Jen

In my post I forgot to type the word not after to impossible. Oops. Makes a difference God Bless Jen Romans 15:13

Q3. (Luke 1:35) What does the virgin conception teach us about Jesus' nature? How central is the doctrine of the virgin conception to the Christian message? That He would be no ordinary man, but born of the Holy Spirit, Holy sinless, pure, God Himself. It is very central. If Christ is not sinless He cannot pay the price for our sins, He must be born of the Holy Spirit and be of a virgin who never knew man. Mary carried what was put in her and only God is pure, Holy, sinless. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q2. (Isaiah 53) Which New Testament parallels to Isaiah 53 convince you that Jesus himself saw his own mission and destiny spelled out in Isaiah 53? If you aren’t convinced, what stands in your way? Thank you for some of these questions. They make me think out in words what I believe and why. Jesus whole life conformed to Isaiah 53. One incident from His early life that strikes me that Jesus saw His own mission was traveling home from Jerusalem and He was missing from His parents He said unto them "How is it that ye have sought me? knew ye not that I must go about my Fathers business?" Clearly early He grew in the knowledge of the Lord (Luke2:40), And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Luke 2:52. Favor that was fleeting. Anytime you become a threat to the authorities whether real or just jealousy you will be knowing persecution. I do like the reading of Isaiah 61:1-2A. And then He says today this has been fulfilled in your ears. What went through there minds when they said Was this not Joseph's son? For some with envy in their hearts the beginning of doubt and for others a genuine question. For us I think Isaiah 61 is a beautiful section of scripture. I am convinced He is the Messiah, my Lord and Savior. The Holy One of Israel. One more aside. I was reading in the notes at the bottom of the page in Isaiah 53:9. " God the Father delivered him into the hands of the wicked and to the powers of the world to do with him what they would". Dosen't that just send chills up you when you think of our fallen state and the dark kingdom which resides in the unredeemed. Thank you Lord for redeeming us. God Bless! Jen Psalm 91

Q2. (Luke 1:34) In what way does Mary's "How?" question (1:34) to the angel's declaration differ from Zechariah's "How?" question (1:18)? Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? I have read this many times and wondered if I wouldn't have responded the same way Zacharias did. He was old and tired and after hoping many years there was still no child and now it was too late in human thinking. Yet there was the angel Gabriel in front of him while he was in the temple and the people were without so the being could only be an angel. So Zacharias asked in what seems unbelief while Mary asked in faith. It seems sometimes there might be a fine line that we need to be aware of in ourselves. Are we living and praying in faith or have we drifted over the line of unbelief or doubt and don't even realize it. Zacharias was disciplined however still received the promise. Mary was rewarded for her faith. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q1. (Luke 1:31-34) What did the angel's announcement say about who Mary's Child was and who he was to become? The child was a boy. He must be named Jesus. He would be great, given the title Son of the Most High, inherit the throne of His father David, and his kingdom would reign forever. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q9. (Isaiah 55:6-9) What does seeking the Lord entail? If God's ways and thoughts are different than our own human way of thinking, what are the implications of this for success in our lives? Why is repentance necessary to this process? Why is humility necessary? What happens to us if our seeking is shallow? What happens if we put off seeking the Lord when we hear his invitation? Is it ever too late to seek the Lord? Can any real success be found by other means than seeking the Lord? We must repent of our evil ways. We must be sorry from the heart for our sins. If we turn to Him and look to Him for advice we will be in His favor and know His grace in our lives. If we have sin in our hearts we cannot fellowship with God who is holy and pure and sinless. If we have pride it will prevent us from seeking God. We are shallow and we don't care about God. There may not be another time and our hearts get hardened. Right now we still live in the day of grace. It will one day come to an end. LIke Noah's ark the doors one day closed and they could not be opened by Noah. It was too late for those who chose to ignore the invitation. Ignoring it is to their peril. Real success cannot be found in anyone but Jesus. Everything on this earth is fleeting. However you cannot tell that to some. They think they have found fullfillment but it is really empty. How tragically sad. God Bless Jen Romans 15:13

Q8. (Isaiah 55:1-3) Why do people "spend" their lives doing things that they know won't satisfy them deep down? Where does hedonism or a love of pleasure lead? What are the gracious elements of Yahweh's invitation in this passage? What is the cost of accepting the invitation? Will this invitation be perceived as "good news" to those who hear it? How can you issue this invitation in today's vernacula We are easily led by what we see and hear. We are blinded to the truth of the gospel. We don't pray and read the Word. We need to know Jesus. Only He can change us. Down the path of sin to death and a Christless eternity. To all who are thirsty and yearn for righteousness. To those who are perishing it is foolishness. By our lives and our witness through the power of the Holy Spirit. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

It means that their weapons will not achieve their goal. We will always have spiritual warfare however our God is our commander and He is never outwitted by this enemy. We can fully rely on our God in every situation. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q6. (Isaiah 54:1-8) In what sense was Jerusalem "barren" without God's favor? What does it imply when Isaiah says "your Maker is your husband"? What does the husband do in this analogy? In the New Testament "bride of Christ" analogy, who is the wife, who is the husband? What is expected of the wife? Children were considered a gift from God and maybe a woman's whole purpose in being. She certainly felt desolate and lonely without them especially as she watched her friends in shame and envy the love and joy shared in the family and the sense of some importance. She certainly felt the reproach of her situation. Living in Babylon was a shameful condition for the Jews. It displayed openly their alienation from God who was their head, their pride and joy. It shows how quickly we go after non important things and leave our God. It is hard to fathom the mind of any person even the redeemed at times. Anyway the years in Babylon were a reproach to the Jews and they must have felt some of the scorn of the idol worshippers. When Isaiah says "your maker is you husband" it might be easier to view it from the viewpoint of the woman who looked to her husband for support and the decision maker, the strength of the family. However the husband needs to look to the Lord for the guidance he needs to lead his family. He has been rejected also and needs the love and compassion of the Lord. In the NT analogy bride of Christ the bride is His church and the Lord is the husband. Respect for her husband is expected of the wife. God Bless Jen Romans 15:13

Q5. (Isaiah 52:7-9) Why is a messenger or carrier of good news so beautiful? What is the original historical context of these verses? How does Paul apply this verse in Romans 10:15? The beautiful feet bring good tidings which makes their affliction easier to bear. The Jews were oppressed and in captivity. The oppressers thought God had no power to deliver the Jews. Romans 10:15 applies it to those who carry the good news of the Gospel to those who have not heard. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q4. (Isaiah 50:10-11) How can you trust the Lord to guide you when you can't see where you're going? Have you ever experienced fear in this situation? How do you continue? What is the danger of creating your own "light" to substitute for the invisible God? Our whole experience in walking with God is faith. We never see ahead, only God does. Yes Faith We can't see so it is blind light God Bless! Jen Romans15:13

Q2. (Isaiah 49:14-50:3) Paul teaches that “all Israel will be saved.” According to Isaiah in our passage, what will happen to the scattered Jews in the Last Days. Does God seem to love Jews who haven’t trusted in Messiah Jesus yet? How can you show your love for Jews? They shall be returned to Zion. So many that they shall ask for more room. Yes! Show them Christ through your love and gentleness. God Bless! Jen Romans 15;13

Q1. (Isaiah 49:1-13) Why do people tend to disregard or even discriminate against aliens in their country? How can you increase your love for people of other nationalities? God's people are called to be a "light to the nations." What might that entail for the church in your community? In your country? "I see men from every nation bowing down before the Lord". Someday we will see men from every nation before the throne of grace, worshipping our Lord together. If God loves all and desires that all be saved then so should we. If we discriminate it is the sin nature in us and we have maybe been programmed to hate. We need to pray that God would open our eyes to see people as He does. God Bless! Jen Romans 15;13

Q7. (Isaiah 44:7b) In what sense does God "bring prosperity and create disaster"? Is God the source of evil? Of trouble? Of prosperity? Of poverty? In what sense is he responsible for these? In what sense are we responsible for these things? Since we know that God is the source of both prosperity and disaster, what should we be doing? God does bless us. He is our Shepard. He leads us besides still waters, He restores our soul. Every perfect gift is from above. He also allows difficult and sometimes unfathomable (to us) things to happen to us. We are here to glorify Him in our lives in what ever way He chooses. We should be loving Him and studying to be more like Jesus. We should stop being like Peter was and saying this won't happen to You (it wasn't in Peter's plans as Peter saw life with Jesus). We need to wakeup and realize in this world there will be persecution and distress and suffering. Suffering means just that, suffering. I used to read it as a word. When you start feeling some of the pain of the world you take the word suffering in a different light. I don't know what is going to happen however I remember the story Corrie Ten Boom told about her father and the train ticket and I know at the right time God will give us all what we need for that moment. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Q6. (Isaiah 45:1-4) How can Cyrus be called by name more than a century before he was born? In what sense is Cyrus "anointed" by God? How can an unbeliever accomplish God's purposes? What does this tell us about God? About being humble in our judgments of others? I am not sure why you ask how Cyrus can be called by name more than a century before he was born. Isn't that what prophecy is all about? God is all knowing, all powerful, knew from the 'beginning' what would be and who would be. He is the amazing God. He has planned for all our prayers before they were uttered, before we were born. He has been working out His plan for all of our lives before we were. My question is how can I think of anything else but I do. That is a mystery to me. I believe everyone serves God either in honor (as one of His) or dishonor (as someone who has rejected him). But they do serve Him. God is all powerful. He will accomplish that which He sets out to do and He will use the most unusual people and ways. He is awesome! We shouldn't judge but rather see others as God sees them. With an eternal soul that needs the Redeemer. And perhaps we really don't know very much after all. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q5. (Isaiah 43) This chapter tells us specific purposes that God’s people have been created for. How can you fulfill your purpose to show God’s glory (verse 7)? To be his witness (verses 10, 12)? To proclaim his praise (verse 21)? What are the obstacles you are facing in fulfilling these purposes? How do you benefit from fulfilling God’s purpose for you? By loving the Lord with all my heart, mind and soul. Obedience should come in there automatically because you obey the one you love. The only obstacle is me. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q4. (Isaiah 42:18-25) According to this passage, in what ways is God's "servant" blind? Why? Who is the "servant" in this passage? How would you assess your own degree of spiritual blindness in the last 5 or 10 years? How effective is a blind servant in accomplishing his master's purposes? How effective have you been? I really like the phrase 'identity theft' here referring to false gods and idols. They refused to see or hear. They refused to listen. It was willful disobedience. The servant here is Israel however it could be any of us who hear the gospel and the truth and refuse to listen. My own spiritual blindness has been off and on to some degree however I do remember Him everyday and acknowledge my dependency on Him. When things get hard I turn more fervently to Him. I do love to listen to hymns and I believe in that way I worship Him and also reading the Word everyday. I suffer debilitating chronic sinusitis which affects my mood and ability to read and concentrate. I believe a blind servant still can accomplish for his master although it will be in a negative light when people see the consequences of his actions. I don't know how effective I have been although I think there has been some. To what degree I don't know. Did Paul know? I doubt it . God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

