“Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God.”
Sam Storm
Passage
1“Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2“Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God.
3‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.
Isaiah 58:1–3 (NASB95)
Background
Quote-C. Samuel Storms is an American Calvinist Charismatic and amillennial theologian, teacher and author. He is currently pastor emeritus of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City.
Storms was born on February 6, 1951, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Storms became the interim pastor of Dallas Independent Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. In 1977, he became an associate pastor at Believers Chapel in Dallas, where he an associate pastor until 1985. In 1985, he became the pastor at Christ Community Church in Ardmore, Oklahoma. In 1993, he became an associate pastor at Metro Christian Fellowship, then pastored by Mike Bickle, in Kansas City, Missouri.
Passage-The book of Isaiah is Narrative History, Prophetic Oracle, and even a Parable (chapter 5). The prophet Isaiah wrote it at approximately 700 B.C. (Chapters 40-66, written later in his life approx. 681 B.C.). Isaiah is the first book in the section called Major Prophets. They are called Major Prophets because of the large amount of material they wrote not because their message was more important than any other prophet’s was. Key personalities are Isaiah, his two sons, Shearjashub and Maher-shalal-jash-baz.
Isaiah contains some of the most incredible prophecies of any book. It contains foreknowledge, in incredible details about the Messiah, and the future reign of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the book of Isaiah was to call God’s nation, the nation of Judah, back to faithfulness and to declare the coming Messiah “Immanuel”. God calls and commissions His prophet to declare to Judah and Israel condemnation, conviction, and ultimately great hope.
Lesson Notes
Joys and Concerns
Pray
Opening Statement
In the midst of hardship and the storms of life we clutch hard to the author of our salvation. When the clouds break and the sun shines down we see God smiling on us but sometimes the winds of adversity drive us far away from Him. What then?
Ask: The brutal winds of a storm can drive a ship far off course. What should we do once the storm has passed?
Point: Look around and take stock of exactly where we are. Then, orient ourselves to look directly at God. Please read the following:
1“Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.
Isaiah 58:1 (NASB95)
Ask: What does the previous verse have to do with looking to God after the storm?
Point: When we’ve been driven off God’s path for our lives the only way to get back onto His path is to recognize first that we are off His path.
Ask: What does it mean to “be off God’s path for our lives?”
Point: Not doing the things our gifts, experience, and wisdom uniquely equip us to do. Please read the following:
8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8–10 (NASB95)
Ask: Does the line about “…God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” mean we have no control?
Point: No. It means there are some things in life that will always need to be done because those tasks will always be there based on how God ordered His creation. Please read the following:
10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.
11“For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
12“For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.
13“Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Matthew 26:10–13 (NASB95)
Ask: If these tasks cannot be completed because they’ll always be there, why do them at all?
Point: Because how we revere God is for all the world to see through our lives. Please read the following:
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13–16 (NASB95)
Ask: Once we recognize the storm has moved us away from God deep into the weeds of sin that surround His path for our lives, how do we get back on track?
Point: By looking for Him, where He is, and then figuring out how to get back to Him. Please read the following:
2“Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God.
Isaiah 58:2 (NASB95)
Ask: If I’m far off God’s path for my life and surrounded by my sin, where is there joy for me in being so far away from Him?
Point: Re-read the previous passage for the answer.
Ask: Where do you see joy off the path of God in Isaiah 58:2?
Point: Because we see God in order to seek Him, know where He is, and that He is fair (just) in His decisions. Please read the following:
3‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.
Isaiah 58:3 (NASB95)
Ask: Where is God just, fair, good, and righteous in verse 3 from Today’s Passage?
Point: When we get in a right position with God accepting His direction and being willing to be obedient to His direction rather than questioning why He didn’t do the things we asked of Him our way. Please read the following:
12Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
13“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
15“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:12–15 (NASB95)
Ask: Does that 2 Chronicles passage sound like before or after a storm and does it give us guidance as to what to do when the sun of hope shines on us again?
Point: Yes, it does in verse 14.
Closing Statement
14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14–15 (NASB95). There is a clear path for God’s people in these two verses from the Old Testament but much more. There is also hope in God’s promise of what He will do if we do what He asks of us. The storm has passed. The skies are clear, and our vision is clear. This may be figurative having the veil of understanding pulled back so that we see more clearly. Or, it may be the actual relief of hardship in life subsiding. Whatever the case, God is there and He is ready to smile upon His children.
Questions for the Week
Question 1 Are you in a real storm, difficulty, or hardship right now or is it more of a figurative storm resulting in confusion of action or direction?
Question 2 Do you feel, see, or sense the presence of God in your life?
Question 3 If the answer to Question 2 was “no” seek out a trusted Christian brother or sister and confide in them.
Question 4 If you pursue the counsel of a Christian brother or sister pray asking God to set in your heart the willingness to hear whatever that person you sought out has to say.
Definitions
humble
huhm-buhl, uhm
adjective,
hum·bler, hum·blest.
not proud or arrogant; modest: Though very successful, she remained humble.
having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.
courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.
low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.
verb (used with object)
hum·bled, hum·bling.
to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.
to destroy the independence, power, or will of.
to make meek: to humble one's heart.