April 7, 2019 – Looking Backward and Forward from Zechariah – From Cursed to Rejoicing

From Cursed to Rejoicing


Deuteronomy 28:15-25 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:

¹⁶ You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

¹⁷ Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.

¹⁸ The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

¹⁹ You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

²⁰ The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.  ²¹ The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. ²² The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. ²³ The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. ²⁴ The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.

²⁵ The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth.

When will curses come and overtake Israel (verse 15)?

Where will Israel be cursed (verse 16)?


What will happen to the basket, kneading trough, fruit of the womb, crops, calves and lambs (verses 17 and18)?


In your opinion, what does it mean to be “cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out” (verse 19)?


Why will the Lord send “curses, confusion and rebuke” until Israel is destroyed (verse 20)?


How will the Lord plague the Israelites (verse 21)?


When will the “wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew” end (verse 22)?


In your opinion, what does it mean for “the sky over you head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron” (verse 23)?


What will come down from the skies until Israel is destroyed (verse 24)?


How will Israel flee from their enemies after coming at them “from one direction” (verse 25)?


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

Zechariah 12:1-14 - New International Version (NIV)         

¹ A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel.

The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares: ² “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. ³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. ⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. ⁵ Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’

⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

⁷ “The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. ⁸ On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. ¹¹ On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. ¹² The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, ¹³ the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, ¹⁴ and all the rest of the clans and their wives.

How does Zechariah describe the Lord (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that the Lord will “make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling” (verse 2)?


What will the Lord make Jerusalem into “when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her” (verse 3)?


How will the Lord treat Judah (verse 4)?


Why will the clans of Judah say in their hearts that “the people of Jerusalem are strong” (verse 5)?


When will the clans of Judah “consume all the surrounding peoples” (verse 6)?


Why will the Lord “save the dwellings of Judah first” (verse 7)?


Who will the “feeblest among them” be like (verse 8)?


What will the Lord do to “all the nations that attack Jerusalem” (verse 9)?


In your opinion, why does Zechariah link pouring out “a spirit of grace and supplication” with looking on “the one they have pierced” (verse 10)?


What will there be “on that day” (verse 11)?


What will the land, each clan and their wives, the house of David and their wives, the house of Nathan and their wives, the house of Levi and their wives the clan of Shimei and their wives and the rest of the clans and their wives do (verses 12, 13 and 14)?


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


In your opinion, what changed in Israel that caused them to move from being defeated by enemies in Deuteronomy 28:15-25 to being the “immoveable rock” that mourns in Zechariah 12:1-14?


John 19:28-37 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”  ³⁷ and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Who knew that everything was finished and that the “Scripture would be fulfilled” (verse 28)?

What did they lift to Jesus’ lips (verse 29)?

When did Jesus bow His head and give up His spirit (verse 30)?

What day was it (verse 31)?

Why did the Jewish leaders ask Pilate “to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down” (verse 31)?

Whose legs were broken (verse 32)?

Why did they not break Jesus’ legs (verse 33)?

What happened when Jesus’ side was pierced (verse 34)?

Why does the man who saw this testify (verse 35)?

What scripture was fulfilled (verse 36)?

Who does the other scripture say they will look at (verse 37)?

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

In your opinion, how is the cursing of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:15-25 related to Jesus saying “it is finished” in John 19:28-37?

In your opinion, how is the “spirit of grace and supplication” along with the mourning for the one they have pierced in Zechariah 12:1-14 related to the death of Jesus in John 19:28-37?


1 Peter 1:3-9 – New International Version (NIV)

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

What has “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” given us (verse 3)?

Where is the inheritance that God has given us kept (verse 4)?


How are Christians shielded “until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (verse 5)?


In your opinion, why can Christians “greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (verse 6)?


What will the trials result in (verse 7)?


Why are Christians “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (verse 8)?


What are Christians receiving as “the end result of your faith” (verse 9)?


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


In your opinion, how are the people who are suffering as a result of the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-25 different from those who rejoice in the midst of trials in 1 Peter 1:3-9?


In your opinion, how is God making Jerusalem into “an immovable rock for all the nations” in 
Zechariah 12:1-14 and the shielding of Christians though faith by God’s power in 1 Peter 1:3-9 related?


In your opinion, how does what Jesus finished in John 19:28-37 lead to the “new birth into a living hope” that 1 Peter 1:3-9 proclaims?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Zechariah, John and 1 Peter teach us about the cursing, mourning, finishing and rejoicing of Christians?


In your opinion, how is it possible to rejoice in God’s shielding while still being subject to the trails of this world?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 24, 2019 – Looking Backward and Forward from Zechariah – Sold for Silver, Bought by Blood

-            The

Sold for Silver, Bought by Blood


Genesis 15:1-6 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
    I am your shield,
    your very great reward.”

² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” ⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Who is Abram’s shield and “very great reward” (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why does Abram say “what can you give me since I remain childless” (verse 2)?


Why does Abram say “a servant in my household will be my heir” (verse 3)?


How does the Lord reassure Abram (verse 4)?


What does the Lord compare Abram’s offspring to (verse 5)?


Why was it credited to Abram “as righteousness” (verse 6)?


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

Zechariah 11:1-17 - New International Version (NIV)         

¹ Open your doors, Lebanon,
    so that fire may devour your cedars!
² Wail, you juniper, for the cedar has fallen;
    the stately trees are ruined!
Wail, oaks of Bashan;
    the dense forest has been cut down!
³ Listen to the wail of the shepherds;
    their rich pastures are destroyed!
Listen to the roar of the lions;
    the lush thicket of the Jordan is ruined!

⁴ This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter. ⁵ Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them. ⁶ For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”

⁷ So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter, particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested me, and I grew weary of them ⁹ and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish. Let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.”

¹⁰ Then I took my staff called Favor and broke it, revoking the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹ It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

¹² I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

¹³ And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

¹⁴ Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

¹⁷ “Woe to the worthless shepherd,
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm and his right eye!
    May his arm be completely withered,
    his right eye totally blinded!”

Why is it significant that the cedars and the oaks will be devoured and ruined (verses 1 through 3)?

What flock is Zechariah to shepherd (verse 4)?


Who goes “unpunished” (verse 5)?


In your opinion, what does it mean that the Lord “will no longer have pity on the people of the Land” (verse 6)?


What did Zechariah call the two staffs he took to shepherd the flock (verse 7)?


How did the flock feel about Zechariah (verse 8)?


In your opinion, why did Zechariah say “I will not be your shepherd” (verse 9)?


What did breaking the staff called Favor revoke (verse 10)?


How much did they pay Zechariah (verse 12)?


What did the Lord tell Zechariah to do with the pay (verse 13)?


What did breaking the staff called Union break (verse 14)?


What kind of equipment is Zechariah to “take again” (verse 15)?


Who will the not be cared for (verse 16)?


Who is the “woe” for (verse 17)?


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


In your opinion, how are the offspring of Abram from Genesis 15:1-6 related to the sheep being shepherded in Zechariah 11:1-17?


Matthew 27:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ² So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Who made plans to have Jesus executed (verse 1)?

What did they do to Jesus (verse 2)?

How did Judas feel when Jesus was condemned (verse 3)?

What did Judas do with the thirty pieces of silver he had received (verse 3)?

How had Judas sinned (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did the chief priests and elders say “that’s your responsibility” (verse 4)?

What did Judas do with the money (verse 5)?

What did Judas do to himself (verse 5)?

Why could the money not be put in the treasury (verse 6)?

What did they do with the money (verse 7)?

Why is the potter’s field called the “Field of Blood” (verse 8)?

Whose prophecy was fulfilled (verses 9 and 10)?

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

In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between Abram in Genesis 15:1-6 and the chief priests and elders of the people in Matthew 27:1-10?

In your opinion, how is the way that Zechariah was treated by the flock in Zechariah 11:1-17 and the way Jesus was treated by the chief priests and elders in Matthew 27:1-10 similar?

Ephesians 1:3-10 – New International Version (NIV)

³ 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. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ 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.

Who has blessed us “with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (verse 3)?

When were we chosen to “be holy and blamelsss in his sight” (verse 4)?


How are we adopted “to sonship” (verse 5)?


What has God “freely given us in the One he loves” (verse 6)?


How do we have redemption  (verse 7)?


What has God done with the riches of His grace (verses 7 and 8)?


What has God “made known to us” (verse 9)?


Who will “all things in heaven and on earth” be brought to unity in (verse 10)?


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


In your opinion, how is the righteousness Abram received when he “believed the Lord” in Genesis 15:1-6 related to the redemption and forgiveness of sins that Paul talks about in Ephesians 1:3-10?


In your opinion, how does Zechariah breaking the staffs of Favor and Union in Zecahariah 11:1-17 help us understand how amazing it is that God offers glorious grace according to Paul in Ephesians 1:3-10?


In your opinion, what part does the remorse that Judas felt about his sin in Matthew 27:1-10 play in the forgiveness of sins that Paul talks about in Ephesians 1:3-10?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Genesis, Zechariah, Matthew and Ephesians teach us about responsibility and righteousness?


