Sunday Lesson Notes, July 13, 2025
Here I am, send me!
Read Isaiah Chapter 1: 1-4
- What was the nation of Israel guilty of?
- Forgot God
- Rebelled against God
- Refused to Know or Understand God
- Given to corruption
- Spurned the holy one of Israel
- Turned their backs on God and the prophets
Read Isaiah Chapter 6: 8-13
- What message did God want Isaiah to deliver to Israel?
- Isaiah was sent to warn the people that they were guilty of always hearing God’s word but refused to understand. They saw God’s presence but refused to acknowledge and perceive it was God who was sustaining them all along.
- This resulted in hardening their hearts toward God
- Isaiah was supposed to deliver this message to the Israelites until the cities lay in ruin and they were all sent away from the land except for a remnant holy seed, a stump in the land.
Read Isaiah Chapter 42: 1-9
- Who is the servant of the Lord and what was the mission of the servant?
- The servant was supposed to be the Nation of Israel, they were supposed to have God’ s Spirit in them and were charged with the purpose to bring His light and justice to all the other nations.
- However, the Nation of Israel failed to carry out their mission and eventually Jesus came to fulfill the mission.
- Isaiah prophecies that eventually a future servant, Jesus would come and fulfill
the mission of becoming a Light to the Gentiles, Opening the eyes of the blind and freeing captives from dungeons.
Read Isaiah Chapter 42: 13-20
- How did God feel about Israel’s refusal to listen to him and break their covenant with him?
- He was utterly upset and his heart was full of pain although he had been showing restraint and withholding their punishment for years
- He was like a woman in childbirth gasping in pain
- Although Israel was guilty of turning their backs on God, God was merciful and left a remnant in the land to be restored. God also decided to turn darkness to light after doling out the punishment and decided not to forsake them although they forsake him.
Read Matthew 13: 1-7
- What is this parable about? Why did Jesus speak to the people in parables?
- The parable is a reminder of how God’s word can fall on different paths and produce different results.
- When we hear God’s word, if our heart is receptive to what God says, we will produce a spiritual crop in our lives 100 times over
- Speaking in parables was a way for Jesus to sort out whose hearts were ready to receive God’s message in their lives. Those with “good soil” in their hearts produced good fruit. Those without good soil that was rocky or hard or filled with weeds, would not produce fruit in their lives
- How do you know if you are blind or deaf to God’s word in your life?
- You will turn to yourself or other things instead of listening to conversations with Jesus. The words of Jesus will just be nice stories and you will miss seeing and hearing Who Jesus really is.
- A sign that you are listening and obeying God would produce a life that is full of faith, good relationships with people, an ability to appreciate and live life even if circumstances are difficult in your life. You will be able to stand up under the pressures of the world and your life will be an example for others to follow. Your life will be like a life giving stream in a harsh desert!