January 4, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sin and Restoration

January 4, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Sin and Restoration

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.”

Sin and Restoration

Matthew 18:15-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

¹⁸ “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

How many should go to point out the fault of someone who sins (verse 15)?

What have you done if the person who sins listens to you (verse 15)?

Why should you take one or two others with you if you are returning to someone who did not listen (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to treat someone like “a pagan or a tax collector” (verse 17)?

What will happen to “whatever you bind on earth” (verse 18)?

What will happen to “whatever you loose on earth” (verse 18)?

How many need to agree on earth for something to be done for them by the Father in heaven (verse 19)?

Where is God (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 18:15-20 show us about the Great Commission?

Deuteronomy 19:15-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

¹⁶ If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, ¹⁷ the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. ¹⁸ The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, ¹⁹ then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁰ The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. ²¹ Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

What is one witness not enough to do (verse 15)?

How many witnesses must there be to establish a matter (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is a “malicious witness” (verse 16)?

Who do the two people involved in the dispute stand in the presence of (verse 17)?

What are the judges to do (verse 18)?

How is the false witness to be treated (verse 19)?

Why are the Israelites to do these things (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why will “the rest of the people. . . hear of this and be afraid” (verse 20)?

How much pity should be shown (verse 21)?

What are the penalty examples that are given (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why does Deuteronomy 19:15-21 seem to be devoted to purging “the evil from among you” and Jesus seem to be encouraging believers to win over believers who have lost their way in Matthew 18:15-20?

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

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ¹² Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. ¹³ And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

¹⁴ Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. ¹⁵ Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.”

In your opinion, why does Paul, Silas and Timothy command the church of the Thessalonians to “keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you have received from us” (verse 6)?

Why did Paul, Silas and Timothy work “night and day, laboring and toiling” (verse 8)?

When did Paul, Silas and Timothy give the rule “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, why do Paul, Silas and Timothy say that the ones who are not busy are “busybodies” (verse 11)?

What does Paul, Silas and Timothy command and urge the idle and disruptive to do in the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus (verse 12)?

Who are urged to “never tire of doing what is good” (verse 13)?

Why should the ones who do not obey the instruction in this letter not be associated with (verse 14)?

How are those who do not obey the instruction in the letter not to be regarded as (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “warn them as you would a fellow believer” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why does Deuteronomy 19:15-21 say “you must purge the evil from among you” and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 say “yet do not regard them as an enemy”?

In your opinion, how does the discussion in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 about why those who “do not obey our instruction in this letter” should not be associated with help us understand the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 18:15-20 to treat those who will not listen to the church as a “pagan or a tax collector”?

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

Galatians 6:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load. ⁶ Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

How should those caught in a sin be treated (verse 1)?

What is the danger to the “brothers and sisters” who do this (verse 1)?

Why should we “carry each other’s burdens” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why should “each one” “test their own actions” (verse 4)?

Why is the instruction that “each one should carry own load” in verse 5 not in conflict with the instruction that we should “carry each other’s burdens” in verse 2?

In your opinion, why should “the one who receives instruction in the word” “share all good things with the instructor” (verse 6)?

What does a man reap (verse 7)?

Who will reap destruction (verse 8)?

Who will reap eternal life (verse 8)?

When will we reap a harvest if we do not become weary of doing good (verse 9)?

Who should we “do good to” (verse 10)?

Who should we “do good” “especially to” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how do you reconcile the instruction in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 that we are to follow the example of Paul, Silas and Timothy and work, labor and toil so that we do not become a burden to anyone with the teaching in Galatians 6:1-10 that we are to “carry each other’s burdens”?

In your opinion, how does the command in Deuteronomy 19:15-21 “do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party” an imperfect anticipation of the statement of Paul in Galatians 6:1-10 that “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s instruction in Galatians 6:1-10 that “if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” help us to understand how to implement the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 18:15-20 about what to do if a “brother or sister sins”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 18:21 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 28, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Lost Sheep and the Shepherd

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.”

Lost Sheep and the Shepherd

Matthew 18:10-14 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

Who are we not to despise (verse 10)?

Whose angels always see the face of the Father in heaven (verse 10)?

Where will the man who has a hundred sheep leave the ninety-nine to look for the one that wandered off (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why is the man happier about the one sheep that the ninety-nine (verse 13)?

What does this show us about our Father in heaven (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 18:10-14 show us about the Great Commission?

Ezekiel 34:11-16 - New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”

Who is speaking (verse 11)?

What is He going to do (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to say “as a shepherd looks after his scattered flock” (verse 12)?

What will the day of rescue from all the places be like (verse 12)?

Where will the scattered sheep be taken to (verse 13)?

Who will tend the sheep (verse 14)?

Who will have the sheep lie down (verse 15)?

