February 8, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Cups, Death and Life

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.”

Cups, Death and Life

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.”

Where was Jesus going (verse 17)?

Who did he take aside (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus go to Jerusalem if He knew that he was going to be delivered to the chief priests and teachers of the law (verse 18)?

Why would the chief priests and teachers of the law hand Him over to the Gentiles (verse 19)?

What was going to happen on the third day (verse 19)?

Who came to Jesus and knelt down and  requested a favor (verse 20)?

What favor was requested (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why was this favor requested right after Jesus had described His capture and death (verse 21)?

Did the brothers think they could “drink the cup” (verse 22)?

Did Jesus think that they could drink from His cup (verse 23)?

Who do the places on the left and the right belong to (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why are the other disciples indignant (verse 24)?

What do the rulers of the Gentiles do (verse 25)?

How should the disciples who want to be great act (verse 26)?

Who should “be your slave” (verse 27)?

Who came to serve and to “give his life as a ransom for many” (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 20:17-28 show us about the Great Commission?

Isaiah 51:17-22 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ “Awake, awake!
    Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
    the goblet that makes people stagger.
¹⁸ Among all the children she bore
    there was none to guide her;
among all the children she reared
    there was none to take her by the hand.
¹⁹ These double calamities have come upon you—
    who can comfort you?—
ruin and destruction, famine and sword—
    who can console you?
²⁰ Your children have fainted;
    they lie at every street corner,
    like antelope caught in a net.
They are filled with the wrath of the Lord,
    with the rebuke of your God.

²¹ Therefore hear this, you afflicted one,
    made drunk, but not with wine.
²² This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
    you will never drink again.”

What has Jerusalem drunk from (verse 17)?

In your opinion, why was there “none to guide her” and “none to take her by the hand” (verse 18)?

How many calamities have come (verse 19)?

Who has fainted (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is it that has made them drunk “but not with wine” (verse 21)?

What has the Sovereign Lord, “who defends his people”, taken (verse 22)?

In your opinion, how does the statement that Jesus made in Matthew 20:17-28 that He has come “to give his life as a ransom for many” help us to understand how the Sovereign Lord “who defends his people” has taken the “cup of his wrath” from his people in Isaiah 51:17-22?

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

Philippians 1:27-30 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”

How are God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi to conduct themselves “whatever happens” (verse 27)?

How are they to stand (verse 27)?

What are they supposed to “strive together” for (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why is not “being frightened” a sign to “they that will be destroyed” (verse 28)?

What two things have been granted to the Philippians (verse 29)?

What is Paul going through (verse 30)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the cup that the people of Jerusalem drank from that is discussed in Isaiah 51:17-22 and the cup that (is not mentioned but that) God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi are drinking from in Philippians 1:27-30?

In your opinion, is the call that Jesus makes in Matthew 20:17-28 that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” being filled by the Philippians who “believe in him, but also . . . suffer for him” in Philippians 1:27-30?

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

   

Revelation 1:9-20 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰ On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹ which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

¹² I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹ “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

In what way is John a “brother and companion” (verse 9)?

Where was John (verse 9)?

When was John “in the Spirit” (verse 10)?

What was John supposed to do (verse 11)?

In your opinion, who is the one among the golden lampstands who is “dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest” (verse 13)?

What was His hair like (verse 14)?

Where was the “sharp, double-edged sword” (verse 16)?

How did John react (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is meant by “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever” (verse 18)?

What is John to write (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to us today that Paul, who in Philippians 1:27-30 indicated that he was suffering and that the Philippians were suffering, and that John, who in Revelation  1:9-20 indicates that he and the recipients of his letter are suffering?

In your opinion, what would it mean to the ones who “have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath” in Isaiah 51:17-22 that the Lord can now say “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” in Revelation 1:9-20?

In your opinion, how does it give you hope that the one who said he would “give his life as a ransom for many” in Matthew 20:17-28 is now “alive for ever and ever” according to John in Revelation 1:9-20?

