April 5, 2026 – Easter – Everlasting Love

 

Everlasting Love

Jeremiah 31:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

² This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword
    will find favor in the wilderness;
    I will come to give rest to Israel.”

³ The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
⁴ I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
    and go out to dance with the joyful.
⁵ Again you will plant vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.
⁶ There will be a day when watchmen cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”

What will happen “at that time” (verse 1)?

Who will “find favor in the wilderness” (verse 2)?

What had the Lord said, “in the past” (verse 3)?

Who will “Virgin Israel” go out to dance with (verse 4)?

Who will enjoy the fruit of the vineyards (verse 5)?

What will the watchmen cry out (verse 6)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

John 20:1-18 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

When did Mary Magdalene see that the stone had been removed from the tomb’s entrance (verse 1)?

Who did she tell, “they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him” (verse 2)?

Who got to the tomb first (verse 4)?

What did he see in the tomb (verse 5)?

Who went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen and the “cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head” (verses 6 and7)?

When did the other disciple believe (verse 8)?

What did the two disciples still not understand (verse 9)?

Where did the two disciples go (verse 10)?

What was Mary doing when she looked into the tomb (verse 11)?

What did she see (verse 12)?

How did Mary answer the angel’s question, “Woman, why are you crying?” (verse 13)?

Who did Mary not recognize (verse 14)?

What was Mary going to do when she found out were Jesus was (verse 15)?

How did Mary respond when Jesus said “Mary” (verse 16)?

What was Mary to do (verse 17)?

Who did Mary give the news to (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, how is the everlasting love the Lord proclaimed in Jeremiah 31:1-6 displayed in John 20:1-18?

Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who said they realized it is true that “God does not show favoritism” (verse 34)?

Who does God accept (verse 35)?

What message did God send to the “people of Israel” (verse 36)?

When did things begin “in Galilee” (verse 37)?

How was Jesus of Nazareth anointed (verse 38)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

Who raised Jesus from the dead (verse 40)?

Who saw Jesus (verse 41)?

What were the people who saw Jesus commanded to do (verse 42)?

What do the people who believe in Jesus receive (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, what does Peter in Acts 10:34-43 reveal about the one who proclaimed in Jeremiah 31:1-6 that “I will be the God of all the families of Israel”?

In your opinion, how does Peter in Acts 10:34-43 help us understand the significance of what John recorded in John 20:1-18?

Colossians 3:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Who have the Christians “been raised with” (verse 1)?

What should Christians set their “hearts on” (verse 1)?

What should Christians not set their minds on (verse 2)?

Where is the Christian’s life hidden (verse 3)?

How will Christians appear with Christ (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about God’s relationship with us?

In your opinion, how is the rejoicing of the exiles in Jeremiah 31:1-6 like the Christian focus instructed in Colossians 3:1-4?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s first message after rising to Mary Magdalene for the disciples in John 20:1-18 crucial to Colossians 3:1-4?

In your opinion, how is the message of Colossians 3:1-4 important for all those who hear and believe Peter’s message in Acts 10:34-43?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Jeremiah, John, Acts, and Colossians teach us about God’s “everlasting love”?

In your opinion, how can we respond to God’s “everlasting love” today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 29, 2026 – Lent - Palm Sunday – Exalting Jesus

Exalting Jesus

Isaiah 50:4-9a - New International Version (NIV)

⁴ The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue,
    to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
    wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
⁵ The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
    I have not been rebellious,
    I have not turned away.
⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me,
    my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
    from mocking and spitting.
⁷ Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
    and I know I will not be put to shame.
⁸ He who vindicates me is near.
    Who then will bring charges against me?
    Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
    Let him confront me!
⁹ It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.
    Who will condemn me?

What does Isaiah’s “well-instructed tongue” know (verse 4)?

Who opened Isaiah’s ears (verse 5)?

Who did Isaiah offer his back to (verse 6)?

Why will Isaiah “not be disgraced” (verse 7)?

Who is near Isaiah (verse 8)?

In your opinion, “who will condemn” Isaiah (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how to approach Jesus?

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

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 should we “give thanks to the Lord” (verse 1)?

What is Israel to say (verse 2)?

What will happen when the “gates of the righteous” are opened (verse 19)?

Whose gates are the “gates of the righteous” (verses 19 and 20)?

What has the Lord “become” (verse 21)?

Who rejected “the stone” (verse 22)?

Who made it “the cornerstone” (verses 22 and 23)?

How should we respond “today” (verse 24)?

In your opinion, what is the “success” we are asking to be granted (verse 25)?

Who is “blessed” (verse 26)?

What has the Lord made to “shine on us” (verse 27)?

How does the Psalmist identify who he will praise and exalt (verse 28)?

What “endures forever” (verse 29)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how to approach Jesus?

In your opinion, how is the celebration of God’s enduring love in Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 an encouragement when thinking of Isaiah’s difficulties in Isaiah 50:4-9a?

Matthew 21:1-1 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵ “Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Where did they come to (verse 1?

