August 10, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Set Apart

Set Apart

1 Chronicles 17:1-14 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

² Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

³ But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

⁴ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. ⁵ I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. ⁶ Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

⁷ “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. ⁹ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹⁰ and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: ¹¹ When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. ¹⁴ I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”

Where is the “arc of the covenant of the Lord” (verse 1)?

In your opinion, why did Nathan say, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.” (verse 2)?

What came to Nathan “that night” (verse 3)?

What is David “not the one to” do (verse 4)?

Where has the Lord not done “from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day” (verse 5)?

What had the Lord “appointed” David to be (verse 7)?

Who will the Lord “provide a place for” (verse 9)?

What is the Lord going to build for David (verse 10)?

Who will “build a house” for the Lord (verses 11 and 12)?

What will the Lord be for this person (verse 13)?

How long will this person be over the Lord’s house and kingdom (verse14)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being set apart?

Matthew 9:27-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; ³⁰ and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

What did the two blind men call Jesus (verse 27)?

How did the blind men answer when Jesus ask them “do you believe that I am able to do this” (verse 28)?

What did Jesus say when He “touched their eyes” (verse 29)?

When did Jesus warn them “see that no one knows about this” (verse 30)?

What did the men do (verse 31)?

Who was brought to Jesus (verse 32)?

How did the crowd react when the “man who had been mute spoke” (verse 33)?

What did the Pharisees say (verse 34)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being set apart?

In your opinion, how does 1 Chronicles 17:1-14 help us understand what it means when the two blind men of Matthew 9:27-34 call Jesus “Son of David”?

Romans 1:1-7 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷ To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who was “set apart” for the gospel (verse 1)?

How was the gospel promised (verse 2)?

Who was the Son “as to his earthly life” a descendant of (verse 3)?

What was He appointed by “the Spirit of holiness” (verse 4)?

How has Paul received his “call” (verse 5)?

Who was Paul writing to (verse 6)?

What blessing does Paul give (verse 7)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being set apart?

In your opinion, how does Romans 1:1-7 affirm “the word of God” that came to Nathan in 1 Chronicles 17:1-14?

In your opinion, what does Romans 1:1-7 help us understand about why Jesus in Matthew 9:27-34 was able to do things that caused the crowd to say, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”?

 

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them
    and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.”

¹⁷ Therefore,

“Come out from them
    and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
    and I will receive you.”

¹⁸ And,

“I will be a Father to you,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”

7 ¹ Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

Who should Christians not be “yoked together with” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, “What harmony is there between Crist and Belial” (verse 15)?

What are “we” Christians (verse 16)?

Where will God live (verse 16)?

What are Christians to “come out from them and be” (verse 17)?

What will we be to the Lord Almighty (verse 18)?

What should we “purify ourselves from” (verse 1)?

Why should Christians perfect “holiness” (verse 1)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about being set apart?

In your opinion, how is God’s call of David from the pasture to being the ruler in 1 Chronicles 17:1-14 an example to Christians of the call to “come out from them and be separate” in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1?

In your opinion, how does the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus in Matthew 9:27-34 help us understand the reason Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 that believers and unbelievers should not be yoked?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s statement in Romans 1:1-7 about being “called to belong to Jesus Christ” become much more intimate in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from 1 Chronicles, Matthew, Romans, and 2 Corinthians reveal about the tensions between those who believe Jesus is “able to do this” and those who don’t?

In your opinion, how do we “separate” ourselves today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

August 3, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Made Clean

Made Clean

Numbers 19:11-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. ¹² They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. ¹³ If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.

¹⁴ “This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, ¹⁵ and every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

¹⁶ “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.

¹⁷ “For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. ¹⁸ Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. ¹⁹ The man who is clean is to sprinkle those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them. Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. ²¹ This is a lasting ordinance for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. ²² Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

How long is someone who touches a human corpse unclean (verse 11)?

When must they “purify themselves with water” (verse 12)?

What happens if they “fail to purify themselves” (verse 13)?

How long is a tent unclean if someone dies in it (verse 14)?

What is supposed to be sprinkled on the unclean person (verse 17)?

Who is to “sprinkle those who are unclean” (verse 19)?

What is to happen to those who do not purify themselves (verse 20)?

What happens to a clean person who touches something that an unclean person touches (verse 22)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how the unclean can be made clean?

Matthew 9:14-25 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

¹⁶ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

¹⁸ While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, ²⁴ he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶ News of this spread through all that region.

What did John’s disciples and the Pharisees do often that Jesus’s disciples didn’t do (verse 14)?

Why does no one sew “a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment” (verse 16)?

Why do people not “pour new wine into old wineskins” (verse 17)?

What did the synagogue leader want Jesus to do (verse 18)?

Why did the “woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years” want to touch Jesus’s cloak (verses 20 and 21)?

What did Jesus tell the woman (verse 22)?

What did Jesus tell “the noisy crowd and people playing pipes” (verses 23 and 24)?

How did the girl react to Jesus taking her by the hand (verse 25)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how the unclean can be made clean?

In your opinion, what does Jesus do in Matthew 9:14-25 that transcends the limitations Numbers 19:11-22 put on interactions with unclean people?

Acts 11:1-18 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him ³ and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

⁴ Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

⁸ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

¹¹ “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Who had heard that “the Gentiles also had received the word of God” (verse 1)?

Why did the “circumcised believers” criticize Peter (verses 2 and 3)?

Where did Peter start the story (verse 4)?

What did the voice tell Peter to do (verse 7)?

