August 24, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – New and Old Treasures

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.”

New and Old Treasures

Matthew 13:44-52 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

What is the kingdom of heaven like (verse 44)?

How did the man respond when he found the treasure (verse 44)?

In your opinion, what would motivate someone to sell all that they have (verse 44)?

What is the kingdom of heaven like (verse 45)?

Why did the merchant who found the pearl of great value sell everything he had (verse 46)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus use as the first example a treasure found unexpectedly, and the as second example a pearl of great value that is being searched for (verses 44, 45, and 46)?

What is the kingdom of heaven like (verses 47 and 48)?

How does Jesus explain the sorting of the fish in verse 48 (verses 49 and 50)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus make so great a change in the way that He describes the kingdom of heaven from the first two parables to the third (verses 44 through 50)?

How would you respond to the question that Jesus ask “Have you understood all these things?” (verse 51)?

What does the teacher of the law become (verse 52)?

In your opinion, is it assumed that the teacher of the law will continue to teach (verse 52)?

How will the teachings change (verse 52)?

In your opinion, what are the new treasures (verse 52)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 13:44-52 show us about the Great Commission?

Psalm 119:73-80 - New International Version (NIV)

⁷³ “Your hands made me and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.
⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.
⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
    but I will meditate on your precepts.
⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me,
    those who understand your statutes.
⁸⁰ May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
    that I may not be put to shame.”

Who does the Psalmist recognize made and formed him (verse 73)?

What does the Psalmist ask for from the One who formed him (verse 73)?

In your opinion, why would the Psalmist want those who fear the Lord to rejoice when they see him (verse 74)?

What are the Lord’s laws (verse 75)?

In your opinion, how can the Psalmist say “I know, Lord . . . that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (verse 75)?

What does the Psalmist ask for as a comfort (verse 76)?

What does the Psalmist ask for “that I may live” (verse 77)?

How does the Psalmist view the law (verse 77)?

In your opinion, why does the Psalmist follow the request that the “arrogant be put to shame for wronging me” with the statement “but I will meditate on your precepts” (verse 78)?

Who does the Psalmist ask to turn to him (verse 79)?

What does the Psalmist ask to “wholeheartedly follow” (verse 80)?

In your opinion, how does depiction in Psalm 119:73-80 of someone who “wholeheartedly” wants to follow the Lord’s decrees so that “those who understand” the Lord’s statutes will turn to him help us understand the teacher of the law that Jesus refers to in Matthew 13:44-52?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Psalms show us about the Great Commission?

Romans 4:16-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

How does the promise come (verse 16)?

Who are Abraham’s offspring (verse 16)?

What two things does Paul describe God as doing in verse 17:

1)

2)

How did Abraham believe (verse 18)?

In your opinion, what is significant about the coupling of “without weakening in his faith” and “he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead” (verse 19)?

How did the recognizing that “his body was as good as dead” in verse 19 affect his belief in the promise of God in verse 20?

How did his faith change (verse 20)?

What was Abraham “fully persuaded” about God (verse 21)?

In your opinion, how does the fact Abraham’s faith allowed him it to be “credited to him as righteousness” help us understand not only the salvation of those who lived before Christ, but also our salvation as well (verse 22)?

What do we need to believe for God to credit us with righteousness (verse 24)?

What happened to Christ for our sins (verse 25)?

What happened to Christ for our justification (verse 25)?

In your opinion, how does this discussion of Abraham in Romans 4:16-25 help us to visualize the praise and requests of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:73-80?

In your opinion, how is the Paul’s blending of the Old Testament patriarch of Abraham with the salvation and justification offered by Christ in Romans 4:16-25 help us to understand how every “teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven” is like the “owner of a house who brings out of a storeroom new treasures as well as old” in Matthew 13:44-52?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Romans show us about the Great Commission?

  

2 Peter 3:1-15 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.”

How many letters has Peter written (verse 1)?

What does Peter want the readers to do with “words spoken in the past” (old treasures from the storeroom) and with “the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (new treasures from the storeroom) (verse 2)?

When will scoffers come (verse 3)?

What do scoffers forget (verses 5, 6 and 7)?

What are we not to forget (verse 8)?

How does Peter describe the Lord, not as slow but as _______________ (verse 9)?

How will the day of the Lord come (verse 10)?

What kind of lives should we live (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why should we look forward to and speed the coming of a day that will “bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire” (verse 12)?

What are we to look forward to (verse 13)?

What should we make every effort to be (verse 14)?

Whose patience means salvation (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how does Peter’s instruction to remember in the midst of the scoffer’s derision in 2 Peter 3:1-15 receive reinforcement from Paul’s description of Abraham’s belief not wavering inspite of his body being “as good as dead” while waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled in Romans 4:16-25?

In your opinion, how are Peter’s instructions that we “live holy and godly lives” in 2 Peter 3:1-15 an instruction from Peter that we emulate the Psalmist request to God that he “wholeheartedly follow your decrees” in Psalms 119:73-80?