What will happen to the strays (verse 16)?

How will the injured be treated (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why will the sleek and strong be destroyed (verse 16)?

In your opinion, how does the Sovereign Lord saying that He will “search for my sheep and look after them” in Ezekiel 34:11-16 foreshadow Jesus telling the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:10-14?

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

Romans 8:31-39 – New International Version (NIV)

³¹ “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In your opinion, if God is for us who can be against us (verse 31)?

What did God give up for us (verse 32)?

Who justifies (verse 33)?

Who condemns (verse 34)?

What is Christ Jesus, who is “at the right hand of God” doing (verse 34)?

In your opinion, why is it written that “we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (verse 36)?

How are we “more than conquerors” (verse 37)?

What can “death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation” not do (verses 38 & 39)?

In your opinion, is there any enemy that we have that is greater than those that Paul listed in verses 38 and 39?

In your opinion, how does Paul in Romans 8:31-39 help us understand the way that God accomplished the rescue that He promised through Isaiah 34:11-16?

In your opinion, how does it make you feel that Jesus promises that “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” in Matthew 18:10-14 and Paul follows in Romans 8:31-39 by saying that “Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”?

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

    

1 Timothy 2:1-7 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ⁷ And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles."

In your opinion, what does it mean to offer petitions (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to offer prayers (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to offer intercession (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to offer thanksgiving (verse 1)?

Who are the “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” to be made for (verse 1)?

Why should “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” be offered for “all those in authority” (verse 1)?

How is God identified in verse 3?

What does God want for all people (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that Christ Jesus is a “mediator between God and mankind” (verse 5)?

What did Christ Jesus give Himself as (verse 6)?

How did Paul receive his position as “a herald and an apostle” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, how is offering “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” for all people, as Paul instructs in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 a fitting response to God who Paul confirmed in Romans 8:31-39 “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all”?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s statement that “Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 expand our understanding of the Sovereign Lord’s statement in Ezekiel 34:11-16 that “I will rescue them (His sheep) from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness”?

In your opinion, how does knowing from 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that God, our Savior, “who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” help us to understand Jesus statement in Matthew 18:10-14 that “if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 18:15 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 21, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Stumbling and Redeeming

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.”

Stumbling and Redeeming

Matthew 18:6-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

Who are the “little ones” (verse 6)?

What would be better than causing a little one to stumble (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why is there “woe to the person through whom” the things that cause people to stumble comes through (verse 7)?

How should you treat “your hand or your foot” if they cause you to stumble (verse 8)?

What happens if “your hand or your foot” causes you to stumble and you don’t cut it off (verse 8)?

How should you treat “your eye” if it causes you to stumble (verse 9)?

What happens if “eye” causes you to stumble and you don’t cut it off (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 18:6-9 show us about the Great Commission?

Malachi 2:1-9 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

³ “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. ⁴ And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

⁷ “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. ⁸ But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁹ “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Who is the warning for (verse 1)?

What it the instruction that they are to follow (verse 2)?

How will they be punished if they don’t follow the instruction (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between a curse on a person, and a curse on their blessings (verse 2)?

What will be smeared on the faces of those who don’t listen to the warning (verse 3)?

Why was the warning sent (verse 4)?

What was the covenant with Levi a covenant of (verse 5)?

How did the covenant call for Levi react to God (verse 5)?

How was Levi described (verse 6)?

What did Levi do for others (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why should the lips of a priest “preserve knowledge” (verse 7)?

What have the priests themselves done (verse 8)?

What have the priests causes others to do (verse 8)?

How has God caused the priests to be viewed by “all the people” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, how does Jesus saying that those who cause “those who believe in me” to stumble would be better to “have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” in Matthew 18:6-9 provide a vivid illustration of the similar warning that God sent to the priests in Malachi 2:1-9 that “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings”?

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

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

¹ “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

How were the Ephesians, and also us, in transgressions and sins (verse 1)?

Who lead the Ephesians, and also us (verse 2)?

What did “all of us” gratify at one time (verse 3)?

How did God feel about us (verse 4)?

In your opinion, how did God make “us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” (verse 5)?

Where did God seat us (verse 6)?

What is God going to show “in the coming ages” (verse7)?

Through what are we saved (verse 8)?

Where does the faith that we need in the process of salvation come from (verse 8)?

Why can’t we boast (verse 9)?

What are we (verse 10)?

When did God prepare us to do good works (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how is God’s covenant with Levi, as described in Malachi 2:1-9, “a covenant of life and peace” and the relationship that Paul describes in Ephesians 2:1-10 that we who “were dead in your transgressions and sins” but who “by grace” have been saved and have been raised “up with Christ Jesus” similar?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s statements in Matthew 18:6-9 to cut off and throw away our hands or feet if cause us to sin or to gouge out our eye if it causes us to sin take on a fuller meaning when Paul in Ephesians 2:1-10 says “we were dead in” “transgressions and sins”?

