Gerbrand van Schalkwyk

Q1. (Isaiah 49:1-13) Why do people tend to disregard or even discriminate against aliens in their country? Fear of the unknown. Jealousy, envy. Lack of God's love in our harts. Patriotism. Yes, I put jealousy and envy. They are opposites, not the same, although i think many Bible translators don’t know the difference, and therefore many believers don’t know the difference anymore either. Jealousy is the act of protecting your own with an over protective stance. Many times jealousy is not sin. I must be jealous of my wife, my kids, my religion, my faith and most of all my God. I must not be jealous of my car, my house, my money ect. This is why we serve a jealous God. Envy is wanting something that belongs to others. Envy is always sin. Hope this helps somebody How can you increase your love for people of other nationalities? Prayer!!! Have an eternal vision. Don’t be concerned about the me, my, myself and the now, be concerned about the will of God, expanding His Kingdom and doing the will of our Awesome Almighty Father. Then anyone becomes an opportunity to witness to. Anybody becomes your neighbour that you want to make a brother in Christ. Say “Thank you Lord, now I don’t have to go to the nations, You are bringing the nations to me!!!” Prayer!!!! God's people are called to be a "light to the nations." What might that entail for the church in your community? Being a living example. Bearing fruits of the Spirit all the time, naturally, not because of planned actions only. Showing God’s love to all, not just in words. Allowing God to sanctify us so that our character can be clean, pure and Christ like. In your country? I am living in Zambia. Almost all aliens in Zambia were brought in to teach Zambians how to do a specialized job, they are investors or they are missionaries. Since Zambians mostly report to aliens, the way to be a light to their world would be to be humble, obedient, friendly, full of joy, full of love, full of life, helpful, available, never complain, show respect, be grateful and so much more. Further, many/most of these aliens are not believers, thus we must also testify, proclaim and teach whenever we can. Most of this will be in applicable in other countries as well, yet i believe circumstances will change.

(Isaiah 44:7b) In what sense does God "bring prosperity and create disaster"? Both prosperity and disaster are for our good. Please note that you can prosper in very hard times as well. Joseph prospered as a slave and in jail although in both cases he had no personal belongings. We must stop looking at material stuff as prosperity, but rather measure our prosperity in Kingdom value. God wants to draw us into the Kingdom of God. For this He sometimes sanctify is through hard times, and other times discipline us through very difficult times. Sometimes he gives us very hard times to prepare us for a mission He has for us (Joseph / Moses) Joseph was prepared for the purpose of God through his hard times. Yet i think the prophet refers to prosperity here as good - wealthy times, and disaster as hard times, thus the answer is that prosperity is to bless us with material wealth and the disaster is to bless us with sanctification (also see Job) or discipline (See David). Is God the source of evil? No Of trouble? Yes, He will bring us hard times if it is for our benefit or if He wants to prepare us for His work - what a blessing. Of prosperity? Yes, both material and Kingdom - spiritual Of poverty? Material - yes, spiritual / Kingdom - No In what sense is he responsible for these? He is in total control, yet He does give us free choice in some areas. In what sense are we responsible for these things? Sin = discipline. Bad / wrong character = sanctification. Since we know that God is the source of both prosperity and disaster, what should we be doing? Be obedient and make ourselves available for His work in our life. We must also trust Him and praise Him in both the good and the bad. There is a group called Bibleknowledge, they have a beautiful saying: Happy Moments, Praise God Difficult Moments, Seek God Quiet Moments, Worship God Painful Moments, Trust God Every Moment, Thank God

Q6. (Isaiah 45:1-4) How can Cyrus be called by name more than a century before he was born? This was reveiled by God, the prophet only responded to what he was given. In what sense is Cyrus "anointed" by God? All authority is put in place by God, and God is in control of all situations. Cyrus was part of God's plans How can an unbeliever accomplish God's purposes? Even a donkey can accomplish His purposes. We saw in Gen that God mad Pharaoh hart hard. If He needs to, He can make us do stuff according to His will. What does this tell us about God? He is Almighty and in control. He cares for us all, and will do anything to make His plans work for the better of all. About being humble in our judgments of others? We can't judge, we are way too small to judge anything or anyone.

