October Devotional Journal 2019

OC TOB E R

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

ISAIAH 53:10 (NIV)

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DEVOTIONA L JOUR NA L O CTO B ER 2 019

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

ISAIAH 53:10 (NIV)

Also available at www.cefc.org.sg and “Covenant EFC” mobile app.

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VERSES 2019

JANUARY

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

ISAIAH 53:1 (NIV)

FEBRUARY He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

ISAIAH 53:2 (NIV)

MARCH He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

ISAIAH 53:3 (NIV)

APRIL Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

ISAIAH 53:4 (NIV)

M AY

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

ISAIAH 53:5 (NIV)

JUNE We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

ISAIAH 53:6 (NIV) 4 // Š 2 0 1 9 C O V E N A N T E V A N G E L I C A L F R E E C H U R C H

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J U LY He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

ISAIAH 53:7 (NIV)

AUGUST By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.

ISAIAH 53:8 (NIV)

SEPTEMBER He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

ISAIAH 53:9 (NIV)

OCTOBER Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

ISAIAH 53:10 (NIV)

NOVEMBER After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

ISAIAH 53:11 (NIV)

DECEMBER Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

ISAIAH 53:12 (NIV) Š 2 0 1 9 C O V E N A N T E V A N G E L I C A L F R E E C H U R C H // 5

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// B Y S E N I O R P A S T O R S //

2019 is the Year of Proclamation – That None Should Perish!

C

elebration of Hope (COH) which runs from 17 to 19 May is not mass evangelism on a large scale, but personal evangelism on a massive scale. In other words, unless we pray and sow the Gospel into as many people as possible on a personal basis, we will not see a massive conversion of souls. If we expect 2019 to be a year of harvest for our family and friends, then we have to prepare for it.

When we were praying on the mountain during our annual Listening Retreat in July 2018, these verses from the book of Acts convicted us: Acts 8:8 “And there was much joy in that city” The context was the revival in Samaria under Philip’s ministry. Imagine the joy in Singapore when, under the preaching of the Gospel and the power of God, many people are healed of various sicknesses and delivered from spiritual oppression!

Acts 13:44 “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” Back then in Pisidian Antioch, huge crowds came to listen to Paul’s preaching. Imagine large multitudes turning up at the Sports Hub at each COH rally to hear the Gospel!

Acts 13:47 (cf. Isa 49:6) “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

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“Isaiah” means “The LORD is Salvation”. Preaching through the book of Isaiah in 2019 will challenge us to fulfil our calling to be a light to the nations!

During that same retreat, we received news about a crisis in Northern Thailand. On 23 June last year, 12 teenage boys and their soccer coach were trapped 2.5 miles inside the Tham Luang cave complex after heavy rains flooded it and cut off their exit route. On 2 July, they were found by two British expert cave divers. A rescue operation was carefully planned. There were 1,800 rescue personnel from 18 countries. In the midst of the rescue preparation, a tragedy happened. Mr Kunan, a volunteer and former Thai Navy SEAL diver, died while transporting air tanks into the tunnels. Although it was an extremely difficult rescue mission, all 13 survivors were eventually rescued from the cave on 10 July. Many people did their part to rescue them. And one man even gave his life to save them.

So, dear brothers and sisters, let us use this 2019 Devotional Journal to spend daily, dedicated time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer ...

The Scripture verses and the cave rescue were a confirmation of 2019 as the Year of Proclamation. Here was a fresh picture of how the Saviour died on the Cross so that people everywhere can be saved from eternal judgment. Our Lord Jesus has given us the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. So, dear brothers and sisters, let us use this 2019 Devotional Journal to spend daily, dedicated time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, so that we can know Him more, and be led and empowered

by His Spirit to be faithful witnesses for a fruitful harvest in 2019!

In Christ, Rev Tony Yeo and Rev Tan Kay Kiong

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TO USING

THIS DEVOTIONAL JOURNAL

Step One

Prepare your heart in God’s presence // Select a fixed time (preferably in the morning before you begin your day) and a quiet place where you can be alone and undisturbed. // Observe a moment of silence as you acknowledge God’s presence. Centre down. // Begin with a song of worship. Meditate on the lyrics even if you are unfamiliar with the tune. (Refer to the list of worship songs provided.) // Ask God to open your heart to hear Him.

SOMETHING TO PONDER ...

Examining your life is essential in your faith journey.

Your redeemed life as a disciple of Christ deserves careful examining. May you take root and bear fruit in Him!

The English Standard Version (ESV) is the default Bible version translation unless otherwise specified.

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Step Two

Allow God to S.O.A.P. you with His Word and Spirit // Scripture – Take your time to meditate on the Scripture passage for the day. Pause and mull over words and phrases that stand out to you. // Observation – Jot down significant insights and reflections from the passage you have read. You may use the guiding questions provided. The “Deeper Reflection” section is to aid your contemplation of the Scripture. It is not to replace your own observation, for the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scripture to you as you seek Him earnestly. // Application – Note down a specific and practical commitment to God’s Word for you. Is there a command to obey, a sin to avoid, an example to follow, or a principle to live out? Where appropriate, share your devotional entry with someone. // Prayer – Bring your heartfelt response to God in prayer.

P R AY E R P O I N T E R S F O R 2 0 1 9 Prayer pointers for Pastors and Staff are included every Tuesday. Every Thursday, a prayer pointer is included for Outreach/Missions/New Life Leaders. On each Friday, there is a prayer pointer for SGI Leaders (e.g. Zone Mentors, CG Leaders and Assistant CG Leaders). A prayer pointer for Church Board Members is included every Saturday.

Please pray for each group as well as any specific individuals whom God may bring to your mind.

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SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER

LET THERE BE LIGHT Verse 1 There’s no darkness in Your eyes There’s no question in Your mind God Almighty, God of mercy There’s no hiding from Your face There’s no striving in Your grace God of mercy, God Almighty Chorus 1 Let there be light Open the eyes of the blind Purify our hearts in Your fire Breathe in us we pray (Jesus have Your way) Verse 2 There’s no borders in Your love No division in Your heart God of heaven, God of freedom There’s no taking back the cross No regret in what it cost God of freedom, God of heaven Chorus 2 Let there be light Open our eyes to Your heart Desperate just to know who You are Shine in us we pray Jesus have Your way

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Bridge Good news embracing the poor Comfort for all those who mourn For the broken-hearted we sing louder Release from prison and shame Oppression turning to praise For every captive sing louder Restoring sight to the blind Breaking the curse of the night For all in darkness sing louder Proclaiming freedom for all This is the day of the Lord Beauty for ashes Verse 3 Let the light that shines above Become the light that shine in us There’s no darkness in Your way So have Your way Lord have Your way Brooke Ligertwood | Joel Houston | Jonas Myrin | Matt Crocker | Michael Guy Chislett | Scott Ligertwood © 2016 Hillsong Music Publishing For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 7069096 CCLI Licence # 324618

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HOW GREAT YOU ARE Chorus How great You are How great You are You are the mighty King And You’ve come to reign in me How great You are How great You are I give You all the praises of my heart Verse You are deserving Of all the praises Lord And I am yearning to be In Your presence once more Deep inside my heart is burning I want to give You more For You’re the only one That I adore Shannon Wexelberg © 1993 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)); Christ For The Nations Music (Admin. by Maranatha! Music (Capitol CMG)) CCLI Song # 1185909 CCLI Licence # 324618

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TURN IT UP Verse 1 You are here as we lift you up You are riding on our praise Be enthroned over everything You are seated in our praise Pre-Chorus This is prophetic, I can feel it in the air We lift our praise and You change the atmosphere With hearts open now Everybody singing out, whoa!

