Parables - Lie Busting Truth Seeds
Psalm
115:1-11 - New
International Version (NIV)
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites,
trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
What
is to the Lord’s name (verse 1)?
In
your opinion, “why do the nations say, “Where is their God”” (verse 2)?
Where
is God (verse 3)?
How
are the nation’s idols made (verse
4)?
What
can’t their idols do (verses 5 through 7)?
In
your opinion, how will those who make idols be like them (verse 8)?
What
is the Lord to the Israelites (verse 9)?
Who
should those who fear the Lord trust (verse 11)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
Mark 4:1-20 - New
International Version (NIV)
1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered
around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake,
while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He
taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen!
A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the
plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did
not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came
up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a
hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him
about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom
of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in
parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever
seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How
then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the
word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the
word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that
was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places,
hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since
they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution
comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still
others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others,
like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
Why
did Jesus get into the boat (verse 1)?
How
did Jesus teach them (verse 2)?
What
did the farmer go out to do (verse 3)?
What
happened to the seed on the path (verse 4)?
Why
did the seed that fell on the rocky places spring up quickly (verse 5)?
What
happened to those plants when the sun came up (verse 6)?
Why
did the seed that fell among the thorns not bear grain (verse 7)?
What
seed produced a crop (verse 8)?
Who
has the “secret of the kingdom of God” been given to (verse 11)?
In
your opinion, why does Jesus want those on the outside to be “ever seeing
but never perceiving” (verse 12)?
What
does the farmer sow (verse 14)?
Who
takes away the seed along the path (verse 15)?
Why
do those like seed sown on rocky places fall quickly away (verses 16 and
17)?
Why
are those like seed sown among thorns unfruitful (verses 18 and 19)?
What
do those who are like seed sown on good soil do (verse 20)?
In your opinion, what does the discussion
of idols and those who worship them in Psalms 115:1-11 help us understand about
those who Jesus said in Mark 4:1-20 were on the outside and therefore they would
“be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever
hearing but never understanding”?
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the
city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone
great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their
attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They
followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But
when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon
himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere,
astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the
word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they
arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the
Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any
of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then
Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the
apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me
also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy
Spirit.”
20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you
thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have
no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent
of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for
having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are
full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you
have said may happen to me.”
25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and
testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the
gospel in many Samaritan villages.
How did Simon amaze the people of
Samaria (verse 9)?
What did “all the people, both
high and low” say about Simon (verse 10)?
Why
did they follow him (verse 11)?
What
did Philip proclaim that caused men and women to be baptized (verse 12)?
What
astonished Simon (verse 13)?
Who
sent Peter and John to Samaria (verse 14)?
What
did Peter and John pray for (verse 15)?
When
did the Holy Spirit come to the new believers in Samaria (verse 17)?
What
did Simon offer the apostles (verse 18)?
What
did Simon want in return (verse 19)?
Who
told Simon “may your money perish with you” (verse 20)?
What
part of Simon was not “right before God” (verse 21)?
What
was Simon to hope for from the Lord when he repented and prayed (verse 22)?
What
held Simon captive (verse 23)?
How
did Simon respond to Peter (verse 24)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In
your opinion, how is Simon in Acts 8:9-25 different from the people of Psalms
115:1-11 whose idols are “silver and gold, made by human hands”?
In
your opinion, which of the types of soil from the parable of the soils in Mark
4:1-20 do you think Simon, in Acts 8:9-25, is represented by? Why?
Revelation
3:14-22 –
New International Version (NIV)
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of
the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I
know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one
or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor
cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am
rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize
that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I
counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich;
and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve
to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and
repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and
they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me
on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his
throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says
to the churches.”
Who
is this letter to (verse 14)?
In
your opinion, why would Jesus wish the people of the church in Laodicea were
either hot or cold (verse 15)?
Why
will Jesus spit them out of His mouth (verse 16)?
What
does the church of Laodicea not realize (verse 17)?
In
your opinion, why would Jesus counsel them to purchase the gold, white clothes
and salve (verse 18)?
What
does Jesus do to those He loves (verse 19)?
Where
is Jesus and what is He doing (verse 20)?
Who
will sit with Jesus on His throne (verse 21)?
In
your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?
In
your opinion, which of the types of soil from the parable in Mark 4:1-20 do you
think the people of Laodicea, in Revelation 3:14-22, represent? Why?
In
your opinion, what can we learn from the Paul’s instruction to Simon in Acts
8:9-25 to “repent of this wickedness and pray to
the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you” and Jesus’s instruction to the Laodiceans in Revelation
3:14-22 to “be earnest and repent”?
In
your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Mark, Acts and Revelation
teach us about our response to Jesus, the Word of God?
In
your opinion, how do the images of the Word being sown by the farmer and Jesus
standing at the door knocking, give hope to all people that whether they are
hardened from worshiping idols, or are great in their own eyes, or are
lukewarm, they can be touched and changed by Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment