Fuel for the Fire

In one paragraph

On December 22, Brian Hunter walked Tribe fam through Isaiah 9:1-7 and asked a question most people never think to ask about a familiar Christmas passage: have these verses already been fulfilled, are they being fulfilled right now, or are they still coming? The conversation moved verse by verse, with the congregation weighing in throughout. The goal was to stretch what Brian called the wineskin...

Read together

1. Isaiah 9:1-7 primary text read aloud by a congregation member and examined verse by verse throughout the sermon
2. John 7:52 Pharisees telling Jesus no prophet comes from Galilee, used to show they missed Isaiah 9:1
3. Revelation 3:18 buy ointment for your eyes, cited as Jesus offering a remedy for spiritual blindness
4. Philippians 4:19 Jesus will supply all our needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus, said during the offering

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about reading prophetic passages through three different lenses: already fulfilled, currently unfolding, and yet to come. Which of those three lenses do you find yourself defaulting to, and why do you think that is?
2. Brian said that many people today walk around thinking they have light because of education, intellect, or their own reasoning, but that real sight only comes when a person encounters Jesus. Has there been a moment in your own life where you realized you had been blind to something you thought you understood clearly?
3. When the congregation looked at verse three, 'You will enlarge the nation of Israel and its people will rejoice,' some read it through the lens of the church and some through the lens of the literal nation of Israel. Brian said both need to be held in tension. Why do you think it matters that we not replace one with the other entirely?
4. Brian pointed out that Jesus cast out demons in a way no Old Testament prophet ever did, and called that a demonstration of the government resting on his shoulders. Are there areas of your own life where you have acknowledged Jesus spiritually but have not yet invited him to exercise that same authority?
5. Brian described the coming millennial reign as a literal physical government marked by fairness, justice, and peace, and said the invitation is to 'get your passport now.' What does it actually look like in day to day life to live as a citizen of that kingdom before it is fully established?