May 5, 2019 – Learning from James – Overcoming Unbelief

-                        The

Overcoming Unbelief


Deuteronomy 32:18-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot the God who gave you birth.

¹⁹ The Lord saw this and rejected them
    because he was angered by his sons and daughters.
²⁰ “I will hide my face from them,” he said,
    “and see what their end will be;
for they are a perverse generation,
    children who are unfaithful.
²¹ They made me jealous by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

Who did the Israelite people desert (verse 18)?

Who did the Israelite people forget (verse 18)?


What did the Lord do when He saw this (verse 19)?


In your opinion, why did He call the Israelite people His “sons and daughters” (verse 19)?


How will the Lord respond to the rejection of the Israelite people (verse 20)?


What made the Lord jealous (verse 21)?


What had angered the Lord (verse 21)?


In your opinion, what will it take for the Lord make the Israelite people envious (verse 22)?


Who will make the Israelies angry (verse 22)?


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

Mark 9:14-29 - New International Version (NIV)                

¹⁴ When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵ As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

¹⁹ “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Who were the “other disciples” arguing with (verse 14)?

How did the people respond to Jesus (verse 15)?


What did Jesus ask them (verse 16)?


Why was the man’s son unable to speak (verse 17)?


What did the man ask the disciples to do that they could not do (verse 18)?


In your opinion, what did Jesus mean by “you unbelieving generation” (verse 19)?


What happened to the boy when he was brought to Jesus (verse 20)?


How long had the boy been like this (verse 21)?


In your opinion, why did the father say “if you can do anything” (verse 22)?


What does Jesus say is possible “for one who believes” (verse 23)?


In your opinion, what did the father mean by “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (verse 24)?


When did Jesus rebuke “the impure spirit” (verse 25)?


Why did many say that the boy was dead after the spirit came out (verse 26)?


What did Jesus do (verse 27)?


When did the disciples ask Jesus “why couldn’t we drive it out” (verse 28)?


How did Jesus answer (verse 29)?


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


In your opinion, what is the difference between the Israelites who God called a “perverse generation” in Deuteronomy 32:18-21 and the father, who confessed unbelief but received the healing he wanted for his son, in Mark 9:14-29?


Romans 5:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

When do we have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 1)?

How do we gain access “into this grace in which we now stand” (verse 2)?

What do we “glory in” (verse 3)?

What produces character (verse 4)?

Why does hope “not put us to shame” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “when we were still powerless” (verse 6)?

How often will “anyone die for a righteous person” (verse 7)?

When did Christ die for us (verse 8)?

Since we have been “justified by his blood” what will we be saved from (verse 9)?

What happened “while we were God’s enemies” (verse 10)?

How do we “boast in God” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what is the difference between the “peverse generation” that God was talking about in Deuteronomy 32:18-21 and the Romans that Paul was writing to in Romans 5:1-11?

In your opinion, how does what Paul revealed about Christ loving us enough that He died for us in Romans 5:1-11 help us understand about the tone of voice (angry or sad) that Jesus might have used when He said “you unbelieving generation . . . how long shall I stay with you” in Mark 9:14-29?


James 1:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

How does James describe himself (verse 1)?

In your opinion, who does James mean by “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (verse 1)?


What are we to consider it whenever we “face trials of many kinds” (verse 2)?


How is perseverance produced (verse 3)?


When do we become “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (verse 4)?


What should we do if we recognize that we lack wisdom (verse 5)?


In your opinion, what does it mean to “believe and not doubt” (verse 6)?


What is one who doubts like (verse 6)?


How much should one who doubts expect to receive from the Lord (verse 7)?


Who is “double-minded and unstable in all they do” (verse 8)?


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


In your opinion, how does knowing about the Israelite people in Deuteronomy 32:18-21 help us understand what James means by “the one who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” in James 1:1-8?


In your opinion, how do we reconcile Jesus helping the father in Mark 9:14-29 who says “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief” with James’s statement in James 1:1-8 that “you must believe and not doubt” to expect to receive anything from the Lord?