Chorus Turn it up, this sound of praise Make it louder than any other Lift Him up and shout His name over all Verse 2 As we praise, well I can feel the change As your presence now invades Hear the sound of the broken chains Prison doors are giving way Bridge 1 Our praise goes up Your rain comes down Our praise goes up Your rain comes down Bridge 2 With shouts of praise we celebrate King of glory enter in You are riding on our praise Oh Lord Andy Harrison © 2012 Planetshakers Ministries Int. Inc. (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 6621485 CCLI Licence # 324618

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YOU ARE GOOD Verse Lord, You are good And Your mercy endureth forever Lord, You are good And Your mercy endureth forever People from every nation and tongue From generation to generation Chorus We worship You Hallelujah, hallelujah We worship You for who You are We worship You Hallelujah, hallelujah We worship You for who You are For You are good Vamp Yes You are yes You are yes You are So good so good Yes You are yes You are yes You are Bridge You are good all the time All the time You are good You are good all the time All the time You are good Ending For who You are, for who You are You are good, You are good You are good, good, good Yes You are, yes You are, yes You are Yes You are, yes You are Israel Houghton © 2001 Integrity’s Praise! Music (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Sound Of The New Breed (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 3383788 CCLI Licence # 324618

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HERE I BOW Verse 1 Where would I run But to the throne of mercy Where would I kneel But at this cross of grace How great the love How strong the hand that holds us Beautiful, so beautiful Chorus So here I bow to lift You high Jesus be glorified In all things, for all my life I am Yours, forever Yours Verse 2 There is a King Who bore the scars of healing There is a Son Who came in grace and truth How great the love That carries us to kindness Wonderful, You’re wonderful Bridge God here and now, be lifted high Right here and now, be glorified God of Heaven and Earth God who brought me back to life I am Yours, forever Yours Brian Johnson | Jason Ingram | Jenn Johnson | Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman © 2016 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Said And Done Music (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) sixsteps Music (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Son of the Lion (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Thankyou Music (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Fellow Ships Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) So Essential Tunes (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC) Bethel Music Publishing (Admin. by SHOUT! Music Publishing) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 7069335 CCLI Licence # 324618

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FOREVER (WE SING HALLELUJAH) Verse 1 The moon and stars they wept The morning sun was dead The Saviour of the world was fallen His body on the cross His blood poured out for us The weight of every curse upon Him Verse 2 One final breath He gave As heaven looked away The Son of God was laid in darkness A battle in the grave The war on death was waged The power of hell forever broken Pre-Chorus The ground began to shake The stone was rolled away His perfect love could not be overcome Now death where is your sting Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated Chorus Now forever, He is glorified Forever, He is lifted high And forever, He is risen He is alive He is alive Bridge We sing hallelujah we sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah the Lamb has overcome We sing hallelujah we sing hallelujah We sing hallelujah

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Ending And now death where is your sting Our resurrected King has overcome He’s overcome oh Brian Johnson | Christa Black Gifford | Gabriel Wilson | Jenn Johnson | Joel Taylor | Kari Jobe © 2013 KAJE Songs (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Worship Together Music (Admin. by CopyCare Asia Ltd (Singapore Branch)) Bethel Music Publishing (Admin. by SHOUT! Music Publishing) For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 7001228 CCLI License # 324618

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IN JESUS’ NAME Verse 1 God is fighting for us, God is on our side He has overcome yes He has overcome We will not be shaken we will not be moved Jesus You are here, oh…

Verse 2 Carrying our burdens covering our shame He has overcome yes He has overcome We will not be shaken, we will not be moved Jesus You are here Chorus 1 I will live, I will not die The resurrection power of Christ alive in me And I am free in Jesus’ Name Chorus 2 I will live, I will not die I will declare and lift You high Christ revealed and I am healed in Jesus’ Name Bridge God is fighting for us pushing back the darkness Lighting up the Kingdom that cannot be shaken In the Name of Jesus enemy’s defeated And we will shout it out, shout it out Ending In Jesus’ Name In Jesus’ Name In Jesus’ Name, oh…

Darlene Zschech | Israel Houghton © 2013 EWI (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.); Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.); Integrity’s Praise! Music (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.); Sound Of The New Breed (Admin. by Crossroad Distributors Pty. Ltd.) CCLI Song # 6454638 CCLI Licence # 324618

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JESUS LOVES ME Verse 1 It was just three words But it changed my life Just a childlike truth That consumed my mind From my life’s first breath Till the day I rise All I need to know Is this age old line Chorus Jesus loves me this I know Jesus loves me this I know I won’t forget the Bible says That He loves me so Verse 2 It was just three nails That held Him on that cross But God was not restrained For He was there by choice As He gave His life For a world He loved So the earth replied In this age old song Bridge Yes Jesus loves me And His love won’t forsake me I know Oh yes Jesus loves me Oh He loves me so Verse 3 It was just three days But it changed our world For when there seemed no way From the grave He rose

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Tag Oh He loves me so How I love You Lord Aodhan King | Benjamin Hastings | Marty Sampson © 2018 Hillsong Music Publishing For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 7109512 CCLI Licence # 324618

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GOD YOU’RE SO GOOD Verse 1 Amazing love that welcomes me The kindness of mercy That bought with blood, wholeheartedly My soul undeserving Chorus God, You’re so good Oh God, You’re so good God, You’re so good You’re so good to me Verse 2 Behold the cross age to age And hour by hour The dead are raised, the sinner saved The work of Your power Bridge I am blessed, I am called I am healed, I am whole I am saved in Jesus’ name Highly favored, anointed Filled with Your power For the glory of Jesus’ name Verse 3 And should this life bring suffering Lord, I will remember What Calvary has bought for me Both now and forever Brett Younker | Brooke Ligertwood | Kristian Stanfill | Scott Ligertwood © sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing) SHOUT! Music Publishing For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Song # 7105729 CCLI Licence # 324618

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COVER THE EARTH Verse 1 Let me be an instrument To exalt and to extend Jesus’ name globally As the waters cover the sea Open the heavens, O Lord Pour out Your Spirit Chorus 1 Cover the earth with Your glory Cover the earth with your glory Cover the earth with the sound of heaven Cover the earth with Your glory Cover the earth with Your glory Cover the earth with sound of heaven Cover the earth Verse 2 Let me speak what You say Let the sound prepare the way Kingdom come globally As the waters cover the sea Open the heavens, O Lord Pour out Your Spirit Chorus 2 Cover the earth with Your glory Cover the earth with Your glory Cover the earth with the sound of heaven All of the earth is Yours All of the nations adore You Cover the earth with the sound of heaven Cover the earth Open up the heavenlies Let a new sound be released As the waters cover the sea Cover the earth

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Bridge Open up the heavenlies Let a new sound be released As the waters cover the sea Cover the earth Open up the heavenlies Let a new sound be released As the waters cover the sea Cover the earth Cover the earth Cover the earth (Repeat Chorus 2) Cindy Cruse Ratcliff | Israel Houghton | Meleasa Houghton © 2003 Integrity’s Praise! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing); Lakewood Ministries Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing); My Other Publishing Company (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing); Sound Of The New Breed (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI Song # 4194299 CCLI Licence # 324618

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HALLELUJAH HERE BELOW Verse 1 We are an altar of broken stones But You delight in the offering You have the heavens to call Your home But You abide in the song we sing Verse 2 Ten thousand angels surround Your throne To bring You praise that will never cease But hallelujah from here below Is still Your favorite melody Chorus We sing Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Verse 3 And should the fire that once burned bright Become an ember my eyes can’t see I will remember Your sacrifice I will abide in Your love for me Bridge Jesus Christ our King enthroned All the praise is Yours Forevermore Hallelujah Here below All the praise is Yours Forevermore Verse 4 Oh what a wonderful day to come When every knee bows before Your Name But we will not wait until it does For here and now shall Your Kingdom reign Chris Brown | Steven Furtick

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NOTES

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TUESDAY // 01 OCTOBER 2019

God’s Will in God’s Servant’s Life S CRIPTURE Isaiah 50:5-6

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about the Servant and the will of God?

DEEPER REFLECTION

I

n the “morning by morning” discipleship (Isa 50:4), the Servant learns God’s will – what God wants Him to be and do – by hearing God. God has to open our ears to hear (v.5a), otherwise we cannot. But God opens our ears only when our hearts are ready to be “not disobedient” and “not turn back”, slipping away backwards or taking evasive actions1 (v.5b). The double emphasis on obedience in the negative shows that the demands in God’s will are such that there would be a natural tendency to back off. Jesus faced such temptation: “Now My soul has become troubled, and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour (the cross)?’” (Jn 12:27). For the Servant, “The Sovereign LORD has opened My ear” is followed immediately by “I gave My back…My cheeks” to be afflicted and abused (v.6a). It is God’s will that His servants must suffer – both inside the Church (an unfortunate reality) and outside from the world. Suffering is passive in nature, it is something received passively. But for the Servant, suffering passively involves active actions: “I gave My back” – reinforced by “I did not cover My face” (v.6b). Suffering “humiliation and spitting” (v.6b) bruises and crushes the ego immensely. At Jesus’ trial, “they spat in His face” twice! (Matt 26:67; 27:30). Follow Jesus.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What challenges do I face in doing the will of God in my life and what changes do I need to make?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for pastors and staff: To walk with discernment of and conformity to God’s will

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

1

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Volume 20 (IVP, 1999), 358

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WEDNESDAY // 02 OCTOBER 2019

How to Face “Humiliation and Spitting” S CRIPTURE Isaiah 50:7-9

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about the Servant and His sufferings?

