Gospel Doctrine · September 20, 2026
“God Is My Salvation”
The Prophet Isaiah Foretells Christ’s Birth · Harry Anderson
Before we start
What did you learn about the Savior from your reading this week?
This week · September 14–20
The manual’s five invitations
Isaiah 1–12The words of Isaiah will all be fulfilled.
Isaiah 1; 3–5Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance.
Isaiah 2; 4; 11–12God will do a great work in the latter days.
Isaiah 6Prophets are called by God.
Isaiah 7–9God promised to send Jesus Christ to be my Savior.
Come, Follow Me, lesson 38. The assigned block skips no chapters. First time in awhile.
Setting · Which kingdom are we in?
A prophet in a frightened country
Isaiah 1:1Isaiah, the prophet speaking to Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah 7:1–2Ahaz, Judah’s king, faces Pekah, Israel’s king, and Rezin, Syria’s king.
Isaiah 8:7–8Assyria, the empire pictured as a flood reaching into Judah.
Setting · The words of Isaiah will all be fulfilled.
Isaiah speaks to more than one moment
Isaiah 7:14A sign for a frightened king, and the birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:22–23).
Isaiah 9:1–7A royal child in Judah, and the light of Christ’s ministry in Galilee (Matthew 4:13–16).
Isaiah 11:1–12The house of Jesse, David’s father, and the gathering in the latter days (D&C 113:1–6).
Same words, more than one fulfillment. Listen for both as we read.
Part 1 · Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance.
What does Isaiah condemn?
| In Judah and Jerusalem | Possible parallels in our lives |
|---|---|
| Neglecting those who need our care Isaiah 1:15–17 | Religious activity while we dismiss someone’s needs |
| Taking from the poor Isaiah 3:14–15 | Profiting by exploiting someone with less power |
| Calling evil good; rewarding injustice Isaiah 5:20–23 | Excusing dishonesty when it benefits us |
Where might we recognize ourselves in these warnings?
Part 1 · Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance.
Isaiah 1:15, 17
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
“a repenting sinner draws closer to God than does the self-righteous person who condemns that sinner.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund, an apostle · “Our Good Shepherd” · April 2017
Verse 15 says the Lord will not hear them. What does verse 17 say He wants instead?
Which of those four does someone need from us this week?
Part 1 · Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance.
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
What does the Lord ask them to change, and what does He promise?
How does His promise give us hope to repent?
Isaiah’s call · Prophets are called by God.
Cleansed, then called
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
What does this offer to serve remind us of?
How might receiving the Lord’s mercy change our willingness to serve?
Part 2 · God promised to send Jesus Christ to be my Savior.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
What kind of ruler do these names and actions describe?
Where do you need Jesus Christ to be your Counsellor or Prince of Peace?
Latter days · God will do a great work in the latter days.
Two ways to use a mountain
| A stronghold to hide in | The mountain of the Lord’s house |
|---|---|
| The Gadianton robbers retreated into the mountains “hiding themselves that they could not be discovered” Helaman 11:25 | All nations flow up to it, and the law goes back out from it Isaiah 2:2–3 |
4:5–6 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion … a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
Where the refuge is promised: D&C 115:5–6
Mountains are refuges. Why are we not commanded to live in the mountains, but down in the common lands?
What are you supposed to carry back down from the temple?
Latter days · God will do a great work in the latter days.
Learning peace, practicing justice
11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
What do the Lord’s teaching and judgment change for people?
How can our worship help us build the kind of community Isaiah describes?
Responding · Prophets warn about sin and promise hope through repentance.
What does Isaiah ask us to do?
| The invitation | One way to act this week |
|---|---|
| Stop doing evil; learn to do good Isaiah 1:16–17 | Stop a harsh judgment; listen and offer help |
| Seek justice; defend the vulnerable Isaiah 1:17 | Care for someone overlooked; speak up for them |
| Learn His ways and walk in them Isaiah 2:3–5 | Let worship change how we treat someone |
Which invitation will you act on this week?
Landing · God is my salvation
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Christ is our Savior.