Throw Open the Gates

In one paragraph

This message came from week four of an ongoing series called "Isaiah's Prayer for Jerusalem," working through Isaiah 62. Pastor Brian centered the conversation on verses 10 through 12, drawing out several phrases from the passage and connecting them to what the congregation is watching unfold in Israel and in their own lives. The thread running through it all was the image of a banner, and what...

Read together

1. Psalm 91 Lee's reflection on three mentions of deadly plague and God's protection from pestilence and snare
2. Isaiah 62 the full chapter read aloud together as the text for the sermon series
3. Isaiah 35:8-10 congregation member read it as a connected highway passage about the way of holiness and the redeemed returning
4. Acts 1:6-8 Brian quoted it to connect 'go out through the gates' with Jesus commanding his disciples to be witnesses to the uttermost bounds of the earth
5. Isaiah 40:3 cited as the verse John the Baptist quoted when asked if he was the Messiah, about clearing the way through the wilderness
6. Song of Solomon 2:4 his banner over me is love, used to name the banner God waves over Israel and over believers
7. Colossians 2:13-15 God forgave sins, canceled the record of charges by nailing it to the cross, and publicly shamed spiritual rulers through Christ's victory
8. Zechariah 9:9 read aloud to show Jesus arriving humble on a donkey at his first coming, righteous and victorious
9. Matthew 24:30 cited as the passage showing Jesus returning a second time commanding the clouds, coming for war and battle
10. Revelation 22:12 Jesus coming with his reward in hand for every decision that honored him

What was said

• Pick one verse or even just three words of scripture, memorize it, and repeat it through your day while you are driving, skiing, or doing whatever you do.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what flag has been waving over your life, name it out loud, and hand it over to the Lord so his banner of love can take its place.
• Pray continuously this week for the hostages in Gaza, for innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and for the people of Israel to turn their eyes to Jesus.
• Come to pre-service prayer at 8:45 next Sunday and join Lanisha and others who are praying over the service and for Tribe fam before the gathering starts.
• Tell someone this week what God has done in your life, because as Brian put it, that is what prepares the highway and opens the gates for others to return to him.

Talk about it

1. Lee shared what he felt the Lord put on his heart about Psalm 91 and the plague of cultural lies, and he said the response was to memorize scripture and pray continuously. What would it actually look like for you to do that this week, and what gets in the way?
2. Brian used the image of a pitcher and a vessel to talk about how much of the Spirit we receive being connected to how much we empty ourselves of other things. What are the things, good or bad, that tend to fill you up and leave less room for that?
3. The sermon touched on the phrase 'prepare the highway for my people to return' and the idea that we ourselves are sometimes the boulders blocking the road for others. Where do you think you might be that boulder for someone in your life right now?
4. Brian talked about the banner flying over your life, whether that is something God says about you or something the enemy, your past, or other people have hung over you. What banner would you honestly say has been flying over your life lately, and what would it mean to hand it to the Lord?
5. The sermon closed with prayer for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and someone in the room raised the importance of praying for innocent people on all sides. How do you hold together a biblical love for Israel with a genuine heart for all the people caught in that conflict?