In your opinion, how do we move from responsibility and remorse to redemption and righteousness?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 17, 2019 – Looking Backward and Forward from Zechariah – From a Cave to Being a Dwelling for the Holy Spirit

 From a Cave to Being a Dwelling for the Holy Spirit

1 Kings 19:9-18 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Who ask Elijah “what are you doing here” (verse 9)?

Who had Elijah been zealous for (verse 10)?


What have the Israelites rejected (verse 10)?


Who was not in the powerful wind or in the earthquake (verse 11)?


In your opinion, what is the significance of the gentle whisper (verse 12)?


What did Elijah do when he heard the gentle whisper (verse 13)?


What had the Israelites done (verse 14)?


Who is trying to kill Elijah (verse 14)?


In your opinion, why is it important for Elijah to “go back the way you came” (verse 15)?


What was Elijah to anoint Jehu to be (verse 16)?


What was Elijah to anoint Elisha to do (verse 16)?


How many does the Lord have in reserve “whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (verse 18)?


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

Zechariah 10:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)         

¹ Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
    it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
    and plants of the field to everyone.
² The idols speak deceitfully,
    diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
    they give comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep
    oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

³ “My anger burns against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord Almighty will care
    for his flock, the people of Judah,
    and make them like a proud horse in battle.
⁴ From Judah will come the cornerstone,
    from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
    from him every ruler.
⁵ Together they will be like warriors in battle
    trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.

⁶ “I will strengthen Judah
    and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
    because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
    I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
    and I will answer them.
⁷ The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
    and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful;
    their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
⁸ I will signal for them
    and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
    they will be as numerous as before.
⁹ Though I scatter them among the peoples,
    yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
    and they will return.
¹⁰ I will bring them back from Egypt
    and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
    and there will not be room enough for them.
¹¹ They will pass through the sea of trouble;
    the surging sea will be subdued
    and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down
    and Egypt’s scepter will pass away.
¹² I will strengthen them in the Lord
    and in his name they will live securely,”
declares the Lord.

Who gives “showers of rain to all people” (verse 1)?

Why do “the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (verse 2)?


Who will “the Lord Almighty” care for (verse 3)?


What will come from Judah (verse 4)?


Why will the Lord restore the “tribes of Joseph” (verse 6)?


In your opinion, why is it significant that in this message the Lord uses the word “redeem” (verse 8)?


Where will the Lord be remembered (verse 9)?


What will the returning people pass through (verse 11)?


How will they be strengthened (verse 12)?


How will they live securely (verse 12)?


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


In your opinion, how are the circumstances of the remnant that the Lord tells Elijah has been reserved in 1 Kings 10:9-18 and the people who will remember the Lord in distant lands in Zechariah 10:1-12 similar?


John 1:29-34 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Who does John say is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, what does John mean when he says the “man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me” (verse 30)?

Why did John come “baptizing with water” (verse 31)?

What did John see (verse 32)?

Who will “baptize with the Holy Spirit” (verse 33)?

Who does John say that Jesus is (verse 34)?

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

In your opinion, how is the Lord passing by Elijah as the “gentle whisper” in 1 Kings 19:9-18 similar to Jesus being revealed to John the Baptist through the Spirit coming “down from heaven as a dove” in John 1:29-34?

In your opinion, how does Zechariah speaking of the Lord redeeming those who were wandering “like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” in Zechariah 10:1-12 begin to help us understand why John the Baptist said that Jesus came as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” in John 1:29-34?


Ephesians 2:13-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Who has been “brought near by the blood of Christ” (verse 13)?

What has Jesus destroyed (verse 14)?


How has Jesus set aside “the law with its commands and regulations” (verse 15)?


How did Jesus “reconcile both of them to God” (verse 16)?


Who did Jesus preach peace to  (verse 17)?


How do we have “access to the Father by one Spirit” (verse 18)?


In your opinion, who are “no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (verse 19)?


Who is the “chief cornerstone” (verse 20)?


What “is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord” (verse 21)?


Who is “being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (verse 22)?


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


In your opinion, how does God address Elijah’s loneliness as His follower in 1 Kings 19:9-18 and a Christians feeling of isolation in Ephesians 2:13-22?


In your opinion, what promise does God fulfill in Ephesians 2:13-22 that was made to those who “wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” in Zechariah 10:1-12?


your opinion, how does Ephesians 2:13-22 help us understand what Jesus had to do to be able to “baptize with the Holy Spirit” as promised by John the Baptist in John 1:29-34?


In your opinion, what do these passages from 1 Kings, Zechariah, John and Ephesians teach us about the provision of God?


In your opinion, how can we move from being isolated people to becoming part of the “holy temple in the Lord” and “a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)