Enemy No Longer

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April 8, 2007 - Isaiah 65:17-25

Open It

  1. What, in your opinion, enables a person to reach old age in contentment?

  2. What was the most unforgettable weeping you've ever heard?

  3. How long would you like to live?

Explore It

  1. What did God, speaking through Isaiah, promise to create? (65:17)

  2. What will happen to the memory of the past? (65:17-18)

  3. When God rejoices over Jerusalem, what will be eliminated from it forever? (65:19)

  4. How will premature death be redefined when God redeems His people? (65:20)

  5. In contrast to invasion and exile in Isaiah's time, what security will be enjoyed by the people God blesses? (65:21-23)

  6. How will the nature of child-bearing and work be different in the new earth? (65:23)

  7. When does God promise to hear and answer His people? (65:24)

  8. How will the relationships within the natural world reflect the peace of God's presence? (65:25)

  9. What will be totally absent from God's holy mountain? (65:25)

Get It

  1. How does this prophecy of Isaiah reinforce the idea that the blessings we receive are not dependent on us?

  2. What are some examples of sin's taint on our present world, necessitating the creation of a new earth?

  3. In what sense is violence an illustration of sin's far-reaching effects?

  4. How can a premature death indicate the sinfulness of this world?

  5. What sorts of experiences in life would we rather not remember?

  6. When has God provided for you before you even asked?

Apply It

  1. What promise can encourage you the next time you feel that you've worked or labored in vain?

  2. In what concrete way can you bring God's peace to those around you in the next few days?

Notes

Isaiah 65:17-25: In Isaiah 65:17-19 we have a pictorial description of the new heavens and the new earth. They are eternal, and in them safety, peace, and plenty will be available to all (see also Isaiah 66:22-23; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1). Isaiah 65:20-25 may refer to the reign of Christ on earth because sin and death have not yet been finally destroyed.

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