Saturday, March 25, 2017

April 2, 2017 – Genesis and John (Gospel and Revelation) – Misery to Praise


Misery to Praise

Genesis 29:31-35 – New International Version (NIV)
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

What did the Lord see about Leah (verse 31)?

What did the Lord enable Leah to do (verse 31)?

Why did Leah name her son Reuben (verse 32)?

In your opinion, why did Leah think that Reuben would cause Jacob to love her (verse 32)?

Why did Leah name her second son Simeon (verse 33)?

Why did Leah name her third son Levi (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is different about Leah’s attitude with the birth of her fourth son (verse 35)?

Why did Leah name her fourth son Judah (verse 35)?

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

John 7:25-32 - New International Version (NIV)
25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

Who began to ask “isn’t this the man they are trying to kill” (verse 25)?
What was Jesus doing (verse 26)?
Why did they think that Jesus could not be the Messiah (verse 27)?
What was Jesus doing when He cried out (verse 28)?
In your opinion, why did they try to seize Jesus after He cried out (verses 28, 29 and 30)?
Why could no one lay a hand on him (verse 30)?
Why did many in the crowd believe (verse 31)?
What did the Pharisees hear (verse 32)?
What did the Pharisees do (verse 32)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how are Leah, Jacob’s unloved wife who by the time she had her fourth son was able to praise God in spite of her situation in Genesis 29:31-35, and the faith of those in those in the crowd who believed in spite of knowing where Jesus came from and opposition of the Pharisees in John 7:25-32 similar?

Ephesians 1:3-12 - New International Version (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

How had the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed us in the heavenly realms (verse 3)?
When did He choose us to be “holy and blameless in his sight” (verse 4)?
What did He predestine us for (verse 5)?
What has He freely given us “in the One he loves” (verse 6)?
In your opinion, what does it mean to “have redemption through his blood” (verse 7)?
What has been lavished on us (verses 7 and 8)?
How has He “made known to us the mystery of his will” (verses 8 and 9)?
When will He “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (verse 10)?
Whose plan “works out everything in conformity” (verse 11)?
Who will be “for the praise of his glory” (verse 12)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how might the belief of those who recognized Jesus as the Messiah in John 7:25-32 lead to the praise Paul heaped on “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12?

In your opinion, how are Leah’s praise of God when she gave birth to Judah (an ancestor of Jesus) in Genesis 29:31-35 and the praise of Paul for adoption into the “sonship through Jesus Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12 connected?

Revelation 5:11-14 – New International Version (NIV)
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.

How many angels did John hear (verse 11)?
What did they say happened to the Lamb (verse 12)?
What is the Lamb worthy to receive (verse 12)?
Who cried out 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)?
What did the four living creatures say (verse 14)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does John showing every angel and every creature “in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them” praising God in Revelation 5:11-14 help us to understand what Paul meant when he said that God intends to “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” in Ephesians 1:3-12?
In your opinion, what is different between the people of John 7:25-32 who hear Jesus and see what He does and have opposing views about Him and everyone in Revelation 5:11-14 who see Jesus as the Lamb worthy of praise?

In your opinion, how does Leah’s attitude at the end of the Genesis 29:31-35 passage begin to help us understand the attitude of praise of “every creature” in Revelation 5:11-14?
In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, John, Ephesians and Revelation help us understand about the different ways that we can react to Jesus?
In your opinion, how do these passages guide our understanding of how to react to the circumstances of our lives?                                                                                                                                                                
 (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

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