September 13, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – God’s Holy People

God’s Holy People

Leviticus 21:16-24 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; ¹⁹ no man with a crippled foot or hand, ²⁰ or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. ²¹ No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. ²² He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; ²³ yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’”

²⁴ So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Who commanded Moses (verse 16)?

What may Aaron’s descendants with a defect not do (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why do you think the defects listed are physical and not moral (verses 18 - 20)?

Who must not come near to offer the food of his God (verse 21)?

What may he do (verse 22)?

Where must he not go (verse 23)?

What did God make the curtain and the altar (verse 23)?

Who did Moses tell this to (verse 24)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage help us understand about how God makes people holy?

Matthew 21:12-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁴ The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

¹⁶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

“‘From the lips of children and infants
    you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

¹⁷ And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Where were those that Jesus drove out (verse 12)?

How were they changing the “house of prayer” (verse 13)?

How did Jesus treat “the blind and the lame” who came to Him at the temple (verse 14)?

Why did the “chief priests and the teachers of the law” become indignant (verse 15)?

What was written about where the Lord has “called forth” praise (verse 16)?

Where did Jesus spend the night (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage help us understand about how God makes people holy?

In your opinion, what does Jesus do in Matthew 21:12-17 for those that Leviticus 21:16-24 says could not approach the altar of the curtain?

Hebrews 10:19-25 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

What gives Christian brothers and sisters confidence to “enter the Most Holy Place” (verse 19)?

How is the way through the curtain described (verse 20)?

What do Christian’s have (verse 21)?

How are Christian’s guilty consciences cleansed (verse 22)?

What should Christians “hold unswervingly to” (verse 23)?

Who should spur Christians “on toward love and good deeds” (verse 24)?

What should Christians not give up (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage help us understand about how God makes people holy?

In your opinion, how does Leviticus 21:16-24 help us understand the significance of the cleansing described in Hebrews 10:19-25?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s treatment of the blind and lame who came to Him in Matthew 21:12-17 similar to what He has done for those who came before Him with guilty consciences in Hebrews 10:19-25?

Revelation 21:22-27 - New International Version (NIV)

²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶ The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷ Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Why did John “not see a temple in the city” (verse 22)?

What gives the city light (verse 23)?

What is its lamp (verse 23)?

Who will “walk by its light” (verse 24)?

Why will its gates never be shut (verse 25)?

What will “will be brought into it” (verse 26)?

Only who will enter in (verse 27)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage help us understand about how God makes people holy?

In your opinion, how is the definition of those who can present food offerings to the Lord in Leviticus 21:16-24 different from the definition of who can enter the heavenly city in Revelation 21:22-27?

In your opinion, how does Jesus driving out those who were buying and selling in the temple in Matthew 21:12-17 while healing the blind and lame who came to Him foreshadow what will happen in heaven in Revelation 21:14-17?

In your opinion, how does Hebrews 10:19-25 help us understand what it means to have our name in the “Lamb’s book of life” of Revelation 21:22-27?

In your opinion, how these passages from Leviticus, Matthew, Hebrews, and Revelation help us understand the exclusiveness of heaven?

In your opinion, how can we be confident that we will be welcomed in Heaven today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 6, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Jesus the King

Jesus the King

Zechariah 9:9-16 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
¹³ I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
    and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
    against your sons, Greece,
    and make you like a warrior’s sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord will appear over them;
    his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet;
    he will march in the storms of the south,
¹⁵     and the Lord Almighty will shield them.
They will destroy
    and overcome with slingstones.
They will drink and roar as with wine;
    they will be full like a bowl
    used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.
¹⁶ The Lord their God will save his people on that day
    as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
    like jewels in a crown.

How is Zion’s king coming (verse 9)?

What will the king proclaim “to the nations” (verse 10)?

Why will the prisoners be freed “from the waterless pit” (verse 11)?

Who is to return to their fortress (verse 12)?

What will Zion’s son be made like (verse 13)?

Who will “appear over them” (verse 14)?

What will they use to “destroy and overcome” (verse 15)?

Who will “the Lord their God” save (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about Jesus, the King?

Matthew 21:1-11 - 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 was Bethphage (verse 1)?

What were the two disciples to do with the donkey and colt (verse 2)?

What were they to say if someone said something to them (verse 3)?

Why did this take place (verse 4)?

How was Zion’s king coming to them (verse 5)?

Who did “as Jesus had instructed them” (verse 6)?

Why did they place their cloaks on the donkey and the colt (verse 7)?