In your opinion, what do we learb from Paul in Romans 5:1-11 when he says that we should “glory in our sufferings” and from James when he says in James 1:1-8 that we should “consider it pure joy” when we face trials of many kinds before they each speak of perseverance?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Deuteronomy, Mark, Romans and James teach us about doubting and persevering?


In your opinion, should each of us say to Jesus “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 28, 2019 – Looking Backward and Forward from Zechariah – The Water of Life

The Water of Life


Exodus 14:15-31 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, ²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. ²⁵ He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. ²⁸ The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹ And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

What was Moses to tell the Israelites (verse 15)?

Why was Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea (verse 16)?


In your opinion, what does God means when He says He will “harden the hearts of the Egyptians” (verse 17)?


How will the Egyptians know that God is Lord (verse 18)?


What did the “angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army” do (verse 19)?


When did the Lord drive “the sea back with a strong east wind” (verse 21)?


How did the Israelites go through the sea (verse 22)?


What did the Egyptians do (verse 23)?


When did the Lord look down and throw the Egyptian army into confusion (verse 24)?


In your opinion, what made the Egyptians think that the Lord was fighting for the Israelites against them (verse 25)?


Why was Moses to stretch out his hand (verse 26)?


What did the sea do (verse 27)?


How many Egyptians survived (verse 28)?


How did the Israelites go through the sea (verse 29)?


Who saved Israel (verse 30)?


Why did the Israelites fear the Lord and put their trust in the Lord and in Moses (verse 31)?


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

Zechariah 14:1-21 - New International Version (NIV)         

¹ A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.

² I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. ³ Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

⁶ On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. ⁷ It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.

⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.

⁹ The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

¹⁰ The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place. ¹¹ It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.

¹² This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. ¹⁴ Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

¹⁶ Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. ¹⁷ If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. ¹⁸ If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.

²⁰ On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.

When will Jerusalem’s possessions be plundered and divided (verse 1)?

Who will “gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it” (verse 2)?


Who will “go out and fight against those nations” (verse 3)?


What will happen to the Mount of Olives (verse 4)?


In your opinion, what does it mean that “you will flee by my mountain valley” (verse 5)?


When will there be light (verse 7)?


What will flow out of Jerusalem (verse 8)?


Who will be “king over the whole earth” (verse 9)?


In your opinion, what does it mean that “the whole land . . . will become like Arabah” (verse 10)?


Who will the plague strike (verse 12)?


How will the Lord stricken the people (verse 13)?


What will be collected (verse 14)?


What will the “survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem” do (verse 16)?


Who will “have no rain” (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what does it mean that the “cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar” (verse 20?


What will “every pot in Jerusalem and Judah” be (verse 21)?


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


In your opinion, how are the Israelites going through the sea in Exodus 14:15-31 and the people of Jerusalem fleeing through the mountain valley in Zechariah 14:1-21 similar?


John 7:37-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.

When did Jesus stand and say in a loud voice “let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (verse 37)?

Who will have “rivers of living water . . . flow from within them” (verse 38)?

What did Jesus mean by this (verse 39)?

Why had the Spirit not yet been given (verse 39)?

In your opinion, why did some people say “surely this man is the Prophet” (verse 40)?

In your opinion, why did some people say “He is the Messiah” (verse 41)?

In your opinion, why did some people say “how can the Messiah come from Galilee” (verse 41)?

Where was the Messiah to come from (verse 42)?

Why were the people divided (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, how is the division of people because of Jesus in John 7:37-43 a reflection of the events in Exodus 14:15-31?

In your opinion, how does water illustrate the hope in the midst of the crisis of Zechariah 14:1-21 and also in the midst of the divided opinion of the people in John 7:37-43?


Revelation 22:12-21 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

When is Jesus coming (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says He is “the Alpha and the Omega” (verse 13)?


Who is blessed (verse 14)?


Who is outside (verse 15)?


Who did Jesus send this testimony for (verse 16)?


Who may partake of the “water of life” (verse 17)?


What will happen to those who add anything to the “words of the prophecy of this scroll” (verse 18)?


Who will have their “share in the tree of life and in the Holy City” taken away (verse 19)?


