April 11-12, 2020

Isaiah | Part 9Good Morning Redemption!

Some housekeeping for you:

• Small Group Hub: We are updating the hub throughout the week. We are uploading a weekly video from Pastor Paul on Saturdays and extra video content on Wednesdays.

• Don’t answer all the questions: Pick and choose what questions will land in your group. In fact, the best thing you can do is use these questions as jumping off points and write your own. You might even add other passages that complement what is written below.

• Attendance: Thanks so much for keeping your group roster updated and taking attendance. It really partners with us to know who is active at HDC.

Any Questions: Please email smallgroups@highdesertchurch.com or talk to your campus point person.

Without the resurrection our faith is futile.

MAIN POINT

Leader Notes

1. What was one thing from this year’s Easter message that hit you in a different way?

2. How has not being able to meet together for church services had an impact on your Christian walk (either negatively or positively)? Are there any personally meaningful memories involving Good Friday or Easter that you can share to encourage your small group?

Perhaps some of the folks in your group were baptized on Easter in the past. Maybe someone prayed to receive Christ, or had an oikos member that they invited submit their life to Christ. Good Friday and Easter are all about remembrance, take some time to rejoice not only over the death and resurrection of Jesus, but over the new life we have found in Him.

Read Isaiah 53:9-12.

3. According to verse 10, who chose to make the Servant suffer? Why did God want His Servant to endure such terrible things? What does this indicate about God’s love? How does this affect your view of God’s will and suffering?

Verse 10 looks at Jesus’ death from God’s standpoint. God sent His Son because there was no other way for us to be forgiven and have fellowship with Him. The death of Jesus Christ was a restitution offering—an offering for sin. (See Lev. 5:1-19 for Old Testament examples.) Jesus paid the price for sin, and releases believers from the debt incurred by sin. Jesus Christ knew He fulfilled the mission the Father gave to Him (John 19:30).

This verse not only promises that the Suffering Servant will “see” again, but it also is an affirmation that the work that He accomplishes will accomplish something lasting. Over the past several weeks of the study of Isaiah, Pastor Tom has reminded us of 2 Corinthians 5:21. This verse proclaims that Jesus took our place and became as one sinful, punishable by death, in order that in Him we would become the righteousness of God. Jesus’ work on the cross prospers when His church is living out His righteousness. When we are loving the Lord and others in an appropriate way we are making the work of the Lord prosper.

4. Verse 11 tells us that after the servant has suffered he will be satisfied. How is that possible? What does that mean? Read 1 Peter 2:23-25. How does this help answer this question?

It is out of that hardship that the victory is won. The second half of the verse points to the fact that by this self-sacrifice the Servant will justify many. This is a common term used in the New Testament. It means to bring to right standing, in this case bringing sins in right standing before God. This may be what the author was pointing to when he says the Servant will be satisfied by

what His suffering will accomplish. The question for us is, is His justification having its proper effect on our lives?

1 Peter 2 talks about how Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father, how He died so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. His sacrifice was to bring about healing for our sake. He was the means by which we can regain an appropriate understanding of how to live under the guidance of the Lord. Jesus did not bare our sin simply to free us from sin’s penalty, like a shepherd He suffered for our sake so that we can come into the fold and live within the oversight of our true Shepherd. It brings satisfaction to the Lord when we live under His direction. He provided the means of healing, the way of living, and the example of faith for us.

5. Read Isaiah 53:12 and Philippians 2: 6-11. How does this 1st Century hymn relate to what is written in Isaiah 53:12? What does it look like to make Jesus great in our lives? Share some ideas about how to do that in the middle of social distancing.

Verse 12 talks about giving the Servant a portion among the great, a Hebrew way of saying He will be put in a high position. In Philippians 2 this great hymn sums up the meaning of this verse so well. Jesus came to earth and lived among us, then died on our behalf, and as a result He is lifted up and given a name above all names. Notice that it is this humble act of obedience to the Father that is the basis for His exaltation. It was through the resurrection that Jesus was vindicated by the Lord, as He did not deserve to die. It was through His death that we are vindicated by the Lord and thus He is rightly given the most prominent position among humanity. As Christians we are testifying that this is what we want; we want Jesus to be exalted. Encourage your group to think this trough, not just acknowledge that it is true. What does it mean for our daily lives and our oikos.

