Saturday, October 24, 2015

November 1, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Gardens and Prayer


  
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.”

Gardens and Prayer

Matthew 26:36-46 – New International Version (NIV)
36 “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Where did Jesus go with the disciples (verse 36)?

What did He instruct the disciples to do “while I go over there and pray” (verse 36)?

Who did Jesus take with Him (verse 37)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus begin to “be sorrowful and troubled” (verse 37)?

How was Jesus’ soul (verse 38)?

What did Jesus ask to be taken from Him (verse 39)?

Whose will did Jesus pray to be done (verse 39)?

What were the disciples doing when Jesus returned to them (verse 40)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (verse 41)?

What is different between Jesus’ first prayer and His second prayer (verses 39 and 42)?

Why were the disciples sleeping (verse 43)?

What did Jesus do a third time (verse 44)?

Who is the “Son of Man” delivered to (verse 45)?

Who is coming (verse 46)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Genesis 3:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)
1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Who is “more crafty than any of the wild animals” (verse 1)?
What did he say to the woman (verse 1)?
How did the woman respond (verses 2 and 3)?
In your opinion, how is her answer about the tree that is in the middle of the garden different from God’s instruction (verse 3)?
How did the serpent contradict God (verse 4)?
In your opinion, how is the serpent’s statement a truth and how is it a lie (verse 5)?
What made the woman want to eat the fruit (verse 6)?
Where was her husband and what did he do (verse 6)?
How did eating the fruit change the couple (verse 7)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, why was the outcome of Jesus’ time in the garden in Matthew 26:36-46 different from Adam and Eve’s time in the garden in Genesis 3:1-7?

Hebrews 5:7-10 - New International Version (NIV)
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
When did Jesus offer up “prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears” (verse 7)?
Who did Jesus offer the “prayers and petitions” to (verse 7)?
Why were Jesus “prayers and petitions” heard (verse 7)?
How did Jesus learn obedience (verse 8)?
When did Jesus become “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (verse 9)?
What was Jesus designated by God to be (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Eve and then Adam choose to believe the serpent about the fruit and in eating it they choose death in Genesis 3:1-7 and Jesus went with “prays and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death” but then chooses obedience to death in Hebrews 5:7-10?
In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion of the prayers of Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-10 help to understand more about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36-46?

James 1:12-18 – New International Version (NIV)
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.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Who is blessed (verse 12)?
What will that person receive that the “Lord has promised to those who love him” (verse 12)?
What should we not say when we are tempted (verse 13)?
When is “each person” tempted (verse 14)?
What does “desire” give birth to after it is conceived (verse 15)?
What does “sin” give birth to when it is full-grown (verse 15)?
In your opinion, why does James tell us “don’t be deceived” (verse 16)?
Where does “every good and perfect gift” come from (verse 17)?
How does the heavenly Father choose “to give us birth” (verse 18)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the discussion of Paul in Hebrews 5:7-10 about the way Jesus prayed, suffered and learned obedience help us to understand how to persevere under trial as instructed by James in James 1:12-18?
In your opinion, how does the story of Adam and Eve falling prey to temptation in Genesis 3:1-1-7 illustrate for us the instruction of James in James 1:12-18 that each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed”?

In your opinion, do you think that Jesus concluding with “your will be done” in His pleading for the cup to be taken from Him in Matthew 26:36-46 was because He focused on some variation of the truth that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” as James says in James 1:12-18?
In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Genesis, Hebrews and James show us about the Great Commission?


Next, back to Matthew 26:47 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

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