August 2, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Spirit of Falsehood and Spirit of Truth

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.”

Spirit of Falsehood and Spirit of Truth

Matthew 24:15-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. ¹⁸ Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. ¹⁹ How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! ²⁰ Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.”

Where will the “abomination that causes desolation” stand (verse 15)?

Who had spoken of the “abomination that causes desolation” (verse 15)?

What are those in Judea to do (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus say that no one on the housetop should “go down to take anything out of the house” (verse 17)?

What are those in the field not to do (verse 18)?

Who will it be dreadful for (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why should the disciples pray that the flight “will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath” (verse 20)?

What will occur at that time (verse 21)?

For whose sake will the days be cut short (verse 22)?

How does Jesus say to react to those who say “Look, here is the Messiah!” (verse 23)?

What will the false messiahs and false prophets do (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say “see, I have told you ahead of time” (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Daniel 11:28-35 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ “The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

²⁹ “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. ³⁰ Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

³¹ “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. ³² With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

³³ “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. ³⁴ When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. ³⁵ Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.”

Where will the king of the North go (verse 28)?

What will his heart be “set against” (verse 28)?

When willhe “invade the South again” (verse 29)?

What will happen when “ships of the western coastlands” oppose him (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why will the king of the North “vent his fury against the holy covenant” (verse 30)?

Who will the king of the North “show favor” to (verse 30)?

What will his armed forces desecrate (verse 31)?

In your opinion, why will the “abomination that causes desolation” be set up after the daily sacrifice is abolished (verse 31)?

How will he corrupt “those who have violated the covenant” (verse 32)?

Who will “firmly resist him” (verse 32)?

Who will “instruct many” (verse 33)?

What will happen to the wise “for a time” (verse 33)?

In your opinion, why would “many who are not sincere” join the wise when they fall (verse 34)?

Why will “some of the wise” stumble (verse 35)?

When will the “time of the end” come (verse 35)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does reading Daniel 11:28-35, one of the passages where Daniel talks about the abomination of desolation, help us understand what Jesus means when He tell us through Matthew to “let the reader understand” in Matthew 24:15-25?

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

Who does Paul want “not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us” about “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him” (verses 1 and 2)?

What are people asserting that Paul is saying about the “day of the Lord” (verse 2)?

Who does Paul say must be revealed before the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him” (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why will he set “himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (verse 4)?

What does Paul want the Thessalonians to do (verse 5)?

What is holding “our Lord Jesus Christ” back (verse 6)?

What is “already at work” (verse 7)?

When will “the lawless one” be revealed (verses 7 and 8)?

How will “the Lord Jesus” overthrow the “lawless one” (verse 8)?

How will “the Lord Jesus” destroy the “lawless one” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works” (verses 9 and 10)?

Why do the perishing perish (verse 10)?

What will God send (verse 11)?

Who will be condemned (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, does the promise of Daniel in Daniel 11:28-35 that “Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time” still apply in the time that Paul is talking about in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 about the man of lawlessness who “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” help us to understand what Jesus said in Matthew 24:15-25 about the “abomination that causes desolation”?

1 John 4:1-6 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

How are we to react to the spirits (verse 1)?

Who has “gone out into the world” (verse 1)?

How do we recognize “the Spirit of God” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why is “every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus” the “spirit of the antichrist” (verse 3)?

Where is the “spirit of the antichrist” (verse 3)?

How have the children of God “overcome them” (verse 4)?

Why does the world listen to the “spirit of the antichrist” (verse 5)?

Who listens to John (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does John in 1 John 4:1-6 help us to understand how Christians will be able to avoid the “powerful delusion” that Paul says will be sent in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 to deceive who have “not believed the truth but delighted in wickedness”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 John 4:1-6 help us to understand about what the wise that Daniel says in Daniel 11:28-35 will “instruct many” in?

In your opinion, how do the words of John in 1 John 4:1-6 help us avoid falling for the words and “great signs and wonders” of the “false messiahs and false prophets” that Jesus warned us about in Matthew 24:15-25.

