GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 9:1-10:4

Theme                  : The God-man Jesus

Future Deliverance through Messiah (1-7). Even though Judah will be in anguish because of God’s judgment on account of their sins, in the end times, she will blossom because the Messiah will be born and minister in Galilee (Matt. 4:15-16). This Messiah will deliver them from the end times King of Assyria when He returns, like in the day of Midian (Is. 10:26, Judges 8:25, Micah 5:2-6). This Messiah will be, astonishingly, both human and God. Jesus is the promised Davidic King who will forever rule the world (2 Sam. 7:13).

Humbling of Arrogant Israel (8-21). In the meantime, God promises to punish the gross pride and sins of Israel, the northern kingdom. The whole society is full of injustice, bloodshed, greed, oppression, and lies. Even the lowly are wicked. Then all that they have lived for—money, will be useless to them when they are dead or enslaved. This warning against Israel serves also as a warning to Judah, the southern kingdom, not to follow Israel’s idolatry and destruction.

Praying the Scripture

1. When we see God’s harsh judgment against Israel, we must understand that God has no pleasure in seeing sinners judged (Eze. 18:23), but it does vindicate His justice. Also, God puts an end to these sinners because He is grieved by their gross sins and mistreatment of each other; therefore God removes them from earth so that they cannot cause more grief to others and to God (Gen. 6:6). God is intrinsically love, He is not intrinsically angry. He is only wrathful in response to our sins, which He has kindly offered to remove through Jesus. Praise be His name!

2. Even though the Jews reject Jesus, they have faithfully passed down God’s word about the deity of the Messiah. God has made sure that they do this. The OT is truly not created by the Jews or man, it is from God. We can trust it with 100% certainty. Praise God for His word and for Jesus who humbled himself and died on the cross and resurrected for us. May we look forward to His imminent return.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 8

Theme                  : King of Assyria as Type of Antichrist 

Assyria Invades Damascus and Samaria (1-4). God gives another sign to Judah that reveals God will soon use Assyria to destroy Damascus and Samaria. This sign is Isaiah’s child. This child is not the child of 7:14 since Isaiah’s wife was not a virgin (7:3). This child is a sign for the immediate future.

End Times Assyria Invades Israel (5-10). Ahaz did not listen to the Lord to trust in Him alone, but he did great evil by making an alliance with Assyria and worshipping idols of Assyria (2 Kgs 16:5-15). He even sacrificed his sons to idols (2 Chron. 28:3). Therefore, God will punish Judah in the end times by bringing the end times antichrist from the land of Assyria to attack Judah, the land of Immanuel (7-8). In the end times, Judah will again trust in human alliance for protection, instead of trusting God alone and worshipping Him alone. Judah will trust in the antichrist for protection instead of God alone, as it had trusted in the king of Assyria (Is. 10:20, 28:18, Dan. 9:27). History will repeat itself. But Jesus will deliver the Jews from the end times king of Assyria (Is. 9:4-6; Micah 5:2-6). In the meantime, God will punish Judah by letting Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attack Judah but it will be miraculously delivered (2 Kgs. 19:35). Ironically, the very source of Judah’s idolatry (Assyria) is the very source of their trouble (Assyria). This will also be true in the end times.

Idolatry of Judah (11-22). Even with all the troubles that is a result of their idolatry, Judah will continue to rebel against God. When God punishes them, instead of being humbled, they will curse God, so God will thrust them from darkness into thick darkness. Sadly, the end result will be even worse.

Praying the Scripture

1. When we forsake God by trusting in men, we sin against God. The result will be shameful and tragic. Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord.” In this anti-God world, there will be many oppositions against God, we need to ask God to strengthen our trust in Him. Do not seek men’s approval above God’s, even when sinful people ridicule us. God will vindicate. Do not compromise your faith in God as revealed in the Bible. Pray that you will fear God more than men, that leads you to seek His approval more than men, to be more in awe of God than men, and to love God more than men (Deut. 10:12). This is the type of fear that God wants from us. Pray that God will give you this kind of fear, not the kind of fear that drives you away from Him.

