Isaiah 29:13-16 - New International Version (NIV)
“These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”
15 Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the Lord,
who do their work in darkness and think,
“Who sees us? Who will know?”
16 You turn things upside down,
as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,
“You did not make me”?
Can the pot say to the potter,
“You know nothing”?
Where
are the hearts of the people of whom God says they “come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips” (verse
13)?
What
is their worship based on (verse 13)?
How
will God “astound these people”
(verse 14)?
In
your opinion, why will “the wisdom of the
wise” perish (verse 14)?
What
is there for those “who go to great
depths to hide their plans from the Lord” (verse 15)?
In
what upside down way are these people thinking of the potter and the clay
(verse 16)?
In
your opinion, “can the pot say to the
potter, ‘you know nothing’” (verse 16)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in
the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders
came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these
things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”
29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will
tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s
baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”
31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From
heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But
if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that
John really was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Neither will
I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Where
was Jesus walking when the “the chief
priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him” (verse 27)?
What did they ask Jesus (verse 28)?
What did Jesus tell the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders they would need to do before He would answer their question (verse 29)?
In your opinion, what was the origin of John’s baptism (verse 30)?
Why did the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders not want to say “from heaven” (verse 31)?
Why did the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders not want to say “of human origin” (verse 32)?
How did the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders answer Jesus (verse 33)?
How did Jesus respond to that answer (verse 33)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how is the prophecy in Isaiah 29:13-16 about the wisdom of the wise and the intelligence of the intelligent fulfilled in Mark 11:27-33?
Ephesians 4:22-32 – New International Version (NIV)
22 You were taught, with
regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being
corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in
the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new
self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must
put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members
of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let
the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not
give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been
stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their
own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome
talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And
do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ
God forgave you.
What does Paul say the Ephesian
Christians were taught to do with their “former
way of life” (verse 22)?
How are the Ephesian Christians “to be made new” (verse 23)?
What is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (verse 24)?
In your opinion, what does it mean to “put off falsehood and speak truthfully to
your neighbor” (verse 25)?
What are the Ephesian Christians not
do do in their anger (verse 26)?
Who are the Ephesian Christians not to
give a foothold (verse 27)?
Why must the one who has been stealing
work and do something “useful with their
own hands” (verse 28)?
What is to come out of the mouths of
the Ephesian Christians (verse 29)?
In your opinion, how can we “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (verse
30)?
What are the Ephesian Christians to
get rid of (verse 31)?
How are the Ephesian Christians to forgive
each other (verse 32)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
In your opinion, what
is the difference between the old self, as described in Isaiah 29:13-16, and
the new self, as described in Ephesians 4:22-32?
In your opinion, how might the words and actions of the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders in Mark 11:27-33 grieve the Holy Spirit of God as Paul tells the Ephesian Christians not to do in Ephesians 4:22-32?
James 3:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow
believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We
all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is
perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an
example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are
steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise,
the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider
what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts
the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set
on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being
tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human
being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we
curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out
of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should
not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from
the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig
tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce
fresh water.
Why
should few people become teachers (verse 1)?
What do all of us do (verse 2)?
How can we turn the horse (verse 3)?
What very small thing can steer a ship (verse 4)?
What part of the body can make “great boasts” (verse 5)?
What starts a great forest on fire (verse 5)?
What “is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (verse 6)?
In your opinion, why can we tame all kinds of animals, but not the tongue (verses 7 and 8)?
What do we use to “praise our Lord and Father” (verse 9)?
What do we use to “curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (verse 9)?
In your opinion, why should praise and cursing not come “out of the same mouth” (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In your opinion, how does what the Lord says in Isaiah 29:13-16 help us understand how blessings and cursings can come from the same mouth, even though James 3:1-12 tells us this “should not be”?
In your opinion, how does the conflict that the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders have in answering Jesus’ question in Mark 11:27-33 reveal to us about the source of the tongues strength in corrupting the body and setting the course of one’s life on fire as proclaimed in James 3:1-12?
In your opinion, how does Paul’s discussion about “old” and “new” selves in Ephesians 4:22-32 help us understand the source of “blessing” and “cursing” coming from the same mouth as James says should not happen in James 3:1-12?
In your opinion, what do these passages from Isaiah, Mark, Ephesians and James help us understand about the challenges as Christians, being our new selves, while still living with remnants of our old selves?
In your opinion, how can we listen to Paul and “be made new in the attitude of your minds”?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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