This chapter tells us specific purposes that God's people have been created for. How can you fulfill your purpose to show God's glory (verse 7)? Praise and worship. Through my daily life - ACTIONS = WORKS. Prayer. Study. Seeking God in all and everything. Being a living example. Ps, some people say all i need to do is to be saved by Jesus through faith to go to heaven. We can't go to heaven through good deeds. This part is true, but not complete. Once I am saved my life must glorify God through the fruit that i bear in obedience and love. When Jesus judged the churches in Rev. He judged them accourding to their deeds / works, not their hart. My salvation must bear fruit, else my faith is dead (James). I can't enter heven because of my good deeds, but i cant enter heaven without good deeds either, even if my only deed was to call Jesus Lord as the sinner on the cross (He didn't have any time to bear more fruit, so this was enough). To be his witness (verses 10, 12)? Again through our deeds. But also through our words, especially by proclaiming the Word of God, living and the Bible. To proclaim his praise (verse 21)? Praise and Worship, also testomonies. Also by actions through greatfulness What are the obstacles you are facing in fulfilling these purposes? Myself. Drawing back to the old man. Knowledge. Still learning to respond to the Holy Spirit. How do you benefit from fulfilling God's purpose for you? Growing spiritually, growing relationship with Him, growing in life fulfilment, growing in happiness and joy, collecting eternal rewards

According to this passage, in what ways is God's "servant" blind? They see but don’t pay attention. We are often spiritually blind as well. We see stuff, but don't realize the significance thereof. We don't see God's Hand when He is steering us in a better way Why? We are so concerned with ourselves and the world that we don't seek God's face in everything we observe. We are too much me and now orientated insead of focussing on God and the eternal Kingdom. Who is the "servant" in this passage? Israel, but it can point towards us as well. How would you assess your own degree of spiritual blindness in the last 5 or 10 years? 10 years ago, very bad, as of the last 5 years there has been a big improvement, but i have still much to learn How effective is a blind servant in accomplishing his master's purposes? Not much, but God can use even a donkey. How effective have you been? God is still sanctifying and preparing me, although recently there were some results.

(Isaiah 42:6-7) What does it mean for God's people to be "a light to the nations"? We must lead the nations to Jesus. We must show them the way to salvation and further to eternal life. People must see this in our everyday life and in our teaching and conduct. In what ways are you "letting your light shine"? Numerous ways but still not enough How well do you represent God's covenant in your everyday life? I am not even impacting my nation to any extend, what about nations? I have very far to go

What do these verses teach us about the Messiah? What will characterize Him and His actions? God the Father put His Spirit on Him. Thus when the Messiah did wonders He did it as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. What does it tell us about his quest for justice? He will deliver justice throughout the world, just as He is still delivering justice today. About his tenderness? Although He will bring justice, He will not raise His voice, even a crushed reed will be safe in His Almighty hands, since He is tender and came for the weak, even a candle will be safe in His hands. If you think of His Power it is amazing to thing how tender He works with each one of us. We should live a life of worship, love, sharing, caring to one another, we must live a life focussed on eternity and on how many we can take with us to eternity. We must be gentile but firm, loving but just, caring and serving the truth.