2. History will repeat itself because human sinful nature does not change. Israel will continue to sin against God until the end times. We see this happening now. The end of all things in this world is near. Christ will return soon. God has miraculously resurrected the nation of Israel after 2,000 years. Israel is now surrounded by hostile nations that occupy the ancient land of Assyria. It will not be long when Jesus raptures the church and nations surrounding Israel will attack Israel. Israel is strong militarily now and relies on their own strength for protection, just as the Jews of Isaiah’s day did. But again, they will soon find out ultimate peace and protection is from the Prince of Peace. Pray that we will love Jews and their neighbours, and also seek to evangelize them because God loves them and seeks to restore the lost. He afflicts them so that He may heal them (Is. 19:22), just as a father spanks his children in order to correct them.

经文：以赛亚书 8

主题：亚述王位敌基督类

亚述侵入大马士革与撒玛利亚（1-4）。神又给犹大一个迹象，启示神不久后就会使用亚述毁灭大马士革和撒玛利亚。这个迹象便是以赛亚的孩子。这孩子并非7:14所言的，因为以赛亚之妻不是童女（7:3）。这孩子预兆的是不久后将发生的事。

末日的亚述将占领以色列（5-10）。亚哈斯不听劝诫，不愿单一信靠神，乃与亚述联盟，拜亚述偶像，从而行大恶（王下16:5-15）。他甚至为偶像牺牲了自己的儿子（代下28:3）。因此，神在末日必要惩罚犹大，从亚述兴起敌基督的攻击以马内利之地（7-8节）。末日时，犹大将再次与人结盟作庇护，而不是像信靠亚述王一样仅仅投奔神的保护（10:20, 28:18；但9:27）。历史必将重演。然而，耶稣会在末日搭救犹太人脱离亚述王之手（9:4-6；弥5:2-6）。与此同时，神会惩罚犹大，让亚述王西拿基立攻击她，但将奇迹般地施行拯救（王下19:35）。讽刺的是，犹大的偶像亚述就是他们祸害的来源。这在末日时也是如此。

犹大的偶像（11-22）。即便面临拜偶像所带来的一切祸害，犹大仍会继续悖逆神。当神惩罚他们时，他们不但不谦卑，反倒咒骂神，所以神会把他们赶入乌黑的黑暗中去。可悲的是，后果会更糟。

用经文祷告

1. 当我们相信人离弃神时，我们便得罪了神；后果将是可悲、可耻的。耶利米书17:5说：“耶和华如此说：‘倚靠人血肉的膀臂，心中离弃耶和华的，那人有祸了！’”在这敌神的世界里，许多人会与神对抗，所有我们要求神坚固我们对祂的信心。即便面对罪人的耻笑，我们也万不能看人的赏识过于神的。如圣经启示的一样，我们不能在信心里妥协。祈求神使你对祂的敬畏高过你对人的惧怕，而这能叫你看神的赏识过于人的，叫你更敬畏神，爱神过于人（申10:12）。神要我们怀这种心态。祈求神能赐予你这颗敬畏祂的心，不叫你因惧怕远离祂。

2. 历史会重演，因为败坏的人性永不改变。以色列会继续向神犯罪，直到末了；我们至今就能看见。万事的末了已近。基督即将归来。神在多达两千年后已奇迹般地复兴以色列国，而她如今被处在古亚述地之上的敌国包围。再过不久，耶稣就要提起教会，而包围以色列的国家将攻击以色列。以色列如今军事强大，依靠自己的力量展开自卫，就如以赛亚当代的犹太人一样。然后，他们会再次发现最终的平安和保障是由那位和平之君所赐。祈求我们会爱犹太人与他们的邻舍，并试着向他们传福音，因为神也爱他们，想寻回失丧者。神管教以色列，叫祂能医治他们（19:22），犹如父亲鞭打孩子一样，为的是纠正他们。

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 7

Theme                  : Virgin Birth of Jesus

Exhortation to Faith (1-9)

Sign for Lack of Faith (10-17).

