Anna Rogers

Q3. (Isaiah 42:6-7) What does it mean for God’s people to be “a light to the nations”? Israel was supposed to light the path to God for the nations. Now that Jesus has come we Christians are supposed to do this, by living different than the world, by caring for others, caring about justice, being kind and compassionate, doing everything in love. In what ways are you “letting your light shine”? How well do you represent God’s covenant in your everyday life? I try to put other people first. I share God's truth when I can. Facebook is a good place to give Godly wisdom. I need to do much much better.

Q2. (Isaiah 42:1-4) What do these verses teach us about the Messiah? What will characterize him and his actions? What does it tell us about his quest for justice? About his tenderness? If this describes our Messiah, Isaiah 42:1-4 depicts Jesus as sent from God, as His chosen one in whom He delights. His purpose is to bring justice to the nations. He will be gentle, not forceful or loud. He will not wear out before justice is established. He will give us hope. what difference should it make in our lives, values, and demeanor? And this is how we should live peacefully caring about the injustice of the world.

Q1. (Isaiah 40) What does Isaiah 40 teach us about the necessity of preparing ourselves for the Lord (verses 3-5)? In one word sanctification, becoming who God has made me to be. About God’s tenderness and compassion (verse 11)? He will care for us with complete tenderness and compassion, cradling us in His arms. About God’s glory vs. the glory of nations (verses 15-17)? Next to God's might the nations are insignificant. Why do we get so enamored by the glitter and glory of the world? No idea, it doesn't last. Only God and His heavenly kingdom is eternal and worth sacrificing for. What pieces are we missing (verses 15-17, 21-26)? Reverence for God According to verse 31, how can we draw strength from the Lord? Wait for Him, remember to serve Him while waiting

Q4. (Isaiah 38:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Hezekiah prayed to God based on his own personal righteousness. "Remember now O, Lord...." Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? Although God has mercy on who he chooses to have mercy (Rom 9:8), He is more attentive to His Children (John 15:7) How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? Psalm 66:18 says it this way "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear."

Q3. (Isaiah 38:2-3) Why is Hezekiah’s healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God’s promises made to David (2 Samuel 7:11b-16)? Because this is the line of David that the Messiah would come through. Hezekiah had a son during his "extra" years, continuing the line.

Q2. (Isaiah 37:16) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah’s prayer (verse 16) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord’s Prayer? They both address God first by addressing His Majesty. How are they important to faith? It is important to know who you are praying to. God answer's prayer according to faith not words used. How are they important to God answering the prayer? It is always good to address God with a reminder of Who He is, I don't think it weighs much into being answered or not.

Q1. (Isaiah 37:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy’s message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don’t apply this principle? I think the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message is that it represents him giving the whole problem to God. He did what he had to for protection: securing a water supply, blocking off water to the enemy, strengthening wall and adding weapons. The rest was up to God. I think God is less likely to solve our problems when we hold on to part of it or keep taking it back. When we give a problem to God it is no longer our business what happens. If we find ourselves thinking about it, we must immediately give it back to God and not think about it. Not applying this principle causes worry which is a sin.

Q6. (Isaiah 35:1-10) How do you think these verses brought hope to their first readers? What is promised here? I imagine these verses would have brought great hope to their first readers and to their readers today, as some of the promises won't be fully seen till the millennium. We are promised that the desert will become a fruitful place, our hands and knees will be strengthened, God will come and save us, the eyes of the blind will be opened, the deaf shall hear and the lame shall leap like deer, there will be a highway to Zion that is safe for the redeemed. Why do you think Isaiah relies on heavily figurative language to communicate these promises? Perhaps because they talk about fulfillment in more than one time period How does he describe the “highway of holiness”? Who will walk on it? Who won’t? It is a highway only for His redeemed. It is set above the ground and goes to Zion. It is completely safe as you can't fall off and their are no wild beasts on it. What does it mean to be redeemed and ransomed? The redeemed are us who have been washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

Q5. (Isaiah 33:14-16) How does ethical behavior display love for God? In John 14:15 it states "If you love Me, you will obey My commandments" How does it display love for man? Jesus states in Matthew, Mark and Luke that the greatest commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like it" You shall love your neighbor as yourself" How does the corruption of taking bribes destroy righteous government? You can not run a righteous government if you are only out for yourself.