Q1. (Isaiah 40) What does Isaiah 40 teach us about the necessity of preparing ourselves for the Lord (verses 3-5)? Verse 3 tells us that a voice call out in the wilderness to prepare the way. This of course points to John the Baptise whose main message was "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near" So if we want to prepare for the Lord, we have to repent from our sins. John baptized the people to indicate that they were willing to follow his teachings We must be baptized to indicate publically that we are following the teachings of Jesus. It could also point to history, God called His children to the dessert to prepare them for the Promised Land (for 40 years). Most of us think God called them to the Promised Land, but each time Moses went to Pharaoh he asked to go to the dessert to pray. So part of our preparation is prayer. In the wilderness God also spoke to the nation but they didn't want to hear His voice. We must seek the Kingdom of God and seek to know Him intimately. God separated the nation from Egypt and the rest of the world to ask them to be a nation consecrated for him. So we must set ourselves apart from the world to belong to Him -In the world, not of the world. God gave Israel commandments and instructions of how to be a nation for Him So we must be obedient to His calling, His Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God led them through the dessert. So we must follow where He leads us. There is much, much more to add here, it will be a sermon on its own. About God’s tenderness and compassion (verse 11)? That God is tending to us like a Shepherd. This is another comparison that can be expanded in big detail. The 2 passages that come to mind 1st are of course Ps23 and John 10 but there are many more. God makes it very clear that He cares for us deeply and with Almighty love and tenderness. About God’s glory vs. the glory of nations (verses 15-17)? It is not comparable, in fact it is a joke to try to compare the Creator of everything to anything on earth, there is nothing you can multiply by anything to come close Why do we get so enamored by the glitter and glory of the world? What pieces are we missing (verses 15-17, 21-26)? We focus on what is around us, instead of focussing on the Almighty. We pay way too much attention to our needs NOW instead of living for God and eternity. We serve ourselves and fleshly desires instead of serving THE AWESOME GOD ALMIGHTY forever and ever. According to verse 31, how can we draw strength from the Lord? We must have hope. We must know that He will never fail us. That difficult times are there for our benefit, for drawing us close to Him and for sanctification.

Q4. (Isaiah 38:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important ingetting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer ifall gifts from God are by grace anyway? He reminded God that he was faithful and obedient. He seeked the will of God. We have to faithful be children of God if written want our prayers to be answered. A true believer will follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus he will do the will of God. A true believer will also undergo sanctification a.nd thus become more holy and righteous. God rewards faithfulness. Yet He is in control. We must remember He is in control and do as He sees fit. He also answers all prayer, sometimes the answer is no.

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)? They were in a time of great need. They needed a strong leader to see them through the danger. They also needed a prince to follow the throne when the king died. God promised David that there will always be a king on the throne from his line, due to Davids love for God

2. (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? How are they important to faith? Howare they important to God answering the prayer? Both adresses God Almighty and make sure there is no misunderstanding of Whom they are talking to. We have to know Who is our God. We have to be able to communicate with our Father. We must also show our faith in His Awesome ability, else we will pray with disbelief and our prayer will not be answered.

saiah 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? He gave the problem to God. He knew that he himself could not fight the battle We have to do the same thing. We must know we can come to God with our priblems. If we dont do this we show that we depend on ourselves. We will have fear because we will know that in ourselves we will fail, yet so often we still rely only on ourself

Q3. (Isaiah 22) Why is Judah faulted for making necessary military preparations in the face of the Assyrian armies? They went about it the wrong way, instead of consulting God in their prepartions they made theyr own plans. They relied on themselves and their neigbours instead of trusting God What should they have done at the same time (verses 11-12)? They should have seeked guidance from God and believed in Him What seems to be the sin of Shebna, steward of the palace (verses 15-19)? Pride, selfcentred, greed, corruption Have you ever been guilty of selfishness instead of doing your duty to Christ? Yes.

I found the explanation about prisoners being led away naked very interesting. I could never understand why the prophet went naked. As for myself, i think i would have aasked God a few times whether i understoof the command correctly before i would have done it.

In what way does Daniel's situation compared to Esther's. Both were Jews who unexpectedly ended up in the kings trust and had opportunity to influence the future. Both believed in God and saw God's provision. Both knew God can put people in positions to do His will and to show His power. God has used both of them to show His power. Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? He has always done it and He always will. He is in control of all situations. He is also in control of the community, of business, of military and the government. By putting His people in strategic positions He exercise His control. He can do it anyway He wants to but most often He does it through His servants. What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? We serve God 1st and above all, this can bring us into conflict with the world. Whether a situation might harm us or not, we must always be available to God. Has this ever happened to you? How do you pray in situations like this? Yes. Just ask for wisdom, God's will and God's protection. If needed i will remind God of His promises and i will reaffirm to God my willingness to serve Him.

