What is your experience of living in “the now and the not yet” between Jesus first coming and second coming? Are you looking forward to his return, excited about eternity? Do you ever become despondent and ask “How long?” Does it ever feel as though God is distant and silent? Read Isaiah 65 -66 Yahweh’s… Continue reading The New Heavens and New Earth
Category: Bible Study
Atonement in Isaiah
At the heart of Isaiah’s message is the promise that God will deal with the problem of evil, sin, rebellion and idolatry in a way that enables him to be reconciled to his people, to bring about new life and indeed a new creation. Exile can be seen as a form of death, so that… Continue reading Atonement in Isaiah
Vindication
The “Day of the Lord” is both a day of “favour”, a jubilee of jubilees and a day of vengeance. God pronounces judgement on sin and evil. For believers in Jesus, there is the good news that their sin was judged on the Cross but for those who reject Jesus, there is still the judgement… Continue reading Vindication
The New Jerusalem
Remember how back in chapter 22, judgement on Jerusalem was announced? Well, we’ve been told in chapter 40 that the prophet is to speak comfort to the city and now as we come to the close of the book, God himself sings over the city. Keen eyes will observe that the end of Isaiah is… Continue reading The New Jerusalem
The Lord’s favour
We now arrive at one of those big hitter chapters in Isaiah, one of the best-known parts of Scripture and the bit that Jesus takes and makes his manifesto at the outset of his ministry. Having seen how Isaiah has built up to focus on the Servant as the one who ushers in God’s reign,… Continue reading The Lord’s favour
New Dawn
A big theme in Isaiah is “light in the darkness.” The situation described earlier in the book is of darkness falling on the land causing people to become lost, stumbling about. It’s the darkness of night because night and sleep are associated with sadness, despair and death. So, here in the later chapters, we are… Continue reading New Dawn
The Difference Maker (Isaiah 53)
Here’s my outline notes for this Sunday’s sermon Introduction Acts 8 – Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch – what prompts the radical and costly desire to be baptised? Answer = this chapter of Isaiah! God’s purpose and his vindication Take homes … the so what
A last conversation with Jesus
Here is a little series of talks I did on YouTube a couple of years ago which take us to the upper room and the conversation between Jesus and his disciples over the last supper.
Isaiah in a week – breaking the book down
Some of you have been working through Isaiah, a day at a time through Lent. Other’s wont have had time to do this but perhaps you’d like a different or additional challenge, to read through the book in the week leading up to Easter. Here’s a possible outline to help you do this. Even if… Continue reading Isaiah in a week – breaking the book down
Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
In response to my little series of articles on 1 Corinthians 7 and sexual ethics, I’ve been asked about why I suggest that the Corinthians may have been attempting to take an ascetic route of self denial and abstention which Paul might have had to correct. Surely, the problem in Corinth was the opposite. The… Continue reading Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
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