DEEPER REFLECTION

T

he “Sovereign LORD” is mentioned four times in this third Servant Song (Isa 50:4-11), underscoring the centrality of God in the calling of the Servant as the source of and strength for His ministry. God as the source: “has given Me the tongue of disciples” (Isa 50:4) and “has opened My ear” (Isa 50:5). God as the strength: “helps Me” (vv.7, 9 – repeated twice). The particular context here is the Servant suffering in serving God and people. How do you face “humiliation and spitting” (Isa 50:6)? Anchoring in God who “helps” us, we can be not “disgraced” and “ashamed”, but with courageous commitment “set My face like flint” (v.7) – “firmly set in a determined and immovable direction to follow God’s will”2. It is absolute stubborn resistance to giving in and giving up. Courageous commitment is possible because of the confidence in God “who vindicates Me” (v.8a), which makes the Servant a conqueror through this God. Those who “contend” with Him will not stand, but eventually be worn out and eaten up (vv.8-9).

God’s help (vv.7, 9) is not found in escaping from present tribulations, but God’s future vindication. So, it is enduring present afflictions by expecting future vindication. This is the inescapable divine design for servants of God, while our human preference is escape rather than endure.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What changes do I need to make in my perspective and posture regarding suffering as a servant of God?

P R AY E R Lord Jesus, in Your

Prayer Pointers

transfiguration Your face shone with divine glory like the

// Give thanks:

sun. At Your trial before Your crucifixion, that same face of Yours was spat upon, not once, but twice. But the glory of God

// Pray for leaders:

was no less manifested, even though Your face then did not shine like the sun. Help me to see God’s glory when I suffer

// Pray for significant people:

humiliation in following You.

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

2

Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 40-66, Vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Broadman & Holman, 2009), 383

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THURSDAY // 03 OCTOBER 2019

Dark Times in the Discipleship Journey S CRIPTURE Isaiah 50:10-11

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about dark times in biblical discipleship?

DEEPER REFLECTION

T

he words of the Servant (Isa 50:4-9) are followed by a voice calling God’s people and God’s servants to follow the example of the Servant in their discipleship journey (vv.10-11). Walking in dark times is part of biblical discipleship (v.10), just like the Servant suffering “humiliation and spitting” (Isa 50:5-7). When we go through dark times, it is easy for us to be preoccupied with the adverse situations that afflict us physically, mentally and emotionally. Instead, the first and foremost question we must ask is: Am I walking in obedience to God? In Isaiah here, the one who “walks in darkness and has no light” and is one who “fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant” (v.10a).

Dark times can be the reason for, result and reflection of our obedience to God. Walking in darkness is included in God’s promise to “eat the best of the land” for obedience (Isa 1:19). Our response to dark times, even when there is presently not much sign of hope or light, must be reliance on God. “Trust” in God’s perfect character – “in the name of the LORD” and “rely” on God’s faithful commitment to us as our God (“his God”, v.10b). This is God’s light in dark times. The great danger in dark times is that we light our own fire, create our own hope, and foolishly follow our own light and incur divine opposition (v.11).

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I walk through dark times in my discipleship journey?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for outreach/missions/ New Life leaders: To walk in the light of God’s Word in dark times

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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FRIDAY // 04 OCTOBER 2019

When Life Is Like “Waste Places” S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:1-3

O B S E RVAT I O N How did God want His people to respond when they were living in “waste places” and the “wilderness”?

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od is calling those who “pursue righteousness” and “seek the LORD” (v.1a), but are living in “waste places” and the “wilderness” (v.3), to look to Him as the God of commitment and God of comfort. “Pursue righteousness” and “seek the LORD” are two sides of the same coin. We cannot seek God without pursuing righteousness. Our lives becoming “waste places” and the “wilderness” could be the result of not seeking God and pursuing righteousness, or in spite of it. God is committed to us in covenant: God’s people in exile were not rootless. God reminded Israel of their origin as a nation: “Abraham” and “Sarah” – that is, in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1-3). Abraham was only “one” individual when God “called” him, but God “blessed” and “multiplied” him (vv.1b-2) as numerous as the stars, as He promised (Gen 15:2-6). And God is faithful (God will) and powerful (God can) to keep His covenant commitment. In His covenant commitment to His people, God comforts us in our crises: God “will comfort Zion…comfort all her waste places” (v.3a). The divine comfort is not tranquilising our pains, but transforming our lives: God “will make” our “wilderness” “like the garden of the LORD” (v.3b). Having such a perspective marks maturity and such maturity is moulded in the “wilderness”.

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I respond to the “waste places” and “wilderness” in my life?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for SGI leaders: To see and know God in their wilderness journey

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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SATURDAY // 05 OCTOBER 2019

Facing Mere Mortals’ Reproach and Revilings S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:4-8

O B S E RVAT I O N What is the significance of the repeated “My righteousness” and “My salvation” (vv.5, 6, 8) in the context of the passage?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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hose who “pursue righteousness” and “seek the LORD” (Isa 51:1) are those “who know righteousness…in whose heart is My law” (v.7a). This group of God’s people were suffering “the reproach of mere mortals” and “their revilings” (v.7b). Even when they had returned to their land, Israel still faced hostilities from the surrounding nations (Ezr 4:8-10). The divine encouragement was: “Do not fear…nor be dismayed” (v.7b) and be “rest assured that all will be well”3. How? Be assured of God’s salvation and righteousness, as shown by the dominance of “My justice”, “My righteousness”, “My salvation” and “My arm/s” in the text (vv.4-6, 8). “My salvation” is what God does and “My righteousness” is the character of God’s acts. God’s “salvation” and “righteousness” are “forever” and will not “vanish” and “wear out” like the universe (v.6, 8b). God’s “salvation” and “righteousness” are frequently paired together in Isaiah (vv.5, 6, 8), which is ultimately fulfilled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16-17; 10:9-10). In God’s righteous salvation, He will “judge” the nations with “justice” and His “arm” – “the fullness of divine personal action”4 (vv.4-5). Be anchored in God’s righteousness and Word: To “know righteousness” (v.7) is to conform to God’s character and claims as revealed in His Word (“My law”), which must dwell with power in our hearts.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does it mean for me to “know righteousness” and to have “My law” in my heart?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for church board: To anchor their lives in God’s Word and righteousness

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

3 4

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 363 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 363

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SUNDAY // 06 OCTOBER 2019

Sunday Journal

S CRIPTURE

O B S E RVAT I O N

A P P L I CAT I O N

P R AY E R

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THE PAST WEEK Review What was my high point and my low point for the week?

What gave me life and what drained me?

How was the Spirit of God at work?

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THE PAST WEEK Reflect What is one key thing that God said to me this week in light of what has happened?

Respond What is one thing I need to do in light of what God is saying? Commit in prayer.

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FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

OCTOBER 2019 WEEK 1

WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO GIVE UP?* God will give strength to those who are about to give up.

Scripture: Matthew 26:36-46 ACTIVITY BITE Watch on YouTube how Dave Wottle won the Olympic gold medal in 1972. Share with your family a similar incident where you overcame the odds to reach the finishing line. Discuss with them who we seek help from when we face challenges in school or at work.

CHAT TIME Q1: According to Matthew 26:36-46, what enabled Jesus to do what He had to do?

Q2: Why did Jesus’ disciples give up staying awake to pray so easily?

Q3: How do we seek guidance from God when we face challenges in church and school or at work?

LEARNING POINT Sometimes, doing the right thing can be hard and it’s easy for us to give up. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus asked His disciples to share the Gospel to every part of the world. He knew it would not be an easy task. So He sent the Holy Spirit to encourage, teach and guide them in their quest to complete the mission. When we face a seemingly impossible challenge and are about to give up, we need to believe that God knows what we are going through and recognise that we can rely on Him to overcome all obstacles.

ACTION POINT Get your family members to write a sentence describing the awesomeness of God on pieces of paper. Then place these where everyone can see them to remind your family of God’s faithfulness and promise during difficult times.

FAMILY PRAYER POINTS Thank God for the good and bad things that happen to us.

Pray for His strength and presence to help us overcome obstacles in our lives.

*Adapted from 252Basics, May 2019. www.ThinkOrange.com

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MONDAY // 07 OCTOBER 2019

Rise, O God, and Remember!

S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:9-11

O B S E RVAT I O N What does Israel’s cry to God tell us about God and His people?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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fflicted in the “waste places” and “wilderness” (Isa 51:3) and by “the reproach of mere mortals” and “their revilings” (Isa 51:7) like Israel, we cry to God desperately, “Rise, O God!”: “Awake, awake…O arm of the LORD” (v.9a). Calling God to “awake” reflects how in human eyes God seems to have gone to sleep over His promises.

This is quite a divine characteristic that we must know and live with.