Why did Peter say, “Surely not, Lord” (verse 8)?

What did the “voice from heaven” say (verse 9)?

How many times did this happen (verse 10)?

Who stopped at the house (verse 11?

What did the Spirit tell Peter (verse 12)?

What had the angel told the man that Peter would bring (verse 14)?

How did the Holy Spirit come on them (verse 15)?

What did Peter remember the Lord had said (verse 16)?

What question did Peter ask himself (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how the unclean can be made clean?

In your opinion, what does Numbers 19:11-22 help us understand about Peter’s reaction to the the command to “kill and eat” in Acts 11:1-18?

In your opinion, how are Jesus’s interactions with the woman who had been bleeding and the dead girl in Matthew 9:14-25 and Peter’s interaction with the Gentiles in Acts 11:1-18 similar?

Colossians 3:5-17 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

What should Christians do with anything that “belongs to your earthly nature” (verse 5)?

What is coming (verse 6)?

Why should Christians “not lie to each other” (verse 9)?

What should Christians “put on” (verse 10)?

Why is there “no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free” (verse 11)?

How should “God’s chosen people” cloth themselves (verse 12)?

How should forgiveness be given (verse 13)?

What binds the virtues together (verse 14)?

Why should the “peace of Christ” rule in our hearts (verse 15)?

How should “you teach and admonish one another” (verse 16)?

How should we do everything, “in word or deed” (verse 17?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how the unclean can be made clean?

In your opinion, how are the effects of the “water of cleansing” in Numbers 19:11-22 and the transformation caused by “message of Christ” in Colossians 3:5-17 similar?

In your opinion, how are “God’s chosen people” in Colossians 3:5-17 like the “new wine in new wineskins” of Matthew 9:14-25?

In your opinion, what does Colossians 3:5-17 reveal about what happened to the circumcised and the uncircumcised believers in Acts 11:1-18?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Numbers, Matthew, Acts, and Colossians reveal about why Jesus’s discussion of “new wine into new wineskins” is an appropriate way to think about the change that He brought to becoming clean?

In your opinion, how can we who are cleansed by Christ effect the unclean world we live in today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 27, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Loving Mercy

Loving Mercy

Micah 6:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

² “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
    he is lodging a charge against Israel.

³ “My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened you? Answer me.
⁴ I brought you up out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
    also Aaron and Miriam.
⁵ My people, remember
    what Balak king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Who does the Lord tell Micah to “plead my case” before (verse 1)?

Who is the Lord “lodging a charge against” (verse 2)?

What does the Lord want to know (verse 3)?

Where did the Lord redeem Israel from (verse 4)?

Who answered “Balak king of Moab” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why does the Micah ask the questions in verses 6 and 7?

“And what does the Lord require of you” (verse 8)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about receiving mercy?

Matthew 9:9-13 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Who saw Matthew (verse 9)?

Where was Matthew sitting (verse 9)?

What did Matthew do (verse 9)?

Who was at the dinner at Matthew’s house (verse 10)?

Who ask the disciples “why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 11)?

Who did Jesus say needs “a doctor” (verse 12)?

What did Jesus say they needed to learn the meaning of (verse 13)?

Who had Jesus “come to call” (verse 13)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about receiving mercy?

In your opinion, how does the Lord’s requirement to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him in Micah 6:1-8 strengthen Jesus’s saying “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:9-13?

Titus 3:3-11 - New International Version (NIV)

³ At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ⁸ This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

⁹ But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. ¹¹ You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.

Who was “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (verse 9)?

Whose “kindness and love” appeared (verse 4)?

Why did God save “us” (verse 5)?

How was the Holy Spirit “poured out on us generously” (verses 5 and 6)?

What do the heirs have “hope of” (verse 7)?

What did Paul want those “who have trusted in God” to devote themselves to (verse 8)?

Why did Paul want “foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law” avoided (verse 9)?

When should Titus “have nothing to do” with a divisive person (verse 10?

Who is “self condemned” (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about receiving mercy?

In your opinion, how do the sacrifices mentioned in Micah 6:1-8 figure into the salvation that Paul is writing about in Titus 3:3-11?  Where does the acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly from Micah fit into what Paul was saying?

In your opinion, what does Titus 3:3-11 help us understand about the people that Jesus said He came “to call” in Matthew 9:9-13?

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.

In what has the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” given us “new birth into a living hope” (verse 3)?

Where is the “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” kept (verse 4)?

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

What do Christians have to suffer “in all kinds of trials” (verse 6)?

What is “of greater worth than gold” (verse 7)?

What will the trials result in “when Jesus Christ is revealed” (verse 7)?

How do the Christians Peter is writing to feel about Jesus even though they “have not seen him” (verse 8)?

What do the Christians Peter is writing to receive as “the end result” of their faith (verse 9?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about receiving mercy?

In your opinion, if God would ask Christians “My people, what have I done to you?” as He did the Israelite people in Micah 6:1-8 what does 1 Peter 1:3-9 reveal that should be listed in the answer?

In your opinion, how does the dinner at Matthew’s house in Matthew 9:9-13 reveal about who will receive the “inexpressible and glorious joy” that 1 Peter 1:3-9 says fills Christians?

In your opinion, what do both Titus 3:3-11 and 1 Peter 1:3-9 reveal about the fruit of God’s mercy to those who “have trusted in God”?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Micah, Matthew, Titus, and 1 Peter reveal about what God has done for those He can make a case against?

In your opinion, how should we respond to God’s loving mercy?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)