March 11, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Called

-            The

Called

Joshua 5:2-12 - New International Version (NIV)             

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

⁴ Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. ⁵ All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. ⁶ The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. ⁸ And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. ¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

Why was Joshua to “make flint knives” (verse 2)?

Who had died in the wilderness (verse 4)?

What had not happened to all the people born in the wilderness “during the journey from Egypt” (verse 5)?

Who had promised to give the “land flowing with milk and honey” to their ancestors (verse 6)?

Why were the sons still uncircumcised (verse 7)?

How long did they remain “where they were” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what did the Lord mean by “today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (verse 9)?

What did the Israelites do on the “evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal” (verse 10)?

When did the Israelites eat “some of the produce of the land” (verse 11)?

What changed after “they ate this food from the land” (verse 12)?

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

Mark 1:16-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

What were “Simon and his brother Andrew” doing (verse 16)?

Who invited Simon and Andrew to follow (verse 17)?

What would Simon and Andrew be sent to do (verse 17)?

How did Simon and Andrew react to the invitation (verse 18)?

What were “James son of Zebedee and his brother John” doing (verse 19)?

How did James and John react when they were called (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, how is the circumcision of the Israelites in the promised land in Joshua 5:2-12 similar to the response of Simon, Andrew, James and John to Jesus in Mark 1:16-20?

Acts 2:37-41 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

How did the people respond to after feeling “cut to the heart” by the words of Peter (verse 37)?

What did Peter tell them to do (verse 38)?

What “gift” will they receive (verse 38)?

Who is the promise for (verse 39)?

How did Peter warn them (verse 40)?

What did Peter plead for them to do (verse 40)?

How many “accepted his message” that day (verse 41)?

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

In your opinion, how is the circumcision of the Israelites and God rolling “away the reproach of Egypt” in Joshua 5:2-12 similar to those who were escaping “from this corrupt generation” through repenting and being baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” in Acts 2:37-41?

In your opinion, how are Peter’s call to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins” in Acts 2:37-41 and Jesus’ call to Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow Him in Mark 1:16-20 the same?

Philippians 3:3-14 – New International Version (NIV)

³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Who puts no confidence in the flesh (verse 3)?

How could Paul’s confidence in the flesh compare with other people’s (verse 4)?

What does Paul list that would give him confidence in the flesh (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (verses 7 and 8)?

What “comes from God on the basis of faith” (verse 9)?

What does Paul want to attain through knowing Christ (verses 10 and 11)?

Why does Paul “press on” (verse 12)?

What “one thing” does Paul do (verse 13)?

Where has God called Paul (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, how are the Israelites, who celebrated their first Passover in the promised land and then started eating the food of the land instead of the manna in Joshua 5:2-12, similar to Paul who is “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, how is the magnitude of what Simon, Andrew, James and John gave up when Jesus called them in Mark 1:16-20 illustrated for us by Paul as he lists the things that he could have had confidence in in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, how is Peter’s call to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation” by repenting and being baptized in Acts 2:37-41 echoed by Paul in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and Philippians reveal to us about the difference between those who are of the “corrupt generation” and those who are pressing on to win the prize that God has called then heavenward in Jesus Christ for?

In your opinion, how do we react to God calling us today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 4, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – The Kingdom is Here

-            The

The Kingdom is Here

Joshua 3:9-17 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. ¹¹ See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. ¹² Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Who told the Israelites to “come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God” (verse 9)?

Where is the living God (verse 10)?

What will go ahead of the Israelites in the Jordan (verse 11)?

How many men are to be chosen (verse 12)?

When will the waters of the Jorden “be cut off and stand up in a heap” (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why did the priests go ahead of the people (verse 14)?

What stage was the Jordan in (verse 15)?

Why did the water stop flowing where the Israelites were crossing (verse 16)?

How long did the “priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord” stay in the middle of the Jordan (verse 17)?

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

Mark 1:14-15 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵ “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Where did Jesus go “after John was put in prison” (verse 14)?

