we have waited

Isaiah 33

v2

O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

We should wait for the Lord to be gracious to us.

be generous

Isaiah 32

v8

But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.

The word "liberal" in the Bible doesn't mean the same thing that we mean by it today. It used to mean something like "generous". We should be generous.

seek the LORD

Isaiah 31

v1

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because [they are] many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

We should look to the Holy One of Israel, and seek the Lord.

encouraging promise

Isaiah 30

v19

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

This is an encouraging promise. The Lord will hear and answer our prayers.

making a man an offender for a word

Isaiah 29

v21

That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

We shouldn't be critical of insignificant things. For example, we shouldn't treat people like they're doing bad things every time they just say one little thing wrong.

Romans 3 - Key

v25

Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

We should be thankful for how the Lord has taken our sins away.

Application

I'll pray and thank the Lord for taking away my sins.

Romans 3 - Outline

v1-8

possible arguments, and the advantage of righteousness

v9-12

there is none righteous

v13-18

the way the wicked are, that we shouldn't be

v19-21

the law is not to justify us. It's for guilt and the knowledge of sin

v22-28

the way to be justified is freely by faith in Jesus Christ

v29-31

that does not mean that the law is worthless

Woe to the crown of pride

Isaiah 28

v1

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty [is] a fading flower, which [are] on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

This chapter is hard for me to understand, but this first verse talks about pride. It says, "whose glorious beauty [is] a fading flower". The people of Ephraim look great, but that's like a flower that's pretty for a little while and then shrivels up. We shouldn't be proud.

Lk11:1-26 - Key

v9

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Reading these passages about God answering prayer make me want to pray more for the things I want. We should always be like that.

Application

I'll pray more for the things I want.

Lk11:1-26 - Outline

1. v1-13 Prayer

   v1-4

   what to say when you pray

   v5-8

   like asking a friend

   v9-10

   promises provoking us to pray

   v11-13

   like asking a father

2. v14-26 Casting out devils

   v14-20

   Jesus showed that the kingdom of God had come upon them

   v21-23

   what the devil is like

   v24-26

   when you get rid of something bad, replacing it with something good

groves and images shall not stand up

Isaiah 27

v9

By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this [is] all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.

We should get rid of the things that are idols to us.

whose mind is stayed on Thee

Isaiah 26

v3

Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.

Our minds should stay thinking about the Lord.

we have waited for him

Isaiah 25

v9

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

How are we going to be able to honestly say this, unless we do wait for the Lord God? We should wait on the Lord, and then we'll be glad and rejoice. His salvation is the thing that matters.

glory to the righteous

Isaiah 24

v16

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, [even] glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

From the beginning of this verse, I get the idea that we should sing songs of praise to the Lord about His righteousness.

the judgment of Tyre and Sidon

Isaiah 23

v9

The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

It's interesting that this chapter talks about the judgment of Tyre and Sidon, because we were just studying Luke 10.

It's about pride. Instead of being the honorable of the earth, we should be the honorable of the Lord.

Luke 10 - Key

v39

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

Listening to the Word of God is so important that it's better than much serving.

Application

In some of my time with the Lord, I've been doing other things instead of reading the Bible. I'll make sure to read the Bible in those times.

Luke 10 - Outline

v1-12

Jesus sends the 70

v13-15

Jesus pronounced woe to the cities that wouldn't repent

v16

when people treat the 70 a certain way, that's the same as treating Jesus that way

v17-20

power over the power of the enemy

v21-24

hidden from some and revealed to others

v25-37

love your neighbor as yourself

v38-42

Mary and Martha

a time to weep

Isaiah 22

v12,13

And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

There's a time for being glad, and a time for crying. We should make sure that we do what the Lord calls us to do, in the time He calls us to do it.

don't be proud

Isaiah 21

v17

And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken [it].

They were mighty, but they would be diminished. We shouldn't be proud.

trust no other than God

Isaiah 20

v5

And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

The Lord was warning that the king of Assyria was going to enslave Epypt and Ethiopia. People couldn't trust in Egypt and Ethiopia instead of trusting in the Lord.

We should trust in the Lord and not in somebody or something else instead.

cry unto the LORD

Isaiah 19

v20

And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

In times of need, we can cry to the Lord.

with pruning hooks

Isaiah 18

v5

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away [and] cut down the branches.

I can't understand what Isaiah 18 means, but this verse makes me think of how the Lord "prunes" us, His people, like a plant. We shouldn't be surprised if we encounter hardship, and we should follow Him.

Luke 9:37-62 - Key

v41

And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

I noticed that this said "faithless". I remember that this story in other places talks a lot about faith.

Application

When I'm praying for something, I'll believe that the Lord can do it.

Luke 9:37-62 - Outline

v37-42

"Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child"

v43-45

The disciples didn't understand Jesus telling them what was going to happen to Him

v46-48

"he that is least among you all, the same shall be great."

v49-50

"he that is not against us is for us."

v51

He steadfastly set His face

v52-56

Not to destroy people's lives, but to save them

v57-62

How to follow Jesus

be mindful of the Lord

Isaiah 17

v10

Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

This reminds me of Romans 1:28. We should be happy to think about the things of the Lord.

he is very proud

Isaiah 16

v6

We have heard of the pride of Moab; [he is] very proud: [even] of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: [but] his lies [shall] not [be] so.

This is about the Lord's judgment of the group of people called Moab. They had a problem with pride, and we should make sure to not make the same mistake. We should make sure we're doing what we do really to serve the Lord, not to just make other people think well of us.

Romans 2 - Key

v7

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Sometimes when I get discouraged, and encounter adversity, I get lazy. I don't even try as hard to do what's right any more, because it seems like it doesn't do any good. I shouldn't be like that.

We should have, "patient continuance in well doing".

Application

This chapter warns about God's judgment for sin, and verse 10 teaches that the Lord will give "glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good". I'll patiently continue to do what's right.

Romans 2 - Outline

v1-3

we can't escape God's judgment by judging other people

v4-11

God doesn't just have mercy and blessing, but He also has judgment for people

v12-16

the non-Jews also have no excuse, because their conscience works like the law

v17-20

we shouldn't brag about having a form of knowledge through the law

v21-24

we haven't been able to can't keep the law ourselves, so we shouldn't be hypocrits about it

v25-29

physical circumcision is not the point in itself. It's a symbol of something spiritual

saved from my judgment

Isaiah 15

v3

In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.

The group of people called Moab would be very sad because of the judgment that the Lord was going to bring on them. I can be glad because I'm saved from the judgment for my sin, through Jesus.

Luke 9:1-36 - Key

v23

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

A boy at Unit 8 asked me what a verse like this meant. I said that it doesn't mean to literally carry a cross. The cross stands for suffering and dying the way Jesus did on the cross. Taking it up means being willing to suffer and die for Jesus.

Application

When I have to suffer for following the Lord, I'll thank Him for the opportunity.