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

Next, back to Matthew 20:21 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 1, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Generosity and Salvation

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.”

Generosity and Salvation

Matthew 20:1-16 – New International Version (NIV)

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.”

What is like the “landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard” (verse 1)?

How much did he agree to pay the workers (verse 2)?

When did the landowner go back to the marketplace (verse 3)?

How much did he agree to pay the workers this time (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did he go back to the marketplace at noon and at three and at five (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, what can you learn from the workers who were there at five, based on the answer “because no one has hired us” (verse 7)?

Who did the vineyard owner ask to call the workers (verse 8)?

How much did the workers who came at five receive (verse 9)?

How much did the first workers who came to the vineyard receive (verse 10)?

What did those first workers begin to do (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how justified is their comment (verse 12)?

Is the vineyard owner correct that they agreed “to work for a denarius” (verse 13)?

What did the vineyard owner want to do (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how do you think the workers who were there first responded to the question “or are you envious because I am generous” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what can we learn by comparing Matthew 19:30 “but many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” with Matthew 20:16 “so the last will be first, and the first will be last”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 20:1-16 show us about the Great Commission?

Isaiah 5:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
² He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
    and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.

³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.
⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?
⁵ Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
    and it will be trampled.
⁶ I will make it a wasteland,
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain on it.”

⁷ The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

⁸ Woe to you who add house to house
    and join field to field
till no space is left
    and you live alone in the land.”

What does “my loved one” have (verse 1)?

In your opinion, was the preparation of “my loved one” adequate (verse 2)?

What kind of crop was yielded after all the preparations (verse 2)?

Who are the “dwellers in Jerusalem and the people of Judah” supposed to judge between (verse 3)?

What is going to happen to the vineyard (verse 5)?

How will the clouds be commanded to act (verse 6)?

Who is the vineyard (verse 7)?

What did the Lord Almighty look for (verse 7)?

What did the Lord Almighty find (verse 7)?

Who is the “woe” to (verse 8)?

In your opinion, how does the discussion of the vineyard of the Lord and its judgment in Isaiah 5:1-8 bring a greater focus to the generosity of the vineyard owner that Jesus talked about in Matthew 20:1-16?

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

Romans 4:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Who is Abraham in relation to Paul and the Christians in Rome that the letter was addressed to (verse 1)?

When would Abraham have something “to boast about” (verse 2)?

What does the Scripture say (verse 3)?

Who are wages “an obligation” to (verse 4)?

To whom is “their faith is credited as righteousness” (verse 5)?

Who is blessed in verse 7?

Who is blessed inverse 8?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the vineyard that God received bad fruit from in Isaiah 5:1-8 and the people that David indicates are blessed in Romans 4:1-8?

In your opinion, how does the “kingdom of heaven” being like the vineyard owner who was generous in Matthew 20:1-16 help us understand the “one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly” in Romans 4:1-8?

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

   

Revelation 7:9-17 – New International Version (NIV)

^9 “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Who was standing “before the throne and before the Lamb” (verse 9)?

What were they wearing (verse 9)?

Who does “Salvation” belong to (verse 10)?

How did the angels behave (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why do the angels say “praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever” (verse 12)?

Who are the ones in the white robes (verses 13 and 14)?

What do the ones in the white robes do (verse 15)?

Where does “he who sits on the throne” shelter them (verse 15)?

What will the ones in white be sheltered from (verse 16)?

Where will the Lamb lead them  (verse 17)?

Who will wipe away their every tear (verse 17)?

In your opinion, does the discussion about “one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness”  in Romans 4:1-8 help to understand more about the ones who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” in Revelation 7:9-17?

In your opinion, how is the fact that the same God who says “I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled”  in Isaiah 5:1-8 also is the one who will “shelter them with his presence” and “wipe away every tear from their eyes” in Revelation 7:9-17 change your view about why the hedge will be taken away and the wall  will be broken down?

