Rejoice, for the Lord Will Make All Things New
This week’s texts from Scripture are:
Sermon Outline:
Isaiah’s Stark Contrast: Judgment and Joy
We Shall See the Glory of the Lord
We Shall Hear the Gospel of the Lord
We Shall Be Restored by the Messiah
We Shall Rejoice in the Hope of the Lord
The Prophetic Imperative: Speak to the Anxious
Practicing Rejoicing in the Darkness
Invitation to Prayer and Hope
Application Questions…
Comprehension Questions
(These will help you open the scriptures and understand the text.)
Why does Isaiah 35 feel so striking when read immediately after Isaiah 34?
What reasons does the sermon give for why God’s people have always been a singing people?
According to Isaiah 35:2, what is the reason the wilderness and desert can rejoice?
How does Jesus explicitly connect His ministry to Isaiah 35 in Matthew 11?
What is meant by the “Way of Holiness” in Isaiah 35, and how does this relate to early Christians being called followers of “The Way”?
Life Application
In what ways does singing shape your faith, your memory, or your emotional life during the week?
Where do you currently feel the “desert places” in your life, and how might Isaiah 35 speak hope into them?
How might the glory of the Lord reframe something difficult you are walking through right now?
What practices help you “see the glory of the Lord” at the start of your day?
Can you remember a time when someone’s encouraging words strengthened your weak hands or firmed your feeble knees?
Are there people in your life to whom the Holy Spirit may be nudging you to reach out with hope this week?
Which aspect of Jesus’ restoring work in Isaiah 35—healing, renewal, joy, strength—do you most long for today?
Where do you find it hardest to rejoice, and how might you practice rejoicing as an act of faith?
Who in your life has an anxious heart that you could lovingly speak hope to this week?
When you look at your own heart, what gospel truth from Isaiah 35 do you most need to preach to yourself?