November 9, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Being Fruitful

Being Fruitful

Genesis 1:26-31 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Who was mankind made in the image of (verse 26)?

How was mankind created (verse 27)?

What did God tell them to do (verse 28)?

What did mankind have for food (verse 29)?

What did “everything that has the breath of life in it” have for food (verse 30)?

What did God see about “all that he had made” (verse 31)?

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

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

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “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. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ 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. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Where did Jesus go and sit (verse 1)?

Why did He move to sitting in a boat (verse 2)?

What did the farmer in the parable go out to do (verse 3)?

What happened to the seed sown “along the path” (verse 4)?

Why did the seed that fell in the rocky places spring “up quickly” (verse 5)?

Why did those plants wither quickly “when the sun come up” (verse 6)?

What happened to the seed that fell among the thorns (verse 7)?

Where did the seed that “produced a crop” fall (verse 8)?

Who is to “hear” (verse 9)?

What happens to the word for those who hear the message and don’t understand it (verse 19)?

How do those who are like the rocky ground receive the word (verse 20)?

When do they fall away (verse 21)?

What chokes the word and makes it unfruitful (verse 22)?

Who are those who are represented by the seed falling on good soil (verse 23)?

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

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

In your opinion, how does the instruction of God to mankind in Genesis 1:26-31 apply to those who receive God’s word in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23?

Romans 12:3-8 - New International Version (NIV)

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

With what kind of judgment should each Christian think of themselves (verse 3)?

What has God distributed to each Christian (verse 3)?

What don’t all members of the body have (verse 4)?

Who does each member of the body of Christ belong to (verse 5)?

What do we have different kinds of (verse 6)?

In your opinion, what should we do with our gifts (verses 6 through 8)?

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

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

In your opinion, how does the instruction of God to “be fruitful and increase in number” in Genesis 1:26-31 apply to Christians who have received the gifts in Romans 12:3-8?

In your opinion, what does Romans 12:3-8 help us understand about how Christians can produce a crop as encouraged in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23?

1 Corinthians 3:5-15 - New International Version (NIV)

⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³ their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

What has the Lord “assigned to each” (verse 5)?

Who made the seed grow (verse 6)?

Who “is anything” (verse 7)?

How will Christians “be rewarded” (verse 8)?

What are Christians (verse 9)?

How should each one build (verse 10)?

What is the foundation that has been laid (verse 11)?

When will people’s work “be shown for what it is” (verses 12 and 13)?

When will the builder “receive a reward” (verse 14)?

What will happen to the builder if their work is “burned up” (verse 15)?

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

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

In your opinion, how is the task assigned in 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 like the instructions given to mankind in Genesis 1:26-31?

In your opinion, what does 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 help us understand about those who Jesus says in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 hear and understand “the word”?

In your opinion, how does 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 help us understand how the different gifts listed in Romans 12:3-8 work together to produce results?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Genesis, Matthew, Romans and 1 Corinthians teach us about the source of all Christian growth?

In your opinion, what are the ways we can be fruitful today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

November 2, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Not Timid but Transformed

Not Timid but Transformed

Jonah 1:17-2:10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 ¹ From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. ² He said:

“In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
    and you listened to my cry.
³ You hurled me into the depths,
    into the very heart of the seas,
    and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
    swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished
    from your sight;
yet I will look again
    toward your holy temple.’
⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me,
    the deep surrounded me;
    seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
    the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God,
    brought my life up from the pit.

⁷ “When my life was ebbing away,
    I remembered you, Lord,
and my prayer rose to you,
    to your holy temple.

⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols
    turn away from God’s love for them.
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise,
    will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
    I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”

¹⁰ And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

How long was Jonah in the belly of the fish (verse 17)?

What did Jonah do “from inside the fish” (verse 1)?

Where was Jonah when he “called for help” (verse 2)?

What swept over Jonah (verse 3)?

Where will Jonah “look again” (verse 4)?

What “threatened” Jonah (verse 5)?

Who brought Jonah’s “life up from the pit” (verse 6)?

When did Jonah remember the Lord (verse 7)?

Who turns “away from God’s love for them” (verse 8)?

What will Jonah say (verse 9)?

What did the fish do when the Lord commanded it to (verse 10)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how God transforms us?

Matthew 12:38-50 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³ “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

⁴⁶ While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Who wanted to see “a sign” from Jesus (verse 38)?

What sign will be given to the “wicked and adulterous generation” (verse 39)?

How will the Son of Man be like Jonah (verse 40)?

Why will “the men of Nineveh” condemn “this generation” (verse 41)?

Who came to “listen to Solomon’s wisdom” (verse 42)?

What does the “impure spirit” seek in the arid places (verse 43)?

What does the impure spirit do when it finds the “house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order” (verses 44 and 45)?

Who came to speak to Jesus (verse 46)?

Who is Jesus’s “brother and sister and mother” (verse 50)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how God transforms us?

In your opinion, what lesson does Jonah’s realization about salvation in Jonah 1:17-2:10 provide to the teachers of the law and Pharisees who ask Jesus for a sign in Matthew 12:38-50?

Colossians 1:15-23 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Who is the “firstborn over all creation” (verse 15)?

What has been created “in him” (verse 16)?

What does He “hold together” (verse 17)?

