“The Source of Peace”, Isaiah 26:2

Introduction

Hello, ladies! We’re glad you’ve joined us. If this is your first time reading our lesson notes online, you can find last week’s by clicking the button at the bottom of the page. We miss you all, and would love to hear your reactions and answer your questions in the comments.

Ice Breaker

⦁ What was your favorite children’s book or movie?

Focus & Opening Prayer

⦁ Use a clock or the stop watch on your phone, and give yourself one full minute to focus only on your breathing. You might need to count the breaths; “inhale…exhale…one…inhale….”. Breathe as deeply and slowly as you can. The point is to prepare your mind to focus and receive God’s Word.

⦁ Now pray, asking God to bless your time in His Word. This is your time to get to know Him more, so ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If you’re here from a sense of duty and there’s honestly something else you’d rather be doing, be open with Him about your feelings. Ask Him to give you a heart that seeks to know Him. He knows anyway, loves you anyway, and wants you to love Him anyway.

Last Week’s Devotions

⦁ For those of you who haven’t read it, we’ve been reading “Overcoming Worry” for our weekly devotions. These are little pamphlets that can be found in the church foyer. If you don’t have one, or have finished reading yours, you can find more daily devotionals at Our Daily Bread.

This Week’s Scripture & Meditation

⦁ As you did at the beginning of your study, time yourself and take a full minute to practice some Biblical meditation with today’s passage. The root word of “meditation” in the Bible means “to revolve”; so to meditate on God’s Word is to spend time turning it in your mind, as though you were inspecting it. If you have the verse memorized, you can close your eyes. If not, read and re-read the passage in your Bible. When the time is up, write down your thoughts, emotions, and questions, in your journal before diving in.

⦁ Today’s passage is Isaiah 26:2
“Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.”

Break It Down

• Isaiah 26:2
  • “Open ye the gates,…”
    • What are the gates?
      • These are the gates by which we enter the city, which in the prophecy represent salvation and the new Jerusalem. So, how do we enter salvation and the new Jerusalem?
      • Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
      • Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”
      • John 10:1-11,”I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
      • John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
• “…that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.”
  • “righteous” = just, lawful, righteous
    • root word = to be right
  • “truth” (529) = established > trusty > trustworthy > faithful, truth
    • root word = build up/support > foster > render firm or faithful > to trust or believe > to be true
  • What is truth?
    • Psalm 119:142, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.”
      • “law” = precept, statute
        • root word = to flow > rain > lay, throw, shoot > to point out, teach > inform, instruct, direct

Put It Together

• Jesus is the gate, the way in which we enter the strong city, salvation and the new Jerusalem.
• To be righteous means to be just or lawful; at its root word, it means to be right. A righteous nation (or person) keeps (perfectly obeys) the law.
• Only those who are righteous, and obey the law find salvation and enter the new Jerusalem.
  • In describing the new Jerusalem, God says in Revelation 20:27a,”And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:….”
• What law? The law of God, the firm foundation laid by God for our instruction and direction. The law is the truth; the truth is the law.
  • The Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:3-17
  • But also the rest of the law found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
  • Have you ever said “oh my God”, and it wasn’t because you were praying? Have you ever disobeyed your parents? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever lied? If you have ever done any of these things, it’s called sin, and you have not kept the law and are not righteous.
• Do you know anyone who has never disobeyed the law?
  • Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
  • Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
• This is why Jesus is the gate, and we can only find salvation and enter the new Jerusalem through Him.
  • Revelation 20:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
  • This is why “…many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24). They will try to enter heaven without Jesus.

Next Week

⦁ Next week we will look deeper into why Jesus is the gate, and how we can become righteous.

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