January 7, 2018 – Moses and Jesus and Us – Covenants and Remembrance

Covenants and Remembrance

Exodus 24:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, ² but Moses alone is to approach the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

³ When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴ Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”

⁸ Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Who is to “come up to the Lord” (verse 1)?

How many are to approach the Lord with Moses (verse 2)?

What did the people say when Moses told them “all the Lord’s words and laws” (verse 3)?

When did Moses build the alter and set up the twelve stone pillars (verse 4)?

Who did Moses send to make the fellowship offerings to the Lord (verse 5)?

Where did Moses splash half of the blood (verse 6)?

How did the people respond to Moses reading the Book of the Covenant to them (verse 7)?

Where did Moses sprinkle the other half of the blood (verse 8)?

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

Luke 22:14-23 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. ²¹ But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. ²² The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” ²³ They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

When did Jesus and his apostles recline at the table (verse 14)?

How did Jesus feel about eating this Passover with the disciples (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean by “I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (verse 16)?

What did Jesus do after giving thanks with the cup (verse 17)?

When will Jesus “drink again from the fruit of the vine” (verse 18)?

What does Jesus tell the disciples to do “in remembrance of me” (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean by “this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (verse 20)?

Whose hand was with Jesus at the table (verse 21)?

Why will the Son of Man go (verse 22)?

What question did the disciples have (verse 23)?

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

In your opinion, what is the connection between Moses sprinkling the blood of young bulls when the people agreed to the covenant in Exodus 24:1-8 and Jesus sharing the cup which is “the new covenant in my blood” in Luke 22:14-22?

Romans 3:9-20 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ¹⁰ As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
¹² All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”
¹³ “Their throats are open graves;
    their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
¹⁴     “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶     ruin and misery mark their ways,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they do not know.”
¹⁸     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Where are Jews and Gentiles alike (verse 9)?

Who is righteous (verse 10)?

Who seeks God (verse 11)?

What has everyone become (verse 12)?

What practices deceit (verse 13)?

Where is “cursing and bitterness” (verse 14)?

What are their feet swift to do (verse 15)?

What marks their ways (verse 16)?

What do they not know (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the importance of “there is no fear of God before their eyes” (verse 18)?

Who does the law make the whole world accountable to (verse 19)?

How do we become conscious of sin (verse 20)?

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

In your opinion, how does Jesus saying that the Passover He was eating with the disciples in Luke 22:14-22 will find “fulfillment in the kingdom of God” provide hope for all who are condemned by Paul in Romans 3:9-20?

In your opinion, how can the people who told Moses in Exodus 24:1-8 “we will do everything the Lord has said, we will obey” be part of the humanity of whom Paul describes in Romans 3:9-20 as not being righteous or seeking after God?

Hebrews 8:7-13 – New International Version (NIV)

⁷ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. ⁸ But God found fault with the people and said:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
⁹ It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
¹⁰ This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
    after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
    and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
¹¹ No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.
¹² For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

What would not have happened if there had been nothing wrong with the first covenant (verse 7)?

Who found fault with the people (verse 8)?

What does that finding of fault lead to (verse 8)?

What did the Lord do when the people did not remain faithful to His covenant (verse 9)?

Where will the Lord write the new covenant (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what has changed that allows the people who were not faithful to become people of whom God says “they will be my people” (verse 10)?

Why will people not say “know the Lord” (verse 11)?

How will the Lord treat “their wickedness” (verse 12)?

What will the Lord do with “their sins” (verse 12)?

What did the Lord do with the first covenant (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what does Romans 3:9-20 reveal about the purpose of the covenant that Hebrews 8:7-13 says that God has made obsolete?

In your opinion, what does Jesus in Luke 22:14-23 reveal about how the new covenant will be established that Paul writes about in Hebrews 8:7-13?

In your opinion, what reason does Paul in Hebrews 8:7-13 give to assure that the new covenant of God is more likely to succeed that the failed covenant that God established with the people of Israel in Exodus 24:1-8?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, Romans, and Hebrews teach us to about how the failure of the first and soon to be obsolete covenant between God and this people is important to those who become the people of God through the second covenant?

In your opinion, as the people of God, why is our remembrance of Jesus through taking the bread and wine so important?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 24, 2017 – Finding Christ in Christmas

-            The

December 24, 2017 – Finding Christ in Christmas

Finding Christ in Christmas

Micah 5:2-5a - New International Version (NIV)

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace

Who will come out of Bethlehem (verse 2)?

When will the abandonment of Israel end (verse 3)?

What will He do in the “strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

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

Matthew 2:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Where did the Magi come from (verse 1)?

Who were they looking for (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why was King Herod and all Jerusalem disturbed (verse 3)?

Who did King Herod ask “where the Messiah was to be born” (verse 4)?

How did they know that the answer was “in Bethlehem in Judea” (verse 5)?

Who was to come out of Bethlehem (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did Herod ask for “the exact time the star had appeared” (verse 7)?

What instructions did King Herod give to the Magi (verse 8)?

Where did the star stop (verse 9)?

How did they feel when the star stopped (verse 10)?

What did they do when “they saw the child with his mother Mary” (verse 11)?