In your opinion, how should our approach to the repentance that Peter discusses in 2 Peter 3:1-15 be like the approach of the man who found the treasure in the field or the merchant who found the pearl of great value in Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13:44-52?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 13:53 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 17, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Hidden Things and Rising to Live

  

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.”

Hidden Things and Rising to Live

Matthew 13:24-43 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Who sowed the good seed in the field (verse 24)?

When did the enemy come (verse 25)?

How did the weeds show up (verse 26)?

Why would the servants want to pull the weeds (verse 27)?

What did the owner say might happen if the weeds were pulled (verse 29)?

When were the weeds and the wheat separated (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say the kingdom and heaven is like a mustard seed (verses 31 and 32)?

In your opinion, how is the kingdom of heaven like yeast (verse 33)?

How did Jesus speak to the crowd (verse 34)?

What kind of things will be uttered in parables (verse 35)?

Who is the one who sowed the good seed (verse 37)?

Who is the good seed (verse 38)?

Who is the bad seed (verse 38)?

What is the harvest (verse 39)?

What will the angels do (verse 41)?

In your opinion, why will there be weeping and gnashing of teeth in the blazing furnace (verse 42)?

Where will the righteous shine (verse 43)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 13:24-43 show us about the Great Commission?

Psalm 78 1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
² I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
³ things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
⁴ We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.
⁸ They would not be like their ancestors—
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.”

Who is to hear the teaching (verse 1)?

What will happen to the hidden things from of old (verse 2)?

Who had told these things before (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why are things that “our ancestors have told us” described as “hidden things” (verses 3 and 2)?

What will we tell the next generation (verse 4)?

What were the ancestors commanded to teach (verse 5)?

Who will tell their children (verse 6)?

What will the children of the children not yet born do (verse 7)?

How are the ancestors described (verse 8)?

What was Isaiah to tell the people (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how does the fact that Psalm 78 indicates that the hidden things that are told are things that “our ancestors have told us” expand our understanding of what Matthew is saying when he quotes part of this psalm in Matthew 13:24-43?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Psalms show us about the Great Commission?

 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

Who has chosen the brothers and sisters (verse 4)?

How did “our gospel” come to the brothers and sisters (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why would the “brothers and sisters” welcome the message “in the midst of severe suffering” (verse 6)?

Who did the “brothers and sisters” in Thessalonica become a model for (verse 7)?

What attribute of the “brothers and sisters” has become known everywhere (verse 8)?

What do the reports say that the “brothers and sisters” did (verse 9)?

How is Jesus described:

In regards to where He is from (verse 10)?

In regards to what God had done for Him (verse 10)?

In regards to what He will do for us (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how are the “brothers and sisters” of 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 who turn from idols “to serve the living and true God” different from the ancestors of Psalms 78 “whose hearts were not loyal to God”?

In your opinion, how is the gospel that Paul shared with the Thessalonians related to the “things hidden” that Matthew said that Jesus was saying in Matthew 13:24-43?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 Thessalonians show us about the Great Commission?

    

John 5:24-30 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. ³⁰ By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”

What does Jesus say that “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me” has (verse 24)?

When Jesus expands on the above statement he says that the people will “not be judged” but will have crossed over where (verse 24)?

In your opinion, who are the “dead” who “will hear the voice of the Son of God” (verse 25)?

What has the Father granted the Son (verse 26)?

Why has the Father given the Son the authority to judge (verse 27)?

What time is coming (verse 28)?

What will those who have done what is good rise to (verse 29)?

What will those who have done what is evil rise to (verse 29)?

Why is the judgment of Jesus just (verse 30)?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s statement in 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 about the “brothers and sisters” turning from idols to “serve the living and true God” help us to understand the statement of Jesus in John 5:24-30 that “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life”?

In your opinion, how are the words of the Psalm 78:1-8, “I will utter the hidden things, things from of old” completed by the words of Jesus in John 5:24-30 that “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life ad will not be judged”?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’ statement in John 5:24-30 that “those who have done what is good will rise to live” complement His statement in Matthew 13:24-43 that “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from John show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 13:44 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 10, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Blindness and Fruitfulness

  

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.”

Blindness and Fruitfulness

Matthew 13:1-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Where did Jesus move to sit (verse 1)?

Why did Jesus move to sit in the boat (verse 2)?

What did the farmer go out to do (verse 3)?

What happened to the seed that fell along the path (verse 4)?

What happened to the seed that fell on rocky places (verses 5 and 6)?

What happened to the seed that fell among thorns (verse 7)?

What happened to the seed that fell on good soil (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did the disciples ask “Why do you speak to the people in parables” (verse 10)?

Who has the knowledge of the “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” been given to (verse 11)?

What will happen to “whoever does not have” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus answer by saying “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand” (verse 13)?

Who was the prophet that Jesus was paraphrasing and who is then quoted (verse 14)?

What reason, having to do with the heart, is given that the people can hardly hear and have closed their eyes (verse 15)?

What might happen if the eyes were open and the ears could here and the hearts could understand (verse 15)?

Why are the disciples blessed (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what are the disciples seeing and hearing that “many righteous people” longed for (verse 17)?