Praying the Scripture

1. Faith in God means faithfulness and commitment to God. Faith is not a magical phrase one says in order to avoid God’s punishment. Faith is trusting God for salvation and committing yourself to His lordship (Col. 2:6). The problem with seeker-sensitive and charismatic churches is that they have deceived people into thinking God is a cosmic therapist whose job is to cure all your problems: from bad marriages to bad jobs. All you need to do is show some respect to Him and do some nice things for Him so He will do some nice things for you. This is not faith, but bargaining with God and salvation by works. Faith is trusting God for your salvation, forsaking your self-worship, and committing yourselves to Him no matter how tough life is because you know He loves you and will give you grace to fight your daily battles against sin.

2. It is very unnatural to think that God would take on human flesh. This is stunning and hard to believe. This is why we need faith because we cannot rely on our own wisdom to understand ultimate reality, we need God’s revelation. We can trust in His revelation because of amazing fulfilled prophecies and He also created the world. Praise God for His amazing mercy in sending Jesus to die for our sins and giving us a glorious new world. In Him, we are complete, full, and satisfied (Col. 2:10).

3. It is also unnatural to think that one day Jesus will suddenly burst forth from the sky and forever change this world. It takes faith to accept it, not by our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). This faith is not blind, but is grounded in the proven fulfillment of God’s prophecies in the Bible (Zech. 12:10). Because this faith is unnatural, it needs to be cultivated by praying to God for help, by immersing yourself in the Bible, and by growing in your love for God through Jesus.

经文：以赛亚书7

主题：由童女而生的耶稣

信靠神的劝诫（1-9）。

缺乏信心的兆头（10-17）。

用经文祷告

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 6

Theme                  : Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord

Sin in Light of Holiness (1-7). Isaiah thought he was a good person, especially in light of all the wicked people around him. But when he saw the perfection of God, he realized his sinfulness and knew that he deserved not God’s commendation, but God’s judgment. Just as blemishes on your skin is hard to see in the dark but easy to detect in the light, so sin is also hard to see when comparing to other sinners in this dark world, but easy to detect in light of God’s perfect character as reflected in His law. The Law of God humbled Isaiah and he humbly asked for forgiveness and God graciously washed away his guilt. The burning coal symbolizes Jesus who will take away the guilt of repentant and humble people.

Obedience in Light of Forgiveness (8-13). After Isaiah’s guilt was washed away, he desired to serve God by being His messenger. The message to the Jews is not a pleasant one, it is a message of judgment on their sins. Because they persistently rejected God’s clear messenger to correct them, and even taunted God, God will judge them by giving them over to their sins and by hardening their hearts. This hardening does not mean the Jews had wanted to seek God but God hardened their heart so that they won’t seek Him. They were hard-hearted already, this hardening is God’s judicious punishment on their hard hearts. God hides from them (8:17). Jesus uses this same type of judicious punishment on the Pharisees who persistently rejected Jesus’ clear message and even tried to kill Him (Mark 4:12). Because of their great sins, God’s eternal punishment has been decreed on these people, even before they die (kind of like the unforgiveable sin in Matt. 12:31). God prophesizes that He will hide from the Jews until the end times when their cities will be wasted by invading armies (Zech 14:2). When that time comes, God will pour out His Spirit and graciously save the Jewish nation (Zech. 12:10).

Praying the Scripture

1. If a person still believes she is a good person, then she must be humbled by the law of God. Without such humility she cannot embrace Jesus with thankfulness. When we share the gospel we need to humble proud people with the law first before giving them the message of forgiveness of sin in Jesus. Pray that God will humble unbelievers through the law and open their hearts to embrace Jesus on account of His love.

2. To have faith in God is to be committed to Him as your Lord, Master, King. One cannot receive Jesus as a savior but not as Lord. Faith in God means commitment to God. This commitment will naturally result in obedience and service to God. Of course, our obedience does not save us because we can never be perfect or pay our fine with good work, just as a murderer cannot pay his death sentence with some good work. Our obedience can never save us, it is our faith in Jesus’ perfect righteousness for us that saves us. Faith leads us to walk on the path of God, and away the path of sin. Even though we are imperfect, often trip, fall or veer to the left or right, but our faith in God will always correct our waywardness by leading us back to the cross for forgiveness and for strength to love Him, hate sin, and serve God on account of Jesus.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 5

Theme                  : Woe to Israel, God’s Vineyard

Israel as Vineyard (1-7). Most likely this is God the father speaking to God the son about the Son’s vineyard. The Father has done all that is expected of a vinedresser, but the vineyard did not produce fruit. So God asks Israel what He should do to it. Naturally, they would all say, tear it down. So God agrees with them and reveals that the vineyard is Israel (cf. 2 Sam. 12:7). God has brought Israel to the promised land and cultivated it, but instead of producing righteousness, Israel produces outcries of injustice and bloodshed. So God will tear them down.