Why did they go home “by another route” (verse 12)?

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

In your opinion, how does “the child with his mother Mary” in Matthew 2:1-12 fulfill Micah’s prophecy “until the time when she who is in labor bears a son” in Micah 5:2-5a?

1 Corinthians 1:22-25 – New International Version (NIV)

²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Who demands signs (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says that “Greeks look for wisdom” (verse 22)?

Who is “a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (verse 23)?

What is the “stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” to those God has called (verse 24)?

What is “wiser than human wisdom” (verse 25)?

What is “stronger than human strength” (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, how does the Magi, going to Jerusalem to find the “one who has been born king of the Jews” then continuing to follow the star in Matthew 2:1-12 demonstrate what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

In your opinion, how is Micah’s statement “and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites” in Micah 5:2-5a fulfilled in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

Revelation 5:9-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹² In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!”

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
    be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Why is Jesus “worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals” (verse 9)?

Who will be “a kingdom and priests to serve our God” (verse 10)?

How many angels did John hear (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why is “the Lamb, who was slain” worthy to receive “power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (verse 12)?

Who does John hear saying “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever” (verse 13)?

How do the four living creatures respond (verse 14)?

How do the elders respond (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, what does Revelation 5:9-14 reveal to us about what is accomplished by “Christ crucified” that Paul preaches of in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25?

In your opinion, who, of all the people who are mentioned by Matthew in Matthew 2:1-12, will join the Magi in uttering the praise that John reveals in Revelation 5:9-14 “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever”?

In your opinion, what does Revelation 5:9-14 reveal to us about how the anticipated Son in Micah 5:2-5a will bring the peace Micah promises?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Micah, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and Revelation help us to find the significance of the baby whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season?

In your opinion, how can the Magi’s celebration of Jesus’s birth guide our celebration of Jesus’s birth today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 17, 2017 – Moses and Jesus and Us – Transfigured

Transfigured

Exodus 20:1-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

²¹ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Who spoke (verse 1)?

Who brought the Israelites “out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why is it significant that the first commandment is “you shall have no other gods before me” (verse 3)?

What are the Israelites not to make (verse 4)?

Who is jealous (verse 5)?

Who will be shown God’s love (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to misuse God’s name (verse 7)?

How is the sabbath day to be remembered (verse 8)?

When shall the Israelites “labor and do all your work” (verse 9)?

Who shall not work on the seventh day (verse 10)?

What did the Lord do in six days (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the progression of the commands dealing with relating to God: first a command to not put any other god before God, second a command to not make an image of anything to put ahead of God, third is a command to not be inappropriate in the use of God’s name, and the fourth is a command to act like God (verses 3 through 11)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the progression of the commands that deal with relating to other people: first a command to act that also has a promise with it, then two commands against physical acts against people, one command against physical acts against people’s possessions, then a command forbidding verbal acts against people, and the last is a command avoid a mental act  (verses 12 through 17)?

How did the people react to the presence of God as demonstrated by the thunder, lightning, trumpet and smoke (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why do you think the people choose to have Moses as an intermediary instead of hearing from God directly (verse 19)?

Why has God come to test the people (verse 20)?

Where did the people remain (verse 21)?

Where did Moses go (verse 21)?

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

Luke 9:28-36 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

What did Jesus take Peter, John and James up onto the mountain to do (verse 28)?

How did Jesus change while He was praying (verse 29)?

Who appeared with Jesus (verse 30)?

What did they speak about (verse 31)?

Why did “Peter and his companions” become fully awake (verse 32)?

In your opinion, why did Peter speak if he did not know what he was saying (verse 33)?

What appeared while Peter was speaking (verse 34)?

How were Peter, John and James to respond to the One who the voice said “is my Son, whom I have chosen” (verse 35)?

What was Peter, John and James’s reaction to all they saw (verse 36)?

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

In your opinion, how are the instructions that God gave to the people of Israel in Exodus 20:1-21 similar to the instruction that God gave to Peter, John and James in Luke 9:28-36 “this is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him”?

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

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Who has “no condemnation” (verse 1)?

What has “the law of the Spirit who gives life” done through Christ Jesus (verse 2)?

Why was the law powerless (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that God sent His own Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (verse 3)?

What did God do to “sin in the flesh” (verse 3)?

Who fully meets the “righteous requirement of the law” (verse 4)?

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

While Jesus was on the mountain in Luke 9:28-36 he momentarily shed the “likeness of sinful flesh” that Paul in the Romans passage said He took on and became “bright as a flash of lightning”; in your opinion, how is that similar to the transformation of those who Romans 8:1-4 says have no condemnation but live according to the Spirit?

In your opinion, how is the reaction of the Israelites in Exodus 20:1-21 when they trembled with fear and stayed at a distance from the thunder, lightning and mountain in smoke a demonstration of the weakness of flesh that Paul says makes the law powerless to release us from condemnation in Romans 8:1-4?

2 Peter 1:3-19 – New International Version (NIV)

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

What has Jesus’s “divine power” given us (verse 3)?

What causes the “corruption in the world” (verse 4)?