What were the two disciples to bring Jesus (verse 2)?

How were the disciples to respond if anyone said anything to them (verse 3)?

What was to be said to “Daughter Zion” (verse 5)?

What did the disciples do (verse 6)?

Why were the cloaks placed on the donkey and the colt (verse 7)?

Who “spread their cloaks on the road” (verse 8)?

Who did the crowds shout was “blessed” (verse 9)?

How did the city of Jerusalem respond (verse 10)?

Who did the crowds say Jesus was (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how to approach Jesus?

In your opinion, what insight into the celebration of Matthew 21:1-11 can be found in Isaiah 50:4-9a?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 similar to the celebration of Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29?

Philippians 2:9-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Where did God exalt Jesus to (verse 9)?

What name did God give Jesus (verse 9)?

Who will bow “at the name of Jesus” (verse 10)?

Whose tongue will “acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (verse 11)?

Who will receive glory when the tongues “acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how to approach Jesus?

In your opinion, how does Philippians 2:9-11 affirm the vindication promised in Isaiah 50:4-9a?

In your opinion, what does Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 teach the Christian believer about how to approach Jesus as He is portrayed in Philippians 2:9-11?

In your opinion, how is the celebration of Matthew 21:1-11 different from the exultation of Philippians 2:9-11?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Psalms, Matthew, and Philippians teach us about the exalting of Jesus?

In your opinion, how does bowing to Jesus today help us be successful in our daily challenges?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 22, 2026 – Lent – Come Out of the Grave

Come Out of the Grave

Ezekiel 37:1-14 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

What was the valley full of (verse 1)?

How did Ezekiel describe the bones (verse 2)?

What did the Lord ask Ezekiel (verse 3)?

Who was Ezekiel to prophesy to (verse 4)?

What will the Lord make the bones do (verse 5)?

When will the bones know that “I am the Lord” (verse 6)?

What happened when Ezekiel prophesied (verse 7)?

What were the bones missing (verse 8)?

Why were the four winds to “breathe into these slain” (verse 9)?

What happened when Ezekiel prophesied as the Lord commanded (verse 10)?

Who were the bones (verse 11)?

What is Ezekiel to prophesy to Israel (verse 12)?

When will the people of Israel know that the Lord is “the Lord” (verse 13)?

What will the Lord put into the people of Israel (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the life God gives?

Psalm 130 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
²     Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy.

³ If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
⁶ I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
⁸ He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

Where is the Psalmist crying from (verse 1)?

What does the Psalmist want the Lord’s ears to be attentive to (verse 2)?

When would no one stand (verse 3)?

Why can we serve the Lord “with reverence” (verse 4)?

Where does the Psalmist’s put his hope (verse 5)?

How does the Psalmist wait (verse 6)?

Why can Israel put their “hope in the Lord” (verse 7)?

What will the Lord redeem Israel from (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the life God gives?

In your opinion, how is the “redemption” of Psalm 130 related to the opening of the Israelite’s  graves in Ezekiel 37:1-14?

John 11:1-(32-45) – New International Version (NIV)

³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 

What did Mary say when she saw Jesus (verse 32)?

Why was Jesus moved in spirit and troubled (verse 33)?

What did Jesus do (verse 35)?

What did the Jews say (verse 36)?

What did other Jews say (verse 37)?

How was the tomb described (verse 38)?

Why was Martha afraid to have the stone moved (verse 39)?

What had Jesus said (verse 40)?

Who did Jesus thank for hearing Him (verse 41)?

Who did Jesus want to believe (verse 42)?

What did Jesus call “in a loud voice” (verse 43)?

How did the “dead man” come out (verse 44)?

Who believed (verse 45)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the life God gives?

In your opinion, how is Jesus calling Lazarus to “come out” in John 11:1-(32-45) different from the vision of dry bones coming to  life in Ezekiel 37:1-14?

In your opinion, how does the redemption promised in Psalm 130 align with Jesus’s power to raise from the dead in John 11:1-(32-45)?

Romans 8:6-11 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Which mind “is death” (verse 6)?

What is the “mind governed by the Spirit” (verse 6)?

What cannot “submit to God’s law” (verse 7)?

Who cannot “please God” (verse 8)?

Where are those in whom “the Spirit of God lives” (verse 9)?

What does the Spirit give to those who Christ is in “even though” their body is subject to death (verse 10)?

What will the “Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead” do to the mortal bodies of those He lives in (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the life God gives?

In your opinion, how does the prophecy of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-14 provide a visual expression of the transformation from spiritually dead to spiritually alive described in Romans 8:6-11?

In your opinion, how does the Lord’s forgiveness in Psalm 130 play a part in the righteousness described in Romans 8:6-11?

In your opinion, how does Jesus weeping in John 11:1-(32-45) lay the foundation for the spiritual life promised in Romans 8:6-11?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Ezekiel, Psalms, John, and Romans reveal to us about contrast between the dry bones of the flesh and the life of the Spirit?

In your opinion, where do we see the glory of God today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)