In your opinion, how would Jesus talking about the generosity of the vineyard owner in Matthew 20:1-16 help us to understand why a great multitude in white robes would shout “salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” in Revelation 7:9-17?

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

 Next, back to Matthew 20:17 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

January 25, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Wealth and Contentment

January 25, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Wealth and Contentment

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.”

Wealth and Contentment

Matthew 19:13-30 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

Who did the disciples rebuke (verse 13)?

What belongs “to such as these” (verse 14)?

When did Jesus go on from there (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why did the man who came up to Jesus ask “what good thing must I do to get eternal life” (verse 16)?

What instruction did Jesus give him (verse 17)?

How did the man attempt to limit the answer Jesus gave him (verse 18)?

What do the commandments that Jesus gave him in common (verses 18 & 19)?

In your opinion, why does the man ask “what do I still lack” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what does the answer that Jesus gave him reveal (verse 21)?

Why did the man go away sad (verse 22)?

What is it “hard for someone who is rich” to do (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why is it “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (verse 24)?

What did the disciples ask (verse 25)?

How did Jesus respond (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what does Peter’s question show about his thought process (verse 27)?

When will the promise that Jesus makes be fulfilled (verse 28)?

Who will inherit eternal life (verse 29)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (verse 30)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 19:13-30 show us about the Great Commission?

Deuteronomy 28:9-14 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ “The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

¹² The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.”

What do the Israelites need to do to be established by the Lord as “his holy people” (verse 9)?

Why will “all the peoples on earth” fear the Israelites (verse 10)?

Who will grant abundant prosperity (verse 11)?

In your opinion, how does it describe how blessed the Israelites will be that they “will lend to many nations but will borrow from none” (verse 12)?

What do the Israelites have to do to “always be at the top, never at the bottom” (verse 13)?

Where can the Israelites not go (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how does the focus of Deuteronomy 28:9-14 on not turning away from God help explain why the rich young man in Matthew 19:13-30 was so discontent that he ask Jesus what he needed to do?

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

Philippians 4:10-20 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵ Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶ for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. ¹⁷ Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. ¹⁸ I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

²⁰ To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Why did Paul rejoice (verse 10)?

How has Paul learned to be “whatever the circumstances” (verse 11)?

What secret has Paul learned (verse 12)?

How can Paul do “all this” (verse 13)?

In your opinion, how did the Philippians “share in my troubles” (verse 14)?

What did the Philippians know (verse 15)?

How often did the Philippians send Paul aid in Thessalonica (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “what I desire is that more be credited to your account” (verse 17)?

How does Paul describe the gifts the Philippians sent (verse 18)?

The Philippians needs will be met “according to” what (verse 19)?

What should be “to our God and Father” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, how does the Philippians sharing with Paul in Philippians 4:10-20 an indication that the Philippians were being obedient to the instruction of Deuteronomy 28:9-14 that the people of Israel should not “turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them” ?

In your opinion, how does the sharing with Paul by the Philippians in Philippians 4:10-20 an indication that they have been blessed by God with the miracle that the disciples asked “Who then can be saved” about and about which Jesus said “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” in Matthew 19:13-30?

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

   

1 Timothy 6:6-12 – 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.”

What is great gain (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (verse 7)?

How will we be “if we have food and clothing” (verse 8)?

Who will “fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires” (verse 9)?

What “is a root of all kinds of evil” (verse 10)?

Where have “some people, eager for money” wandered (verse 11)?

What does Paul call for Timothy to “take hold of” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, does the generosity demonstrated in Philippians 4:10-20 indicate that the Philippians have taken “hold of the eternal life” as Paul instructs in 1 Timothy 6:6-12?

In your opinion, how is the command in Deuteronomy 28:9-14 to “Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them” similar to the instruction of Paul to Timothy to “flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” in 1 Timothy 6:6-12?

In your opinion, how would the rich young man of Matthew 19:13-30 who walks away sad benefit from the wisdom that Paul gives in 1 Timothy 6:6-12 that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it”?

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

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