What did Jesus proclaim (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “the kingdom of God has come near” (verse 15)?

How are the people to respond to the message “the kingdom of God has come near” (verse 15)?

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

In your opinion, how are the priests carrying the Arc of the Covenant in Joshua 3:9-17 and Jesus proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of God has come near in Mark 1:14 -15 similar?

Acts 2:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

What came when “they were all together in one place” (verse 1)?

How did it sound (verse 2)?

Where did the person that seemed like “tongues of fire” go when it separated (verse 3)?

What enabled them to speak in other tongues (verse 4)?

Who was staying in Jerusalem (verse 5)?

Why was the crowd bewildered (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why would the fact that those who were speaking were Galileans have amazed the people (verse 7)?

What did each person hear (verse 8)?

What was being declared in the tongues of each Jew and convert to Judaism (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what is the difference between the presence of God with the Israelite people in the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 3:9-17 and the presence of God with the people of Jerusalem in Acts 2:1-11?

In your opinion, how is what happened in Acts 2:1-11 related to what Jesus said in Mark 1:14-15?

1 Corinthians 12:1-14 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³ Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

What does Paul want the Corinthian Christians, and us, to be informed about (verse 1)?

In your opinion, how could the Corinthians, or we, be “influenced and led astray to mute idols” (verse 2)?

Who has to be involved if someone says “Jesus is Lord” (verse 3)?

What links the different kinds of gifts (verse 4)?

Who does the different kinds of service serve (verse 5)?

Why is each manifestation of the Spirit given (verse 7)?

How does God distribute all the different gifts of the Spirit that are listed in verses 8 through 10 (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is Paul trying to say when he says that a body has many parts but “all its parts form one body” (verse 12)?

What are we “all baptized by one Spirit” to form (verse 13)?

What were we all given to drink (verse 13)?

What is made up of many parts (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, how is the nation of Israel crossing the Jordan together in Joshua 3:9-17 similar to the drinking of the Spirit by every member of the body of Christ as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1-14?

In your opinion, how is the Kingdom of God that Jesus said was near in Mark 1:14-15 described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:1-14?

In your opinion, what is revealed in Acts 2:1-11 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-14 about how people from all nations and across the world can become a mighty kingdom, without changing their addresses or languages?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians reveal to us about the Kingdom of God?

In your opinion, how do we as individuals who have said, through the Holy Spirit, that “Jesus is Lord” become an active and vital part of the Kingdom of God?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 25, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Testifying Witnesses

-            The

Testifying Witnesses

Joshua 1:1-9 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

When did the Lord speak to Joshua (verse 1)?

What are Joshua “and all these people” to do (verse 2)?

Who had God made a promise about the land to (verse 3)?

What are the boundaries that are established (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does God tell Joshua “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (verse 5)?

Why is Joshua to “be strong and courageous” (verse 6)?

What is Joshua to “be careful to obey” (verse 7)?

What does Joshua have to do to be “prosperous and successful” (verse 8)?

Why does Joshua not need to be afraid or discouraged (verse 9)?

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

Mark 1:9-11 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Where did Jesus come from (verse 9)?

Where did John baptize Jesus (verse 9)?

What did Jesus see as he was coming up out of the water (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what does “heaven being torn open” mean (verse 10)?

Where did the voice come from (verse 11)?

What did the voice say (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, why is Joshua told to “obey all the law my servant Moses gave you” in Joshua 1:1-9 and Jesus is told “with you I am well pleased” in Mark 1:9-11?

Acts 1:6-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

What did the disciples ask Jesus (verse 6)?

Who has set the “times or dates” that Jesus says the disciples are not to know (verse 7)?

When will the disciples “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (verse 8)?

What happened to Jesus “before their very eyes” (verse 9)?

Who appeared beside the disciples (verse 10)?

What promise is made about Jesus (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, how does the Voice heard in Mark 1:9-11 help us understand where Jesus is going in Acts 1:6-11?

