Going through the Motions

Intro

Group Question 1

Question:

How was your time over Christmas or Winter Break? What did you do? What was your favorite gift? Any funny stories?

Context of Isaiah

If you’ve attended PV much on Sunday mornings over the past year you’ve heard the pastoral staff take us through the book of Romans, arguably the clearly exposition of the Gospel in the New Testament. This semester in Twenty-Somethings, we’re going to be taking a look at the clearest exposition of the Gospel in the Old Testament.

We can often think of the Gospel as confined to the New Testament and in one sense that’s true. Until Jesus takes on flesh as the God-man, lives a perfect life totally fulfilling the law, dies on the cross for our sins aa He takes on the just wrath and punishment of God that we deserved, and raises from the dead on the 3rd day, the full Gospel is not revealed.

But to think the Gospel isn’t found in some way in the Old Testament would be wrong. In fact, signs and seeds of the Gospel can be seen all over the Old Testament, even as far back as Genesis 3:15.

Believe it or not, salvation in the Old Testament comes in the exact same way as in the New Testament. Albeit with less clarity, but it happens in the same way. Whether it’s now, or 3000 years ago, you are saved when you repent of your sins and put your faith in God that He is mighty to save. The only difference is that we have more clarity now of just exactly how God saves us.

The Gospel is so clear in Isaiah that the book has actually been nicknamed “The Fifth Gospel.”

To further the point even more, Isaiah name even points to the Gospel. In Hebrew, his name literally means “Yahweh is salvation” or “Salvation is YahWeh’s alone.”

Before we can actually dive into Isaiah, we need to learn a little bit about the context of the book.

Isaiah's ministry started in the year that King Uzziah died, so roughly 740 B.C. His ministry and the book as a whole extend forward until about 681 B.C.

After the split of the nations

Judah has just been attacked by the Assyrians

Read Isaiah 1:1-15

Sin and Going Through the Motions

Initial observations

The only reason Judah still exists is because God upheld them (v9)

He compares them to Sodom and gomorrah which is a big deal.

God is rejecting the very things he told them to do.

“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! "What to me is the multitude of your worship services? says the Lord; I have had enough of your songs and sermons; I do not delight in your thoughtless worship or your people-pleasing sermons. "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain worship; your singing is an abomination to me. Your tithes and your hand-raising in worship and your prayers— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your songs and your sermons my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:10-15

Group Question 2

What does it look like when you’re just going through the motions? How does it feel? How can you know if you might be going through the motions? How can you sin in worship?

Sin and Going Through the Motions Part 2

It is only obedience if there is faith behind it. It is why works based religion doesn’t work

Signs That You Might Be Going Through the Motions

Can’t worship because you don’t like the song

First application of the sermon is always about you.

Secret sin that

Busyness and no time for the word

No active desire to really change

Worship is a Gift From God

God gave us worship because He knows it is a means to our joy. Our highest joy is glorifying God. How twisted is it if we turn that gift into a time for self-idolatry?

Group Question 3

What have you done in the past, if anything, to help you get out of the rut of going through the motions?

God’s grace and response.

Isaiah 1:16-20 Notice what God says here. He doesn’t say that we can just snap our fingers and it will all be better. No, He tells them to do something about it. <Finish thought>

Have you ever considered the fact that God might hate your worship?

What would it look like if this year committed to regularly attending worship, getting involved in community if we’re not already, reading our bibles every day, working on our prayer lives, or to serving regularly?

Our identities should not be rooted in our temptations.

This would be like God saying don’t go to worship anymore. When you worship, is your first thought about God or yourself? When you listen to a sermon is your first thought about God or so you just listen to make yourself feel better? “Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! "What to me is the multitude of your worship services? says the Lord; I have had enough of your songs and sermons; I do not delight in your thoughtless worship or your people-pleasing sermons. "When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain worship; your singing is an abomination to me. Your tithes and your hand-raising in worship and your prayers— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your songs and your sermons my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:10-15

Pray