Isaiah - Liferoads Church

Isaiah – Week 5

liferoads — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 03:30:51 +0000

God is involved in all history and He is sovereign, He has a purpose for all that happens (⁠Isaiah 14:26-27⁠). And in the midst of judgement shines hope. Isaiah shares a powerful vision of God’s coming kingdom. God will prevail. The proud will be humbled and death itself defeated (⁠⁠Isaiah 25:1-12⁠⁠). “Oh death, where is your sting” (⁠1 Corinthians 15:50-58⁠). All things will be new, death shall be no more (⁠Revelation 21:1-6⁠). Worship His work (⁠Isaiah 26:1-9⁠).

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Isaiah – Week 4

Rich Fodey — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:12:43 +0000

It is hard to imagine the prophesies in Isaiah being written 700 years before Jesus, but when a young Bedouin shepherd found a scroll of Isaiah in a cave near the Dead Sea, predating Jesus by 150 years, this was pretty sound proof that these prophecies were not added after the fact. By the time of Isaiah, the kingship of the nation was a wreck. How could God fulfill His promise to David; that Israel will have great rest forever (2 Samuel ⁠7:10-14, 18-20⁠). Isaiah wrote: after great destruction, after the forest is leveled, there will be a root, a shoot will rise up that will lead in the perfect spirit of the Lord (⁠Isaiah 11:1-10⁠). This can only be Jesus. He told us His kingdom is here by quoting Isaiah 61 (⁠Luke 4:16-21⁠). But He stopped short of saying that the entire prophesy was fulfilled. Jesus is our king now, but there is still more to come, an eternal glory to come.

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Isaiah – Week 3

liferoads — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 04:02:46 +0000

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (⁠Isaiah 7:9⁠). These are the words given to Ahaz, a king who trusted wordly strength over trusting God. Isaiah told him to ask God for a sign and God will deliver him. But, Ahaz would not. Under false spiritual pretense (⁠Isaiah 7:12⁠). So God gave a sign of deliverance. “A child will be born” (⁠Isaiah 7:14-16⁠). This sign was not for Ahaz, but for the remnant, those who remain in faith. The sign was for us. (⁠Isaiah 9:1-7⁠).

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Isaiah – Week 2

liferoads — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:19:24 +0000

The book opens with the nation of Judah under trial. God calls all of creation to be witness to the corruption of humanity. God did everything possible to offer us a full, purposeful life. And though the garden that He gave has been robbed and is vile, He has not given up. He always leaves a path for redemption and healing. He always has a remnant. There will be a day of victory and peace for ever and ever.

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Isaiah – Week 1

liferoads — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 03:55:56 +0000

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah was called to give a message of warning and hope. That message has echoed through the entire Bible, through history and still speaks today. The scene was shocking (⁠Isaiah 6:1-8⁠), the full glory of Jesus on the throne (⁠John 14:41⁠). Though Isaiah recognized his sin and the unrighteous state of his nation God purified him and sent him with a message (⁠Isaiah 6:9-13⁠). A greater servant will come and deliver all of creation (⁠Isaiah 52:13-15⁠). That greater servant is Jesus (⁠John 17:18⁠). And that message still rings true today.

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When Heaven Meets Earth – Week 1

Rich Fodey — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:44:44 +0000

When we have needs or even great desires, it is exciting when are they are fulfilled. There is great joy, rightfully so. When we are talking about the miracles of Jesus, there is even more excitement. However, we also need to be careful to not treat God as a vending machine, which has been the pattern of many pagan beliefs. When looking Jesus’ first miracle in ⁠John 2:1-11⁠, we see that it is a sign that point to something very important. Primarily, that Jesus is God (⁠John 1:1-18⁠). And, that Jesus is the Messiah ushering in the new age.

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Waiting Room – Hope

liferoads — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 03:36:32 +0000

How do we be patient in our waiting periods? How do we recognize that it is not a waste of time? The fall broke our relationship with God, others, creation, and ourselves. However, in the same verses of Genesis that describe the fall, God presents the protoevangelium; the first good news of the redeemer. Jesus is that redeemer. He brought Himself down to a position such that Satan could strike His heel, yet in the same act, Jesus crushed Satan (John 12:28-31). This was God’s plan before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20) (Rev 13:8). And God’s plan requires waiting. During this time God is doing great things in us and around us. We have hope in this, and we must be patient (James 5:7-11). For, we who wait shall have renewed strength and will not be exhausted. We shall mount with wings like eagles and we will run without weary (Isaiah 40:30-31).

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Following Jesus – Week 16

liferoads — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 21:43:00 +0000

All history points to the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection (⁠Matthew 27:27-54⁠). The cross is a scandal (⁠1 Cor 1:18⁠); it makes no sense to invent such a thing – to use a device of torture as a symbol of grace. This idea of sacrifice is alarming (especially the sacrifice of Jesus); could there be another way? Even Jesus asked this question. The night of His death, He prayed; “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,” but concluded, “Your will be done.” Justice is required for the history of sin. It is here that God’s love and justice ‘kiss’ (⁠Psalm 85:10⁠). Seven hundred years after Isaiah wrote about the suffering Messiah’s redemption of the world (⁠Isaiah 53:1-12⁠), it finally came to pass. Love overwhelming, love manifest (⁠1 John 4:9-10⁠), love in action, the act of history. Jesus’ act of love is enough to redeem the entire world (⁠John 3:16⁠).

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Following Jesus – Week 6

Rich Fodey — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 00:58:46 +0000

What comes to your mind when you think of authority? Today, in our reading from the Gospel of⁠ Matthew, chapter 9⁠, we are introduced to a level of authority that only God possesses. Jesus is clear: He has the authority to forgive sin. But He also has the authority to heal and to transform your identity to be a child of God. Allow Jesus to be your good shepherd; He has the authority to do that too. He calls you, “Follow me.”

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Following Jesus – Week 1

Rich Fodey — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 01:14:38 +0000

Isaiah chapters 40-55 are called the ‘comfort poems.’ They are a backdrop to the Gospel of Matthew. They tell of the Messiah’s return and hope of the promised Kingdom of God (⁠Isaiah 52:1-10⁠⁠). Matthew is diligent to make clear that fulfillment of the entire story of the Hebrew Bible is found in Jesus. He begins the Gospel with the genealogy from the promise to Abraham (⁠Matthew 1:1-17⁠). Immerse ourselves in the story because we still have a part to play in the story. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise. The ‘New Creation’ has begun (⁠Matthew 28:16-20⁠⁠). We live this out as followers of Jesus to be like him, Humble and Obedient to the Father. In the Lord’s Prayer (⁠Matthew 6:9-13⁠⁠) we are invited into this long history of relationship with God. Let the story influence you. Over the summer weeks of this series, immerse yourself in reading Matthew’s Gospel. Read it out loud and with others. And try incorporating the Lord’s Prayer into your day. Form the habits of how we love through these practices.

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