In your opinion, what do Joshua 1:1-9 and Acts 1:6-11 show us about the differences between the country of Israel and the Kingdom of God?

Revelation 3:14-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

¹⁹ Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

²¹ To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²² Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

How is Jesus described (verse 14)?

What does Jesus wish for the Laodiceans (verse 15)?

What is Jesus about to do with the Laodiceans (verse 16)?

How do the Laodiceans feel about themselves (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why don’t the Laodiceans know that they are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (verse 17)?

Why should the Laodiceans buy “gold refined in the fire” from Jesus (verse 18)?

Who does Jesus “rebuke and discipline” (verse 19)?

Where is Jesus (verse 20)?

How does someone get Jesus to come in and eat with them (verse 20)?

Who will Jesus “give the right to sit with me on my throne” (verse 21)?

What is everyone with ears to listen to (verse 22)?

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

In your opinion, how does Jesus statement about standing at the door and knocking in Revelation 3:14-22 show us the importance of the task of the witnesses of Acts 1:6-11?

In your opinion, how is Jesus as He is described in Mark 1:9-11 different from the description of Jesus in Revelation 3:14-22?

In your opinion, what has changed between the time Joshua is told to “be careful to do everything written” in the Book of the Law in order to be “prosperous and successful” in Joshua 1:1-9 and the time that Jesus says in Revelation 3:14-22 that He will come in and eat with everyone who “hears my voice and opens the door”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and Revelation help us understand about the differences between the Israelite Kingdom and the Kingdom of God?

In your opinion, what do we learn from Jesus’s statements to the lukewarm church about being witnesses for Jesus today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 18, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Anticipating Kingdoms

Anticipating Kingdoms

Deuteronomy 34:5-12 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. ⁶ He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. ⁷ Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. ⁸ The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.

⁹ Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁰ Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, ¹¹ who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. ¹² For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Where did Moses die (verse 5)?

Who knows where Moses is buried (verse 6)?

How old was Moses when he died (verse 7)?

How long did the Israelites grieve (verse 8)?

What was Joshua filled with (verse 9)?

What set Moses apart from other prophets in Israel (verse 10)?

What did the Lord send Moses to do in Egypt (verse 11)?

Where did Moses show mighty power and perform awesome deeds (verse 12)?

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

Mark 1:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

 ¹The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Who is “Jesus the Messiah” (verse 1)?

What was the messenger that Isaiah said would come to do (verse 2)?

What was the “voice calling in the wilderness” to say (verse 3)?

Who preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did “the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem” confess their sins and be baptized in the Jordan River (verse 5)?

What did John wear (verse 6)?

What was John’s message (verse 7)?

Who did John say Jesus would baptize with (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does Mark say in Mark 1:1-8 that indicates that Jesus is a greater prophet than Moses, who Deuteronomy 34:5-12 proclaims as Israel’s greatest prophet?

Acts 1:1-5 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

What was the “former book” written about (verse 1)?

How did Jesus give instructions to the apostles (verse 2)?

When did Jesus present Himself to the disciples and give them convincing proofs that He was alive (verse 3)?

What command did Jesus give the apostles (verse 4)?

What did Jesus promise that the apostles would be baptized with (verse 5)?

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

In your opinion, how does John the Baptist in Mark 1:1-8 anticipate the promise of Jesus in Acts 1:1-5, “in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”?

In your opinion, how does the discussion in Deuteronomy 34:5-12 of Moses after his death and the discussion in Acts 1:1-5 of Jesus “after his suffering” illustrate the uniqueness of Jesus?

1 Corinthians 15:1-10 – 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.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

What had the Corinthian “brothers and sisters” received and taken a stand on (verse 1)?

How are we saved (verse 2)?

Why did Christ die (verse 3)?

What happened on the third day after Christ was buried (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does Paul list the people that the risen Jesus appeared to (verses 5 through 8)?

Why does Paul say he does not “deserve to be called an apostle” (verse 9)?

What “worked harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does the gospel that Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 help us to understand about the “kingdom of God” that Jesus spoke about in Acts 1:1-5?

