International Sunday School Lesson January 8, 2023 Winter Quarter #6

Isaiah 43:1-4 ESV  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  (2)  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  (3)  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.  (4)  Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:1-4 ESV 

Isaiah 43:10-12 ESV  “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.  (11)  I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.  (12)  I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God.

Isaiah 43:10-12 ESV 

Notes

Background

• A stern rebuke precedes this section of scripture. Isa_42:18-25.
• The prophet addresses himself to Israel in its present state of blindness and wretchedness. He calls on the exiles to reflect on all that they have suffered at the hand of their God, and to recognize in it the effect of their obduracy and unfaithfulness to their calling, their misuse of religious privileges, and their positive transgressions of the law of Jehovah.

Fear Not — Isaiah 43:1-2 ESV 

• His Workmanship — Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  (9)  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  (10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
• Never leave us or forsake us — Hebrews 13:5 ESV  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Fear Incapacitates – 10 spies

Precious in My Eyes — Isaiah 43:3-4 ESV 

• The saved are precious in his sight — 1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  (10)  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
• Special relationship with the Jews — Psalms 135:4 ESV  For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his own possession.

You are My Witnesses — Isaiah 43:10 ESV 

• Acts 1:8 ESV  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
• God the Creator — John 1:1-3 ESV  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (2)  He was in the beginning with God.  (3)  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

I am God — Isaiah 43:11-12 ESV 

• 1 John 4:14-15 ESV  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  (15)  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
• The Shema Prayer — Deuteronomy 6:4 ESV  “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

International Sunday School January 1 2023 Winter Quarter #5

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 ESV  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.  (13)  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,  (14)  if 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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  (15)  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.  (16)  For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.  (17)  And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules,  (18)  then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’  (19)  “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,  (20)  then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.  (21)  And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’  (22)  Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

2 Chronicles 7:12-22 ESV

International Sunday School Lesson #4 December 25 2022

Luke 1:46-55 ESV  And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,  (47)  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  (48)  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  (49)  for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  (50)  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  (51)  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;  (52)  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;  (53)  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.  (54)  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,  (55)  as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Luke 1:46-55 ESV

International Sunday School Lesson December 18 2022 Winter #3

Luke 3:2-6 ESV  during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  (3)  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  (4)  As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.  (5)  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways,  (6)  and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Luke 3:2-6 ESV

Luke 3:15-18 ESV  As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,  (16)  John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  (17)  His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”  (18)  So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

Luke 3:15-18 ESV

Notes

Background

• John and Jesus were born and grew up
• They do not appear to have met
• John 1:31 (ESV) I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
• About a 10 hour walk between their homes

John’s Call — Luke 3:2-3

• JFB Annas and Caiaphas … high priests — the former, though deposed, retained much of his influence, and, probably, as sagan or deputy, exercised much of the power of the high priesthood along with Caiaphas (Joh 18:13; Act 4:6)
• Matthew 11:9-13 (ESV) What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ [11] Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. [12] From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. [13] For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,

Prophesied — Luke 3:4-6

Is He Christ? — Luke 3:15

• John 3:28-29 (ESV) You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ [29] The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

Point to Jesus — Luke 3:16-17

• Acts 1:5 (ESV) for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Good News — Luke 3:18

• Dake lists the 30 doctrines that John preached in his notes in Matthew 3:1
• Romans 10:15 (ESV) And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

International Sunday School Lesson December 11 2022 Winter Quarter #2

Luke 1:57-66 ESV  Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.  (58)  And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.  (59)  And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,  (60)  but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”  (61)  And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”  (62)  And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.  (63)  And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.  (64)  And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.  (65)  And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,  (66)  and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

Luke 1:57-66 ESV

Luke 1:76-79 ESV  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,  (77)  to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,  (78)  because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high  (79)  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Luke 1:76-79 ESV 

Notes

Background

• Continuation of the story of Zachariah.
• The birth of John was promised.
• Zachariah did not believe.
• Zachariah was made mute

John Born — Luke 1:57-58

• Luke 1:13-14 (ESV) But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14] And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

Circumcise – Luke 1:59-60

• Dake It was customary to name children when they were circumcised. The rabbis said that this was because the names of Abram and Sarai were changed when God instituted circumcision (Gen 17:1-27).

His Name is John — Luke 1:61-63

• Barnes — A writing table – The table denoted by this word was usually made of wood and covered with wax. The ancients used to write on such tables, as they had not the use of paper. The instrument used for writing was an iron pen or style, by which they marked on the wax which covered the table. Sometimes the writing-table was made entirely of lead.

Zachariah Speaks — Luke 1:64

• Isaiah 12:1-2 ESV You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. (2) “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
• Daniel 4:34-37 ESV At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; (35) all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (36) At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. (37) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Hand of the Lord Upon Him — Luke 1:65-66

• Fear but also leaning to respectful
• fob’-os — From a primary φέβομαι phebomai (to be put in fear); alarm or fright: – be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.

Prepare His Ways — Luke 1:76-77

• The skipped verses are the start of Zachariah’s praise and prophecy. We are taking it up in the middle of his praising.
• John was a prophet in both dimensions
  Adam Clark — And thou, child, etc. – Zacharias proclaims the dignity, employment, doctrine, and success of his son; and the ruin and recovery of the Jews and the Gentiles. His dignity. Thou shalt be called (constituted) a prophet of the Most High. Prophet has two acceptations: – 1st. A person who foretells future events; and; 2dly. A teacher of men in the things of God, 1Co_14:3.
• John 1:29-34 ESV The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (30) This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ (31) I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” (32) And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. (33) I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ (34) And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Guide our Feet — Luke 1:78-79

• Luke 1:78 KJV Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
• anatolē an-at-ol-ay’ From G393; a rising of light, that is, dawn (figuratively); by implication the east (also in plural): – dayspring, east, rising.