Q3. (Isaiah 30:15-29) Why does God long to show us grace (30:18)? Because He loves us. What does that say about God’s character? God is merciful, but just What prevents his grace? Our sin. "I love that in verse 18 it says He will wait, that He may be gracious to you." God waits for the sinner to turn back to Him. Have you ever experienced the kind of guidance Isaiah mentions in verse 21? The more time I spend with God, in the Bible, in prayer, in devotion and meditation, praising Him, spending time with His people, the better the decisions I make seem to work out. What is necessary in us so that we can hear God’s voice? I believe you have to want to hear it and then do all the things mentioned in last question.

Q2. (Isaiah 29:13) Have you ever seen a religious person go through all the religious motions, but whose heart is far from God? Unfortunately, there are whole so-called "Christian organizations" that teach rule following instead of teaching that we need a relationship with Jesus. This can even happen in gospel teaching churches where some members believe that as long as they put their time in on Sunday's they will be ok. Somehow they hear the message each Sunday but it doesn't effect their lives. How can we detect this in ourselves if it applies to us? Am I spending time each day with Jesus. What is the remedy? To spend time with God, in prayer. Read the Bible to get to know Him better. Worship Him. How can you tell if your practice of religion is merely following “rules taught by men”? In our busy world we can easily let our church attendance, devotions etc become just good habits. It is important to spend time and effort with our relationship to Jesus. What is the danger of a rule-based faith? How does it differ from a love-based faith? Because we can not follow the rules perfectly, which is the requirement rule-based faith gets us nowhere. Love-based faith is all about building a relationship with Jesus and letting God lead you through this life.

Q1. (Isaiah 28) How are we humans able to justify and deceive ourselves so easily? We humans are so good at justifying and deceiving ourselves. Like the people of Israel we feel we don't need God because we are doing fine on our own-Pride. We are bombarded by messages to take care of ourselves, we deserve it, we can do it, we don't need anyone. Satan loves us to listen to these messages. Some people believe that the mercy of God will cover their willful disobedience. "why would a loving God send anyone to hell?" Why do we hold onto lies that guide our lives? It is much easier and comfortable to go along with these lies, than to realize that we owe the God of creation our allegiance. Why do people stumble over Christ, the tested foundation stone, and his righteous standards? There are many reasons people stumble on this: pride, selfishness, unbelief, hardening of their heart. Another reason people stumble is they feel they must do something to be saved. It's too simple (but not easy) that we are saved just by our believe in Christ and His work on the Cross. How can we help people come to the truth? To live as Jesus did to the best of our ability. To love our neighbors. To always be ready to give and answer to everyone who asks for a reason for our hope (1Peter 3:15) What is the alternative if they don’t, according to Isaiah 28:21? Those who reject Christ will go to hell.

Q5. (Isaiah 26:19) Does this passage actually teach a bodily resurrection? Yes, "Your dead will live" What does it teach us about resurrection? That it is real When will this resurrection take place, according to the New Testament? At the rapture 1st Thessalonians 4:16 "And the dead in Christ will rise first" The rapture could be what is described by "Hide yourself... until the indignation is past" Where would we be safer than with Jesus.

Q4. (Isaiah 26:3-4) According to this verse, what is the key to perfect peace? What happens when we get distracted from trusting in the Lord? According to Isaiah 26:3 "The steadfast mind You will keep in perfect peace" Which means basically that we keep our minds on Him and He keep us in perfect peace. The less we get distracted from the Lord the greater our peace. Philippians 4:7 says " And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehensions, will guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Why is the Lord called the “Rock eternal”? Describing God as the "Rock eternal" speaks of His being strong, unmovable or shakeable and a refuge for us forever.God is described as the Rock through out scripture. In Genesis 19:24 Jacob was the first to describe God as "the Rock of Isreal" Note He is the Rock not a rock. He is the only One who can save us. In Deutoronly 32:4 Moses called God "The Rock, His work is perfect"

Q3. (Isaiah 25:7) Why does the promise that “he will swallow up death forever” provide such comfort to us when we grieve the death of loved ones? When we contemplate our own death? I think most people, even Christians fear death in some way. Even the most devout believer occasionally wonders what it will be like at the moment of death. It gives us great hope knowing that Jesus will defeat death. What will we experience instead of death when Christ comes? If you are a Christian the moment you leave this life you will go to heaven. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8