring, reviving, reconciling, resting in the dwelling of being fully content – not in ourselves – but in pursuing more and more of Jesus Christ alone. – *How must you “rise up” today?

1. *How has your walk with the LORD been this past week? What areas of spiritual health have been nourished? What areas are still in need of growth that we can treat together with the Word and Spirit?

Life-Praying
Pray for one another. Give credit and glory to God for answered requests. Wait on the LORD for unanswered requests. Turn away from closed doors and where the Spirit prompts to go another way. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.
 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)

I Lift My Eyes Up
by Vineyard Worship

I lift my eyes up to the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You
Maker of heaven
Creator of the earth
 
     O, how I need You, Lord
     You are my only hope
     You’re my only prayer
     So I will wait for You
     To come and rescue me
     Come and give me life
 


All to Jesus
by Judson W. Van De Venter (1896)/
Vineyard Worship
 
Verse 1
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
 
     I surrender all, I surrender all;
     All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
     I surrender all.
 
Verse 2
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
 
Verse 3
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

​Life-Sharing

1. What has God been teaching you through the message “Do Not Rely on Horses and Chariots” from ISAIAH 31:1-9 last week? Read the text once more and discern what the holy Spirit is desiring to say through it.

 
           1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!

           2 And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. 3 The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together. 4 For thus the Lord said to me, “As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted at their noise, so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. 5 Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.”
 
           6 Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel. 7 For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your hands have sinfully made for you. 8 “And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. 9 His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

1. [Matthew 14] The disciple Peter was able to walk on water to where Jesus was – right next to Him – yet what caused Peter to begin sinking?
2. What causes “sinking” in your life?
3. In the days of Isaiah, how were God’s people building their life on a “sinking” foundation?
4. [v.1] What were God’s people seeking as their source of help that grieved God’s heart?
5. What are you seeking that is “many” and “strong” that is not a provision of the LORD?
   
6. [v. 2-5] In order to help us, what does the LORD do when He “stretches out His hand”?
7. How has the LORD destroyed the help and helpers around you so that you might turn to Him?
8. How has what is of “man” appear to be like a “god” in your life?
9. What does God need to remove in order to give what is on His heart?
10. [v.6-9] Who creates the idols of our life, and what must we do to them when we turn to the LORD?
11. What “horses and chariots” have you made for yourself? How do you need to let them go today?
12. The central truth of this word was – We all need help at all times. Where are you finding yours? What appears many and strong – is it really from the LORD? May the LORD stretch out His hand to be the destroyer of your helpers/helps apart from Him. May our secret help and weapon not be what is sinfully made for ourselves but in the helpless cry of surrender that turns our face towards Jesus Christ by the power of His Spirit, who alone is our Defender and our Keeper! – *Where are you seeking your help? What secret weapon (horse/chariot) is destroying you and others around you?
13. *What stood out to you most through these words of the LORD?
14. *How has your walk with the LORD been this past week? What areas of spiritual health have been nourished? What areas are still in need of growth that we can treat together with the Word and Spirit?

 
Life-Praying

1. What requests of prayer are still left unanswered, where God has said “no” or “wait”?
2. What requests of prayer have been answered by God, where we can give praise to Him?
3. Read the following Scriptures about prayer. Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another.

 
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18)
 
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7)