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)

August 16, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Enduring to Serve

Enduring to Serve

1 Samuel 1:10-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

¹² As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

¹⁵ “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

What was Hannah doing as she “prayed to the Lord” (verse 10)?

What did she promise to do if the Lord gave her a son (verse 11)?

Who “observed her mouth” (verse 12)?

Why did he think “she was drunk” (verse 13)?

What did he want her to “put away” (verse 14)?

What did Hannah say she had been doing (verse 15)?

What was Hannah praying “out of” (verse 16)?

How was Hannah to go (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

Matthew 20:17-28 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Who did Jesus take aside (verse 17)?

What would “the chief priests and the teachers of the law” do to the Son of Man (verse 18)?

When would the Son of Man be raised to life (verse 19)?

Who knelt down and ask a favor of Jesus (verse 20)?

What did she want (verse 21)?

What did the two sons claim they could do (verse 22)?

Who will sit at Jesus’s right and left (verse 23)?

How did the other disciples react (verse 24)?

What do the “rulers of the Gentiles” do (verses 25)?

What does the disciple who wants to be great need to do (verse 26)?

Who must “be your slave” (verse 27)?

What did the Son of Man come to do (verse 28)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, how is Hannah’s request in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 different from Zebedee’s wife’s (James and John’s mother) request in Matthew 20:17-28?

Acts 12:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

Why did King Herod arrest “some who belonged to the church” (verse 1)?

What happened to “James, the brother of John” (verse 2)?

How did the Jews react (verse 3)?

What happened to Peter (verse 3)?

When did it happen (verse 3)?

How was Peter guarded (verse 4)?

What was Herod’s plan (verse 4)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, could the anguish and grief of Hannah who was praying for a son in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 be similar to the anguish and grief of those who lost James as a family member or a Christian family member in Acts 12:1-4?

In your opinion, what does Acts 12:1-4 show about the transformation of James after the events in Matthew 20:17-28?

2 Timothy 2:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. ³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

What does Paul call Timothy (verse 1)?

Who is Timothy to entrust the things he has heard Paul say to (verse 2)?

Where is Timothy to join Paul (verse 3)?

Who does a soldier try to please (verse 4)?

How does an athlete have to compete to receive “the victor’s crown” (verse 5)?

Who should receive the first “share of the crops” (verse 6)?

What will happen if Timothy reflects on what Paul is saying (verse 7)?

Who is Timothy to remember (verse 8)?

What is not chained (verse 9)?

Why does Paul “endure everything” (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, how is the life that Hannah said her son would live in her prayers in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 similar to the life that Paul was asking Timothy to live in 2 Timothy 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how similar would the feelings of Jesus for the disciples in Matthew 20:17-28 been to the feelings of Paul for Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how is James in Acts 12:1-4 an example of the confidence that Paul had in 2 Timothy 2:1-10 that “God’s word is not chained”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from 1 Samuel, Matthew, Acts, and 2 Timothy teach us about where human ambition fits into God’s kingdom?

In your opinion, how can we endure today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 9, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Celebrating Heaven

Celebrating Heaven

Isaiah 25:6-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

Who will “prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples” (verse 6)?

What will be destroyed “on this mountain” (verse 7)?

What will the Lord “swallow up” forever (verse 8)?

How are those who “trusted in him” to react (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about who celebrate with God?

Matthew 19:30-20:16 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

20 ¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Who will be first (verse 30)?

What is the “kingdom of heaven” like (verse 1)?

How much was the landowner to pay the workers (verse 2)?

What did the landowner tell the workers hired at nine they would be paid (verses 3-4)?

What were the times that others were hired (verses 5-7)?

Who was paid first that evening (verse 8)?

How much did they receive (verse 9)?

What did the ones who were hired first expect (verse 10)?

Why were they unhappy (verses 11-12)?

In your opinion, was the landowner being unfair (verse 13)?

What did the landowner want to do (verse 14)?

In your opinion, were the workers who had been hired first envious (verse 15)?

Who will be last (verse 16)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about who celebrates with God?

In your opinion, how would the attitude of the workers who were first employed in Matthew 19:30-20:16 have changed if they viewed what they all received as the salvation celebrated in Isaiah 25:6-9 instead of the payment for a day’s labor?

Philippians 1:21-26 - New International Version (NIV)

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

What was living for Paul (verse 21)?

What was dying for Paul (verse 21)?

When would “fruitful labor” occur (verse 22)?

What did Paul desire (verse 23)?

Who would benefit if Paul remained (verse 24)?

Why will Paul “continue with” the Philippian Christians (verse 25)?

Who will the Philippian Christians boast in (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about who celebrates with God?

In your opinion, how does Paul in Philippians 1:21-26 embody the trust in God that Isaiah 25:6-9 proclaims?

In your opinion, how is Paul’s attitude about labor in Philippians 1:21-26 different from the workers in Matthew 19:30-20:16?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Why did Paul not want the Thessalonian Christians to be “uninformed about those who sleep in death” (verse 13)?

What did Paul believe about Jesus (verse 14)?

Who did Paul believe that God would “bring with Jesus” (verse 14)?

Who will not “precede those who have fallen asleep” (verse 15)?

When will “the dead in Christ” rise (verse 16)?

Who will be “caught up together” to “meet the Lord in the air” (verse 17)?

What should we do with these words (verse 18)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about who celebrates with God?

In your opinion, how does 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 help us understand who will join in the celebration of God’s swallowing up of death in Isaiah 25:6-9?

In your opinion, how are the different times of day that workers were hired in Matthew 19:30-20:16 represented in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the departing to be with Christ that Paul wants in Philippians 1:21-26 and the catching up to the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Matthew, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians help us understand about our place in the Kingdom of Heaven?

In your opinion, how do we celebrate heaven today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)