Woe to Israel (8-23). God pronounces woes/judgments on Israel with sadness (cf. Luke 19:41-44). The Jews were kiasu in regards to drinking alcohol, doing wickedness and stealing. They taunt God by saying where is His judgment so that they can see it and believe Him. They did the same to Jesus when He was on the cross (Matt. 27:42).

Judgment on Israel (24-30). This judgment on Israel is referring to God’s ultimate judgment in the end times when He will bring the nations to attack Israel for their sins. In the end times, God will unleash His full wrath on Israel and the world for their gross sins and then completely take away the sins of Israel and the world. In the meantime, before this ultimate judgment in the end times, God will punish Israel by exiling them to Babylon for their many sins. But the ultimate judgment and restoration are reserved for the end times. These smaller exiles/judgments serve as patterns of the ultimate exile/judgment in the end times (Zech. 14:2).

Praying the Scripture

1. God is angry and sorrowful over the sins of Israel and the world just as Jesus was both angry and sad toward the hard-hearted Pharisees (Mark 3:5). God is angry because He is righteous. He is sorrowful because He loves sinners. He does not want to punish them but He must punish them for their wickedness in order to satisfy His justice. When we see sins in the world, we also ought to be angry because of our love for God’s righteousness. But we also must be sad for the sinners because of our love for them. If you are always angry toward sinners, but never grieved by their sins then you are out of balance and need to grieve more and be angry less. You need to love and grieve over sinners because you do not want to see them be destroyed but to repent. But, if they do not repent, there will be a day of reckoning. You must warn people of this day. Pray that God will help you to love sinners by grieving over their sins.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 3-4

Theme                  : End Times Judgment and Restoration

Removal of Male Leadership (3:1-15). Here, God describes His judgment against Israel’s sins in the end times, which also reflects to some degree God’s looming judgment, through Assyria and Babylon, against the sins of Isaiah’s generation. God will remove key male leaders to the point where only immature, foolish, self-willed, children-like leaders will be available. The qualification for leadership will be so low that one just needs to have a cloak. The Jews are the one who will bring these punishments upon themselves (v.9). For they are oppressors of the defenseless, devouring the weak and crushing the poor. They force God to punishment righteously.

Removal of Proud Women (3:16-4:1). God will also punish the proud women of Israel. They are like the wicked Jezebel, who indulge in luxury, live for pleasure and external ornaments. God will take everything they love from them and give them the opposites: from perfume to rottenness, from nice hair to baldness, from beauty to branding (enslavement). Men will be so few as result of death, that women will fight over men for husbands to have children (unable to marry and have children were a reproach back then).

Establishment of God’s Glory (4:2-6). Again, Isaiah agrees with other prophets that in the end times, there will be a remnant in Israel whom God will save. These remnants, along with resurrected saints, will see God’s amazing glory just as Israel saw God’s glory during the first exodus. There will be complete peace and security because the Messiah will remove sin.

Praying the Scripture

1. God focuses so much on the end times in the major and minor prophets because it is in the end times that God will completely get rid of Israel’s sins (Dan. 9:24), also the sins of the world, and then commence everlasting righteousness on earth. It is also in the end times that God will fulfill His promise to crush Satan (Gen 3:15; Rev. 20:2) and give Israel permanent peace (2 Sam. 7:10). This is God’s big plan and He wants believers to understand it, hope for it, yearn for it and live for it. Pray that you will not be short-sighted, but realize you are a pilgrim on this earth. You ought to live for the everlasting righteous Messianic Kingdom by denying your sins thousands of times every day and be witnesses for Christ on this earth (2 Pet. 3:11-12). God wants us to understand and agree with Him that such glorious eternal kingdom is worth giving up temporary earthly comfort. Pray that your heart will align with God’s heart, your value with God’s value.

