November 2, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Keys and Stones

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.”

Keys and Stones

Matthew 16:13-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 13)?

Who did he ask “Who do people say that I am” (verse 13)?

Who did they mention (verse 14)?

How did Jesus change the question He ask before “Who do people say that I am” in verse 15?

Who answers Jesus this time (verse 16)?

What is the answer to the revised question (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say that the answer was not “revealed by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (verse 17)?

What will be built on the rock that the “gates of Hades will not overcome” (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why does Jesus say, “I will give you the keys of heaven” (verse 19)?

Who were the disciples to tell that Jesus was the Messiah (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 16:13-20 show us about the Great Commission?

Exodus 3:1-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.

¹⁶ “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’”

What was Moses doing when he came to “Horeb, the mountain of God” (verse 1)?

How did the angel of the Lord appear to him (verse 2)?

Why did Moses go to the bush (verse 3)?

Who called to Moses from the bush (verse 4)?

Why did Moses have to take off his sandals (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why did God identify Himself as “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (verse 6)?

What had God seen (verse 7)?

What is God going to do (verse 8)?

What has reached God (verse 9)?

What has God seen (verse 9)?

Where is Moses to go (verse 10)?

How does Moses object (verse 11)?

Who will provide Moses with the stature necessary to go to the Pharaoh (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why does Moses ask for God’s name (verse 13)?

Who does God identify himself as (verse 14)?

What is God’s identity to the Israelites forever (verse 15)?

What is Moses to tell the elders that God has seen (verse 16)?

What is God’s promise (verse 17)?

In your opinion, how is it significant that the God who identifies Himself in Exodus 3:1-17 as “I AM WHO I AM” asks the disciples in Matthew 16:13-20 “Who do you say that I am”?

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

    

1 Peter 2:4-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

What title does Peter give to Jesus (verse 4)?

How does Peter describe “God’s elect”, the people he is writing to (verse 5)?

Who will “never be put to shame” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why “to those who do not believe” has the “stone the builders rejected . . . become the cornerstone” (verse 7)?

Why do the stumble (verse 8)?

Why are we “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (verse 9)?

What are we (verse 10)?

What have we received (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how are we who Peter says have received mercy from God in 1 Peter 2:4-12 similar to the Israelites that God was sending Moses to call out from the misery of Egypt in Exodus 3:1-17?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Peter, who Jesus called the rock in Matthew 16:13-20 calls Jesus the “living Stone” in 1 Peter 2:4-10?

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

  

Revelation 3:7-13 – New International Version (NIV)

⁷ “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸ I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹ I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

¹¹ I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. ¹³ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

What does Jesus, the One who is “holy and true”, hold (verse 7)?

Who can shut what He opens, or open what He shuts (verse 7)?

What has been placed before the church in Philadelphia (verse 8)?

What will “those who are of the synagogue of Satan” going to be forced to acknowledge (verse 9)?

What command has the church in Philadelphia kept (verse 10)?

When is Jesus coming (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why is the promise that “never again will they leave” the temple a wonderful promise for the church of Philadelphia (verse 12)?

Who is to hear (verse 13)?

In your opinion, how are the “chosen people” of 1 Peter 24-10 beneficiaries of the “open door that no one can shut” of Revelation 3:7-13?

In your opinion, how is appropriate that the God who heard the cry of the Israelites and called them from Egypt in Exodus 31-17 is also the God who promises that “the one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God” in Revelation 3:7-13?

In your opinion, what does it mean that the One who told Peter He would give him the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 16:13-20 also the One who is portrayed as having the “key of David” and who opens and no one can shut or shuts and no one can open in Revelation 3:7-13?

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

Next, back to Matthew 16:21 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

October 26, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Yeast versus Love

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.”

From Yeast versus Love

Matthew 16:5-12 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹² Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

What did the disciples forget to take across the lake (verse 5)?

Who told them to “be careful” (verse 6)?

What were they to be careful of (verse 6)?

How did the disciples interpret the warning (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say to the disciples “you of little faith” (verse 8)?

How does Jesus show the disciples that He is not concerned about the bread (verses 9 and 10)?

What warning does Jesus repeat (verse 11)?

What did the disciples finally understand about the warning (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 16:5-12 show us about the Great Commission?

Psalms 1 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

Who is blessed (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “not walk in step with the wicked” (verse 1)?

Who does the blessed one not sit with (verse 1)?

What does the blessed one delight in (verse 2)?

When does the blessed one meditate “on his law” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why is the blessed one “like a tree planted by streams of water” (verse 3)?

What does the person who is blessed yield (verse 3)?

Who is like chaff (verse 4)?

Where will they not stand (verse 5)?

What does the way of the wicked lead to (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Matthew 16:5-12 and the “law of the Lord” of Psalm 1?

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

Galatians 5:1-9 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

Why has “Christ set us free” (verse 1)?

How should we respond to being set free (verse 1)?

What causes Christ to be of no value (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why would the man who lets himself be circumcised find Christ of no value “at all” (verse 3)?

Where do you fall if “by the law” you have been “alienated from Christ” (verse 4)?

Through who do we “eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (verse 5)?

What is the only thing that counts (verse 6)?

In your opinion, who did “cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth” (verse 7)?

What does not come from “the one who calls you” (verse 8)?

Where does a little yeast work through (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how is the one who is blessed in Psalm 1 similar to the person eagerly awaiting “by faith the righteousness for which we hope” in Galatians 5:1-9?

In your opinion, how is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Matthew 16:5-12 similar to the little yeast that “works through the whole batch of dough” in Galatians 5:1-9?