The double “Awake” underscores the emotional intensity in the appeal to God to act without delay. Israel called God to “put on strength” (v.9a), to marshal all the almighty power of divine nature and commit Himself to act.5 “Remember, O God!”: Israel called God to “awake as in the days of old” when He destroyed the Egyptian army and “dried up the sea” to make a “pathway” for Israel to cross (vv.9-10). This recalling of God’s past faithfulness in deliverance is a faith-act of anchoring in the God who has delivered us, will deliver us again and will continue to deliver us, even when we are under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure and when we despaired of life itself (2 Cor 1:8-10). But our cry with urgency and fervency must submit to God’s sovereign timing and ways, but with certainty of His salvation: “So the ransomed of the LORD will return with everlasting joy” (v.11).

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A P P L I CAT I O N What past incidents of God’s faithfulness in deliverance in my discipleship journey can I recall to draw encouragement from when facing my present life challenges?

P R AY E R

Se

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ha

need

gt

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vin

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6

Gi

Significant people

5

Leaders

O Lord, for Your sake I am regarded as a sheep to be slaughtered. Awake!

Why are You sleeping, O Lord? Rouse Yourself! Do not reject me forever!

Why do You hide Your face? Why do You forget my affliction and oppression? My soul is bowed down to the dust. Rise up! Come to my help! Redeem me for the sake of Your steadfast love! 6

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J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 364 Adapted from Psalm 44:22-26

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TUESDAY // 08 OCTOBER 2019

The Fury of the Oppressor S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:12-16

O B S E RVAT I O N How did God want Israel to look at the “fury of the oppressor”?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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od’s people in exile faced “the fury of the oppressor” day in and day out, that they “fear continually all day long” (v.13).

We do face difficult people or situations in our lives that are like the Babylonian superpower, “an ever-present, ever-intimidating and ever-visible threat”7. And we feel troubled, anxious, overwhelmed and helpless because of them. We can be so overcome by fear that, like Israel, we “forget” God (v.13). To “forget” God is “to live without consciously holding in mind and memory who God is, what He has done and what He promises”8. It is “to live in defeat”9 (cf. Psa 78:9-11). God’s response to His fearful people is: “Who are you that you are afraid…?” (v.12).

Who are we? We are God’s people (“My people,” v.16), and God is our God (“your God,” v.15). Present with us in the midst of “the fury of the oppressor” is the God of absolute sovereignty over “the heavens” and “the earth” (v.13), and “the sea and its waves” whose “name” is “Almighty LORD” (v.15). Present with us is the God of covenant commitment to His people: “I, even I, am He who comforts you” (v.12), because He is “the LORD your Maker” (v.13) and “I am the LORD your God” (v.15a).

With this God present with us, we can say with Him: “Where is the fury of the oppressor?” (v.13).

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I deal with my fear in facing difficult people or situations?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for pastors and staff: To be courageous in God when dealing with difficult situations // Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

7 8 9

Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), 131 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 367 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 367

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WEDNESDAY // 09 OCTOBER 2019

God’s Hand in Utter Hopelessness S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:17-20

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about the anger of God towards His people?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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arlier on, Israel called upon God for salvation from their affliction in exile, “Wake up, wake up, O LORD!” (Isa 51:9, NLT).

But now God called Israel, “Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem!” (v.17, NLT) – to pay attention to her own condition in exile.10 Israel was “full of the wrath of the LORD” (v.20), having drunk “the cup of His anger” (v.17). What was Israel’s condition under God’s wrath? Utter hopelessness!11 There was no one “to take her by the hand” “to guide her” in her lostness (v.18). She had no more “sons” – her priests, prophets and kings – to teach and guide her spiritually.12 In Israel’s suffering of “devastation and destruction, famine and sword,” God asked her: “Who will have compassion on you?”, “Who can comfort you?” and “Who can strengthen and encourage you?” (v.19). No one! For Israel, “all the resources that might offer some hope of recovery on a naturalistic basis are gone… Any human words of sympathy or encouragement can only sound hollow.”13 Is there hope? The cup of divine anger that Israel had drunk was “from the LORD’s hand” (v.17). It is that same hand alone that can remove the divine wrath and its horrible consequences. Israel’s only hope in her utter hopelessness was her God from whom she suffered His wrath.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does it mean for me to see the hand of the Lord in every situation in my life, good or bad?

P R AY E R O holy and righteous God, Your

Prayer Pointers

wrath is revealed from heaven against us who have sinned

// Give thanks:

against You. It is only You, the God who justifies the ungodly, who can save us from Your own wrath by justifying us sinners

// Pray for leaders:

through the blood of your Son. On the cross, God suffered God’s wrath that sinners may be saved from God’s wrath! O

// Pray for significant people:

what unfathomable mystery!

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

10

John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah Chapters 40-66 (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Eerdmans, 1998), 352 John N. Oswalt, Isaiah 40-66, 353 12 Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 40-66, 412 13 John N. Oswalt, Isaiah 40-66, 353 11

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THURSDAY // 10 OCTOBER 2019

Wrath of the Covenant God S CRIPTURE Isaiah 51:17-23

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about the word “hand” in verses 17, 22 and 23 in the context of verses 17 to 23?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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he wrath of God was poured out on Israel (vv.17, 22) through “tormentors” who said to Israel, “Lie down that we may walk over you” (v.23). These cruel conquerors “surmised that killing people would be too merciful and it would bring too quick an end to their suffering. The enemy wanted to torture, humiliate and shame the Israelites and exalt themselves as masters over them”14. This was when God put into Israel’s “hand” from His own “hand” “the cup of His anger” (v.17). But God’s “anger is but for a moment, His favour is for a lifetime” (Psa 30:5). And now, God had “taken out” of Israel’s “hand” “the cup of reeling, the chalice of My anger” and “will put it into the hand” of Israel’s “tormentors” (v.23). Over these three movements of the cup of God’s anger is “the LORD’s hand” (v.17) – God’s sovereign plan and power. The God who contends against His people because they are unfaithful to Him, is also the God who “contends for His people” (v.22) because He is faithful as their covenant God, “the LORD, even your God”. God poured out His wrath on His people as “the LORD…your God” (v.20b). It is God’s covenant faithfulness that makes the assurance, “You shall never drink it again” possible (v.22).

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does it mean for me to relate with God as the covenant God?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for Outreach/Missions/ New Life leaders: To be faithful to God in His covenant faithfulness

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

14

Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 40-66, 415

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FRIDAY // 11 OCTOBER 2019

A Portrait of Divine Redemption S CRIPTURE Isaiah 52:1-6

O B S E RVAT I O N How is God’s redemption of Israel portrayed in verses 1 to 6?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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he “Wake up, wake up, O LORD!” call for God’s salvation (Isa 51:9-16) and the “Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem” call for Israel’s self-examination (Isa 51:17-23) are followed by the “Wake up, wake up, O Zion” call for Israel’s sanctification (vv.1-6): “Clothe yourself in your strength…in your beautiful garments” (v.1), and “Shake yourself…loose yourself ” from the humiliation of captivity (v.2). We need “strength” and “beautiful garments” when we are weak and wearing tattered clothes of unholiness. The word “your” does not mean our own strength and beautiful garments, they are from God, which He makes them to become ours. God has made Christ our righteousness and our holiness (1 Cor 1:30). Divine redemption has made this possible (v.3).

For their unfaithfulness, God “sold” Israel into exile “for nothing” (v.3a), meaning, God retained His ownership over Israel which He could resume at will.15 Thus, God would redeem Israel “without money” (v.3b). But the ultimate redemption is with “the precious blood” of the “unblemished and spotless” Lamb, and not “perishable silver or gold” (1 Pet 1:18-19).

God is very aware of His suffering people (Exo 3:7). He remembers our afflictions, past (Egyptian slavery and Assyrian oppression, v.4) and present (Babylonian captivity, v.5), and He reveals to us who He is – “My name” (v. 6a), and His presence – “Here I am” (v.6b).

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A P P L I CAT I O N Which aspects of God’s redemption are of relevance to me?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for SGI Leaders: To be assured of God’s promise, “Here I am”, in all things

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

15

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 371

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SATURDAY // 12 OCTOBER 2019

Good News for “Waste Places” S CRIPTURE Isaiah 52:7-12

O B S E RVAT I O N How does God respond to His people whose life condition is like “waste places” (v.9)?

