The Invitation is Inclusive, Isaiah 55

Well, this week you’ll have to decide between teaching an outline of the final 12 chapters of Isaiah (55 thru 66), or focus on Isaiah 55:1-13 and leave the rest for another day. For Isaiah 55, the LifeWay lesson title is “The Invitation is Inclusive”.

We have studied the same focal passage on May 14, 2006 (starting in a blog entry called A special for sure. Click the “Newer Post” link on the bottom, left side of each post to advance to the next day’s post).

Without modification, I posted my PPT slides for that lesson: “Accept God’s Free Offer”. May they be a blessing to you this week as you prepare.

PPT slides for "The Lord is Compassionate", Isaiah 54

After studying and praying a little more this morning, I’ve posted my final PPT slides for “The Lord is Compassionate”. As I play the slides, I will have my Bible opened to Isaiah 54 and work thru the verses along with the class. I pray that your walk with the Lord will be such that you recognize and consciously thank Him for every blessing He gives.

Seeing ahead

Isaiah wrote in Chapter 54 of things that would not come to pass for more than a hundred years and beyond. The people of Judah could see no evidence of what Isaiah prophesied.

This reminded me of when I once hiked a trail on a dark night using a flashlight. Everything outside the beam of the light was invisible to me. There was no evidence of a trail, for example, beyond the light where I could see. I had no idea what was ahead. Nevertheless, I pushed on and eventually made it to the camping spot.

The Lord is not visible to us moment-by-moment as we walk the trail of life (He is “outside the light” where we can see). So we tend to put him out-of-mind and live absent-mindedly of Him. However, His Word is "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Using it I can see the blessings ahead. As Bible teachers we want to help class members use the Word like a flashlight and see God's glorious future for believers. I updated my slides again today.

A picture for each verse

The language in Isaiah 54 is very picturesque, and suggests teaching it by showing a picture along with each verse. This strategy is reflected in my updated slides for “The Lord is Compassionate”. They’re not final yet, so I appreciate any picture suggestions you have! Post a link as a comment.

Making the most of time

I don’t know how you prepare, but God works on me throughout the week as I study to prepare exactly what He wants me to say. I thought I’d start this week with a draft of my PPT slides for “The Lord is Compassionate”, and then update them as I continue studying the rest of the week.

This makes the most of my time since I will continually update the presentation as I study rather than save up notes and try to produce the slides all in one sitting.

The Lord is Compassionate, Isaiah 54:1-17

I read the material for “The Lord is Compassionate,” our lesson this week from Isaiah 54:1-17. The life impact of the lesson is “to help adults maintain a close fellowship with the Lord.” A Christian’s positional fellowship with the Lord is guaranteed, so instead of the idea of closeness, I suggest you consider the idea of “conscious fellowship with the Lord.” See 1 John 1:5-2:2 and think about what it means to live in conscious fellowship with the Lord versus "walking in darkness," or living unconscious of God in your life.

With this in mind, have you had an absent-minded driving experience where you suddenly become aware that you are further down the road than you thought, and you realize you've been driving unconsciously? Relate this to living in conscious fellowship with God. As a help to maintain interest, share parts of a story on how absent-minded drivers take their toll.

Outside the box

I read a lesson plan for “The Lord is at Work” from Scott Susong of Second Baptist, Houston. His theme is that God operates outside the box in which we place Him. He closes with the story of Charles Spurgeon’s salvation experience, which occurred during a brief sermon from Isaiah 45.

More recently, here is a link to a news story in which a young woman mentions the Lord's working in the lives of her and her fiancé. I call it to your attention because sharing portions of it (eg. her getting a wedding dress) might help you stimulate interest in your lesson, and generate interaction with members on how God is working unexpectedly in their lives.

What can we learn about God

The focal passage Isaiah 45:1-7, 9-13 is replete with the idea of knowing the LORD God and who He is. One way to teach this passage is to read a verse. Then ask members what the verse teaches about God. Develop a list of the attributes of God as you progress thru the verses. Finally, ask members in light of what they’ve learned about God, what change would they like to make in their lives. End by praying about these requests.

Otherwise, consider using Jeff Meyer’s lesson plan for “The Lord is at Work.”

The Lord is at Work, Isaiah 40:1-48:22

We return to Isaiah this week with a lesson called, “The Lord is at Work,” based on Isaiah 40:1-48:22. As an opening for the lesson, consider using the concept of “behind the scenes” and read selected portions of this article, “Kevin Galuski Jr.: The Man Behind the Scenes.” You might say, God worked behind the scenes to achieve His purposes. The unspiritual cannot see God at work. However, believers do perceive the Lord’s presence, power, and sovereignty.

The Lord is Alive, Matthew 28:1-17

I won’t blog about this week’s lesson, “The Lord is Alive,” since Champion Forest Baptist Church will not have Bible Study classes.

If I come across some lesson plan's, I'll post those, however.

Other lesson plans

From Second Baptist Houston: Kelly Kiinto’s lesson plan for The Sacrifice is Sufficient (Isaiah 53) has a compelling opening. She likens prophecy to the brush strokes of an artist, and notes that only over time do we began to see what the artist had in mind.

From Bayleaf Baptist: Jeff Meyer’s lesson plan for The Sacrifice is Sufficient suggest a great teaching idea for a class exercise that gets members into reading their Bibles in class.

Let me know if you have a lesson plan you'd like me to link to!

The Sacrifice is Sufficient

I liked Dan Kassis, Internet Producer at LifeWay, Teaching Insights email illustration to use the notion of debt collector calls he is getting on a new phone number. Essentially he related these debtor calls for bills that cannot be paid to a person’s sinful condition before a righteous God.

We last taught Isaiah 53 on May 7, 2006 in a lesson called, “Recognize God’s Ways”. One of the blog posts from that time may be helpful to you, or this one.

I don’t know Gary Goodworth, but he makes a point about prophecy not being taught today that is interesting. You might want to comment on it?