Read Luke 24:10-12

6. How did Peter react to the news that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty? Why do you think he was the one to run to the tomb?

7. Why is it hard to trust God when our plans don’t match up with His plan? How can we marvel as Peter did when we experience and better understand God’s plan?

Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-26.

8. Tom spoke of several implications that would be our reality if there was no resurrection. Go through this passage and identify some of the implications together. Which ones are the most devastating to you?

Here are some of the implications that Tom mentioned:

• Our faith is futile. • We are still hopelessly lost. • The hope we have for our loved ones, you know, the ones we’ve always said are “in a

better place,” yeah, those people aren’t in Heaven. • We are misleading others to place their hope in something that isn’t real. • And all of us who are fixed to our screens today singing and worshipping a God we

thought was legit? We might as well be playing Fortnight, because this is all for nothing. • In fact, Paul said, we are simply pitiful, if Jesus wasn’t raised bodily from the grave.

The resurrection is the central Christian doctrine. It is the hinge that pivots not only the history of our faith, but the future of our faith. It is the basis for having a changed life now, of us being a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is what gives us hope in the midst of suffering and the death of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and motivation to share with those in our oikos that may not have put their trust in the Lord yet.

As the leader in your group, spend some time identifying some of the things that would change about your perspective of what it means to be a Christian if there was no promise of resurrection. Evaluate with the group how sometimes we get caught up in living as if there isn’t a resurrection. It is one thing to say we believe something, it is another to put our faith in it and live in a new way because of it. Confidence in our future resurrection is one of the most impactful witnesses to our oikos. If you live in such a way that you are confident of your future, it will have a visible presence in your attitudes and perspectives in your daily life.

9. In verse 19 Paul writes, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most pitied.” How does this help you think through the ultimate confidence we have in resurrection? How does this provide perspective in the middle of a global pandemic? How does hope for life after death change the way you live daily, or does it?

Most often in church services we are looking for something that we can take and apply to our lives right now. Some new perspective that is going to help us get along better with our spouse, coworkers, or kids. A way to not live in anxiety and worry. A way to live a life of contentment. Then we read these verses. It reminds us that if all we want is our best life now, then we are to be pitied. This was written to people in the first century who would encounter great suffering because of their faith in Christ. So, this was intended to encourage them that this life is not the most important one we have. In the words of one theologian, “It is the life after life after death.” (N.T. Wright).

When we place our faith in Christ, then we are given life after death, the penalty of sin is removed and we will not be condemned to eternal death. While we will not be condemned, we still will die, but then we will be raised, and this is the great hope of the Christian life. It is secure and should help us live a life of supernatural resolve even when the circumstances of life are difficult.

10. Pastor Tom said, “God’s will, as revealed in His Word, is the only thing that ultimately prospers. And people who align with His will, as revealed in His Word, are the only people who ultimately prosper.” What are some areas in your life right now that you can say are aligned with God’s will? What are some areas in your life that are not aligned with His will revealed in His Word?

Leaders, remember the intent of questions like this are not to make us feel guilty or godly. These questions are intended to help us learn how to submit all things to the Lord and the faith that he has inspired in us. Be careful not to belittle or demean anyone’s confession, but challenge yourself and your members with what it means to live by faith not just confess by faith. The goal of the Christian life in not to just recognize where God wants us to be, as revealed in his Word. The goal is to make movement towards Christ by putting into real life action the things we believe.

11. What is something that you can do this week to live in the reality of Christ’s resurrection? How sure are you that you will be found in Christ and raised with Him (Philippians 3:10-11)?

This is a great opportunity to provide an opportunity for any non-Christians in your group to come to grips with their final destination. It is also an opportunity to encourage believers to spend some time praising the Lord for resurrection.