In your opinion, what does 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 help us to understand what had to be done by Jesus before He could baptize “with the Holy Spirit” as John the Baptist prophesied in Mark 1:1-8?

In your opinion, how does the grave of Moses that no one knows where is in Deuteronomy 34:5-12 foreshadow the destiny of the nation of Israel; and the raising of Jesus on the third day in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 give a wonderful hope to those who have received grace?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians help us understand about the beginning of the Israelite Kingdom and the beginning of the Kingdom of God?

In your opinion, what stand should we take?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 11, 2018 – Moses and Jesus and Us – Glory and Salvation

-            The

Glory and Salvation

Exodus 40:34-38 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶ In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; ³⁷ but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. ³⁸ So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

What filled the tabernacle (verse 34)?

Who could not enter the tent of meeting when the cloud settled on it (verse 35)?

When did the Israelites set out (verse 36)?

Where was the “cloud of the Lord” by day (verse 38)?

What was in the “cloud of the Lord” by night (verse 38)?

Where was the “cloud of the Lord” in all the Israelites travels (verse 38)?

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

Luke 24:45-53 - New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵² Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Why did Jesus open their minds (verse 45)?

What was written (verse 46)?

Where will the “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” be preached (verse 47)?

What are the disciples (verse 48)?

In your opinion, what was Jesus referring to when He told the disciples to stay until “you have been clothed with power from on high” (verse 49)?

What did Jesus do after He led them to the vicinity of Bethany and “lifted up his hands” (verse 50)?

Where was Jesus taken (verse 51)?

How did the disciples feel as they returned to Jerusalem (verse 52)?

What did the disciples as they stayed “continually at the temple” (verse 53)?

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

In your opinion, why was Moses unable to enter the tabernacle in Exodus 40:34-38 because of the glory of the Lord in it, but Jesus was able to lifted into heaven in Luke 24:45-53?

Ephesians 1:18-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

What does Paul pray for “in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you” (verse 18)?

Who does God use His “incomparably great power” for (verse 19)?

What did God do for Jesus Christ with that “incomparably great power” (verses 19 and 20)?

What is Jesus “far above” (verse 21)?

Where has God placed “all things” (verse 22)?

What is the church (verses 22 and 23)?

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

In your opinion, how does the worship and joy of the disciples after receiving the blessing of Jesus and watching Him be taken up to heaven in Luke 24:45-53 demonstrate how we, who according to Ephesians 1:18-23 have been given hope, the glorious riches of His inheritance and the benefit of God using the same power that raised Christ from dead in our lives, should respond today?

In your opinion, how do you feel about being part, according to Ephesians 1:18-23, of the body of Christ, the same Christ who has so much glory that Exodus 40:34-38 said that Moses could not enter the tabernacle because of the presence of the “glory of the Lord”?

Hebrews 9:24-28 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵ Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

What did Christ not enter (verse 24)?

Why did Christ enter “heaven itself” (verse 24)?

Who enters “the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own” (verse 25)?

Why did Christ appear “once for all at the culmination of the ages” (verse 26)?

What are people destined for (verse 27)?

Why was Christ “sacrificed once” (verse 28)?

What will Christ bring when He appears a second time (verse 28)?

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

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 9:24-28 show us about the inheritance that Ephesians 1:18-23 say is ours in Christ?

In your opinion, how does Hebrews 9:24-28 “open” our minds so that we can understand what Jesus meant in Luke 24:45-53 when He said “the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day”?

In your opinion, how does Moses not being able to enter the copy that was tabernacle in Exodus 40:34-38 when it was filled “with the glory of the Lord” help us to understand the salvation that Jesus brought through being “sacrificed once to take away the sins of many” according to Hebrews 9:24-28?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, Ephesians, and Hebrews teach us about the glory of the Lord and the ability of sinful people to come into that glory?

In your opinion, what should we tell the world about God’s “incomparably great power” and what it has accomplished?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)