What does possessing faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love in increasing measure keep us from (verses 5-8)?

What have those who do not possess faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love in increasing measure forget (verses 5-9)?

Who should “make every effort to confirm your calling and election” (verse 10)?

Where will those who confirm their calling and election receive a rich welcome (verses 10 and 11)?

In your opinion, why would Peter remind people established in truth of things that they already know (verse 12)?

How long does Peter think it is right for him to refresh their memory (verse 13)?

What does Peter know he will soon put aside (verses 13 and 14)?

For how long does Peter want his readers to remember (verse 15)?

What was Peter an eyewitness of (verse 16)?

Who did Jesus receive honor and glory from when the voice said “this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (verse 17)?

When did Peter hear the “voice that came from heaven” (verse 18)?

How should Peter’s readers react to the completely reliable prophetic message (verse 19)?

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

In your opinion, how does Peter help us move away “from the law of sin and death” Paul writes of in Romans 8:1-4 and move toward the “godly life” he describes in 2 Peter 1:3-19?

In your opinion, what is significant about the change in Peter from the point on the mountain in Luke 9:28-36 when he talked about putting up three shelters to the point in 2 Peter 1:3-19 where he calls himself an eyewitness “of his majesty”?

In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between the ten commandments delivered to the people of Israel in Exodus 20:1-21 and the instruction from Peter in 2 Peter 1:3-19 to “add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, Romans, and 2 Peter teach us about difference between the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit?

In your opinion, how is the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain an example to those who have received life through Christ Jesus?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 10, 2017 – Moses and Jesus and Us – Fed and Proclaiming

-            The

Fed and Proclaiming

Exodus 16:2-15 - New International Version (NIV)

² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” ⁸ Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.

Who did “the whole community” grumble against (verse 2)?

What did the Israelites claim they had in Egypt (verse 3)?

How did the Lord test the people (verse 4)?

What is to be different about the sixth day (verse 5)?

When will the Israelites know that the Lord brought them out of Egypt (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why does the Lord react to the Israelites grumbling by displaying His glory (verse 7)?

Who are the Israelites grumbling against (verse 8)?

Why is the “entire Israelite community” supposed to “come before the Lord” (verse 9)?

What appeared in the cloud (verse 10)?

When will they eat meat (verse 12)?

What will fill them in the morning (verse 12)?

Where was the layer of dew in the morning (verse 13)?

What appeared when the dew was gone (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why did the Israelites ask “what is it” (verse 15)?

Who did Moses say gave them the bread to eat (verse 15)?

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

Luke 9:12-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹² Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

¹³ He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” ¹⁴ (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. ¹⁶ Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

When did the Twelve come to Jesus (verse 12)?

Why did they want Jesus to “send the crowd away” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “you give them something to eat” (verse 13)?

What did the Twelve have (verse 13)?

How many men were there (verse 14)?

What did everyone do (verse 15)?

Where did Jesus look when He “gave thanks and broke them” (verse 16)?

Who distributed the bread and fish to the people (verse 16)?

What did the disciples do after the people ate enough to be satisfied (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, does the fact that in Exodus 16:2-15 the Lord provided quail and manna to the grumbling Israelites in the desert and in Luke 9:12-17 Jesus and the disciples provided bread and fish to the five thousand in the remote area teach us?

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – New International Version (NIV)

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

What has Paul passed on (verse 23)?

When did the Lord Jesus take the bread (verse 23)?

What did Jesus do before He broke the bread (verse 24)?

In your opinion, what did Jesus mean by “this is my body, which is for you” (verse 24)?

When did Jesus take the cup (verse 25)?

What is the cup (verse 25)?

When do we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (verse 26)?

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

In your opinion, why does Jesus tell the Twelve to give the crowd something to eat in Luke 9:12-17 but Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 that Jesus instructs us to eat the bread “in remembrance of me”?

In your opinion, how are the bread that Moses says the people are to eat in Exodus 16:2-15 and the bread that Jesus instructs us to eat through Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 similar?

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 – 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.

In whose name does Paul command believers to “keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive” (verse 6)?

When was Paul not idle (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, why would Paul have had “the right to such help” (verse 9)?

What rule did Paul have when he was with the Thessalonians (verse 10)?

What are the ones who are not busy (verse 11)?

Who is urged to “settle down and earn the food they eat” (verses 11 and 12)?

What are the “brothers and sisters” never to tire of (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what is the difference between the believer of 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 who is proclaiming the “Lord’s death until he comes” and the believer in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 that Paul gives the rule “the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat”?

In your opinion, how is Paul’s instruction in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 to “never tire of doing what is good” demonstrated in the story of the bread and fish found in Luke 9:12-17?

In your opinion, how does the Lord’s statement that He will “test them and see whether they will follow my instructions” prior to covering the ground with manna in Exodus 16:2-15 support Paul’s instruction in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 that the idle and disruptive are to “settle down and earn the food they eat”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Thessalonians teach us about proclaiming “the Lord’s death until he comes”?

In your opinion, what could those who Paul said weren’t to eat if they didn’t work, including us today, learn from the Lord’s example of giving thanks before breaking bread?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)