Who is He “from among the dead” (verse 18)?

What was God pleased to have “dwell in him” (verse 19)?

How did He make peace (verse 20)?

Why were we “alienated from God” (verse 21)?

How are Christians presented to God (verse 22)?

What should Christians “not move from” (verse 23)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how God transforms us?

In your opinion, how does Jonah’s reconciliation with God in Jonah 1:17-2:10 compare with the reconciliation that Paul discusses in Colossians 1:15-23?

In your opinion, how are the degradation of the person who cleans house but leaves it empty in Matthew 12:38-50 and the reconciliation described in Colossians 1:15-23 similar, even though opposite there are opposite endings for the people involved?

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

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

What does Paul want Timothy to “fan” (verse 6)?

Who gives us “power, love and self-discipline” (verse 7)?

How does Paul want Timothy to join with him “in suffering for the gospel” (verse 8)?

What has God done “because of his own purpose and grace” (verse 9)?

What has Christ Jesus brought “to light through the gospel” (verse 10)?

Who was appointed “a herald and an apostle and a teacher” of the gospel (verse 11)?

What does Paul know (verse 12)?

What is Timothy to do with what he heard from Paul (verse 13)?

Who will help Timothy “guard the good deposit” (verse 14)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about how God transforms us?

In your opinion, how is God saving Jonah in Jonah 1:17-2:10 similar to the salvation of Christians by Jesus as described in 2 Timothy 1:6-14?

In your opinion, how does 2 Timothy 1:6-14 reassure Christians who might fear the return of the impure spirit as described by Jesus in Matthew 12:38-50?

In your opinion, how does 2 Timothy 1:6-14 help us understand how Christians should move forward after the reconciliation described in Colossians 1:15-23?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Jonah, Matthew, Colossians and 2 Timothy teach us about salvation?

In your opinion, how do we continue in our faith not timidly but “established and firm” in the world today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

October 26, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Speaking the Truth

Speaking the Truth

Job 42:1-9 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Then Job replied to the Lord:

² “I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.

⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
    I will question you,
    and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
    but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

⁷ After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. ⁸ So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

Who did Job reply to (verse 1)?

What cannot be thwarted (verse 2)?

Who spoke of things they did not understand (verse 3)?

What was Job to do when the Lord questioned him (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between Job’s ears hearing the Lord and his eyes seeing the Lord (verse 5)?

How did Job respond to his eyes seeing the Lord (verse 6)?

Why was the Lord angry at Eliphaz and his two friends (verse 7)?

What needed to happen to keep the Lord from dealing with them according to their folly (verse 8)?

What did the Lord accept (verse 9)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of our words?

Matthew 12:30-37 - New International Version (NIV)

³⁰ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Who is against Jesus (verse 30)?

What do those who don’t “gather” with Jesus do (verse 30)?

What “will not be forgiven” (verse 31)?

Can someone who “speaks a word against the Son of Man” be forgiven (verse 32)?

How can you recognize a “bad tree” (verse 33)?

What does “the mouth” speak (verse 34)?

Where does a good man bring “good things out of” (verse 35)?

What will everyone have to do “on the day of judgment” (verse 36)?

How are we “acquitted” (verse 37)?

How are we “condemned” (verse 37)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of our words?

In your opinion, what does the Lord’s statement to Eliphaz in Job 42:1-9 help us understand about Jesus saying “by your words you will be condemned” in 12:30-37?

James 3:3-12 - New International Version (NIV)

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.

How do we make horses obey us (verse 3)?

What makes a ship go where the pilot wants it to go (verse 4)?

What can a small spark do (verse 5)?

What “sets the whole course of one’s life on fire” (verse 6)?

What can “no human being” tame (verses 7 and 8)?

Where do both “praise and cursing” come from (verse 9)?

Can “both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring” (verses 11 and 12)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of our words?

In your opinion, how does the fact that the Lord offered Eliphaz a way to prevent the Lord from dealing with his folly in Job 42:1-9 offer hope for people who are challenged to control their tongues as warned by James 3:3-12?

In your opinion, what does the statement in James 3:3-12 that “out of the same mouth come praise and cursing” combined with what Jesus said in Matthew 12:30-37, “for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” help us understand about ourselves?

Titus 3:4-11 - 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 3)?

What appeared (verse 4)?

Why did God save us (verse 5)?

How did God save us (verse 5)?

How was the Holy Spirit “poured out on us” (verse 6)?

How are we justified (verse 7)?

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

Why should “foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law” be avoided (verse 9)?

Who should be avoided after two warnings (verse 10)?

What are “warped and sinful” people (verse 11)

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the importance of our words?

In your opinion, how is the forgiveness of Eliphaz in Job 42:1-9 for the words he spoke a model of the forgiveness of Christians in Titus 3:4-11?

In your opinion, what does knowing that Titus 3:4-11 reveals that Christians have been saved through washing and rebirth help us understand about the good and bad trees in Matthew 12:30-37?

In your opinion, how is the hopelessness in James 3:3-12 that “no human being can tame the tongue” transformed by Titus 3:4-11?

In your opinion, what do these Scriptures from Job, Matthew, James and Titus teach us about the challenge of being human?

In your opinion, how do we avoid controversies, arguments, and quarrels in the world today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)