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

   

1 Peter 1:13-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. ¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you.”

What should we “with minds that are alert and fully sober” set our hope on (verse 13)?

Where did we live when we had evil desires (verse 14)?

Why should we be holy (verses 15 and 16)?

In your opinion, how do we behave if we live as “foreigners” “in reverent fear” (verse 17)?

What did not redeem us from “the empty way of life” (verse 18)?

How were we redeemed (verse 19)?

When was Christ chosen (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how do we “believe in God” through Jesus (verse 21)?

What purifies us (verse 22)?

How are born “of imperishable” seed (verse 23)?

What are people like (verse 24)?

What endures forever (verse 25)?

In your opinion, how is the statement of Paul in Ephesians 2:1-10 that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” expanded on by the statement of Peter in 1 Peter 1:13-25 that we are redeemed through “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect”?

In your opinion, how is your understanding of God challenged and expanded by knowing that in Malachi 2:1-9 God said to the priests that He would “rebuke” their descendants and in 1 Peter 1:13-25 He redeems those who have “set your hope on the grace to be brought you when Jesus Christ is revealed” through the “precious blood of Christ”?

In your opinion, how would Jesus have felt when He said “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.” in Matthew 18:6-9 when He knew that the hand or the foot were not the cause of the stumbling, but our basic nature and that redemption of us would require His blood to be shed for as, as Peter says in 1 Peter 1:13-25 “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect”.

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

Next, back to Matthew 18:10 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 14, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Children and Hope

December 14, 2014 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Children and Hope

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.”

Children and Hope

Matthew 18:1-5 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Who came to Jesus (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why did they ask “Who then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (verse 1)?

Who did Jesus call and place before the disciples (verse 2)?

What did Jesus tell the disciples they must do to enter the kingdom of heaven (verse 3)?

Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (verse 4)?

In your opinion, how do you welcome a child in the name of Jesus (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 18:1-5 show us about the Great Commission?

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” ¹⁵ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. ¹⁶ The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” ¹⁷ He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

¹⁸ When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. ¹⁹ It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees ²⁰ and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”

Where are the people of Israel entering (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what can we understand about the people of Israel that they will say “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us” (verse 14)?

Who should the people appoint as king (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why should the king “not acquire a great number of horses for himself” (verse 16)?

Why must the king not make the people return to Egypt for more horses (verse 16)?

What will happen to the king if he takes many wives (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why must the king “not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” (verse 17)?

Who is supposed to write “on a scroll a copy of this law” (verse 18)?

Why is the copy of the law to be read “all the days of his life” (verse 19)?

What will happen if the king does “not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what are the similarities between the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 18:1-5 that “whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” and the instruction of Moses that the king “not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left” in Deuteronomy 17:14-20?

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

Philippians 4:4-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Who are we to rejoice in (verse 4)?

What should “be evident to all” (verse 5)?

How should we present our requests to God (verse 6)?

What will the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” guard (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why should we think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (verse 8)?

What should we put into practice (verse 9)?

In your opinion, why would Moses in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 say that the king is to read the scroll “all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees” and Paul say in Philippians 4:4-9 that “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:4-9 to “rejoice in the Lord always . . . let your gentleness be evident to all . . . do not be anxious about anything . . . present your requests to God” help us to follow the instruction of Jesus in Matthew 18:1-5 to “become like little children”?

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

    

1 Timothy 6:6-21 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ “But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹ which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

Grace be with you all.”

What is “great gain” (verse 6)?

What do we bring into and take from the world (verse 7)?

How will Paul and Timothy be if they have “food and clothing” (verse 8)?

Who falls “into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what kinds of evil is the love of money a root of (verse 10)?

Who should pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (verse 11)?

What should Timothy “take hold” of (verse 12)?

Who “gives life to everything” (verse 13)?

When will “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” occur (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why should those “who are rich in this present world” not to “put their hope in wealth” (verse 17)?

How should those “who are rich in this present world” behave (verse18)?

What will doing good and being rich in good deeds lay up (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why should Timothy “turn away from godless chatter” (verse 20)?

How does Paul bless Timothy (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the relationship between the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” in Philippians 4:4-9 and the “godliness with contentment” in 1 Timothy 6:6-21?

In your opinion, how is the command of Moses that the king “must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 similar to and different from the command of Paul that Timothy is to relay that “those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth” in 1 Timothy 6:6-21?

In your opinion, how does the command of Jesus to “change and become like little children” compare to the instruction of Paul to Timothy to “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” in 1 Timothy 6:6-21?

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

Next, back to Matthew 18:6 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)