The Hope of Restoration (Sermon January 19, 2020)

Going Deeper

by Pat Russell

“The Hope of Restoration” – Isaiah 49:1-18

Pastor Bruce Speer

You will need the handout for this Sunday for this exercise.  In this scripture passage, we can see the eternal character of God’s hope.  What is your definition of hope?  How would you tie hope with restoration?

If we go to the ancient past, we read in this passage of the hope that Isaiah brings to God’s people who are held in captivity in Persia.  Read the entire passage out loud and let the words of restoration flow over you.  Imagine yourself in captivity.  How would these words impact you?  What verses mean the most to you?

But this hope is not only for those ancient times.  Strikingly, this passage sounds very much like Jesus.  Now read the scripture phrases followed by a number in parentheses along with the corresponding verses that talk about Jesus.  If you lived in the time of Jesus and you knew your Isaiah scripture, what would you think about Jesus – what he said, what he did?  How might this knowledge impact your thoughts of hope of restoration?  How do you think Jesus was impacted by knowing this Isaiah passage?

Finally, the hope of restoration from Isaiah 49 is meant for us in this day.  Take each description of hope that Pastor Bruce wrote out and pray about how that characteristic applies to you.

1.     Hope gives courage to the Servant of the Lord.

2.     Hope seeks the tangible restoration of land, freedom, and children.

3.     Hope is sustained by the LORD’s undying love.

If you care to share your thoughts with me, I would be most interested and will reply.  patannruss@gmail.com.