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Daniel, 2 Thessalonians and 1 John show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 24:26 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 26, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – The Gospel and Love and Patience

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.”

The Gospel and Love and Patience

Matthew 24:9-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Why will those Jesus is talking to be “hated by all nations” (verse 9)?

What will many turn away from (verse 10)?

Who will appear (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why will “many people” be deceived (verse 11)?

Why will the “love of most” grow cold (verse 12)?

Who will be saved (verse 13)?

Where will the “gospel of the kingdom” be preached (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Jesus says that “you will be hated by all nations because of me” and also that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations”?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Isaiah 11:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.”

What will the Branch that comes up from the roots of Jesse bear (verse 1)?

How will the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord be provided to the Branch from the roots of Jesse (verse 2)?

What will He not judge by (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to judge the needy with righteousness and to give decisions for the poor with justice (verse 4)?

Who will live with the wolf (verse 6)?

Who will lead the calf, the lion and the yearling (verse 6)?

What will the lion eat (verse 7)?

Where will the infant play (verse 8)?

Why will they “neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain” (verse 9)?

When will the “Root of Jesse” stand as a banner for the peoples (verse 10)?

Who will rally to him (verse 10)?

What will his resting place be (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1-10 in his discussion of the Root of Jesse becoming a “banner for all nations” and that “nations will rally to him” anticipate what Jesus says in Matthew 24:9-14 about “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations”?

1 John 3:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³ All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. ⁵ But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. ⁶ No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

How can we “see what great love the Father has lavished on us” (verse 1)?

Why does the world not know us (verse 1)?

What are we now (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why has “what we will be” “not yet been made known” (verse 2)?

Who will we be like (verse 2)?

What do “all who have this hope in him” do (verse 3)?

Who breaks the law (verse 4)?

Why did Jesus appear (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why does it show that someone who continues to sin has not seen Christ (verse 6)?

What warning does John give to his “dear children” (verse 7)?

Who has been sinning from the beginning (verse 8)?

Why did the Son of God appear (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the link between John’s statements in verse 5 “you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins” and in verse 8 “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work”?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the promise of Isaiah 11:1-10 that “the wolf will live with the lamb” mesh with the promise in 1 John 3:1-8 that “when Christ appears, we shall be like him”?

In your opinion, how can the intimidating statement of Jesus that “you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” in Matthew 24:9-14 and the uplifting statement that John makes in 1 John 3:1-8 that “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” both be true?

2 Peter 3:8-15 – New International Version (NIV)

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.”

What one thing are we not to forget (verse 8)?

Why is the Lord patient (verse 9)?

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

In verse 10 what will happen to:

The heavens?

The elements?

The earth and everything done in it?

In your opinion, why does Peter link everything being “destroyed in this way” with “you ought to live holy and godly lives” (verse 11)?

What will the “day of God” bring about (verse 12)?

Where does righteousness dwell (verse 13)?

How should we attempt to “be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (verse 14)?

What means salvation (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does Peter’s statement “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” in 2 Peter 3:8-15 help us to understand about the “great love the Father has lavished on us” that John talks about in 1 John 3:1-8?

In your opinion, how does this passage in Isaiah 11:1-10 “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him” anticipate “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” in 2 Peter 3:8-15?

In your opinion, how does Peter’s statement “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation” in 2 Peter 3:8-15 help us begin to understand what Jesus intends when He says “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” in Matthew 24:9-14?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Isaiah, 1 John and 2 Peter show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 24:15 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 12, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Rejected and Chosen

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.”

Rejected and Chosen

Matthew 23:29-39 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

³³ “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ³⁴ Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ³⁵ And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁸ Look, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

What does Jesus say that the teachers of the law and Pharisees are doing that is hypocritical (verse 29)?

Who do the teachers of the law and Pharisees say shed the blood of the prophets (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees “testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets” (verse 31)?

