Seeing God’s Glory
Isaiah 44:14-23 - New International
Version (NIV)
14 He cut down cedars,
or
perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or
planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel for burning;
some
of it he takes and warms himself,
he
kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he
makes an idol and bows down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over
it he prepares his meal,
he
roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah!
I am warm; I see the fire.”
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he
bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me!
You are my god!”
18 They know nothing, they
understand nothing;
their
eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and
their minds closed so they cannot understand.
19 No one stops to think,
no
one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I
even baked bread over its coals,
I
roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall
I bow down to a block of wood?”
20 Such a person feeds on ashes; a
deluded heart misleads him;
he
cannot save himself, or say,
“Is
not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
21 “Remember these things, Jacob,
for
you, Israel, are my servant.
I have made you, you are my servant;
Israel,
I will not forget you.
22 I have swept away your offenses like a
cloud,
your
sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for
I have redeemed you.”
23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has
done this;
shout
aloud, you earth beneath.
Burst into song, you mountains,
you
forests and all your trees,
for the Lord has
redeemed Jacob,
he
displays his glory in Israel.
What did “he” cut down (verse 14)?
What did “he” do with half the wood (verse
16)?
What did “he” do with the rest of the
wood (verse 17)?
Why can’t “they” understand (verse 18)?
Who stops to think (verse 19)?
How is “such a person” led (verse 20)?
Who will the Lord not forget (verse 21)?
Why can Israel return to the Lord (verse 22)?
Who should “sing for joy” (verse 23)?
Who has the Lord redeemed (verse 23)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how can we see the glory of
God displayed in this passage?
John
11:38-44 - New
International Version (NIV)
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a
cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away
the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said
Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he
has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you
believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and
said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I
knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud
voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out,
his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his
face.
Jesus said to
them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
What was the tomb (verse 38)?
Why did Martha not want the stone removed (verse 39)?
What had Jesus told Martha she would see if she
believed (verse 40)?
Who did Jesus thank (verse 41)?
Why did Jesus say this (verse 42)?
What did Jesus call out (verse 43)?
Who came out (verse 44)?
What did Jesus say (verse 44)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, how
can we see the glory of God displayed in this passage?
In
your opinion, how is the glory that Isaiah 44:14-23 says is displayed in Israel
related to the glory that Jesus tells Martha she would see if she believed?
1 John 4:16-5:4 – New International Version (NIV)
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in
them.
17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will
have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There
is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to
do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever
claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For
whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have
seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And
he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their
brother and sister.
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is
born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as
well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children
of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In
fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome, 4 for everyone born of
God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the
world, even our faith.
Where
does God live (verse 16)?
What
can we have on “the day of judgment” (verse 17)?
How
is fear driven out (verse 18)?
In
your opinion, what does fear have to do with punishment (verse 18)?
How
do we love (verse 19)?
Who is a liar (verse
20)?
What is the command (verse
21)?
Who is “born of God”
(verse 1)?
How do we “love the
children of God” (verse 2)?
What is not burdensome
(verse 3)?
Who “overcomes the
world” (verse 4)?
In your opinion, what
is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how can we see the glory of
God displayed in this passage?
In your opinion, how is
the redemption promised in Isaiah 44:14-23 related to the confidence on the day
of judgment promised in 1 John 4:16-5:4?
In
your opinion, how does what Jesus did in John 11:38-44 help us to “know and
rely on the love that God has for us” as stated in 1 John 4:16-5:4?
Revelation 18:9-20 – New International
Version (NIV)
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with
her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they
will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment,
they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her
because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of
gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet
cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory,
costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of
cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil,
of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human
beings sold as slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All
your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The
merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will
stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and
cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to
ruin!’
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship,
the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far
off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they
will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They
will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry
out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
where all who had ships on the sea
became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you
heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
When will the “kings of the earth who committed
adultery with her and shared her luxury” weep and mourn over Babylon (verse
9)?
Where
will they be when they cry “Woe! Woe to you, great city” (verse 10)?
Why
will the merchants of the earth “weep and mourn over her” (verse 11)?
What
is “vanished, never to be recovered” (verse 14)?
Where
will the merchants stand (verse 15)?
How
long will it take for “such great wealth” to be brought to ruin (verse 17)?
Where
will the sea captains and sailors stand (verse 18)?
What
will they do with dust (verse 19)?
Who
is to rejoice (verse 20)?
How
has God judged her (verse 20)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how can we see the
glory of God displayed in this passage?
In your opinion, how is the consequence
of the choice of the carpenter in Isaiah 44:14-23 to burn some of the tree and
to make the rest into an idol shown in the mourning of doomed Babylon in
Revelation 18:9-20?
In your opinion, how does the glory of
the wealthy and powerful Babylon of Revelation 18:9-20 compare with the glory
of God as shown by the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11:38-44?
In your opinion, what do the actions of
the kings, merchants and sea captains of the world show us that they felt about
Babylon in Revelation 18:9-20? How is
that feeling different from the love that Christians have “because he first
loved us”?
In
your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, John, 1 John and Revelation teach
us about how we are shaped by what we love and rely on?
In your
opinion, how can we do the glory of God today?
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