Isaiah: Rebellious Children (Isaiah 1)
This is the frist sermon in our seven week series on Isaiah. This sermon is “Rebellious Children”. Preacher: The Rev’d Michael Calder. Bible Readings: !saiah 1:1-20
Sermons – St Bart's Anglican Church · The Rev'd Michael Calder
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Show Notes
Sermon & Small Group Resources
This is the frist sermon in our seven week series on Isaiah. This sermon is “Rebellious Children”. Preacher: The Rev’d Michael Calder. Bible Readings: !saiah 1:1-20
DOWNLOAD the Small Group Questions, Going Deeper, and Sermon Transcript (PDF).
Next Steps this Week
BIBLE READINGS
Isaiah 1:1-20
The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the LORD has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the LORD;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness—
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with olive oil.
Your country is desolate,
your cities burned with fire;
your fields are being stripped by foreigners
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.
Daughter Zion is left
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.
Unless the LORD Almighty
had left us some survivors,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the instruction of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
“The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the LORD.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
CONNECT: What is one way that you can pour out God’s love with the most vulnerable on your frontlines?
WARM-UP
What would people who aren’t Christians think about the type of condemnation and words that we see in Isaiah chapter 1?
What type of genre is Isaiah? What was the context that he was writing in?
Read Isaiah 1:1-15
Why does Isaiah call on the earth and the heavens to listen to the Lord? What type of message does God have for his people?
Throughout Israel’s history, how has God provided for them and looked after them? What was their response to God’s love?
How did Israel’s rebellion against God present itself? What were the repercussions for this?
Do we ever rebel against God? In what ways can our forsaking of God present itself in our lives?
Are we ever at risk of making light of sin? What is God’s response to this rebellion and sin?
What was God’s response to the various acts of worship in Israel? Why was this so? How were they mistreating God?
If God prescribed this sort of worship in the Law, why then is Israel’s worship deemed repulsive?
If God doesn’t want this sort of religion, what does God desire of his people? How is this good news? In what ways are we free to live with and for him?
Are we ever tempted to fall into doing stuff for God rather than being in relationship with him? What could help us reframe our thinking?
Read Isaiah 1:16-20
Why is it good news that God invites his people to ‘settle the matter’ with him? How does God ultimately make a way for that to be permanently possible? What is the alternative?
How can we be completely confident that our sins have been completely done away with?
What could help you grow in your awe of God’s compassion, grace, and mercy for us?
APPLY: How could you grow in seeing your freedom from sin and freedom in relationship with God this week?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times when we have rebelled against you and mistreated you. Thank you for the assurance of forgiveness and help us to constantly be awed by your love and mercy. Amen.
GOING DEEPER
On Your Frontline This Week: What type of pressures are the people around you facing? How can you listen more intently and pray more intentionally this week?
Listen, Wat...