October 22, 2017 – Moses, Jesus, and Us – Challenges to a Godly Life

Challenges to a Godly Life

Exodus 5:1-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

¹⁰ Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. ¹¹ Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? ¹⁶ Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.””

¹⁷ Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, ²¹ and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

What did Moses and Aaron tell the Pharaoh that “the Lord, the God of Israel” says (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why did the Pharaoh say, “Who is the Lord” (verse 2)?

Who did Moses and Aaron say the Lord might strike if they did not journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices (verse 3)?

What did Pharaoh want Moses and Aaron to do (verse 4)?

How did the Pharaoh describe the “people of the land” (verse 5)?

What extra work does the Pharaoh want the Hebrew people to do (verses 6 and 7)?

Why did the Pharaoh think the people are crying out (verse 8)?

What in not being reduced while the Hebrews have to get their own straw (verses 10 and 11)?

Where did the people go to gather stubble to use for straw (verse 12)?

Who beat the Israelite overseers (verse 14)?

Who did the Israelite overseers appeal to (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the Pharaoh truly upset about when he calls the Hebrews lazy and then talks about their saying “let us go and sacrifice to the Lord” (verse 17)?

What did the Israelite overseers realize (verse 19)?

What did the Israelite overseers want the Lord to do to Moses and Aaron (verses 20 and 21)?

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

Luke 4:1-13 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Who led Jesus into the wilderness (verse 1)?

What happened to Jesus for forty days (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why did the devil say, “if you are the Son of God” (verse 3)?

How does Jesus answer the devil (verse 4)?

What did the devil show Jesus (verse 5)?

What does he claim he has and can give “to anyone I want to” (verse 6)?

In your opinion, why did the devil say, “if you worship me” (verse 7)?

How does Jesus answer the devil (verse 8)?

Where was Jesus standing when the devil said, “if you are the Son of God throw yourself down from here” (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that the devil used Scripture to tempt Jesus (verse 10)?

How does Jesus answer the devil (verse 12)?

When was the devil going to return to Jesus (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, how is the Pharaoh’s attitude toward the Lord in Exodus 5:1-21 similar to the devil’s attitude toward Jesus in Luke 4:1-13?

1 Corinthians 10:12-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

What should we do if we think we are standing firm (verse 12)?

What will God do when we are tempted (verse 13)?

How should we react to idolatry (verse 14)?

In your opinion, how are temptation and idolatry related (verses 13 and 14)?

In your opinion, why does Paul want “sensible people” to “judge for yourselves what I say” (verse 15)?

What is the cup of thanksgiving (verse 16)?

Why are “we, who are many” one body (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how do the temptations that Jesus faced in Luke 4:1-13 help us understand the temptations that are “common to mankind” that Paul said God would provide a way out of in 1 Corinthians 10:12-17?

In your opinion, how is the Pharaoh’s reaction to the command from God in Exodus 5:1-21 an example of what can happen if we fail to “flee from idolatry” as Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 10:12-17?

2 Timothy 3:10-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What did the Lord do for Paul (verses 10 and 11)?

What will happen to everyone “who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus” (verse 12)?

Who will “go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (verse 13)?

Why is Timothy to “continue in what you have learned” (verse 14)?

What is able to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (verse 15)?

How much Scripture is “God-breathed” (verse 16)?

Who does the Scripture thoroughly equip “for every good work” (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, how are the persecutions Paul talks about in 2 Timothy 3:10-17 related to the temptations and idolatry he talks about in 1 Corinthians 10:12-17 and what do the Scriptures reveal about our responses to all three?

In your opinion, how are Jesus’ responses to the devil in Luke 4:1-13 a demonstration of one of the ways that Scripture equips servants of God as Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:10-17?

In your opinion, how is the persecution of the Hebrew people by the Pharaoh in Exodus 5:1-21 an example of how “evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse” as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:10-17?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Luke, 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy teach us about the reaction of evildoers and impostors to Christians efforts to be godly?

In your opinion, how do the passages help Christians resist idolatry and temptation?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)