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hat do God’s people whose life condition is like “waste places” need (v.9)? “Good news” from God (v.7) – “the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son” (Rom 1:1-2a). It is the “good news” of the salvation of God: “the salvation of our God” (v.10) from our “waste places” – whatever the causes. In our broken relationship with God because of our sins, God will “restore” us to Himself (v.8). In our afflictions under divine judgment-discipline, God will “comfort” us (v.9), as He forgives our sins in His redemption through the blood of His Son (v.9; Eph 1:7), and hence, “peace” with God (v.7) as God’s wrath comes to an end16 (cf. Rom 5:1, 9). We are saved for sanctification in God. For Israel, salvation was “Depart, depart” from Babylon; and going out of idolatrous and immoral Babylon, Israel must “touch nothing unclean” and “purify yourselves” (v.11). God saved us in Christ not just from hell, but to holiness. In this discipleship journey of holiness, we have security in God, who will “go before you” and be “your rear guard” (v.12).

Over the salvation, sanctification and security is the sovereignty of God: “Your God reigns!” (v.7). We must relinquish our self-rule and let God, who is in control over everything, reign as the centre of our lives.

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I see God in the “waste places” of my life?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for church board: To walk in holiness by God’s grace

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

16

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 372

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SUNDAY // 13 OCTOBER 2019

Sunday Journal

S CRIPTURE

O B S E RVAT I O N

A P P L I CAT I O N

P R AY E R

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THE PAST WEEK Review What was my high point and my low point for the week?

What gave me life and what drained me?

How was the Spirit of God at work?

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THE PAST WEEK Reflect What is one key thing that God said to me this week in light of what has happened?

Respond What is one thing I need to do in light of what God is saying? Commit in prayer.

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FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

OCTOBER 2019 WEEK 2

WHY IS IT WORTH IT TO KEEP GOING?* Jesus will give us joy when life gets hard.

Scripture: Acts 16:16-40 ACTIVITY BITE Attach a few pieces of string to a marker pen. Then, get your family members to each hold onto one string, while manipulating them as a group to write the word “joy” on a large piece of paper. After that, discuss what joy means to us and when we experience it.

CHAT TIME Q1: In Acts 16, what observations can you make about Paul and Silas’ attitude when they were in prison?

Q2: What can you learn from Paul and Silas? How will you apply it in your daily life?

Q3: Who do we look for when we face challenges that seem impossible?

LEARNING POINT Paul and Silas were beaten and chained up in prison. Despite the circumstances, they praised and prayed to God. Even in difficult times, they did not forget what Jesus told them to do – share the Gospel in every part of the world. They could praise God with songs because of the joy they had in the Lord. We can be assured that God knows what we are going through and that He will be with us through it all.”

ACTION POINT Among the things that Paul did while chained in prison was pray and worship. Ask everyone in your family to say a word of praise to God, then end the session with a song of praise.

FAMILY PRAYER POINTS Thank God for learning opportunities when we face challenges in our lives. Pray for perseverance to remain steadfast in His Word regardless of the depth of our challenges.

*Adapted from 252Basics, May 2019. www.ThinkOrange.com

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MONDAY // 14 OCTOBER 2019

Seeing Glory as God Sees S CRIPTURE Isaiah 52:13-15

O B S E RVAT I O N What does the portrait of the Servant of the Lord in verses 13 to 15 tell us about God?

DEEPER REFLECTION

T

he fourth Servant Song in Isaiah (Isa 52:13-53:12) may be outlined as follows: His exaltation (vv.13-15), His humiliation (Isa 53:1-3), the redemption (Isa 53:4-6), His humiliation (Isa 53:7-9) and His exaltation (Isa 53:10-12). The song begins with “Behold, My Servant” (v.13) – “Look at His glory!”

The Servant “will act wisely” (v.13a, NIV): He has the “wisdom to know exactly what to do in a given situation so as to bring the intended result”17 according to God’s will. He will be given a threefold exaltation: “high…lifted up…greatly exalted” (v.13b). The Servant will be “high” and “lifted up” exactly as the Lord seated on His throne is “lofty and exalted”18 that Isaiah saw (Isa 6:1). But what the people next saw (v.14) of what God had said about His Servant (v.13) “astonished” them, whose response was: “What glory is that?” The Servant’s “appearance” and “form” was anything but glorious. He was such a disfigured person that no one could hardly bear to look, who was so “exceptionally unattractive” as to be “avoided and excluded”19. The humiliation of Jesus of Nazareth in His life and ministry (Jn 1:45-46) climaxed at the cross where “the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in Him” (Jn 13:31-32). God’s glory is manifested in both the humiliation and exaltation of His Son.

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I view the glory of God?

P R AY E R O God, let me see Your glory

Prayer Pointers

in God’s most definitive selfrevelation in Jesus! Your glory

// Give thanks:

in Jesus when He emptied Himself of the form of God and took on the form of a bondservant. Your glory in Jesus as

// Pray for leaders:

Jesus of most lowly Nazareth.

Your glory in Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve, and gave His life as a ransom

// Pray for significant people:

for many as the crucified God.

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

17 18 19

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 374 The same two Hebrew words are used in Isa 6:1 and 52:13.

Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, 142

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TUESDAY // 15 OCTOBER 2019

A Below Expectation Divine Appearance S CRIPTURE Isaiah 53:1-3

O B S E RVAT I O N What does the description of the Servant tell us about God?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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he prophet asks, “Who will believe what God has revealed?” (v.1). God’s strange revelation of the Servant can be hard to believe and accept. What does the Servant look like? There is “nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him” (v.2c-e, NLT). Do you feel like this about your appearance?

Look at Jesus. How is the Servant looked at? He is “despised and rejected” by people, who turn their backs on Him and look the other way (v.3 a, c, d). God does not reveal Himself to be attractive by human and worldly measures in terms of persona, presentation, packaging, position and performance. What distinctively marks the Servant’s life?

The Servant enters the human experience of “sorrows” and “griefs” and becomes “a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs” (v.3b). Sorrows and griefs are part and parcel of His life, which make Him compassionate, understanding, sensitive, appreciative, thoughtful, considerate and caring – expressed in “a bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish” (Isa 42:3). Much of humanity is like the multitudes in Jesus’ days: “distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36). What they need is a compassionate Shepherd who is “a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs”. Leaders who truly follow Jesus will seek to be such a servant-shepherd like Him.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does it mean to me to follow Jesus as portrayed in the Servant?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for pastors and staff: To serve through and be like Jesus the Servant // Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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WEDNESDAY // 16 OCTOBER 2019

Divine Foolishness and Stumbling Block S CRIPTURE Isaiah 53:4-6

O B S E RVAT I O N What do verses 4 and 6 tell us about man and God with regard to the Servant through the various descriptions of the first-person plural pronouns (“we”, “our” and “us”)?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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n God’s redemption programme, unblemished animals as sacrifices for atonement of sins foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of a perfect human being on the cross (Heb 9:6-12) – as portrayed in the Servant (vv.4-6) − which surfaces two negative human perspectives.

What man sees wrongly: The crucified Servant was seen as “punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins” (v.4c, d, NLT). “In Israelite understanding” someone executed by crucifixion “was rejected by his people, cursed among the people of God by the God of the law, and excluded from the covenant of life. ‘Cursed be everyone that hangs on a tree’ (Gal 3:13; Deut 21:23). Anyone who, condemned by the law as a blasphemer, suffers such a death is accursed and excluded from the circle of the living and from the fellowship of God.”20 “In the humanism of antiquity, the crucified Christ…[was] embarrassment. Crucifixion… was regarded as the most degrading kind of punishment. Thus Roman humanism always felt ‘the religion of the cross’ to be unaesthetic, unrespectable and perverse.”21 The Cross is foolishness and a stumbling block (1 Cor 1:23). What man fails to see: Our own sins and sinfulness that demand the non-negotiable divine necessity of the Crucified Christ (v.6). Being redeemed through the Cross means we no longer walk our “own way” (v.6a, b; see 2 Cor 5:15).

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A P P L I CAT I O N What is one aspect about the Cross of Christ that gives me the impetus to follow Jesus in the way of the Cross?

P R AY E R O God, how the contradiction

Prayer Pointers

of the Cross proclaims Your infinite wisdom! For through

// Give thanks:

the crucified Son of God You transformed evil into the triumph of love and violence into the victory of peace, and

// Pray for leaders:

manifested Your glorious grace. Help me to determine to know nothing except Jesus Christ, even Him crucified, and

// Pray for significant people:

to embrace the Cross of Christ as my glory.