How would you describe the person represented by the seed sown along the path (verse 19)?

How does the person represented by the rocky ground receive the word (verse 20)?

When does that person “quickly fall away” (verse 21)?

What chokes the word of those represented by the thorns (verse 22)?

When the seed falls on the good soil of one who “hears the word and understands it” what happens (verse 23)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 13:1-23 show us about the Great Commission?

Isaiah 6:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

⁹ He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
    be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;
    make their ears dull
    and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

Who did Isaiah see “in the year that King Uzziah died” (verse 1)?

What were the seraphim doing with their six wings (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why would the Lord Almighty be described as “holy, holy, holy” instead of just “holy” (verse 3)?

What filled the temple when the seraphim spoke (verse 4)?

Why did Isaiah think he was ruined (verse 6)?

What did the seraphim take from the alter and touch Isaiah’s lips with (verses 6 and 7)?

How was Isaiah changed by the seraphim’s action (verse 7)?

In your opinion, is it significant that the Lord did not ask the question until after Isaiah’s guilt was removed (verse 8)?

What was Isaiah to tell the people (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how would Isaiah’s statement to the people make their heart calloused, their ears dull, and close their eyes (verse 10)?

If the people saw, heard and understood what might happen (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does the fact that Isaiah had to have his guilt taken away and his sin atoned for before he got the message to share in Isaiah 6:1-10 help us to understand the limitation of those who could understand the parables in Matthew 13:1-23?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Isaiah show us about the Great Commission?

Psalm 115 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Not to us, Lord, not to us
    but to your name be the glory,
    because of your love and faithfulness.

² Why do the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
³ Our God is in heaven;
    he does whatever pleases him.
⁴ But their idols are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but cannot speak,
    eyes, but cannot see.
⁶ They have ears, but cannot hear,
    noses, but cannot smell.
⁷ They have hands, but cannot feel,
    feet, but cannot walk,
    nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
⁸ Those who make them will be like them,
    and so will all who trust in them.

⁹ All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.
¹⁰ House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.
¹¹ You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
    he is their help and shield.

¹² The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
    He will bless his people Israel,
    he will bless the house of Aaron,
¹³ he will bless those who fear the Lord—
    small and great alike.

¹⁴ May the Lord cause you to flourish,
    both you and your children.
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

¹⁶ The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
    but the earth he has given to mankind.
¹⁷ It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
    those who go down to the place of silence;
¹⁸ it is we who extol the Lord,
    both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord.”

Why should glory go to the Lord’s name (verse 1)?

What question do the nations ask (verse 2)?

What does God do (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why does the psalmist point out that “their idols” are “made by human hands” (verse 4)?

What keeps the idols from speaking, even though they have mouths, and from seeing, even though they have eyes (verse 5)?

Who will be like the idols (verse 8)?

What are the differences between the idols of verses 5, 6, and 7 and the Lord of verses 9, 10 and 11?

Who will the Lord bless (verses 12 and 13)?

In your opinion, is it appropriate to say that as those who trust in idols become more like them and that the blessing of the Lord to those who fear Him may be to become more like the Lord?

How is the Lord described (verse 15)?

Who do the heavens belong to (verse 16)?

Who is the earth given to (verse 16)?

Who does not praise the Lord (verse 17)?

When will we extol the Lord (verse 18)?

In your opinion, how does the discussion of those who worship idols becoming like the idols of Psalm 115 help us to understand the statement in Isaiah 6:1-10 about the hearts of the people becoming calloused?

In your opinion, how does the statement at the end of Psalm 115 that we who, by inference, do see and hear should “extol” and “praise the Lord” help us understand the fruitfulness of the good soil in Matthew 13:1-23?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Psalms show us about the Great Commission? 

   

Colossians 1:3-14 – New International Version (NIV)

³ “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— ⁵ the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel ⁶ that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ⁷ You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, ⁸ and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Who does Paul thank when he prays for the Colossians (verse 3)?

What has Paul heard about the Colossians (verse 4)?

Where does the faith and love of the Colossians spring from (verse 5)?

What is the gospel doing (verse 6)?

Who is Epaphras (verses 7 and 8)?

When does Paul “ask God to fill” the Colossians with knowledge of His will (verse 9)?

What is “bearing fruit” linked to (verse 10)?

What is the desired outcome of the prayer that the Colossians be “strengthened with all power according to his glorious might” (verse 11)?

What has the Father qualified the Colossian Christians to share in (verse 12)?

Where are we rescued from (verse 13)?

What do we have through the “Son he loves” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how does the contrast of Paul’s discussion in Colossians 1:3-14 about being filled “with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” with the Psalmist discussion in Psalm 115 of how those who trust in idols become like the idols they trust help us understand both truths better?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:3-14 that we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins through the Son of God bring a more complete understanding to God’s statement in Isaiah 6:1-10 about turning and being healed?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion in Colossians 1:3-14 about bearing fruit in every good work through the Spirit help us to understand the statement that Jesus made about the good soil in Matthew 13:1-23?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Colossians show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 13:24 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)