March 22, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Prayer, Doubting and Maturity

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.”

Prayer, Doubting and Maturity

Matthew 21:18-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

How did Jesus feel as He was heading to the city early in the morning (verse 18)?

What was on the fig tree that He saw beside the road (verse 19)?

Why did the tree wither (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why were the disciples amazed (verse 20)?

What did Jesus say that the disciples needed in order to be able to get the mountain to throw itself into the sea (verse 21)?

When will the disciples receive whatever they ask for in prayer (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:18-22 show us about the Great Commission?

2 Kings 5:1-19a - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy

² Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said.”

Who was Naaman and what was wrong with him (verse 1)

Why was an Israelite girl in Naaman’s house (verse 2)?

Who did the Israelite girl think could cure Naaman (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why did the King of Aram send a letter to the King of Israel (verses 4 through 6)?

How did the King of Israel respond to the letter (verse 7)?

What did Elisha tell the King of Israel that Naaman would know (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Elisha send a messenger to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan (verses 9 ad 10)?

How did Naaman react to Elisha’s instructions (verses 11 and 12)?

How were Naaman’s servants able to change his mind (verse 13)?

What happened when Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why did Naaman tell Elisaha that “there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (verse 15)?

Why did Naaman request all the earth that a pair of mules could carry (verse 17)?

What did Naaman ask the Lord to forgive him for (verse 18)?

How did Elisha send Naaman off (verse 19)?

In your opinion, how does understanding that Naaman almost missed getting the answer to his prayer because it did not come in the manner he expected in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand part of the message of Jesus about having faith and not doubting in prayer to get what we are praying for in Matthew 21:18-22?

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

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

² “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

What are we to consider “pure joy” (verse 2)?

How is perseverance produced (verse 3)?

When will we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (verse 4)?

How does God give when we ask for wisdom (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why should we “believe and not doubt” when we ask for wisdom (verse 6)?

What should the person who “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” expect to receive from the Lord (verses 6 and 7)?

In your opinion, how is a double-minded person “unstable in all they do” (verse 8)?

Who should “take pride in their high position” (verse 9)?

Who should “take pride in their humiliation” (verse 10)?

What will happen to the rich “even while they go about their business” (verse 11)?

How will the “one who perseveres under trial” be blessed (verse 12)?

In your opinion, how does the fact that Naaman was blessed by healing when he not only doubted but was angry in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand what James says about “God, who gives generously to all without finding fault” in James 1:2-12?

In your opinion, how does the statement that James makes about “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” in James 1:2-12 help us to understand about what Jesus meant when He said “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” in Matthew 21:18-22?

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

Ephesians 4:11-16 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Who gave the “apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” (verse 11)?

Why are Christ’s people equipped for works of service (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why do we need to “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature” to attain “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13)?

What happens to infants in the faith (verse 14)?

How will we speak the truth when we “grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (verse 15)?

What does “each part” do as “the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that both James 1:2-12 and Ephesians 4:11-16 urge us to become mature and both also talk about being blown and tossed about?

In your opinion, how does Naaman, who went from doubting and anger to faith that was strong enough that he wanted the earth of Israel to take back to aid him in worshipping the God of Israel in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand what Paul meant in Ephesians 4:11-16 when he talked about “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching”?

In your opinion, how does Paul emphasizing love in his discussion of the mature, who are not “tossed back and forth by the waves” in Ephesians 4:11-16 help us to understand the statement of Jesus in Matthew 21:18-22 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”?

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

Next, back to Matthew 21:23 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)