New Hope High School – Lesson 11 - The Great Commission - A Study of Matthew – Salt of the Earth

New Hope High School – Lesson 11 - The Great Commission - A Study of Matthew – Salt of the Earth

Matthew 28:18-20 - New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 5:13 New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

What does Jesus say the disciples, who He is speaking to, are?

In your opinion, why would Jesus ask how salt that loses its saltiness can be made salty again?

What is salt that has lost its saltiness good for?

In your opinion, why does Jesus follow the Beatitudes, which sets higher standards than the law, with this statement?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 5:13 show us about the Great Commission?

Ezekiel 18 New International Version (NIV)

“The word of the Lord came to me: ² “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb                      about the land of Israel:

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

³ “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in                    Israel. ⁴ For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me.              The one who sins is the one who will die.

⁵ “Suppose there is a righteous man
    who does what is just and right.
⁶ He does not eat at the mountain shrines
    or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
    or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.
⁷ He does not oppress anyone,
    but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
    but gives his food to the hungry
    and provides clothing for the naked.
⁸ He does not lend to them at interest
    or take a profit from them.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
    and judges fairly between two parties.
⁹ He follows my decrees
    and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
    he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰ “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things                              ¹¹ (though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines.
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
¹² He oppresses the poor and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.
¹³ He lends at interest and takes a profit.

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be               put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

¹⁴ “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he                   sees them, he does not do such things:

¹⁵ “He does not eat at the mountain shrines
    or look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
¹⁶ He does not oppress anyone
    or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
    but gives his food to the hungry
    and provides clothing for the naked.
¹⁷ He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
    and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. ¹⁸ But his father will die for his own sin,             because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his                         people.

¹⁹ “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. ²⁰ The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

²¹ “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²² None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. ²³ Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

²⁴ “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? ²⁶ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. ²⁷ But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. ²⁸ Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. ²⁹ Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰ “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. ³¹ Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? ³² For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”

In your opinion, what does the parable about parents and children and sour grapes mean (verse 2)?

In your opinion, is this common parable an insult to a just God?

In verse 4 who does God say will die?

What is the message of verses 5-9?

Does any of the righteousness of the man in verses 5-9 save the son described in verses 10-13?

Does the violence of the man in verses 10-13 transfer to the son described in verse 14-17?

In your opinion, does the judgment listed in verse 18 seem appropriate?

In your opinion, why would the Israelite people ask “Why does the son not share the guilt of his father” (verse 19)?

What additional statement about the non-transferability of guilt is found in verse 20?

What is the amazing new statement that is found in verse 21?

Will the offenses they committed be remembered (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what is the meaning of the two questions in verse 23?

Does verse 24 change the statements that have come before?

In your opinion, what is the discussion in verses 25 through 29 to teach us?

In your opinion, what is the heart of the message of verse 30?

What new things does verse 31 say is needed?

In your opinion, how important is the statement of verse 32 to each of us?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Ezekiel teach us about Matthew 5:13?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Ezekiel show us about the Great Commission?

1 John 3 New International Version (NIV)

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

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

⁷ Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

What makes it possible for us to be called children of God (verse 1)?

In your opinion, how can we take comfort from the statement that we shall be like Christ when He comes (verse 2)?

In verse 3, what do we need to have to purify ourselves to be more like Christ?

In your opinion, how is this like salt regaining its saltiness?

In your opinion, how does verse 4 condemn everyone?

Where, in verse 5, is the hope of the lawless person?

In your opinion, is it possible for the same person to have verse 7 and verse 8 applied to them?

What is the hope that is stated at the end of verse 8?

What is the positive (do) command in verse 11?

How is the negative (do not) illustrated in verses 12 through 15?

How is the positive (do) illustrated in verses 16 through 18?

In your opinion, why does verse 19 leads us to believe that it is going to show us how to “know we belong” and how to “set our hearts at rest” and then verse 20 starts with “If”?

How would you express the wonderful truth of verse 20?

What promise is given in verses 21 and 22?

What are the commandments required as a part of this promise (verse 23)?

In your opinion, is it fair to say that “saltiness”(Matthew 5:13) for a Christian is “to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us” (verse 23)?

What is the promise in verse 24 for the one who “keeps God’s commands” (“believe in the name of his Son” and “to love one another”) (verse 23)?

How do we know He lives in us (verse 24)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 John teach us about Matthew 5:13?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 John teach us about the Great Commission?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)