What is the basis of Nehemiah's appeal? He is reminding God of His WOrd, of His promises to Moses, and He is also saying to God, we repent, we are turning back to you, we are not the same sinful nation that You scattered, we have learned our lesson. How does he argue his case before God? He is quoting the Word of God. He is seeking God in fasting. He reminds God that they are still His nation and that His promisses are still valid. What do we learn from this about intercession? We must humble ourselves, seek God, be persistent, be obedient and faithful and repent our sins. We must be true servants of God

Why does Nehemiah pray day and night for four months? Nehemiah knows where his help will come from, he knows the only source of help that is available for him, and he also know that we must be persistent in our prayer. Jesus gave quite a few examples of being persistant in prayer such as the widow, the friend that was looking for bread and He Himself who prayed through the night a few times, and also He Himself that prayed 3x that the cup must pass Him by. When we pray persistent prayers we 1st of all keep our focus on God and continuously humble ourselves before God because we know we cant fix our situation ourselves, 2ndly we show God the urgency this situation is for us, and if we remind Him of His promises we know He will answer. If i pray for something He didn't promise, He will not answer, or His answer might be NO. Other times He might give what we ask for if it will glorify His Name, but if we ask for what He promised, He will always answer if we pray in earnest Why does he fast and weep? He wants to keep his focus on God, he shows that he knows Who can help Him in everything He needs and he weeps because the situation is that serious to him Isn't that excessive? No

The nation needed a king that believed in God to lead them through a.difficult time and to lead by example in trusting God. God promissed that the line of David would be on Israel's throne forever. He knew he had no sons. He also knew God keeps His promises. He believed the David line had to continue through himself. That is why he prayed and put his case before God. Why he pleaded in faith.

How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah's prayer (verse 15) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord's Prayer? Hezekiah called onto God alone, he made sure it is clear Who he addressed, just as the Lord's prayer directly addresses the One true God How are they important to faith? We have to show clearly in Who we believe How are they important to God answering the prayer? How can God answer our prayer if we don't talk to Him alone?

What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? Hezekiah shows that he believes in God, he knows he himself can't do anything about the situation and that this battle belongsto God. What is the underlying principle illustrated here? Faith in God. We should not try to fight God's battles How can we apply this principle to our own lives? We have to take our battles and everyday live to God. I must hand myself over to God What happens when we don't apply this principle? I want to be in control, and when i want to be incontrol, only my powers are in play, thus chances for success is small. Rather seek God's will and God's support so that you may experience Him in your life

I belong to God, thus everything I own belongs to God. Not just 10%. Everything i have is God's proberty. I am jus a custodian. All I can do is to say thank You God for all You are giving me and praise Him by returning a little bit of what is His anyway. We have to learn to seek God 1st and trust on HIM to guide us on wha to do to earn wha we want or need

I usually pray in Afrikaans. translated my prair always start with Almighty Powerful God. To You belongs all the honour and glory. This comes from a Afrikaans song. In English my favorite song is How great thow art.

By prasing God we are giving Him some of the honour He deserves. We will never be able to give Him enough honour. We are also humbling our selves and teminding ourselves what a great and awesome God we serve. Prasing God also lifts our spirits since we know we serve an all Powerful God Who will always take care of us

In what way do our prayers of praise "bless" God? God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to acknowledge that we need Him, to declare that we are mere mortals who are totally dependent of Him. By fulfilling what God want's we are blessing Him What do we mere humans have that God desires in a blessing? Obedience and praise. What are prayers like, that don't include blessing God? Selfish demands. Self centred prairs

I must humble myself. i must be completely ashaned of my actions and show God my sorrow. It must be real, not a show. Also once I am so ashamed of my sin that i become disgusted with the action and not repeat it again.