February 12, 2017 – Genesis and John (Gospel and Revelation) – Destruction of Flesh / Salvation of Spirit

Destruction of Flesh / Salvation of Spirit

Genesis 6:5-14 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

⁹ This is the account of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. ¹⁰ Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. ¹² God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. ¹³ So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. ¹⁴ So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Who saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth (verse 5)?

What was “only evil all the time” (verse 5)?

Whose heart was “deeply troubled” (verse 6)?

Why was the Lord going to “wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did Noah find “favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8)?

How is Noah described (verse 9)?

Who are Shem, Ham and Japheth (verse 10)?

What was the earth full of (verse 11)?

Why had the earth become corrupt (verse 12)?

Who is going to destroy the people and the earth (verse 13)?

What was Noah supposed to make (verse 14)?

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

John 12:24-36 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

³⁴ The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

What must happen to a kernel of wheat to produce many seeds (verse 24)?

Who will lose their life (verse 25)?

Who will keep their life (verse 25)?

Where will Jesus’ servants be (verse 26)?

Who will the Father honor (verse 26)?

Whose soul was troubled (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what did the voice from heaven mean by saying “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (verse 28)?

How did the crowd hear the voice (verse 29)?

Who did the voice benefit (verse 30)?

What is it time for (verse 31)?

Who will be driven out (verse 31)?

What will happen when Jesus is lifted from the earth (verse 32)?

Why did the crowd think the Messiah would “remain forever” (verse 34)?

What do people who walk in the dark not know (verse 35)?

How do you become “children of light” (verse 36)?

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

In your opinion, what are the differences between the judgment of Noah’s time in Genesis 6:5-14 and the judgment that Jesus is talking about in John 12:24-36?

1 Corinthians 5 1:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What kind of sexual immorality is reported to be among the Corinthians (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why would the Corinthians have been proud about this sexual immorality (verse 2)?

How is Paul with the Corinthians (verse 3)?

What has Paul already done (verse 3)?

When are the Corinthians supposed to act (verses 4 and 5)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord” (verse 5)?

What does a little yeast do to the whole batch of dough (verse 6)?

How can the Corinthians become a “new unleavened batch” (verse 7)?

What has happened to Christ (verse 7)?

How is the old bread leavened (verse 8)?

What is the unleavened bread (verse 8)?

What kind of people did Paul tell the Corinthians not to associate with (verse 9)?

What would the Corinthians have to do to not associate with people of the world who are immoral (verse 10)?

What kind of immoral people does Paul tell the Corinthians not to associate with (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does 1 Corinthians 5:1-11 teach us about the hour that as troubling Jesus in John 12:24-36?

In your opinion, what is similar about the world of Noah in Genesis 6:5-14 and the world of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 5:1-11; and what is very different?

Revelation 21:6-8 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. ⁸ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

In your opinion, what is done (verse 6)?

What will Jesus give to the thirsty (verse 6)?

Who will Jesus’ children be (verse 7)?

Where will “the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” be consigned to (verse 8)?

What is the “second death” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, how can Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:1-11 hope that the person who is sexually immoral might be victorious and escape the second death that Jesus reveals to John in Revelation 21:6-8 as the destination of the sexually immoral?

In your opinion, how does Revelation 21:6-8 help us understand those who Jesus says in John 12:24-36 love their life and will lose it and those who hate their life and will “keep it for eternal life”?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the ones who are corrupted and about to be destroyed in Genesis 6:5-14 and those who are given water from the spring of life and are victorious in Revelation 21:6-8?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, John, 1 Corinthians and Revelation help us understand about the sin in the world and about how our spirits may be saved in the “day of the Lord”?

In your opinion, how do these passages help us understand what Jesus meant when He said “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”?     

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)