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

   

1 John 2:12-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² “I am writing to you, dear children,
    because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
¹³ I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
    because you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁴ I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Why is John writing to the children (verse 12)?

Who has known Him from the beginning (verse 13)?

What have the young men done (verse 13)?

Why is John writing to the children (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why does the reason that John is writing to the fathers stay the same (verse 14)?

How does the reason to write to the young men change from verse 13 to verse 14?

In your opinion, why is the “love for the Father” not in anyone who “loves the world” (verse 15)?

Where does “everything in the world” come from (verse 16)?

What passes away (verse 17)?

Who lives forever (verse 17)?

In your opinion, how is the statement “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” from Galatians 5:1-9 expanded on by the statement “but whoever does the will of God lives forever” in 1 John 2:12-17?

In your opinion, how is the statement “Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away” from Psalm 1 completed by the statement in 1 John 2:12-17 that “The world and its desires pass away”?

In your opinion, how does the warning of Jesus to the disciples to “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” in Matthew 16:5-12 compare to the warning that John gives us to “Do not love the world or anything in the world” in 1 John 2:12-17?

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

Next, back to Matthew 16:13 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

October 19, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – From Signs to Sanctification

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.”

From Signs to Sanctification

Matthew 16:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

² He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ ³ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.”

Why did the Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus (verse 1)?

What did they ask Jesus for (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus reply by talking about forecasting the weather (verses 2 and 3)?

What does it mean for tomorrow’s weather if this evening’s sky is red (verse 2)?

What does it mean for today’s weather if this morning’s sky is red and overcast (verse 3)?

Who looks for a sign (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean by “the sign of Jonah” (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why were all those who came to Jesus at the end of chapter 15 healed and fed, but the Pharisees and Sadducees that come to Jesus at the beginning of chapter 16 are met with a very critical response?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 16:1-4 show us about the Great Commission?

1 Kings 18:20-40 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

²² Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. ²³ Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

²⁵ Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” ²⁶ So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

²⁷ At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” ²⁸ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. ²⁹ Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. ³³ He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

³⁴ “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.

“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. ³⁵ The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

³⁶ At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

⁴⁰ Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.”

Who did Ahab call to Mount Carmel (verse 20)?

What question did Elijah ask the people (verse 21)?

How many prophets of Baal were there in opposition to Elijah (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why is the challenge a fair challenge to Baal, a god of thunderstorms (verses 23 and 24)?

How will the winner of this contest be determined (verse 24)?

What additional advantage did Elijah give to the prophets of Baal (verse 25)?

When did the prophets of Baal begin calling to Baal (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why did Elijah begin to taunt the prophets of Baal at noon (verse 27)?

How did the prophets of Baal increase their intensity in the afternoon (verse 28)?

When did the prophets of Baal end their frantic activity (verse 29)?

In your opinion, why did Elijah begin by repairing the alter of the Lord, which had been torn down (verse 30)?

How many stones did Elijah use (verse 31)?

What did Elijah do when the alter was repaired (verse 32)?

When the wood and the bull were on the alter what did Elijah order (verse 33)?

How many times did he order it done (verse 34)?

How did Elijah know it was time to stop (verse 35)?

In your opinion, why did Elijah begin to pray “at the time of sacrifice” (verse 36)?

What did Elijah pray for (verse 36)?

How does Elijah want the people of Israel to respond (verse 37)?

What happened in response to Elijah’s prayer (verse 38)?

How did the people of Israel respond (verse 39)?

What happened to the prophets of Baal (verse 40)?

In your opinion, were the Pharisees and Sadducees of Matthew 16:1-4 requesting that Jesus do something like Elijah did in 1 Kings 18:20-40?

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

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

¹ “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹² and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

What is this passage concerning (verse 1)?

How are the readers to react to teaching that asserts the day of the Lord has already come (verse 2)?

What must happen before the day of the Lord comes (verse 3)?

Who will the man of lawlessness oppose (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why does Paul say “Don’t you remember” (verse 5)?

When will the man of lawlessness be revealed (verse 6)?

What is already at work (verse 7)?

How will the Lord Jesus overthrow the lawless one (verse 8)?

How will the Lord Jesus destroy the lawless one (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works” (verse 9)?

What will the man of lawlessness use (verse 9)?

Who is deceived by the “ways that wickedness deceives” (verse 10)?

Why do they perish (verse 10)?

What does God send them (verse 11)?

What have those who have not believed the truth delighted in (verse 12)?

In your opinion, how are the signs that the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 different from the fire of the Lord that fell and burned up the sacrifice in 1 Kings 18:20-40?

In your opinion, how would the Pharisees and Sadducees of Matthew 16:1-4 respond to the signs of the man of lawlessness described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Thessalonians show us about the Great Commission?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

² To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

⁴ I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— ⁶ God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. ⁷ Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Who is writing (verse 1)?

Who is he writing to (verse 2)?

What blessing does he ask for (verse 3)?

Why does he thank God (verse 4)?

In your opinion, how are those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus “enriched in every way” (verse 5)?

What does this confirm (verse 6)?

Who do we “eagerly wait for” (verse 7)?

How will God keep us “to the end” (verse 8)?

Who called us into fellowship with Jesus Christ our Lord (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how are “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 differ from “those who are perishing” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12?

In your opinion, how are those who are “called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 similar to Elijah as he stood up in confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:20-40?

In your opinion, how are those who “eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 different from the Pharisees and Sadducees who are requesting a sign from heaven of Matthew 16:1-4?

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

Next, back to Matthew 16:5 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)