What does Jesus instruct the teachers of the law and Pharisees to “go ahead” and do (verse 32)?

In your opinion, how will the teachers of the law and Pharisees “escape being condemned to hell” (verse 33)?

How will the “prophets and sages and teachers” that Jesus sends be treated (verse 34)?

What will come upon the teachers of the law and Pharisees (verse 35)?

Why has Jesus not gathered Jerusalem “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (verse 37)?

How is their house left to them (verse 38)?

When will they see Jesus again (verse 39)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Psalm 118:19-29 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ “Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

Why does the Psalmist want the “gates of the righteous” to be opened (verse 19)?

What is the “gate of the Lord” (verse 20)?

How did the Lord answer the Psalmist, who is giving thanks (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (verse 22)?

Who has done this (verse 23)?

How should we respond (verse 24)?

What two pleas does the Psalmist make (verse 25)?

Who is blessed (verse 26)?

In your opinion, how has God “made his light shine on us” (verse 27)?

How will the Psalmist react to “my God” (verse 28)?

What endures forever (verse 29)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that in His discussion of the way that Jerusalem is the one who will “kill the prophets and stone those sent to you” and that their house will be desolate because they will not see Him again until “you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” Matthew 23:29-39 is a direct quote from Psalm 118:19-29 and that it follows the passage about “the stone the builders rejected” that Peter claims for Jesus?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Acts 7:51-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.”

How does Stephen describe the high priest and the Sanhedrin (verse 51)?

Who does he say they are like (verse 51)?

What does he say that they “always” do (verse 51)?

In your opinion, what does verse 52 do for the statement of Jesus in Matthew 23:32 “Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!”?

How does Stephen say that the high priest and the Sanhedrin obeyed the law that had been given through angels (verse 53)?

What did the members of the Sanhedrin do when the heard what Stephen said (verse 54)?

How was Stephen able to look up to heaven and see Jesus standing at the right hand of God (verse 55)?

In your opinion, why did the members of the Sanhedrin cover their ears when they heard Stephen say “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (verse 57)?

Where was Stephen dragged to (verse 58)?

Who did the witnesses lay their coats at the feet of (verse 58)?

What did Stephen pray “while they were stoning him” (verse 59)?

When did Stephen fall asleep (verse 60)?

In your opinion, can we say that God obeyed the request of Psalms 118:19-29 and opened the gates of the righteous for Stephen when the Holy Spirit allowed him to look into heaven and see the “glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” in Acts 7:51-60?

In your opinion, how was the trial and stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 anticipated by Jesus in Matthew 23:29-39 “Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town”?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

1 Peter 2:4-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

How does Peter describe the reaction of humans and God to Jesus, the living Stone (verse 4)?

What are God’s elect, who Peter was writing to, also described as (verse 5)?

Why are God’s elect being built into a spiritual house (verse 5)?

How do God’s elect offer “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why will the one who trusts in the chosen and precious cornerstone laid in Zion “never be put to shame” (verse 6)?

What is the stone to those who believe (verse 7)?

What is the stone to those who do not believe (verse 7)?

Why does the stone cause people to stumble (verse 8)?

Why are God’s elect “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (verse 9)?

What have the “people of God” received (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how do the actions of the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51-60 in the covering their ears and stoning Stephen illustrate the statement in 1 Peter 2:4-10 that the precious stone of Jesus is “a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall”?

In your opinion, how does the Psalmist in Psalms 118:19-29 in the combination of the request to “open for me the gates of the righteous” with the “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” anticipate Peter’s claim in 1 Peter 2:4-10 that Jesus is the living Stone and that Christians are “like living stones” and are being “built into a spiritual house”?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Jesus in Matthew 23:29-39 says to the teachers of the law and Pharisees that “your house is left to you desolate” and that Peter in 1 Peter 2:4-10 says to God’s elect that they are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession”?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Psalms, Acts and 1 Peter, show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 24:1 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)