In your opinion, who is the one who says “yes, I am coming soon” (verse 20)?


What does John pray will be with the Lord’s people (verse 21)?


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


In your opinion, how are the people of Israel fleeing through the sea in Exodus 14:15-31 similar to those who have washed their robes in Revelation 22:12-21?


In your opinion, is the coming of the Lord in Zechariah 14:1-21 the same as the coming of Jesus in Revelation 22:12-21?  In your opinion, if it is the same then why is the tenor of the descriptions so different?


In your opinion, what does it mean to be “thirsty” in John 7:37-43 where Jesus invites the “thirsty” to come to Him and drink, and in Revelation 22:12-21 where the one who is “thirsty” is invited to come and drink?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Zechariah, John and Revelation help us understand about the difference between those who have hardened hearts and those who are thirsty?


In your opinion, how do we “take the free gift of the water of life”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 21, 2019 – Easter – Salvation Accomplished

Salvation Accomplished


Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

How long does the Lord’s love endure (verse 1)?

What has the Lord become (verse 14)?


Where do shouts of joy and victory resound (verse 15)?


What will the psalmist proclaim (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what did the psalmist mean by “the Lord has chastened me severely” (verse 18)?


Where can the righteous enter (verse 20)?


What has the Lord become (verse 21)?


Who rejected the stone that has become the cornerstone (verse 22)?


What is “marvelous in our eyes” (verse 23)?


What should we do today (verse 24)?


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

Luke 24:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)                 

¹ On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

⁹ When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹² Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

When did the women take the spices and go to the tomb (verse 1)?

What did they find (verse 2)?


What did the not find (verse 3)?


Who appeared (verse 4)?


Who ask “why do you look for the living among the dead” (verse 5)?


Where was Jesus (verse 6)?


When was the Son of Man to be raised (verse 7)?


What did they remember (verse 8)?


Who did the women tell “all these things” to (verse 9)?


Why were they not believed (verse 11)?


What did Peter do (verse 12)?


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


In your opinion, based on the words of the Psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 what should our reaction to Luke 24:1-12 be?


Acts 10:34-43 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Who does not show favoritism (verse 34)?

Who is accepted (verse 35)?

What message did God send to the people of Israel (verse 36)?

Where did things begin “after the baptism that John preached” (verse 37)?

What did God anoint Jesus with (verse 38)?

Who did Jesus heal (verse 38)?

How was Jesus killed (verse 39)?

When was Jesus raised from the dead (verse 40)?

Who then saw Jesus (verse 41)?

What were the witnesses commanded to testify to (verse 42)?

Who receives “forgiveness of sins through his name” (verse 43)?

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

In your opinion, in Acts 10:34-43 how does Peter help us understand how God accomplished the promise He made through the psalmist in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 that “he has become my salvation”?

In your opinion, what changed in Peter, who wondered what happened in Luke 24:1-12 to enable him to have the powerful testimony in Acts 10:34-43?


1 Corinthians 15:19-26 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

In your opinion, why should Christians be the “most to be pitied” if we only have hope in Christ for this life (verse 19)?

Who is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (verse 20)?


Where does death come through (verse 21)?


Where does the “resurrection of the dead” come through (verse 21)?


Who are Christians made alive in (verse 22)?


When are “those who belong to him” made alive (verse 23)?


What will happen when Christ “hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (verse 24)?


How long will Christ reign (verse 25)?


What is the last enemy to be destroyed (verse 26)?


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


In your opinion, how does the Psalmist who says that God has chastened him severely but has not “given me over to death” in Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24 anticipate the triumph over death that Paul proclaims that Christ will have in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26?


In your opinion, how is the statement of the two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning, that “He is not here; he is risen”, in Luke 24:1-12 combined with Paul’s proclamation in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” a powerful promise for those who hope in Christ?


In your opinion, what does Peter testify to in Acts 10:34-43 that gives credibility to Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 that Jesus will destroy death?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Luke, Acts and 1 Corinthians show us about the mighty things that the Lord and His “Right Hand” will accomplish?


In your opinion, how does Christ become our salvation?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)