Sermon Summary:
-Isaiah exposes the adultery of idolatry.
-Isaiah exposes the folly of claiming a righteous identity while we are enslaved to sin and the world.
-God warns that our idols will not protect us at God’s judgement
BUT
-God assures us that the worst sinner can take refuge in Him.
-Jesus left his throne to preach peace and renewal to prostitutes and tax collectors.
-To sinners who humble themselves in repentance and faith, God removes every obstacle to resting in eternity with Him.
Family Discussion Questions:
- What excuses would the people of Judah have had for compromising with the nations around them?
- What similar excuses might we have now for worldly behaviour in our own cultural context?
- What are the heinous sins that Isaiah gives as evidence of the extent of the moral corruption that the people of Judah had become complacent about?
- What are some of the ways we feel pressured to compromise with the culture around us? What are some sins of compromise that we might be less concerned about, because they seem less extreme to us?
- What analogy does Isaiah use to describe how the people of Judah have compromised with the world around them? What does he accomplish through this analogy?
- What are some of the idols of this world that men will be forced to hide behind when God’s judgement comes? How will those idols fair?
- After his stinging rebuke of sin, who does Isaiah say will be able to take refuge in God and be saved from his judgement?
- How did Jesus’ life and ministry fulfill God’s promise that He would draw near to the lowly and contrite to revive and heal them?
- Do you need to put your trust in Christ instead of the idols of this world? Or do you need to be watchful of how you are being tempted to accept worldly behaviour?
- What is the fruit of the lips God creates in us? What is God promising? (Hebrews 13:15)
- Personal Question: Are you currently carrying on in some private sin that you have excused because it is unknown and seemingly “hopeless” to be free from? What would actual repentance for this sin look like? Which mature member or elder in the church are you going to speak to in keeping with that repentance?