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

20 21

Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God, 40th Anniversary Edition (SCM, 1974, 2015), 28 Jürgen Moltmann, 28

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THURSDAY // 17 OCTOBER 2019

No Forgiveness Without Shedding Blood S CRIPTURE

Isaiah 53:4-6; 1 Peter 2:24-25

O B S E RVAT I O N How do you understand the phrase “by His scourging we are healed” (v.5) by comparing verses 5 to 6 with 1 Peter 2:24-25?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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od said to Israel, “You are My servant” (Isa 41:8-9), and to the Servant, “You are My Servant, Israel” (Isa 49:3). God spoke to both Israel and the Servant the same words, but the Servant is the true and only Israel, and not the nation of Israel, because Israel “burdened” and “wearied” God with their “sins” and “iniquities” (Isa 43:24). God’s call for Israel to be “My servant” remains and will not change, but God must first wipe out Israel’s “transgressions” and “sins” (Isa 43:25). How? Through the Servant. The Servant “was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities” (v.5ab).

To be “crushed” means suffering “cruel agonies ending in death”22. It has to be in this way, because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb 9:22; Lev 17:11; Eph 1:7). God cannot forgive our sins at will apart from the Cross. The Servant’s substitutionary redemptive sufferings and death for “all of us” (v.6) results in “peace” and “healing” (v.5c, d) with regard to our relationship with God. Through Christ “we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God” (Rom 5:1, NLT). We “like sheep have gone astray” (v.6a), but now, “by His scourging we are healed” (v.5d) and “have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls” (1 Pet 2:24-25).

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I relate God’s redemption of me and His calling of me to be His servant in my life?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for Outreach/Missions/ New Life leaders: To grasp the significance of being redeemed in Christ

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

22

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 378

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FRIDAY // 18 OCTOBER 2019

The Cross of the Lamb S CRIPTURE

Isaiah 53:7-9; 1 Peter 2:21-25

O B S E RVAT I O N How did the Servant suffer?

DEEPER REFLECTION

T

he slaughter of the Servant, Jesus, as substitutionary sacrifice (vv.7-9) is for our salvation and showing us the path of suffering in following Jesus (1 Pet 2:21-25). Suffering silently (v.7): Note the emphatic “He did not open His mouth” (repeated twice!) and “is silent” when the Servant was “oppressed” and “afflicted”, as we see in Jesus (Matt 26:63; 27:12-14). He was “like a lamb” – meek on the inside, which is strength, but weak on the outside. Jesus “was crucified because of weakness” (2 Cor 13:4). Suffering unjustly (vv.8-9): The Servant “was led away after an unjust trial” (v.8a, NET). No one “considered” that He was “stricken for the transgression of my people” (v.8b-d). Even Jesus’ disciples “did not understand” when He foretold His death to them (Mk 9:31-32). Crucifixion “was almost entirely used for the dregs of humanity and never for Roman citizens”23. There were many thousands of crucifixions in Roman times,24 and Jesus’ crucifixion was considered as just one of them, and He as one of those “criminals” (Lk 23:32-33).

You see, the Cross of Christ did not interpret itself by itself. We find its theological significance only in the epistles. Sinless in thought, word and deed (v.9c-d), the Righteous One died for the unrighteous, in the hands of the unrighteous, in an unrighteous way, so that the unrighteous can become righteous.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What challenges do I face in suffering silently and unjustly, and how will I deal with them?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for SGI Leaders: To know the fellowship with Christ in His sufferings // Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

23 24

Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ (Eerdmans, 2015), 74 Fleming Rutledge, 4

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SATURDAY // 19 OCTOBER 2019

Suffering Evil and for Evil S CRIPTURE Isaiah 53:10-12

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about suffering in the Servant’s suffering?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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he Servant’s suffering in Isaiah 53 may be understood as “the Righteous One” (vv.9, 11) suffering evil and for evil. This is seen in the seven recurring phrases like “He was pierced through for our transgressions” and “He Himself bore the sin of many” (Isa 53:5, 6, 10, 11, 12). This Servant Song offers two perspectives. The suffering is God’s plan. To God’s people in Old Testament times, the great victorious kingly Messiah (Isa 9:1-7; 11:1-10; 52:13) described as a suffering Servant was strange, incoherent and unpalatable. And it looked like a terrible perversion of justice for God to transfer the guilt of many to this innocent Servant. But it was God’s mysterious and unbelievable plan: “it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer” (v.10, NIV). It was a divine act: “the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6, NIV). Suffering evil “according to the will of God” is part of biblical discipleship (1 Pet 3:17; 4:19). The suffering can profit people. The resurrection of the Servant who died (v.9) is assumed in verses 10 to 12, and indicated by “He [God] will prolong His days” (v.10). His resurrection makes it possible for Him to “justify many” – making them righteous before God – through bearing their sins (v.11; see Rom 4:25).

In suffering evil we can be a “blessing” to people, including those who do evil to us (1 Pet 3:9).

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does suffering according to the will of God mean to me personally?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for church board: To be a blessing to people through their sufferings

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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SUNDAY // 20 OCTOBER 2019

Sunday Journal

S CRIPTURE

O B S E RVAT I O N

A P P L I CAT I O N

P R AY E R

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THE PAST WEEK Review What was my high point and my low point for the week?

What gave me life and what drained me?

How was the Spirit of God at work?

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THE PAST WEEK Reflect What is one key thing that God said to me this week in light of what has happened?

Respond What is one thing I need to do in light of what God is saying? Commit in prayer.

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OCTOBER 2019 WEEK 3

FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

WHAT WILL HELP YOU NOT TO GIVE UP?* God helps those who trust Him. Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3 ACTIVITY BITE Get your family members to draw a Bible character who inspires them. Then ask them to share how this character encourages them.

CHAT TIME Q1: Do you know anyone who went through the same difficulties as you and overcame them?

Q2: Who are the “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:1?

Q3: Which story in the Bible encourages you when you feel discouraged? Why? LEARNING POINT The author of Hebrews reminds us that when life gets hard, we can look to the people who have overcome difficulties to draw encouragement. We can study the heroes of the faith in the Bible and see how they trusted God through extremely difficult circumstances. God brought them through those trials and He will help us through our trials. When we see how God helped them, it encourages us to trust God more with our own circumstances.

ACTION POINT Identify and memorise a Bible verse which everyone in the family can anchor on when they feel like giving up.

FAMILY PRAYER POINTS Thank God for bringing the right people into our lives when we feel like giving up and feel hopeless. Pray for God‘s wisdom to dismiss the doubts within us, and place our trust in Him for He is able.

*Adapted from 252Basics, May 2019. www.ThinkOrange.com

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MONDAY // 21 OCTOBER 2019

Grace for the Rebellious People S CRIPTURE Isaiah 54:1-8

O B S E RVAT I O N What can you learn about God and His people in verses 1 to 8?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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n the “sandwich” structure of Isaiah 54, God keeping His covenant (Isa 54:9-10) is the centre of His grace for rebellious people (vv.1-8) and glory for redeemed people (Isa 54:11-17). The covenant of God was made by “the blood of the covenant” (Exo 24:8), the blood in the Servant’s vicarious death for our sins (Isa 53:4-9) – even “My blood of the covenant” of Jesus (Matt 26:28). God’s people in exile were “barren” (v.1) and “forsaken” (v.6), because God in His “anger” “hid My face from you” and “forsook” them (vv.7-8) for their unfaithfulness and rebellion. Is this the condition of your life in your relationship with God, marked by shame and disgrace (v.4)? God is slow to anger (Exo 34:6), and when He is angry, His anger is “for a brief moment” (vv.7-8). God seeks to “gather” to Himself those who have fallen away from Him with “great compassion” (v.7) and “everlasting steadfast covenant love” (v.8) in a very personal way as “your Maker”, “your Redeemer” (vv.5, 8) and “your God” (v.6). God reaches us intimately as “your husband” (v.5). This condescending God is the transcendent “Holy One of Israel”, “LORD Almighty” and “God of all the earth” (v.5). God restores His people to “possess the nations” (vv.2-3) as His servants and witnesses (Isa 43:10) – their missional calling in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 12:1-3; cf. Gal 3:8-9, 13-14).

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I anchor in God when my spiritual life is in bad shape?

P R AY E R Out of the depths I cry to You,

Prayer Pointers

O Lord! Lord, hear my voice. If You should keep account of my

// Give thanks:

sins, Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be feared.

I wait for You, Lord, my soul waits for You, and in Your Word

// Pray for leaders:

is my hope. I hope in You, for with You is unfailing love and abundant redemption.25

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

25

Adapted from Psalm 130

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TUESDAY // 22 OCTOBER 2019

Glory for the Redeemed People S CRIPTURE Isaiah 54:11-17

O B S E RVAT I O N What can you learn about God and His people in verses 11 to 17?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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od’s people in exile under God’s “anger” (Isa 54:7-8) were “barren” and desolate” (Isa 54:1), “forsaken and grieved” and “rejected” (Isa 54:6) and “afflicted” and “storm-tossed” (v.11).