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 2

Theme                  : Glory and Judgment

The Awe of God’s Glory (1-5). The Jews are more in awe of their idols and the fleeing pleasures of sin than in awe of God and His glorious Messianic Kingdom. This Kingdom will be absolutely amazing. Jerusalem will be the highest mountain on earth, signifying its highest authority and glory on earth because it will be the capital of the Messiah’s Kingdom on earth (Micah 4:1). All the nations will forsake idols and worship the Messiah. No more worship of Buddha, Allah, or animals. Your neighbours will all worship Jesus. This is what Paul was referring to when he said God will reconcile all things through Him (Col. 1:20). There will be world peace, no more wars or preparation for war. Unrepentant people will forfeit such glory and weep bitterly forever.

The Awfulness of God’s Judgment (10-31). Not only will unrepentant people miss out on God’s glorious Messianic Kingdom, which is a foretaste of heaven, but they will also be judged by God during the Day of the Lord (which is not one literal day but a period of time. 7 years to be exact). It is a day when God will humble all the pride of humans. God commands in v. 22, “stop regarding man…for of what account is he?” in order to exhort people to stop trusting themselves, to stop using themselves as the standard to judge everything as if they are God, and to stop seeking ultimate approval from people.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pride is the enemy of faith. Even the apostles of Jesus struggled with it (Luke 22:27). Humility is necessary to enter heaven (Matt. 18:3). It is so important that we should treasure it and not play with the fire of pride, in all its form. We should not have self-righteous pride and we should not pursue personal pride. We ought to pursue humble serve, for God Himself is humble and this is the standard of true greatness and beauty. Pray that God will open your heart to see the greatness of humility and the shamefulness and stupidity of pride. Pursue humility and forsake pride in all its forms.

2. One of the greatest obstacle to faith is the desire to seek ultimate worth from the approval of people instead of God. One of the main reasons why Israel rebelled against God is because they wanted the approval of people more than God’s approval. Such mindset will only lead to disappointment, frustration, exhaustion, sadness, excruciating burdens and death. This is why Jesus wants us to seek His approval, not the world’s. Matt. 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Liao Zhi is a well-known earthquake survivor in China for her inspiring new life as a dancer with prosthetics legs after losing both of her legs in an earthquake that killed 69,000. She publicly and regularly testifies about God’s amazing grace in saving her physically and spiritually. She says this about her new life in Jesus, “If I live with the freedom and joy like a bird, it’s because I no longer chase the world’s praise, but enjoy God’s sweetness in my soul.” Pray that God will open your heart to see that it is more profitable to seek God’s approval rather than people.

经文：以赛亚书2

主题：荣耀与审判

神荣耀的威严（1-5）。与神的威严和祂荣耀的弥赛亚国度相比，犹太人更敬畏他们的偶像，更喜欢罪所带来的短暂享受。实际上，弥赛亚的国度将是万分之奇妙的。耶路撒冷将是世上最高的一座山；这象征她在地上至高的权威和荣耀，因为她将是弥赛亚国度在世的首都（弥4:1）。万国都会离弃偶像敬拜弥赛亚。世人不会再拜佛像、阿拉或动物了。你的邻舍全都会拜耶稣。当保罗说神会使万物都与祂和好，他指的就是这事（西1:20）。世界将有和平，再也没有战争或为争战预备的状态。不愿悔改的人则不会领受这份荣耀，永远哀声哭泣。

神审判的可怕（10-31）。不愿悔改的人不但会错过神荣耀的弥赛亚国度（天堂的预示），还会在耶和华的日子受到神的审判（指的不是一天，而是七年之久）。到那日，神将使所有眼目高傲的人谦卑。神在22节中吩咐：“ 你们休要倚靠世人……他在一切事上可算什么呢？”神劝诫人要停止信靠自己，停止用自己的标准衡量万物，以为自己是神；人要停止讨他人的喜悦，犹如那是最大的悦纳。

