August 2, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Follow Me

Follow Me

Exodus 20:1-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

What had God done (verse 2)?

What is the first commandment (verse 3)?

Why should the Israelites not bow to or worship any image (verse 5)?

Who will not be “guiltless” (verse 7)?

Which day is holy (verse 8)?

Who should be honored (verse 12)?

What should not be coveted (verse 17)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between following regulations and following God?

Matthew 19:13-30 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵ When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

How did the disciples treat those who brought little children for Jesus to pray for (verse 13)?

Who did Jesus say the kingdom of heaven belongs to (verse 14)?

What did the man ask Jesus (verse 16)?

What did Jesus tell the man to do (verse 17)?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s answer compare to the ten commandments given in Exodus 20:1-17 (verses 18 and 19)?

What did the man then ask Jesus (verse 20)?

How did Jesus answer him (verse 21)?

In your opinion, how does Jesus’s answer compare to the ten commandments given in Exodus 20:1-17 (verse 21)?

Why was the young man sad (verse 22)?

What is hard for someone who is rich to do (verse 23)?

How did Jesus answer the question who then can be saved” (verses 25 and 26)?

What will there be for the disciples (verses 27-30)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between following regulations and following God?

In your opinion, how does the parable in Matthew 19:13-30 help us understand which of the commands in Exodus 20:1-17 are the hardest to follow?  Why?

2 Corinthians 7:8-11 - New International Version (NIV)

⁸ Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹ yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹ See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

What did Paul not regret causing in the Corinthians Christians (verse 8)?

How long had Paul’s letter hurt them (verse 8)?

Why was Paul now happy (verse 9)?

Who intended for them to be sorrowful (verse 9)?

What “brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (verse 10)?

What does “worldly sorrow” bring (verse 10)?

What did Godly sorrow produce in the Corinthian Christians (verse 11)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between following regulations and following God?

In your opinion, how can a sincere attempt to follow the commands in Exodus 20:1-17 lead to the “godly sorrow” that Paul says brings repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11?

In your opinion, how does the rich young man in Matthew 19:13-30 help us understand the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow that Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11?

2 Timothy 2:22-26 - New International Version (NIV)

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

What should Christian’s flee (verse 22)?

What should Christian’s pursue (verse 22)?

Why should Christians avoid “foolish and stupid arguments” (verse 23)?

Who should “the Lord’s servant” be kind to (verse 24)?

Why should opponents be gently instructed (verse 25)?

Who has taken the opponents captive (verse 26)?

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

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between following regulations and following God?

In your opinion, what role do the commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 play in helping us understand more about pursuing “righteousness, faith, love and peace” as instructed by 2 Timothy 2:22-26?

In your opinion, what does 2 Timothy 2:22-26 help us understand about what the rich young man in Matthew 19:13-30 was missing?

In your opinion, how is “godly sorrow” in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 the starting point for the pursuits in 2 Timothy 2:22-26?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Exodus, Matthew, 2 Corinthians, and 2 Timothy teach us about repentance?

In your opinion, what might we need to leave behind to truly follow Jesus?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)