Matthew 28:18-20 – New
International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission
18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Sign and
Salvation
Matthew 12:38-45
– New International Version (NIV)
38 “Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to
him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a
sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For
as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the
Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The
men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn
it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than
Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment
with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to
listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes
through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then
it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the
house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes
and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in
and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.
That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Who
requested a sign from Jesus (verse 38)?
In your opinion, was the request in
good faith (verse 38)?
Who
did Jesus say asks for a sign (verse 39)?
What sign did Jesus say would be
given (verse 39)?
How did Jesus explain that sign
(verse 40)?
Why would the men of Nineveh be able
to condemn the generation that Jesus was talking to (verse 41)?
In your opinion, does the generation
that Jesus was talking to extend to us today (verse 41)?
Why would the Queen of the South
rise at the judgment with the generation (verse 42)?
What does an impure spirit do when
it comes out of a person (verse 43)?
When it does not find a place of
rest, what does the impure spirit say (verse 44)?
Who does it return with when it
finds the person unoccupied (verse 45)?
How does the person end up (verse 45)?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from Matthew 12:38-45 show us about the Great Commission?
Jonah 2:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)
1 “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said:
“In
my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
3 You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
4 I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
5 The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
brought my life up from the pit.
7 “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
turn away from God’s love for them.
9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
10 And the Lord
commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”
Where was Jonah when he prayed (verse 1)?
What was Jonah’s condition when he
prayed (verse 2)?
How did Jonah describe where he was
hurled (verse 3)?
In your opinion, why would Jonah, even
though he had been “banished” from
God’s sight, say he would “look again
toward your holy temple” (verse 4)?
What threatened Jonah (verse 5)?
Where did Jonah sink to (verse 6)?
Who brought Jonah’s “life up from the pit” (verse 6)?
In your opinion, why did Jonah remember
the Lord when his life was “ebbing away”
(verse 7)?
What do those “who cling to worthless idols” do (verse 8)?
What will Jonah say (verse 9)?
Who commanded the fish (verse 10)?
In your opinion, how does Jonah’s
statement that “Those who cling to
worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them” in Jonah 2 help us
understand the words and actions of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew
12:38-45?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from Jonah show us about the Great Commission?
1 Corinthians
15:1-8 – New
International Version (NIV)
1
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to
you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By
this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that
he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After
that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the
same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then
he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of
all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
Who is Paul reminding of the gospel he
preached (verse 1)?
“By
this gospel you are”
what (verse 2)?
In your opinion, why does Paul say you
are saved by the gospel “if you hold
firmly to the word I preach you” (verse 2)?
What is “of first importance” (verses 3, 4 and 5)?
1)
2)
3)
4)
When was Jesus raised (verse 4)?
How many people did Jesus appear to at
the same time (verse 6)?
In your opinion, how does what Paul
describes about Jesus dying and being buried for three days in 1 Corinthians
15:1-8 compare with what happened to Jonah in Jonah 2:1-10?
In your opinion, how does the statement
that Jesus was buried and raised on the third day by Paul in 1 Corinthians
15:1-8 compare to Jesus' statement to the Pharisees and teachers of the law that
the only sign they would get was the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:38-45?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from 1 Corinthians show us about the Great Commission?
Hebrews 6:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)
1 “Therefore
let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward
to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead
to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing
rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal
judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,
who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who
have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and
who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are
crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that
produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of
God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless
and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are
convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with
salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work
and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to
help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence
to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We
do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised.”
What kind of teachings does Paul say we
must move beyond (verse 1)?
What are the various specific teachings
he was referring to (verses 1 and 2)?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Who must permit moving beyond these
teachings (verse 4)?
What is impossible for those who have
once been enlightened and have fallen away to be brought back to (verses 4, 5
and 6)?
Who are these who have fallen away
crucifying all over again (verse 6)?
Who blesses the “land that drinks in the rain” and “produces a crop that is useful” (verse 7)?
In your opinion, how is the “land that produces thorns and thistles”
like those who were enlightened and then fell away (verse 8 and verses 4, 5 and
6)?
What will happen to the “land that produces thorns and thistles”
in the end (verse 8)?
What are the better things that Paul is convinced
of about (verse 9)?
Who is not “unjust” (verse 10)?
Who are we to imitate (verse 12)?
In your opinion, how does Paul’s
discussion of the elementary teachings in Hebrews 6:1-12 compare with Paul’s
discussion of what is “of first
importance” in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8?
In your opinion, what does Paul’s
discussion of the “things that have to do
with salvation” in Hebrews 6:1-12 help us understand Jonah’s statement that
“Salvation comes from the Lord” in
Jonah 2:1-10?
In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion
about those who have once been enlightened and have fallen away in Hebrews
6:1-12 help us understand the statement of Jesus in Matthew 12:38-45 about the
impure spirit who is driven out of the person and then goes back with seven
spirits worse than himself?
In your opinion, what does this passage
from Hebrews show us about the Great Commission?
Next, back to Matthew 12:46 –
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