What did the “very large crowd” do (verse 8)?

Who did the crowd shout was blessed (verse 9)?

What did the city ask (verse 10)?

How did the crowd answer (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about Jesus, the King?

In your opinion, what would the people of Jerusalem who connected Jesus’s entrance on a donkey in Matthew 21:1-11 with the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-16 have expected to happen?

2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 - New International Version (NIV)

⁶ God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ⁷ and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸ He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might ¹⁰ on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. ¹² We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who is just (verse 6)?

When will relief be given (verse 7)?

Who will be punished (verse 8)?

How will they be punished (verse 9)?

When will they be punished (verse 10)?

What does Paul pray for (verse 11)?

Why does Paul pray this (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about Jesus, the King?

In your opinion, how are the people who are struggling after returning from exile who received the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9-16 and those who receive the message of 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 similar? 

In your opinion, how does the crowd’s perception of Jesus as “the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee” in Matthew 21:1-11 differ from the way that Paul portrays Him in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12?

Revelation 11:15-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
    and he will reign for ever and ever.”

¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.
¹⁸ The nations were angry,
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

What has the “kingdom of the world” become (verse 15)?

What did the “twenty-four elders” do (verse 16)?

What did they give thank God for (verse 17)?

Who is to be rewarded (verse 18)?

What was opened (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about Jesus, the King?

In your opinion, how does John’s prophecy in Revelation 11:15-19 fit into what Zechariah 9:9-16 foretells?

In your opinion, what does Revelation 11:15-19 help us understand about the kingdom that Jesus entered in to purchase with his blood in Matthew 21:1-11?

In your opinion, how does Revelation 11:15-19 provide hope for Christians who are troubled in the same way those who received Paul’s message in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 were?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Zechariah, Matthew, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation bring comfort to Christians in our troubled world?

In your opinion, how can we glorify the name of King Jesus today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 23, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – The Power of God’s

The Power of God’s Mercy

Psalm 51:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

What does David ask God to do according to His “unfailing love” (verse 1)?

What does he ask to be cleansed from (verse 2)?

Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?

Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?

When did David’s sinfulness begin (verse 5)?

What did God desire from David (verse 6)?

When will David be clean (verse 7)?

What does David ask to let rejoice (verse 8)?

How does he want God to treat his iniquity (verse 9)?

What does David want God to “create in” him (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

Matthew 20:29-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Who did the “large crowd” follow (verse 29)?

Where were the “two blind men” (verse 30)?

What did they shout (verse 30)?

How did they respond when the crowd told the “to be quiet” (verse 31)?

What did Jesus call out to them (verse 32)?

How did they respond to Jesus (verse 33)?

What happened when Jesus compassionately touched their eyes (verse 34)?

How did they react when they could see (verse 34)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how is the mercy that David is asking for in Psalm 51:1-10 different from the mercy that the two blind men are asking for in Matthew 20:29-34?

Acts 9:10-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Where did Ananias live (verse 10)?

What was Saul doing (verse 11)?

What did Saul see in a vision (verse 12)?

What reports had Ananias heard (verse 13)?

Whose authority was Saul operating under (verse 14)?

How did God describe Saul’s duties (verse 15)?

What was God going to show Saul (verse 16)?

Why had Jesus sent Ananias to Saul (verse 17)?

What did Saul do when he could see again (verse 18)?

When did Saul regain his strength (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do you think Saul’s thoughts while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 were similar to David’s thoughts expressed in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how would Saul’s prayers while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 have been different from the cries for mercy by the two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34?

Romans 5:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What do we have “since we have been justified through faith” (verse 1)?

What do we “boast in” (verse 2)?

What do we “glory in” (verse 3)?

How is “God’s love” poured into our hearts (verse 5)?

Who did Christ die for (verse 6)?

What might someone “dare to” do for a “good person” (verse 7)?

How does God demonstrate “his own love for us” (verse 8)?

How have we been justified (verse 9)?

How are we saved (verse 10)?

How do we “boast in God” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how are Paul’s words in Romans 5:1-11 the answer to David’s pleas in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how is the response of the blind men to Jesus after receiving His mercy in Matthew 20:29-34 a foretaste of the spiritual foundation that Paul is establishing in Romans 5:1-11?

In your opinion, how does Romans 5:1-11 help us understand what Paul understood about the transformation that happened to him when Ananias laid hands on him and baptized him in Acts 9:10-19?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Romans teach us about what we need to do to receive God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do we respond to God’s mercy today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)