Sermon Notes:
1. A genre is a public shared form of communication.
The Prophet’s job description was twofold:
a. Forthtelling is to is to reveal God’s thoughts, feelings, and will for His people pertaining to current events.
b. Foretelling is to reveal future events before they come to pass.
2. The God of the Bible says that His power of foretelling is a powerful proof that He is the One true God. (Isaiah 41:21-24; 42:8-9; 44:6-8; 45:20-22)
God foretells in Isaiah 53 that the future Messiah will:
a. Be rejected by His people and put on trial. (verses 3,7)
b. Be silent during His trial before His accusers. (verse 7)
c. Be pierced through and scourged for the sins of others. (verse 5)
d. Be with wicked men in His death, but buried in a rich man’s tomb. (verse 9)
e. Justify many people and bear their sins in His death. (verse 11)
f. Though He dies, His life will be prolonged. (verse 10)
3. 700 years after Isaiah 53 was written, Jesus fulfills it completely.
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
Digging Deeper:
1. Read Isaiah 41:21-24; 42:8-9; 44:6-8; 45:20-22. According to these verses, what does the God of the Bible say is a convincing proof that gods should be able to do to prove they are gods?
2. Do you think that being able to predict the future is a good test for a god? Why or why not?
3. Read Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53. Around 700 B.C., what did God say would happen to His special coming Servant and what would He accomplish? As a group, come up with as comprehensive a list as you can.
4. The oldest surviving manuscript of the book of Isaiah is from the Dead Sea scrolls dated at 100 B.C. How many figures in human history could this possibly apply to?
5. Read Luke 24:13-27. What do you think are the chances that Jesus talked to His disciples about Isaiah 53 in this Bible Study? On Sunday, Pastor Frank said that predictive prophecy was one of the greatest miracles of the Bible and that it is what ultimately converted him to believe in Jesus. How does the prophecy of the Bible affect your faith?
6. Read Acts 8:26-38; 9:22; 28:23. In what ways do you think predictive prophecy can be used as a powerful tool in sharing our faith?
Taking it Home:
What is one thing you can apply to your life from this message and how can this group remember you in prayer this week?