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.”
Betrayal and
Knocking at the Door
Matthew 26:14-16 –
New International Version (NIV)
14 “Then one of the Twelve—the one called
Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I
deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16 From then on Judas watched for an
opportunity to hand him over.”
How was Judas
Iscariot described (verse 14)?
Who did go to see (verse 14)?
In your opinion,
who was he offering to deliver (verse 15)?
How much did they
pay him (verse 15)?
What did Judas
watch for (verse 16)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
Genesis 25:24-34 -
New International Version (NIV)
24 “When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin
boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his
whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After
this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named
Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man
of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac,
who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the
open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me
have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called
Edom.)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the
birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to
him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate
and drank, and then got up and left.
So
Esau despised his birthright.”
What did Rebekah
find out when the “time came for her to
give birth” (verse 24)?
Why was the first of the twins called Esau
(verse 25)?
Why was the second
of the twins called Jacob (verse 26)?
Who became the “skillful hunter, a man of the open country”
(verse 27)?
Why did Isaac love
Esau (verse 28)?
What was Jacob
doing when Esau “came in from the open
country, famished” (verse 29)?
What did Esau say
to Jacob (verse 30)?
How did Jacob
respond (verse 31)?
In your opinion,
why did Esau seem willing to give up the birthright (verse 32)?
What did Jacob
force Esau to do first (verse 33)?
What did Esau do
after Jacob gave him bread and lentil stew (verse 34)?
How did Esau treat
his birthright (verse 34)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, what are the similarities
between the action of Esau in his selling of the birthright to Jacob for a bowl
of soup and some bread in Genesis 25:24-34 and Judas selling Jesus for 30
pieces of silver in Matthew 26:14-16?
Acts 5:1-11 - New
International Version (NIV)
1 “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira,
also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge
he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at
the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so
filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for
yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t
it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at
your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied
just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great
fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young
men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what
had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price
you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,”
she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the
Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at
the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the
young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside
her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who
heard about these events.”
What
did Ananias and Sapphira do (verse 1)?
How did they agree to handle the money (verse 2)?
Why did Ananias lie to the Holy Spirit (verse 3)?
In your opinion, why was what Ananias did
wrong (verse 4)?
What happened when Ananias heard what
Peter said (verse 5)?
How was Ananias treated then (verse 6)?
When did Sapphira come in (verse 7)?
How did she respond when Peter questioned
her about the land (verse 8)?
Who was at the door and what would they do
(verse 9)?
In your opinion, why did Sapphira fall at
Peter’s feet and die (verse 10)?
In your opinion, why did great fear seize
the whole church (verse 11)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, how is the decision of
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 to lie about the amount they received for
the sale of the property similar to the decision of Esau in Genesis 25:24-34 to
sell his birthright for a bowl of soup?
In your opinion, how does Ananias and
Sapphira’s attempt in Acts 5:1-11 to withhold some money but claim they gave it
all show that their attitude about Jesus was not so different from Judas in
Matthew 26:14-16 as demonstrated by his offer to the chief priests to “deliver” Jesus?
Revelation 3:14-22
– New International Version (NIV)
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These
are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s
creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor
hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because
you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You
say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do
not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve
to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and
repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and
they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit
with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on
his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.”
Who has the
message for the angel of the church in Laodicea (verse 14)?
What does Jesus know about their deeds (verse
15)?
What does Jesus wish for the church people
of Laodicea (verse 15)?
How is Jesus about to treat the church
people of Laodicea (verse 16)?
In your opinion, why do the church people
of Laodicea not think they “need a thing”
(verse 17)?
What do the people not realize about
themselves (verse 18)?
Who does Jesus “rebuke and discipline” (verse 19)?
Where does Jesus stand (verse 20)?
Who will Jesus “come in and eat with” (verse 20)?
What right will the victorious receive
(verse 21)?
Who is instructed to hear (verse 22)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message
of this passage?
In your opinion, how
could the warning to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 about being “lukewarm” have been a benefit to
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 in their discussion about withholding some
of the proceeds of the property sale for themselves, but claiming to donate all?
In your opinion, how might Esau, who
despised his birthright in Genesis 25:24-34, be similar to the members of the
church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 who are “lukewarm” in their deeds while thinking that they had everything
they need?
In your opinion,
how is the behavior of someone who is “lukewarm”
like the people of the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 similar to the
behavior of Judas in Matthew 26:14-16 who walked with Jesus for years and
witnessed and even participated in miracles and then promised to deliver him
for “thirty pieces of silver”?
In your opinion, what do these passages,
from Matthew, Genesis, Acts and Revelation show us about the Great Commission?
Next, back to Matthew 26:17 –
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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