Dominion – Arise and Reign

Week 2: Arise in Dominion

During this study, we will be doing a ‘deep dive’ into a scriptural passage. It is strongly encouraged that you study the passage and entire chapter ahead of the study. Also be prepared with your research tools, for example Google or your study Bible, as you will need to reference it during the study. Spend time answering and discussing each question with the intention to gain sufficient understanding to help your own private Bible study as you further explore these topics.

Study Chapters: Isaiah 40-55
Give particular attention to:
Isaiah 40:12–31 — the incomparable God and renewed strength
Isaiah 41:8–14 — chosen, upheld and told not to fear
Isaiah 42:1–9 — God’s Servant and His mission
Isaiah 43:1–19 — redeemed, called by name and brought through adversity
Isaiah 44:21–28 — God remembers, redeems and accomplishes His purpose
Isaiah 46:8–11 — God’s counsel and purpose shall stand
Isaiah 49:1–16 — the Servant, restoration and God’s unfailing remembrance
Isaiah 50:4–10 — trusting God while walking through darkness
Isaiah 52:7–10, 13–15 — good news, salvation and the exalted Servant
Isaiah 53:1–12 — the suffering Servant and our salvation
Isaiah 54:1–5, 10–17 — enlargement, covenant peace and established righteousness
Isaiah 55:6–13 — God’s higher ways and His word accomplishing His purpose

Pilot text

Isaiah 43:1-3; 18-19
1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
——
18 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 54:14-17
14 In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.
16“Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Introduction:

Last week we began with Dominion Within. We discovered that before asking what God has called us to rule over, we must confront what has been ruling within us. Identity must become established in His love. Fear, rejection, comparison and insecurity cannot be allowed to define people whom Christ has redeemed.
Isaiah 40-55 speaks into circumstances where God’s people could easily have concluded that the forces surrounding them were stronger than the promises spoken over them. And God responded by revealing Himself and His greatness.
Biblical dominion is not just positive thinking or shouting louder than the problem; or pretending that difficulties are imaginary. It is living in the revelation that God is greater than whatever confronts us.
This week, whatever appears to tower over the circumstances, hear God’s invitation:
Fear not. Remember who I am. Remember whose you are. Remember what I have done.
Arise.

Discussion Point

• Where do we see Christ?Christ is unmistakably central to Isaiah 40–55. The section progressively introduces the Servant of the Lord, reaching its extraordinary climax in Isaiah 52:13–53:12.
  Further reading: Isaiah 42:1-4 with Matthew 12:15-21; Isaiah 49:5-6 with Acts 13:46-47; Isaiah 52:13-53:12 with Acts 8:26-35 and 1 Peter 2:21-25
  Jesus demonstrates that God’s authority is not insecure, abusive or self-serving. He does not need to dominate people in order to demonstrate dominion. At the cross, what appears outwardly to be defeat becomes the very means through which God accomplishes salvation. Read also Colossians 2:13–15; Philippians 2:5–11 and Revelation 5:9–10.
  
• Where do we see salvation foreshadowed? The language of redemption runs throughout Isaiah 40–55. God repeatedly identifies Himself as Redeemer. His people are called by name. Captives are released. Sin is dealt with. Good news is proclaimed. And finally Isaiah 53 reveals how salvation will be accomplished.
  Further reading: Isaiah 53:4–6, 10–12; Romans 5:6–11; 1 Peter 2:24–25; Hebrews 2:14–15 and Colossians 1:13–14.
  This brings us to an essential truth about dominion: Christian dominion begins with Christ’s victory, not ours.
• Where do we see ourselves? Biblical dominion does not require denying facts. Faith can acknowledge what is happening while refusing to treat present circumstances as the highest authority. Isaiah 43 says there are waters, but God is with us. Isaiah 54 acknowledges weapons may be formed, but they do not determine the final outcome.
  Further reading: Romans 8:31–39; 2 Corinthians 4:7–18; Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 John 4:4 and 1 John 5:4–5.

Closing thoughts:

Isaiah 40–55 gives us an extraordinary picture of dominion because it is not demonstrated only in circumstances that naturally look victorious. God’s people have known weakness, uncertainty and displacement. Yet God repeatedly redirects their attention from the size of their circumstances to the greatness of their God. This is where dominion becomes more than positive thinking.
God does not tell His people that the waters are imaginary. He says that when they pass through the waters, He will be with them (Isaiah 43:2). He does not suggest that opposition will never form. He declares that opposition does not possess ultimate authority over a people established by Him (Isaiah 54:14–17).
At the centre stands Christ. Isaiah 53 reveals a Servant whose apparent “defeat” becomes God’s means of salvation. The New Testament shows us that through the cross Christ dealt decisively with sin and the powers that stood against us (Colossians 2:13–15). His resurrection announces that even death does not possess final dominion.
So where are we in this story? Perhaps standing before something that appears bigger than us. Perhaps walking through rather than around something we prayed God would remove. Perhaps circumstances have spoken so loudly that God’s promises have become difficult to hear. But we are not kept down by whatever it is. No, we arise.
We arise because we know the One who calls us by name.
We arise because He walks with us through the waters.
We arise because we know that His word never fails.
We arise because we know that our salvation is secure in Christ.
————-
Here is an invitation for you:
This week, identify the circumstance that has been speaking most loudly. Bring it deliberately beneath the truth of who God is.
Where fear says, “You cannot,” remember the God who says, “Fear not, I am with you.”
Where the past says, “Nothing can change,” remember the God who says, “Behold, I do a new thing.”
And where sin, condemnation or death attempt to define the story, look again to the Christ who bore our sin and rose victorious.
Now:
Stand in His word. Stand in His salvation. Stand in His victory.
And arise in dominion.

Application Questions (use scriptures to support your position):

• A Christian business owner loses two major clients within the same month. Cash flow is deteriorating, several employees depend on the company for their livelihoods, and advisers are warning that closure is now a realistic possibility. Some Christian friends tell him that exercising dominion means refusing to speak about the possibility of failure because acknowledging it would demonstrate unbelief.
  Using Isaiah 43, Isaiah 55 and relevant New Testament passages, how should he distinguish faith from denial? What might “arising in dominion” actually look like while the financial threat remains real?
• A Christian leader believes a new community initiative reflects God’s calling, but after launching it encounters criticism, administrative obstacles and disappointing early results. He immediately concludes that the opposition proves the initiative must be spiritually significant and refuses to reconsider any aspect of the plan.
  Using Isaiah 46:9–11, 55:8–11 and the wider biblical principles of wisdom and discernment, how should he distinguish persevering faith from stubbornness? Does exercising dominion always mean continuing with the original plan, or might dominion actually sometimes require listening, adjusting or changing direction?