So can we be. But despite our great shortcomings, God pours on us His grace abundantly (Isa 54:1-8) and graciously gives us glory (vv.13-17). Be comforted in the God-given beauty: The “not comforted” people (v.11) is now comforted. God’s first words to His people in exile were “Comfort, O comfort My people” (Isa 40:1). God rebuilds our lives that are devastated by our sins. It has to be the very divine act itself: “I will set”, “I will lay” and “I will make” (vv.11-12). God reconstructs our lives with enrichment and beautification (vv.11-12). We become a precious gem in God’s eyes and God’s hand. The Word of God is vital in the process and as a product of the divine restoration – being “taught of the LORD” (v.13a), like the Servant (Isa 49:2; 50:4), resulting in “great” “well-being” (v.13b). Word and well-being go together. Be courageous in the God-given security: Being “established” “in righteousness”, God’s redeemed people will be “far from oppression…from terror” (v.14) and attacks from enemies will not prevail (vv.15, 17). So, we “will not fear” (v.14). Our security lies in the Sovereign God who Himself has “created” makers of weapons and armies that destroy (v.16).

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A P P L I CAT I O N How do I respond to life situations when I am afflicted and stormtossed?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for pastors and staff: To know how special and secure they are in God

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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WEDNESDAY // 23 OCTOBER 2019

God Will Keep His Covenant S CRIPTURE Isaiah 54:9-10

O B S E RVAT I O N What can you learn about God in verses 9 to 10?

DEEPER REFLECTION

I

n the “sandwich” structure of Isaiah 54, the covenant-keeping God (vv.9-10) is the centre of His grace for rebellious people (Isa 54:1-8) and glory for redeemed people (Isa 54:11-17). After the flood that destroyed the first creation because of humanity’s great wickedness before God (Gen 6:5-7, 11-13), God established His covenant with Noah and the second creation, and swore that “never again shall there be a flood that destroys the earth” (Gen 9:9-11). And “like the days of Noah”, God “swore” in “My steadfast covenant love” and “My covenant of peace” that He “will not be angry” with His people, and His covenant “will not be shaken” (vv.9-10). What does this mean? Exile was the ultimate covenant curse (Lev 26:27-33) and the wrath of God (2 Kin 24:20). But Christ “redeemed us” from the covenant “curse” (Jer 11:3-4) by “having become a curse for us” (Gal 3:13) and “justified us (made us righteous before God) by His blood” and “saved us from the wrath of God” (Rom 5:9).

When we in brokenness confess our sins, God is “faithful” (surely God will) and “righteous” (surely God must) “to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9), because “My blood of the covenant…for forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28) “cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). This is God keeping His covenant with us in Christ.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What does God’s covenant and God keeping His covenant mean to me personally?

P R AY E R O God, when You judged

Prayer Pointers

Your people for breaking Your covenant, in Your great

// Give thanks:

compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God. You

// Pray for leaders:

are the great, the mighty, the awesome God, who keeps Your covenant and steadfast love.26 Grant us Your grace and

// Pray for significant people:

strength to walk with You daily in covenant faithfulness.

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

26

Nehemiah 9:30-32

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THURSDAY // 24 OCTOBER 2019

Come to God’s Abundant Nourishment S CRIPTURE Isaiah 55:1-5

O B S E RVAT I O N How did God issue His call to His people regarding the condition of their lives?

DEEPER REFLECTION

A

re we like God’s people in exile who depended on the life resources offered by Babylon and gave their lives to “what is not bread…what does not satisfy” (v.2a)?27 Would we invest so much in forms of life that cannot work? Work so hard and long for ways that give no satisfaction? Give life over to the demands and rewards of the world that yield nothing of value in return? Against this backdrop is God’s intense call: “Come…come…come…listen carefully to Me…incline your ear and come to Me…listen” (vv.1-3a). And God will give us His gracious nourishment (v.1b) of true life (v.3a) in abundant goodness (v.2b). The focus of God’s call is “Come to Me”, coming to God Himself. We come to God by coming to His Word where He has revealed Himself, and “listen carefully to Me” (v.2b). We come to God for abundant spiritual life and nourishment with security in His covenant faithfulness (“everlasting covenant”) and His covenant love that is steadfast and sure (v.3b). God’s people with such spiritual vitality (vv.2b-4) attract nations that eagerly “run” to them (v.5a). Note the two reasons for this powerful magnetism. It is “because of ” God Himself as “the Holy One of Israel” and because God “has glorified” His people (v.5b). It is all God’s doing. We only need to heed God’s “Come to Me” call (v.3a).

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A P P L I CAT I O N In what way is God’s call of “Come to Me, and listen carefully to Me” relevant to me?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for Outreach/Missions/ New Life leaders: To receive abundant spiritual nourishment from God

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

27

Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, 159

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FRIDAY // 25 OCTOBER 2019

Turn to God’s Abundant Pardon S CRIPTURE Isaiah 55:6-9

O B S E RVAT I O N How did God show that His “ways” and “thoughts” were different from and “higher than” human ways and thoughts?

DEEPER REFLECTION

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od’s earlier call of “Come to Me” (Isa 55:1-3a) is now spelt out as “Seek…call…forsake…return” (vv.6-7). Seeking God is “to come with diligence to where the Lord is to be found”, with “commitment, determination and persistence in spiritual concern and in longing for the Lord’s presence and fellowship”28. Calling upon God is to acknowledge Him in worship and appeal to Him in need.29 The “wicked” and “unrighteous” (v.7a) are not just disobedient people in general, but were, in this context, God’s people who were so settled in Babylon, and so accommodated to Babylonian lifestyle (“his way”) and mindset (“his thoughts”) that they were not inclined to heed the “Come to Me” call.30 It is equivalent to loving and conforming to the world (1 Jn 2:15-16; Rom 12:2). Will God give up and abandon such “wicked” and “unrighteous” people? No. God calls them to “forsake” their worldly mindset and lifestyle and “return” to Him (v.7b). Why? Because He has “compassion” for them. Because He wants to “pardon” them and “pardon abundantly”! This is God thinking His own “thoughts” and pursuing His own “ways”, which is completely different from and “higher than” human “thoughts” and “ways” (vv.8-9). It is “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20).

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A P P L I CAT I O N Which of God’s fourfold call of “Seek…call…forsake…return…” is of particular relevance to me, and what is my response?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for SGI Leaders: To live and serve by God’s abundant grace // Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

28 29 30

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 389 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 389 Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, 160

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SATURDAY // 26 OCTOBER 2019

It’s God’s Word that Works S CRIPTURE Isaiah 55:10-13

O B S E RVAT I O N Why does God speak about the nature of His Word (vv.10-11) in the context of His gracious redemption (Isa 55:1-9) and glorious transformation (vv.12-13) of His people?

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od’s call to “Come to Me” for abundant spiritual life and nourishment with security in God’s covenant faithfulness and steadfast love (Isa 55:1-5) by seeking and calling upon God, forsaking wickedness and returning to the compassionate God who “will pardon abundantly” (Isa 55:6-9), will lead to a new exodus (v.12) and glorious transformation (v.13). Are you in need of a new exodus from your Babylonian exile? There is the hope of a new exodus in God: “You will go out” of your exile, and “be led forth” by God, who goes before you in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (v.12; Exo 13:21-22).

The new exodus will lead to a glorious transformation: No more a life with “thorns” and “nettles”, but instead, “cypress” and “myrtles” will sprout and grow, and bring “great honour to the LORD’s name” (v.13, NLT). But ultimately, God’s gracious redemption (vv.1-9) and glorious transformation (vv.12-13) are achieved not by our repentance from sin or seeking God with earnestness, important as they are, but by the effective living Word of God (vv.10-11).31 God does not have to work around our will, which is not constant and reliable, to accomplish His purposes. But rather, God Himself ensures that what He Himself has spoken, He Himself will execute.

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A P P L I CAT I O N How does the fact that the Word of God never fails affect my life?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for church board: To anchor in God’s Word that never fails

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

31

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 391

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SUNDAY // 27 OCTOBER 2019

Sunday Journal

S CRIPTURE

O B S E RVAT I O N

A P P L I CAT I O N

P R AY E R

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THE PAST WEEK Review What was my high point and my low point for the week?

What gave me life and what drained me?

How was the Spirit of God at work?

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THE PAST WEEK Reflect What is one key thing that God said to me this week in light of what has happened?

Respond What is one thing I need to do in light of what God is saying? Commit in prayer.

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FAMILY DEVOTIONAL

OCTOBER 2019 WEEK 4

WHAT CAN HELP US FOCUS ON JESUS?* Jesus finished the race. He is our example.

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2-3 ACTIVITY BITE Ask your family members to create an acrostic poem together, by using each letter in the word “JESUS” to form a word that best describes what Jesus means to them. For example, J-joy, E-Easter, S-sacrifice, and so on.