用经文祷告

1. 骄傲是信心之敌；连耶稣的使徒也曾与此挣扎（路22:27）。人要谦卑才能踏入天国（太18:3）。我们勿要秉持谦卑的心，不要玩弄骄傲之火，各种形态的都不能。我们不当有自义的骄傲，也不当追求个人的骄傲。我们要追求谦卑的事奉，因为神自己是谦卑的，而这是真实的伟大与荣美的标准。祈求神会开启你的心眼，叫你看见谦卑的伟大与骄傲的羞耻和愚昧。我们要追求谦卑，舍弃各种样式的骄傲。

2. 信神最大的阻碍就是最终渴望得到人的赞许，不是神的。以色列悖逆神的主要原因是想得到人的赞许，远过于神的。这种观念只会让人走入失望、挫败、疲惫、忧伤、极度的压迫和死亡中。这就是耶稣为什么要我们寻求得到祂的悦纳，不是世界的。祂在马太福音11:28-30说：“凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式，这样你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。”廖智是一名地震生还者；她的名声遍布中国，因为她曾在一场死了六万九千人的地震中失去了双腿，却能在装上假肢后勇敢地继续跳舞，令人万分敬佩。她常常公开见证神拯救她身心灵的这份奇妙恩典。她用这段话形容自己在耶稣里的新生命：“我若能像小鸟一样自由、喜乐地生活，那是因为自己不再追寻世界的赞美，而是享受神在我灵里面的甜蜜。”祈求神能敞开你的心，看见寻求神的赞许比人的来得可贵。

Scripture Reading  : Isaiah 1

Theme                  : God’s Charge against His People

Isaiah was a prophet to Judah, the southern kingdom, from the time of Uzziah to Hezekiah (ca. 739-686 B.C.). During Uzziah’s rule, Judah became strong militarily and economically. But it was in a spiritual stupor. God sends Isaiah to rebuke the unbelievers and to encourage the believers. As a nation, it never recovered from its idolatry but continued to sin. Like most prophets, Isaiah’s message is about the sin of Israel and how God will put an end to sin once and for all through the Messiah. Isaiah’s contemporaries were Micah and Hosea. Based on tradition, Isaiah was killed by the evil king Manasseh,

God’s Charge (1-9). God charges Judah with rebellion and idolatry. It is compared to Sodom and Gomorrah, the proverbial wickedness of the day. Modern equivalent would be Geylang, but 100 times worse. As result, the whole nation is sick spiritually and physically. If it were not for the grace of God, the whole nation would be completely wiped out. By God’s grace, only a remnant will survive.

God’s Offer (10-31). God offers Judah, especially the leaders, to reconcile with Him by turning away from idols (practiced under oaks and in gardens, v. 29) and empty rituals, and start worshipping Him. When they worship Him, they ought also to turn away from evil: murder, apathy toward the defenseless, lust, jealous, stealing, bribery and etc. If they do not repent, then they are God’s enemies, not part of His covenantal community.

Praying the Scripture

1. God’s law makes it clear that we are all sinners. We have all lied, stolen, hated people, lusted, been jealous, and desired idols in our heart. All these sins requires punishment from a righteous God. Sin does not just bring about the righteous punishment of God, but it causes us to be estranged from the Creator of the universe who can answer our prayers and guide us in this chaotic world. It is indeed sad to forsake God and worship idols that cannot speak. May we be faithful to bring a message about both the righteous judgment of God and the grace of God to forgive sins and to guide them in this trouble world.

2. The leaders of a spiritual community are the gatekeepers of the community. When the leaders of the Israel became corrupt, the whole nation became corrupt. This is why God heavily emphasizes the spiritual qualification of church leaders in 1 Tim. 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. Churches with spiritually corrupt leaders are doomed and will be judged by Christ. Jesus warned the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 of their sins. Let us pray that God will open the eyes of false religious leaders and followers, including prosperity gospel churches, so that they will forsake their false, evil teachings. Pray for God to vindicate His glorious name that is being slandered by these false teachers and Christians. There is a day of reckoning for the unrepentant.