(Isaiah 42:6-7) What does it mean for God's people to be "a light to the nations"? In what ways are you "letting your light shine"? How well do you represent God's covenant in your everyday life? By Our love for Him and our good works we are a testimony (light) that He is.Even when we don't realize it or think we are not I believe many people see something in us that they don't have. By letting Him work through me and being faithful in every situation. When I fall I repent and get up. I have a lot of work to do as usual. I remember the words of Susanna Wesley "Perfection is God's attribute, sincerity is mine". For all of us who feel sometimes discouraged. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q2. (Isaiah 42:1-4) What do these verses teach us about the Messiah? What will characterize him and his actions? What does it tell us about his quest for justice? About his tenderness? If this describes our Messiah, what difference should it make in our lives, values, and demeanor? He is God's servant, upheld by God, chosen by God, full of the Holy Spirit, just, gentle, faithful, completes His mission, One in whom we can put our hope. It will be done! His very heart is tender towards His own. We should strive to be as He is. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q1. (Isaiah 40) What does Isaiah 40 teach us about the necessity of preparing ourselves for the Lord (verses 3-5)? About God’s tenderness and compassion (verse 11)? About God’s glory vs. the glory of nations (verses 15-17)? Why do we get so enamored by the glitter and glory of the world? What pieces are we missing (verses 15-17, 21-26)? According to verse 31, how can we draw strength from the Lord? The Lord's return is certain and those who are wise will be ready. We need to straighten ourselves out and get our priorities right. As usual I have a lot of work in all areas. He is like a good shepherd. He carries His sheep in His arms, close to His heart. Every nation is or has been for a brief time. God's kingdom is forever. Recently when I was in London I saw the royal guard practicing their 'maneuvers?' and felt myself drawn to it. There was a pull there to watch. There was a majesty to it. However for those of us who know Jesus we know that it is nothing. It is people like us. God is majesty! We focus on what is seen and not on what is unseen although if you look at something like the Grand Canyon or the intricate workings of a newborn baby you can see the awesomeness of our Holy God who is perfect in all His ways. We hope in Him and though fellowship and worship of Him we draw strength. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Q4. (Isaiah 38:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? On the basis of God's promises for long life and an heir. If we have personal righteousness and holiness it will affect our being able to ask what is in God's will. Wrong prayers, God's discipline, God's timing God Bless! Jen Jude 24, 25

Q3. (Isaiah 38:2-3) Why is Hezekiah's healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God's promises made to David (2 Samuel 7:11b-16)? First I believe his healing showed the power and faithfulness of the God he so relentlessly trusted in. Second the king had no successor and the line of David would have been broken. God promised that there would always be someone from the line of David on the throne. God Bless! Jen Jude 24,25

Q2. (Isaiah 37:16) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah’s prayer (verse 16) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord’s Prayer? How are they important to faith? How are they important to God answering the prayer? The prayer of Hezekiah addresses God as being the only God, who dwells in heaven. The use of the word Adonai speaks of the holiness of God's name and as His Name is holy so is He. To ask of Him we must believe that He is there and that He has power. Hezekiah had great, living, true faith in the living God. God desires to answer our prayers and show His own His power, strength, and willingness to answer. If we would just ask. I have been trying to do things again on my strength (that silly thing that I think I have) and find myself tired, anxious, and lacking joy. No fun! God Bless! Jen Jude 24,25

Q2. (Isaiah 25:6-8) Obviously this "feast of rich food for all peoples" is a symbol of something more than just good food. What does this theme represent in Isaiah and the New Testament? What does it promise about the Last Days? Good food is a symbol for plenty, all peoples means all the redeemed. I believe that we will feast on the Word of God with the Word. Food also but who cares when one can feast on the Word and not need food. There will be plenty of feasting. If we could just think of that when we are eyeing the things of the world. I don't think it is wrong to have things just to put them in their place relative to what scripture promises us. And while we are here we can already feast on the Word. Thank you Jesus! You are so unbelievably good to us. God Bless! Jen Jude 24, 25

Q1. (Isaiah 37:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don't apply this principle? Hezekiah showed the letter to God in a show of complete faith in Jehovah God who sees and hears all before we even know anything about it. We can and should go to God first in complete faith and trust for God knows and God cares about his own and the insults thrown at Him by our enemies 1 Peter: 5:7 says Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. We need to approach the throne of grace for everything big and small and rely on His complete mercy for His own. If we don't apply this to our lives we will strive and worry to solve concerns on our own. We will rely on our own thoughts and strengths (although I don't know what strengths those could be except we are silly enough to think we have some) and be led astray to terrible consequences. How sad when we have such a friend in Jesus. We will be tired, anxious , angry and sad. It is so simple, take it to the Lord in prayer. God Bless you all, Jen Jude 24, 25