CHAT TIME Q1: How does Jesus’ death on the cross encourage us during difficult times?

Q2: What do we gain when we “fix our eyes on Jesus”?

Q2: How can we “fix our eyes on Jesus”?

LEARNING POINT Knowing that He would be going through hardship and pain, Jesus remained focused and persevered until He finally fulfilled the Will of God − by enduring the pain of being nailed to the cross, because God gave Him strength to do that. When things do not go well or seem impossible for us, we can look to Jesus, not only as our example, but as our source of strength.

ACTION POINT Get your family members to share one area in which he or she will commit to “fixing their eyes on Jesus”. Ask them to explain how he or she will do it and how other family members can help them.

FAMILY PRAYER POINTS Pray for the Lord’s guidance to overcome the obstacles in our lives. Ask the Lord to help us with the many choices we have to make each day and may we truly learn to look to Jesus as our Guide and Strength.

*Adapted from 252Basics, May 2019. www.ThinkOrange.com

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MONDAY // 28 OCTOBER 2019

God’s Remembrance of Faithful People S CRIPTURE

Isaiah 56:1-5; Deuteronomy 23:1

O B S E RVAT I O N What observations can you make about God and eunuchs by comparing verses 3 to 5 with Deuteronomy 23:1?

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saiah 40 to 55 consists of prophetic words spoken to God’s people in exile32 who were about to return to their land; Isaiah 56 to 66 consists of words spoken to them after their return from exile.33 In Isaiah 56, God called post-exilic Israel to the blessedness of walking in “righteousness” and “justice” (vv.1-2). And this divine call was also for “foreigners” and “eunuchs” who were considered as unclean people, separated from God’s people (Isa 56:3-8; see Acts 11:1-18; Eph 2:11-12).

Eunuchs, because of their physical defects, were forbidden to “enter the assembly of the LORD” (Deut 23:1) where God’s holy presence dwelled in the tabernacle (cf. Num 5:1-3). It was God’s concrete way of teaching His people about His holiness. But God never intended a permanent exclusion of eunuchs. Now, for eunuchs who “choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant” (v.4), God will bless them in a way that contrasts very significantly with His prohibition for them to enter the assembly of His people, which was outside the tabernacle. God will give them a “memorial” and an “everlasting name” – remembrance and eternal honour of their faithfulness34 “in My house and within My walls” (v.5) – in the very presence of God. It is enough that we are faithful in God’s presence and God remembers our faithfulness forever.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What motivates me to be faithful to God?

P R AY E R God, You do not see as man

Prayer Pointers

sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but You look at

// Give thanks:

the heart.35 Teach me and help me to live for the audience of one, You, all-knowing God, and not to seek human approval,

// Pray for leaders:

acknowledgement or applause.

Indeed, it is enough that by Your grace I am faithful in Your presence and You remember

// Pray for significant people:

my faithfulness forever.

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

32

Andrew E. Hill & John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament (Zondervan, 1991), 323 Andrew E. Hill & John H. Walton, 324 34 Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 40-66, 534-35 35 1 Samuel 16:7 33

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TUESDAY // 29 OCTOBER 2019

Binding Ourselves to the Lord S CRIPTURE Isaiah 56:6-8

O B S E RVAT I O N What do verses 6 to 8 tell us about binding ourselves to God?

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od restored Israel from exile to be His servants and witnesses (Isa 43:10) who walked in righteousness and justice (Isa 56:1-2) for a missional purpose: to be “a light of the nations” (Isa 49:6).

And this was to be accomplished through the redemptive ministry of the Servant (Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-12; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). Hence, God intends for “foreigners” to “bind themselves to the LORD” (v.6, NIV). We bind ourselves to God by being committed to Him as “His servants”, who “love” and honour His “name” and “minister to Him” in holiness and faithfulness (v.6). And God will give us His greatest blessing: His presence with us (“to My holy mountain”) and our communion with Him (“in My house of prayer”), (v.7). “My house of prayer” indicates that God’s presence and prayer to Him are intertwined. But we can miss this reality in practice. A good friend of mine spent half a day weekly in prayer. One day, God told him that he had made prayer into an idol, because his focus was on the discipline and accomplishment of praying, rather than God and His presence. When our devotion to God is “acceptable on My altar” (v.7), it is a blessing. But we must always remember that it is “acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 2:5), lest we fall into our propensity to be performance, success and self-accomplishment oriented.

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A P P L I CAT I O N What changes do I need to make with regard to my communion with God?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for pastors and staff: To love and honour God’s name in life and service

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

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WEDNESDAY // 30 OCTOBER 2019

The Leadership That Caused Exile S CRIPTURE Isaiah 56:9-12

O B S E RVAT I O N How would you describe the leaders of Israel who caused Israel to go into exile?

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his passage on the wickedness and failure of Israel’s leaders apparently looks back to the pre-exilic days.36 It was they who led Israel into covenant unfaithfulness that resulted in exile.

King Manasseh was a classic example (2 Kin 23:26-27). They were spiritually “blind”, “lacked knowledge” and “lacked understanding” (vv.10, 11), because they were not interested in acquiring them. They should be “watchmen” guarding God’s people from coming to danger, but instead they were dumb dogs who slept while danger was at hand (v.10).

They failed to be “shepherds” who cared for the present needs of their sheep (v.11). With self-absorbance and self-indulgence they looked after themselves and not their sheep (vv.11, 12). It is significant to note that even during the apostolic times, the temptation of “pursuing dishonest gain”, “lording over” people (1 Pet 5:2-3) and the “love to be first” (3 Jn 1:9) in church leadership was present. And it remains a present danger. What is biblical spiritual leadership fundamentally? It is a life that is able to say “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1, NIV). Paul “teach[es] everywhere in every church” one thing: “my ways which are in Christ” (1 Cor 4:17), such that he could say, “I exhort you, be imitators of me” (1 Cor 4:16).

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A P P L I CAT I O N In what ways do I need to change how I exercise leadership?

P R AY E R Prayer Pointers

Lord Jesus, we entrust into Your hand the leaders of the Your church, asking that You

// Give thanks:

strengthen and sustain them each day to follow You faithfully and fully, that the life of Christ may be increasingly manifested

// Pray for leaders:

in them. Protect them from the evil one and all evil. Empower them to shepherd Your church in the ways and wisdom of the Chief Shepherd.

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

36

Allan Harman, Isaiah, Focus on the Bible (Christian Focus, 2005), 431

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THURSDAY // 31 OCTOBER 2019

Two Contrasting Pictures of Security S CRIPTURE Isaiah 57:1-10

O B S E RVAT I O N What is the significance of the word “bed” (Hebrew mishkab) being repeated four times in verses 2, 7 and 8?

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his passage presents two contrasting pictures of security. The security of the faithful (vv.1-2): “righteous” and “devout” people of covenant faithfulness to God,37 whom God loves with an unfailing love.38 They die (“perish”, “taken away”) while being oppressed and persecuted.39 The death of the righteous is “never accidental or untimely, but always purposeful”40 – a deliberate “taken away from evil” and brought into “peace” and “rest” (see 2 Tim 4:18). If we walk with God faithfully, we do not fear death, however we may die. The “security” of the unfaithful, who compromised their faith in God, is painted via two imageries: religious (vv.3-8) and political (v.9-10). The unfaithful sought security through spiritual prostitution (v.3). They rejected and mocked God in wilful disobedience and departure from the truth for falsehood (v.4). They embraced the Canaanite fertility cult, with its sexual rites to prompt their gods to fertilise land, animals and humans (v.5).41 Today’s equivalent is “reliance on whatever seems to secure economic prosperity”42. These unfaithful Israelites made a frantic and maniac pursuit – down into the valleys (v.6) and up the high mountains (v.7) – for worldly security through idolatry. Are you like this? Note this deliberate contrast: the “bed” of “rest” in the death of the faithful (v.2) and the “bed” of spiritual adultery of the unfaithful (vv.7-8).

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A P P L I CAT I O N What changes do I need to make with regard to how I seek security in life?

P R AY E R Write a prayer to God as your

Prayer Pointers

response from your meditation on and application of

// Give thanks:

the Scriptures.

// Pray for Outreach/Missions/ New Life leaders: To be kept from seeking security in worldly ways

// Pray for significant people:

// Pray for those in need:

// Pray for self:

37

Allan Harman, 432 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 399 J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah (IVP, 1993), 470 40 J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, 470 41 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 400 42 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, 400 38 39

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NOTES

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NOTES

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NOTES

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© 2019 COVENANT EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH T (65) 6892 6811 • E mail@cefc.org.sg • W www.cefc.org.sg

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